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ROWAN
“Run through it again,” Aiden barked at me. He’d helped me craft the joint statement that Andrew and I would offer the press, but he kept revising it, and after the tenth draft, I was ready to jump overboard.
“Andrew will be here shortly, so why don’t we wait until he arrives and run through it together?”
“Fine. But in the meantime, I need another drink. Preferably one that has ninety five percent gin and five percent tonic this time. Make that two.”
We lounged on the sundeck. Or rather, Aiden relaxed on a lounger, and I paced back and forth in front of him.
“Stop parading around, Ro, he’ll be here. Jesus, I hope I never catch what you have. Love has turned you into a high-strung dramatist. You and Andrew could star in your own fucking film.”
“I’ll stop pacing if you stop acting like a wanker. This scrum will put Andrew in the public eye from now on, so naturally I’m worried about how it will affect him. And us.”
“If he’s everything you say he is, he will handle it. And handle you. The sooner the better on the latter.”
“What if he changes his mind and decides I’m not worth the trouble? I don’t know if my heart could take it.”
Aiden rolled his eyes, stood up, and handed his drink over to me. “Down the hatch. Now.”
“No. I need a clear head.”
“You need to relax. One thing at a time.”
I downed the rest of Aiden’s drink and set the glass down on the table.
“I’ll relax when I see Andrew.”
“I guess we finally got our timing right.” A familiar voice echoed behind me, and I turned suddenly to find the object of my one and only desire standing near the stairs. It was crazy, really, since it had only been thirty-three hours since we’d been in each other’s arms, but it felt like a fucking lifetime. Dark, beautiful eyes surveyed me slowly. I wasted no time rushing over to Andrew, pulling him into my embrace, and taking his mouth in a passionate kiss that I needed more than my next breath. Everything in my life made sense when Andrew was in my arms. Where he belonged. I refused to let go until he slowly pulled back and chuckled.
“Save that for later, sweetheart. I think someone’s trying to get your attention.”
I reluctantly let go of his mouth but kept one arm around his waist. Aiden was shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
“Andrew, this is Aiden Barstock, my solicitor extraordinaire and occasional friend,” I said with a smirk. “Aiden meet Andrew Slater, the love of my life.” Andrew squeezed my waist and leaned in to steal another kiss. Now that Andrew and I were committed to being together, I was holding nothing back.
Aiden responded by leaning over the railing, making retching noises. “It’s not motion sickness, Ro, it’s you two. Please stop that vomit-inducing dialogue until I leave.”
Andrew burst out laughing, and I knew right there that these two would become fast friends. My Andrew befriended everyone, so I was not surprised.
“I promise to control myself, Aiden, but I can’t guarantee about Ro. You should see his text messages; he can co-write those romance novels with his aunt now.”
Aiden’s responding boom of laughter was a welcome sound.
“Cheeky,” I murmured against Andrew’s lips. “And you love my text messages.”
“Enough. Let’s get down to business. We have a press conference in an hour,” Aiden barked.
Aiden was right, so I reluctantly let go of Andrew, and we all sat down to review the plan. Andrew asked a lot of detailed questions about how and what we should say and how we would handle the press moving forward. Aiden was suitably impressed with Andrew’s input. Once we felt comfortable with our plan, we reached out to our respective friends and family members to advise them, and I had my security company on standby. Then we headed down to the interior to get dressed.
George and the rest of the crew were informed about our relationship, so they were prepared when they saw Andrew and I holding hands. I knew that some members may have been put out by this unexpected scenario, but I wasn’t going to hide. I hadn’t planned on this relationship, but at the same time, I wasn’t ashamed of my feelings for Andrew, and if others didn’t like it, too bad.
“The upcoming days and weeks are not going to be easy. On us, on our family, our friends. The media may print items that stretch the truth, and they may print stories from my former lovers, who the fuck knows?” I murmured as I took Andrew into my arms. “All I know is that in time, it will pass. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and your family.”
“I’m ready, love.”
We got lost in a claiming kiss until a loud knock on the door interrupted us. Aiden opened it and stuck his head in.
“Save the screwing around for later,” Aiden grumbled. “The call is about to begin, so hurry it up.”
