AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t know if I could take another minute of it, but I didn’t have a choice.
Levi put his hand on my forearm. “Why do you look like you just swallowed a worm?”
“I just—I don’t think I can listen to Park fake-gag over love for another second.”
Levi laughed. “I feel that, man.” He turned away and raised his voice to reach the end of our row. “Ayo, Park!”
Parker looked up, eyebrows raised. “We’re seeingLove. Shut your face and enjoy it.” The look of deep unhappiness that settled over Parker’s face as he drew his baseball cap lower over his forehead almost made the trip worth it.Almost.
The show was incredible, even I had to admit that much. It was set to Beatles’ songs and the performance was flawless. There were aerial tricks, silks, ropes, trapezes, and so much more. I honestly had my breath taken away several times. It only lasted an hour and a half, and too soon we were spilling back into the desert heat, ready to head to the next destination.
As soon as we were outside, I checked my phone again. Still nothing from Oliver. He’d said he’d call as soon as he knew something, right? Maybe I had misunderstood. Maybe he wasn’t going to call until later. It was possible he was working. I tried to take a few reassuring deep breaths and settle down. It didn’t mean anything. None of it meant anything until I heard from my—from Oliver.
As we strolled down the strip, Bennett stopped at a little box and grabbed a local newspaper. I raised my eyebrows at him and he shrugged. “I like to keep up to date on things, okay?”
“Whatever you say,” I murmured.
When we stopped to watch the fountain show at one of the hotels, Bennett opened the paper and started leafing through the sections. He put aside the front page, the sports section, and the section with the comics, going straight for the arts and entertainment pages. I rolled my eyes fondly at him and turned my focus to the fountains.
The show was fun to watch but I couldn’t stop checking my phone and thinking of Oliver. What did he like to do? What washisfavorite place to eat? Did he have family? How were his friends going to react to our news? Hell, how weremyfriends going to react to our news? I knew I should tell them, but I didn’t want to overshadow Theo and Nate’s big weekend, and I definitely didn’t want to hear all the shit I wasdefinitelygoing to catch from Parker.
Bennett cleared his throat. “Did you want to see?” He offered me his newspaper.
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’m good.”
“Cam, seriously. You might want to see this.” His tone was hushed and weirdly insistent.
I furrowed my brow and took the paper from him, glancing at the front page and then back at his face. “So?” That’s when it clicked, and I did a double take at the paper. Splashed across the front page of the entertainment section of the paper was a grainy photo of two men embracing and kissing. Above it were the words “Chef Ridley Marries Mystery Man.”
Most people wouldn’t be able to identify the “mystery man,” I hoped, but Bennett had spotted me without a second thought. There I was on the front of the entertainment section. Oliver was holding me close and our tongues were down each other’s throats.
“Shit,” I hissed.
Bennett’s eyes were wide. “Yeah, shit.”
I glanced around but nobody had noticed my state of panic. I thrust the paper back at Ben. “Get rid of this.”
“So it’strue?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Not a word.”
He raised his hands defensively. “You know I wouldn’t.” After a beat, he glanced around. “I’m just going to, uh…” He gestured toward a nearby trash can and scooped up his paper.
“Where’s Bennett going?” Levi asked, watching him hurry away.
“He said he was done with his paper and was going to toss it,” I murmured, cheeks hot.
“You feeling okay? Your face is red.” When I didn’t respond, Levi nodded sagely. “I get it. He’s not recycling. As usual.”
I suppressed a snort. Recycling. That was definitely what I was mad about. I definitelywasn’tfreaking out about the fact that my Vegas wedding was all over the newspapers and it had probably already been picked up by some national tabloid. I was also definitely not freaking out about the fact that my best friends were going to find out sooner than later. And to make matters worse, I hadn’t heard from my husband inhours. Nope, definitelynotfreaking out.
Before I could say another word, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I snatched it out without hesitation and answered without looking at the display. “Hello?” My throat was made of sandpaper, dry and rough, and my voice came out sounding wrecked.
“Cam?”
I swallowed hard. “Y-yeah?”
“This is Oliver. We need to talk. Can you meet me at the restaurant? Maybe in a half hour or so?”
