Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
“I do want you,” I flared. “I do love you. But I’m not going to trap you. I can do this on my own.”
Garrett had opened his mouth, angry words gathering in the back of his throat like dragon fire, but just like that, the flames extinguished. His eyes glowed brighter as he looked down at me. “Let me get this straight. You love me and you want me.”
“But I don’t need you.”
He pulled me into him, sliding his hands up to cup my face, tilting it up to face his. “Two out of three is pretty good.”
An unexpected laugh bubbled to my lips at his words. A laugh of relief so great that it hurt as it lifted the weight I’d been carrying around in my heart for the past week. I’d leaned into my anger, but I hadn’t let myself feel how afraid I was. I hadn’t let myself feel how much I missed him. How much I loved him. “You really want this?” I asked, wondering if it was all somehow a dream.
“I really do,” Garrett said quietly, and he kissed me.
EPILOGUE
DESTINY
The press didn’t know what to make of us. They’d expected an apology tour. Either by myself or with Andrew by my side, but one way or another, they expected a mea culpa. Instead, they got Magical Melody and Noemi Thompson’s ex-husband walking hand in hand. Kissing without caring who was watching. They were flummoxed but determined. If I wasn’t going to be sorry, they were going to make me sorry. A flurry of headlines about Andrew’s broken heart dominated the Internet. They took his picture from every angle until they found the saddest one and put it on magazine covers. They were so focused on my two-timing ways that it was like they forgot I was also an alleged prostitute and sex trafficker. It helped that Jasmine’s story collapsed as Geoffrey Dorsch’s PR team ripped apart her credibility.
The media didn’t care. Maybe I wasn’t actually having sex for money, but they were happy so long as they could paint me as a heartless harlot and a two-timing tramp. They were shocked I’d chosen Garrett over Andrew and ran more than one story questioning it. I actually read those, making sure that Andrew’s business wasn’t being dragged into the light along with my dirty laundry. I was relieved to see that they generally chalked it up to daddy issues, supported by “unnamed sources” who claimed I’d always been interested in older men.
Then Noemi, Andrew, Garrett, and I went to dinner together one night, and not even “unnamed sources” could explain it. They ran the pictures of us sitting outside on The Ivy’s beautiful patio, talking and laughing, but the stories were all over the place. Some claimed that this was Andrew and Noemi’s way of saving face–as if either of them needed to. Some even claimed that we were in some sort of strange open relationship altogether. None of them made much sense, and after that, the story died down. It was like if they couldn’t put me in a box labeled slut, they weren’t interested anymore.
For the first time in my life, though, I didn’t care one way or another. For the first time in my life, my happiness wasn’t dependent on what the industry thought of me or what the media tried to make of me. I had Garrett and our baby, and for now, that was all I needed.
Over the next few months, we made a lot of changes. We sold what had been my mom’s house in LA along with his beloved bungalow. I offered to move into it, but we both knew it wasn’t big enough. We ended up finding a four-bedroom house with an even better view and bigger pool.
The day we closed, I was five months pregnant, and we still hadn’t told our friends yet. I’d been getting away with loose shirts, but I knew that sooner or later, someone was going to get the right angle and my secret would be out. So as soon as we got a dining room table and unpacked our plates, we invited everyone over.
Noemi, David, and Andrew were there along with Julian, Con and his wife Lily, Landon and his fiancé Cami, and Dominic. Eleven of us crowded around a table just long enough for eight, but no one was complaining. In fact, everyone was getting along better than I had even hoped. The conversation flowed so quickly and easily that I wasn’t sure when we would get an opening to make our announcement. This was ostensibly a housewarming party, so no one was expecting one.
Finally, Garrett stood up. The conversation instantly hushed. Eyebrows raised. Dominic, the white-haired one with the Mediterranean tan, said, “You have a speech prepared, pal?”
Garrett gave him the finger, and everyone laughed. I put a hand to my stomach. It was fluttering, and I wasn’t sure if it was nerves or the baby. Other than my mom and Garrett’s parents, this would be our first time telling people. Even though our respective friend groups seemed to have accepted us as a couple, what would they think about this?