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Melanie stepped into a silky black dress while he put on his pants and shirt. “Sure it does. We’ll both be single tonight and when you’re ready, we’ll tell your parents. If you want, we can argue at the party. Just to make it realistic.” She held the top of her dress to her chest, turning her back to him. “Can you help me with this?”
He tied the bow of her open-back dress. Not knowing what she’d say to the proposal, he hadn’t thought out logistics before he’d come to her apartment. Tonight was going to be difficult enough. He couldn’t stomach the thought of more pretending. “No way. We’re going to the party together. As a couple.”
Melanie whipped around, her eyes ablaze with their usual panic when she didn’t like one of his ideas. “Adam, no. That’s insane. The entire world is expecting you to get out of a limo with Julia tonight. It’s bad enough that she isn’t going to be there. It’ll be ten times more scandalous if I’m on your arm.”
“I don’t care.” He buttoned his shirt and tucked it in. “I don’t want to wait anymore. I won’t wait. I love you and you love me, and if that’s not good enough for the rest of the world, then too bad.”
She stepped into a pair of black heels. God he loved her legs. He couldn’t wait for tonight when they could be wrapped around him again.
“It’s very easy for you to have a cavalier attitude,” she said, putting on earrings. “Your dad isn’t going to rip your head off first. He’ll rip off mine.”
Adam shook his head. “I won’t let him do anything of the sort. This is all on me. You held up your end of the deal.”
“That’s sweet, but you didn’t sign a contract. I did.” She hurried over to the mirror above her bureau and checked her hair, then began chucking cosmetics into a small black handbag.
He came up behind her and clutched her shoulders, making eye contact with her in the mirror. This was the first time he’d seen them together, as a couple. It was all he ever needed to see. “Enough pretending and worrying about what everyone else thinks. It all ends tonight.”
Eighteen
Melanie had done some daring things in her life, but this might top them all. On what was possibly the biggest night of either of their careers, she and Adam were about to out themselves as a couple in front of the media and his family. Daring or not, love made it seem like a perfectly acceptable risk.
A hailstorm of camera flashes broke out the instant Adam’s driver opened the limo door, followed by a deluge of shouting voices.
“Julia. Adam. Over here.”
Of course, Melanie wasn’t the woman they were expecting. She followed Adam out of the car, embarrassment threatening to envelop her, but she refused to do anything but hold her head high. Adam had been dead serious about it at her apartment. They’d allowed everyone else’s expectations to get in the way of their love, and there would be no more of that. She could do this. She had to do this if she wanted to be with Adam, and she wanted that more than anything.
An audible gasp rang out from the crowd as Melanie stepped onto the red carpet. Again, an assault of shouts rang out.
“Adam. Who are you with?”
“Where’s Julia?”
Adam firmly squeezed her hand, reminding her that he was there for her to lean on if needed. She half expected him to rush her up the red carpet and past the press, but he didn’t. He led her ahead several steps and stopped, collected as could be. “Calm down, everybody. I’d like to introduce you all to Melanie Costello. She’s in charge of my public relations.”
“Where’s Julia?”
That question had played a central role in Melanie’s imagined worst-case scenario. The camera flashes became sporadic. The roar of the crowd dulled.
“You’ll have to ask her that. We’re no longer together, but it was an amicable split.”
The litany of flashing lights returned to full speed, but Melanie didn’t shy away. She was too busy beaming at her future husband. Adam had learned to deal with the media beautifully.
“Is Melanie your new girlfriend?” a female photographer asked.
“Let’s just say that an announcement will be made later this evening.” Adam leaned over and placed a kiss on her temple.
Melanie couldn’t believe this was really happening. It was all like a dream when being with Adam was already surreal. She’d spent a year wishing she hadn’t been so stupid as to sneak out of his apartment, and the past month wishing he could be hers. And now he was.
