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The men walk outside and toward us. I don’t know why I call Wesley over, maybe because I begin to panic that Logan and me being anywhere together is raising red flags. I pull his arm to me and wrap my hand around his waist, placing my left hand on his chest to purposely show off the engagement ring.
The paparazzi click away in a frenzy, asking a dozen questions we don’t answer.
The four of us tell them we’re done, entering the limo waiting along the sidewalk.
As I climb in, Wes stops me and brushes his lips against my ear. “I can play nasty, Emerson. Remember that.”
The smile on my face fades.
Reality kicking me like a force of nature.
***
Poppy’s parents’ place is cute and not at all how I imagined. It sits just outside of the small town they lived in—a quaint cottage built by Poppy’s great-great-grandfather. Aside from her parents wh
o reside in the house, her teenage brother also lives there.
Poppy’s mom, Delia, is the loveliest lady I’ve ever met. A spitting image of Poppy but with orange curly hair that appears wild and unruly.
She offers us a cup of tea and some scones while we all settle in the cozy living room.
Cliff’s standing beside the fireplace, directing everyone to sit down. He strategically places all the couples together, leaving Poppy and Harley separate. The only person not here is Farrah.
Aside from the fact that Farrah wouldn’t be caught dead in this house—her words—Cliff purposely left her out to stir conflict between her and Poppy. A stupid idea since Poppy isn’t the type of person to get riled up over something like this. She’s breezy and enjoys her life without too much drama.
“Okay, Delia, you can tell everyone the story about Poppy losing her virginity to the milkman. The fans will love that.”
“You lost your virginity to the milkman?” Wesley laughs.
Cliff stops him, annoyed. “Save it for when the cameras are rolling, will you?”
Poppy leans over and whispers to the group, “The milkman’s son. He brought us fresh milk every day.”
“We’ll do a quick tour of the town, give the local businesses some exposure, then we’ll come back here and watch the game.” Cliffs shuts his folder, removing his glasses.
“What game?” Wesley questions him.
“The fucking game. Royal Kings versus Manchester.” Cliff appears highly strung, more so than normal. “We spoke to the network and got approval to show footage. I think it’ll be good if they win given Ashley and Logan make an appearance this season.”
“They do?” It’s my turn to ask the questions. “They agreed to that?”
When I signed my contract three years ago, I strictly stated my family are not to be filmed. It surprised me that neither Ash nor Logan has mentioned their appearance to me.
“They did. So that’s the plan. Karl…” Cliff yells across the room, “… turn the cameras on.”
The cameras begin rolling and we take cue, conversing over Poppy’s wild childhood. The scene takes about an hour and then we proceed to head into town. The town itself consists of four stores—bakery, grocer, post office, and gift shop. Poppy has a story to tell about each one, some funny and some nostalgic.
By the time we head back to the cottage, it’s game time.
I’ve been nervous all day, praying that last night doesn’t affect Logan’s game.
Ninety minutes of angst about to start.
Logan scores the first goal but is soon trumped by the opposing team scoring their first goal. An hour later and it’s still a tie with my head glued to the television.
“This is game is so boring.” Wes yawns beside me.
“Will you shut up? You’ve said that three times already,” I hiss.
