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The wedding video?
“Let me guess,” she said, shaking her head. “You thought I was some gold digger.”
“Quite the opposite.” Mitzi tossed a glance at Landon, then lowered her voice. “I told Madelyn I hadn’t seen Landon smile like that in years.”
Wow.
She twisted the corner of Landon’s shirt. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
Mitzi narrowed her gaze. “Say you’ll do what you can to help Landon and his niece find their footing.”
It didn’t take a genius to comprehend what Mitzi wanted her to do. It was a tall order, but one she might be up for.
No, notmightbe up for it.
A sense of purpose washed over her.
She was up for it.
“I understand the marriage situation is unconventional, but if Landon’s niece needs help figuring out her new life, I’ll do what I can,” she answered, and she meant it.
She was no fan of pint-sized nose pickers, but Aria didn’t seem like most kids. She knew this as well as she knew her own name. From the moment that little sass pot had told her uncle Landy to eat worms, the kid had simultaneously freaked her out and taken up residence in her heart.
And what did she have to lose?
She had no idea what her life would look like in six months or six years, but she’d just signed a contract that laid out exactly where she’d be and who she’d be with for the next sixty days.
For the next two months, she’d be part of a trio.
She might be a broke, chocolate-obsessed, tutu-wearing train wreck of a woman, but she could be there for the kid.
She held the manager’s gaze. Mitzi Jones was tough, but her eyes gave her away. The genuine worry welling there spoke volumes.
One thing was clear: Mitzi cared deeply for Landon and Aria.
But that didn’t mean the woman was about to spill the beans to some chick Landon married on a dare in Vegas—no matter how happy the man had appeared or how many offers came his way, thanks to the leaked wedding videos. Still, Mitzi was the key to figuring out what was going on between Landon and Aria.
“Mitzi, I don’t mean to pry,” she continued. “I knew Landon had a connection to a child, since he was part of the nanny match men’s group. I figured it might be some groupie’s baby. The guys are tight-lipped about each other’s situations. I didn’t know Landon had a niece until today. A little background info could help me help them. We’re stuck together for sixty days. If I understood what was going on, I think it would help.”
The manager raised an eyebrow.
That was something.
“Here’s what I know,” she continued. It was time to level with the woman. “The entire planet went crazy when Heartthrob Warfare announced they were taking a break. But Landon remained in the spotlight. I always wondered what happened to Trey and Leighton. They seemed to drop off the face of the Earth.”
Mitzi threw another look Landon’s way. “Aria is Leighton and Trey’s daughter, and they vowed to keep that part of their life private. Trey and Leighton were very much in love. And while everyone was thrilled about them having a baby on the way, when they found out Leighton was pregnant, it threw a wrench into the direction of the band’s music. It was at the height of Heartthrob Warfare’s success. The label had agreed to let them write and record the music they wanted to do. But Trey and Leighton wanted their child to have a normal life, away from the paparazzi and the pop world. So they left it all to live in the foothills tucked away in Evergreen, not far from Tomás and Bess. There was talk that, after a couple of years when Aria was older, they’d start making music again, but it never happened.”
“I’d had no idea they’d had a child,” she replied, shaking her head. “They did an amazing job keeping it quiet.”
“They wanted a stable, happy life for their daughter. Trey and Leighton stopped craving the spotlight the minute they found out she was pregnant.”
“And what did Landon think about it?” she prodded.
“That’s complicated,” the manager replied, then flicked her gaze to Landon, still on the phone and about to wear a hole in the floor from his pacing. “You haven’t met Aria yet, have you?”
“Actually, I met her today.”
“When?” Mitzi asked, shock coating the word.
