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“I don’t know about that,” I say, but my stomach flip-flops at the idea of that being true. “We had an amazing trip. Like, perfect.” I waggle my head. “But he did do something that kinda worried me.”
“Okay…” Eva’s scowl deepens.
“He won’t sleep with me,” I say.
West cocks his head. “I thought you just said you engaged in mattress drilling.”
“We slept together but didn’t spend the night together. He had a rule from the very beginning of all this that we couldn’t stay in each other’s bedrooms. He said it was too personal, which seemed fair enough. But then when we had our…amazing night together, he left to go to his own room.” I sigh. “I guess I thought that only applied if we were still faking things.”
“Did you talk to him about that?” Eva’s gone into full-blown deposition mode.
“No. We headed back to the States the next day.” I bite my lip. “And it was a part of his deal.”
Skye scrunches her nose. “But you two were going to sleep in the same bed at the yurt. Until you got kissed by a bat.”
“No.” I run my finger along my glass of water. “He had another yurt he was moving to after everyone else went to sleep.”
“Hear that? The sound of red flags whipping in your face.” Eva’s big brown eyes narrow as she gives me a stern look. “I mean, you two are famous and living a lie. Do you just hope it cleanly transitions into the truth, uninterrupted?”
“Kind of, yeah.” As soon as I say the words, I realize how ridiculous I sound. Plus, Maddox got all weirded out on set today when Smith told us we weren’t nailing our scenes.
“Just be careful, cuz.” West squeezes in a sentence before filling his mouth.
He’s right. Eva’s right. And I haven’t even told them that Maddox doesn’t want kids, which is a deal breaker for me. I got swept away in the romance of Scotland, away from the real world. But now I’m back to reality, and I don’t know where this goes from here.
Another day. Another Wednesday morning coffee date with Maddox. Another uncomfortable ride together to the studio to satiate the paparazzi. Another tense day on set.
Now, I’m walking down the hallway to leave work. I’m alone, as Maddox took off early to work out. My phone pings, and I check to see an article has hit aboutUrban Dawn.
Automatically, I check it, as I always do with press related to the show. After I click, I see the headline. “HOW DID A TALENTLESS HACK SNAG MADDOX WINTER?”
I blink, stunned. I re-read the headline to make sure I’m seeing it right. Then, just to torture myself, I read the first paragraph. “Riley Glenn, the actress known for her role inUrban Dawn, andonlythat role because she’s never had another, landed the sexiest man alive. And if you’re like the rest of us, you have to be wondering how.”
That’s as far as I read before I put my phone to sleep and slip it back in my purse. My face is boiling hot, and tears sting the back of my eyes.
I speed walk, hiding my face as I pass people. I just have to make it to my car.
My phone buzzes, and I check to see “Maddox” on the screen. I’m not answering it. I’m too humiliated.
I step onto the sidewalk outside and whoosh out a sigh of relief that I’ll be in my car soon. I’m trying to hold the tears back, but my brain won’t stop.
The world thinks I’m not good enough, apparently.
This shouldn’t be a surprise.
Maybe my mom is right about me.
“Riley?”
When I look up, I’m shocked at who I see.
My dad stands there, a contrite look on his face.
“What are you doing here?” My lip quivers.
“Honey.” His face twists in concern. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, Daddy.” I step to him and pull him into a hug, holding him tight.
