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I blinked. My eyes darted between my new shadow and Adam’s stilted introduction. I wanted to call him on his awkwardness, but before I could patch together my jumbled thoughts, he dipped out.
“Great. I’ll let you two get to know each other. Bye.”
And he was gone.
“I uh, I’m sorry.” I shook my head while Zoe slapped the book in my hands. “I forgot your name already.”
“Makoa,” the giant smiled. “But you can call me Mak.”
“Did you hear that, Zo? This is Mak. Say hi.”
She frowned up at the large, looming man and shook her head. After a beat, she burrowed into my side. That might’ve been the first time I’d ever seen the chirpy toddler act shy.
I shrugged and smiled at Mak. “I think your size intimidates her.”
“That’s usually the goal.” Mak smiled self-depreciatively. “But I hope with some time she gets to like me. You two ready to go?”
“Uh yeah. Let me grab a few things.” I already knew from experience that we couldn’t go anywhere without Bunny. Holding Zoe on my hip, I stuffed a few items in the diaper bag, let her hold Bunny, and then hefted the diaper bag onto my other shoulder. “Ready.”
Without a word, Mak smoothly took the diaper bag from me and turned to lead the way out of the trailer. He waited at the bottom of the stairs for us, his gaze darting between me and our surroundings. I knew his presence was supposed to be reassuring, but his constant surveillance in a place where I’d always felt safe was unnerving.
More than one person turned to watch us as we crossed the studio lot. My previous escort—Adam—was someone who blended in. Mak definitely didn’t blend. He literally stood head and shoulders above everyone. It was odd to draw so much attention where I’d never rated a second look before.
But I was grateful for Mak’s looming figure when we reached the car.
On the other side of the street, a pack of photographers loitered, watching people come and go. I averted my gaze, but judging by the shouts, my sad attempt to hide in plain sight failed.
“Nanny!”
“Look over here, gorgeous!”
“Zoe! Zoe!”
Ugh. They were using her name. My stomach roiled. I hated everything about the scene.
Using my hand to shield Zoe’s face, I waited impatiently for Mak to open the car door. The second I could, I climbed in. My hands shook as I strapped Zoe into her carseat. But I tried not to show it. I smiled and talked to Zoe like everything was fine.
Like this weird reality was normal. Bodyguards, drivers, and paparazzi.
Totally normal.
Chapter Eight
King
“I don’t care, Jayne. I’m not releasing a statement. I’m not making any overtures to Karen or Tony. I don’t care.” Holding my phone to my ear, I closed the front door quietly behind myself when really all I wanted to do was slam it. I was so flipping tired of talking about my ex-in-laws and their crazy demands.
“Well, you should care, Kingston. They are getting more and more print space and airtime every day. You are not coming off like the hero in their interviews.”
I’d been with Jayne for so long she practically felt like an older sister. She definitely was annoying me like an older sister at the moment. “I don’t care. They don’t have a single right to Zoe. I’m the parent, and I get to decide who she sees and who she spends time with. They aren’t going to use my daughter to get more sympathy and airtime.”
“They already are. Every day that goes by and you don’t address it, the bigger the story gets. It looks like you have something to hide.”
“The only one with someone to hide was Ariel. If I knew how batshit crazy and destructive her parents were, I never would’ve married her.” I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t really mean it. Because then I wouldn’t have Zoe. “They’re theones in the wrong here, Jayne. They had a chance to see their granddaughter, but they blew it when they invited the media to film their first visit. And when it comes to my daughter, you don’t get three strikes. One screwup, and you’re gone.”
“Then we need to say that, King. The people deserve to know what’s going on. You need them on your side. If this goes on for much longer, it could have a seriously negative impact on your career.”
“Fuck my career. At least then I’ll be able to be home with Zoe.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair. “I don’t care, Jayne. I really don’t. I don’t want to go to the press with my allegations. I don’t want Zoe reading about it in fifteen years when she’s old enough to search out this kinda stuff.”
