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I put a defiant hand to my hip. “What spread, Heidi?”
“Of you and the baby. The first introduction to the world piece.”
“No,” I deny absolutely. “I’m not going to do a spread about the baby.”
“It’s in Glam magazine, Raquel. It’s not like they’re going to do anything that isn’t tasteful and classy,” Heidi argues. “Just a few shots of you and the baby in the hospital. It’s a glorified newborn shoot. You’ll get your hair and makeup done and throw on a few matching outfits for some sweet, adorable shots. Regular women are doing the same thing all across the globe.”
I scoff through a laugh. “Yeah. Except those women are doing it for their personal photograph collection. Not so that millions of people they don’t know can stare at their baby and criticize what they look like immediately after giving birth.”
Heidi rolls her eyes. “They send those pictures out all over the place to their families. You think they wouldn’t be thrilled if Glam magazine cared enough to throw a picture of their baby in their nationally circulated publication?” She shakes her head. “Don’t be naïve.”
“I’m not being naïve. I just don’t think I’ll be up for an interview and—”
“What about Princess Kate?” She cuts me off before I can really express how I’m feeling. “She got out there and stood on the steps for the press mere hours after having each baby. In a dress and heels, no less. We won’t even make you wear shoes.”
“Royalty?” I question through a barking laugh. “You’re really comparing me to the standards of royalty now?”
“You are royalty, Raquel—Hollywood royalty. You may not have a crown, but I can assure you, your position isn’t all that different.”
I could give two shits about my position or crowns or whatever. There is no way I can let my sweet, innocent baby be used for publicity. The mere thought of it makes me want to puke.
“I’m not doing it.” End of fucking story.
Heidi sighs heavily. “I didn’t want to have to tell you this because you’ve been so happy. But I made a deal with them, Raquel. Two months ago. In exchange for them not running the picture of you screaming on the balcony like you’d lost your damn mind and coming up with their own story to go with it, they get an exclusive of you with the baby. We can’t go back on the deal.”
Panic sweeps over me. Pregnancy hormones have apparently only enhanced my struggles with claustrophobia because this tight little corner I’ve been backed into feels like it’s liable to choke the life right out of me.
Harrison’s sexy, sleepy voice surprises both Heidi and me when he speaks up from the mouth of the hall. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s no big deal.” I try to calm this situation down before it even has the chance to get out of hand, but Heidi talks right over me.
“She’s trying to back out of a deal that she can’t, that’s what.”
“Heidi,” I snap. “We’ll deal with this later—”
“What deal?” he asks then, shoving away from the wall while pulling his T-shirt down over his head.
“A tiny little spread of her and the baby in Glam magazine,” Heidi says before I can stop her.
Harrison’s eyebrows draw together immediately.
Three weeks ago, while talking about the baby and trying to figure out possible names over dinner in his apartment one night, we agreed that we didn’t want our child in the limelight. Not until he or she was old enough to understand and make a choice for themselves. I grew up in the business, and for as much success as I’ve had because of it, I would go back and choose a normal life if I could.
“Raquel was just saying she would do it,” Heidi challenges, and I nearly growl.
“No. I was not saying that.” I shake my head and look at Harrison. “I said I didn’t want to do it, but apparently, it’s complicated because Heidi already promised I would.”
“Well, she’s just going to have to unpromise, then,” Harrison snaps. Months and months of time spent together, and this is one of the only times I’ve ever seen him truly angry. “We’re not exploiting our newborn. Not for money, not for a career. Period.”
Heidi moves her eyes to me, a pointed brow to remind me of what’s at stake. In the name of keeping things calm inside my apartment, I do my best to walk the fine line between the two of them. “We’ll have to talk. Figure it out. See what Heidi can do—”
“No,” Harrison interrupts. “We’re not going to figure anything out. It’s figured out. Heidi is going to tell them we’re not going to do it, or we’re going to tell her she doesn’t work for us anymore.”
Already on edge, my hackles rise at the use of “us” and the fact that he so swiftly cut me off before I could finish. “Work for us?” I say, questioning it with a little more anger in my voice than I expect.
