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“You said that you loved me enough to handle the truth. You said that Jack. You said that.”
Oh God. She was going to lose it. She sounded pathetic.
Jack regarded her in silence. And just when it had spread way too thin and way too long he spoke.
“I was wrong.”
His threw the bottle of scotch across the room, and she jumped when it shattered against the windows and blinds. His breathing was erratic, and she knew that he was barely holding his anger in check. Coco appeared from nowhere and began to bark, but with one look, Jack silenced the little dog. He shook his head, eyes grim and dead.
“Fucking the guy I considered my best friend is something I apparently can’t get past.”
He strode past her and scooped up the beer he’d abandoned earlier. Hand on the door he paused. “Get Maverick to take you home. I’ll be in touch. If you’re pregnant, I’ll deal with it. I’m not the guy who will abandon his kid.”
Donovan fell back into the soft cushions. She was done. There were no more tears left inside her.
“What the hell?” Maverick took the stairs two at a time, eyes sweeping the entire room.
“He knows,” she said dully.
Maverick paused near her, his hand on the chair as he looked down at her. “You told him?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Then how?”
“I don’t know. There are reports online. It’s out there. For all I know there are….” Her voice broke. “There are pictures and video of me spread all over the internet. How am I going to deal with that? I’m so ashamed, Rick. Cooper was right. I’m no good for him.”
“What the hell does Cooper have to do with this?” Maverick looked fierce, with his long hair all askew and his intense dark eyes.
“He has the thumb drive.. I don’t know how, but he…he must have released it to the press just like he told me he would.”
“I’m going to kill him. What a fucking mess,” Maverick growled. He paused. “Look. Don’t worry about anything right now. I’ve got you looked after. I’m going to get you home, and then we’ll figure this out.”
“Can we leave now?”
The thought of facing Jack’s parents made her nauseous, and all she wanted to do was climb into her bed and disappear.
“Yeah,” Maverick replied, hand on her shoulder. “We can leave now.”
***
Three days later, Donovan was ensconced inside her home in Los Angeles with a crap-ton of paparazzi camped outside, when Maverick called to let her know that Brett had passed away.
“How’s Sabrina?” she asked, heartbroken for the woman.
“I don’t know her real well, but from what I could see, she’s one tough lady.”
“Are you going up for the funeral?”
“No. They wanted a small private ceremony, though Jack and his parents are still up there.” Silence filled her ear. “I talked to Cooper, finally. He says he’s not the one responsible for the leak.”
For the past three days, the news outlets had sensationalized every aspect of Donovan and Jack’s story. Derek and the supposed sex tape were mentioned in each and every one. But so far no actual photos, or videos for that matter, had surfaced. As for Donovan, she wasn’t talking to anyone, not even her publicist.
“Does it really matter?” she said eventually.
“Hell yes. Don’t you want to know who threw you under the bus like that? I sure as hell do.”
“I’ve got other things to focus on, Rick.” Like the second positive pregnancy test.
