14. Ian
14
IAN
Don’t panic, I told myself the second I caught sight of Margot. Just look away and maybe she won’t see you.
Because if I just avoided eye contact, maybe the girl who had ripped out my heart and stomped on it nine years ago wouldn’t notice me in the crowd. Though, just in case, I edged closer to Maddie, hoping the tall guy ahead could shield me from her view.
But when I risked a quick glance, Margot was already watching, her gaze steady as our eyes met. She gave a small smile and leaned over to say something to her grandfather before heading straight toward us. Great.
My mind raced. Could I dodge this? Maybe just take an “urgent” call and step away? I was sizing up my options when Maddie leaned in, her voice low. “Did you ever email her back?”
“I didn’t,” I mumbled. “I deleted it instead.”
Definitely not my most strategic move. I should’ve just replied with a curt “Not interested.” Then maybe she’d know I had no interest in revisiting the past.
Maddie’s eyes widened a fraction, her expression unreadable.
Was it pity? Probably.
Which yeah, it was pretty pitiful that after nearly a decade I was still this rattled by the sight of my ex-fiancée.
But since Margot was almost upon us, I needed to push away my stupid feelings and at least act like I was unbothered by this unfortunate circumstance.
So forcing a smile, I used the most enthusiastic voice I could muster and said, “Margot? Is that really you? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for the conference,” she said, opening her arms to give me a quick hug.
And even though I didn’t really want to hug the woman who had broken my nineteen-year-old heart, I gave her a quick embrace.
“So, what brings you to the conference?” I asked. “I think the last I heard you were doing some modeling.”
“Yeah, I did that for a while.” She nodded. “Still do shoots here and there. But I’m actually working with Everstone Energy now and thought this event would be useful training for our team.”
“Oh, awesome. It is a great event.”
Okay, my nerves were making me sound way too enthusiastic about everything. I needed to dial it down just a bit.
“It’s been a good change, and I’m enjoying the work.” She looked at me, biting her lip briefly like she was gauging something. Then licking her lips, she said, “I actually tried to email you last week.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, feigning confusion.
“I saw you were giving the keynote on Friday and thought it might be nice to catch up. But I’m sure you and your staff have been swamped.” She eyed Maddie briefly, then continued. “My own assistant struggles to keep up with my inbox these days.”
Was that supposed to be a dig at Maddie? An attempt to make her seem bad at her job?
Not about to let that fly, I gave Maddie a quick look before meeting Margot’s gaze again. “Sorry about that. I’m sure my assistant put it in my personal folder—nothing slips by her. But I’ve been so busy prepping for the summit that I haven’t had the chance to catch up on emails.”
“It’s fine.” Margot tsked, waving it off. “Just thought we could grab lunch or dinner while we’re here. It’s been so long.”
“It has been.” I frowned as if I was mentally juggling my schedule. “Though, honestly, I don’t think I’ll have time for something like that with all the client meetings I already have lined up.” I gave an apologetic smile. “Gotta keep our CEOs happy.”
“What about after one of the mixers?” She tilted her head. “I’ve seen all those photos of you in the tabloids. You can’t pretend like you don’t make time for fun after hours.”
“Ah, yes…” I chuckled, trying to appear unfazed even though I didn’t like that she was bringing up my past. “I have made quite the splash in those tabloids. Not quite as infamous as you, but…”
Her eyes widened, as if my words had hit their intended mark.
But then I finished with, “But, sadly for the photographers, I won’t be up to my usual shenanigans this year.”
“Really?” Her eyes narrowed, unconvinced.
Without thinking, I slipped an arm around Maddie’s waist, pulling her closer as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Nope, those days are long gone,” I said, my mouth somehow moving faster than my brain. “I’ve realized it’s much more rewarding to spend my evenings with my…fiancée.”
Oh crap! I’d meant to say “girlfriend,” maybe even “date,” but nope, there it was, right out there in the open. My fiancée .
“Your...f-fiancée?” Margot’s gaze flicked between Maddie and me.
“Yes,” I replied, hoping Maddie would catch on quickly and I wasn’t about to face-plant with this little lie. “Sorry, I should’ve introduced you.” I gestured to Maddie with what I hoped looked like confidence. “This is Maddie, my beautiful fiancée. Maddie, this is Margot, an old friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Maddie,” Margot stammered, her shock unmistakable. Her gaze flickered back to me, as though sizing up the whole situation. “I didn’t realize you were engaged. Usually, your flings are all over social media, so it’s strange I haven’t heard of this until now.”
She’d been keeping tabs on me?
Well, good. She was the reason I’d started those careless flings in the first place.
But instead of saying any of that, I pulled Maddie closer and said, “I’ve been keeping a lower profile this year. Trying something new.” I glanced at Maddie, and while she looked slightly taken aback by the sudden turn of events, she seemed okay with playing along. “And as it turns out, settling down with the right woman suits me.”
“Settling down?” Margot’s eyes widened, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Maddie chuckled lightly beside me. “You can’t blame me for wanting to keep him all to myself, can you?”
Margot’s expression was almost comical as she looked Maddie over, clearly sizing her up.
Maddie was so refreshingly real and down-to-earth that I could understand Margot’s disbelief. She didn’t fit Margot’s image of my usual…well, type.
But that was just fine. My usual type was a lot like Margot and I was finding that I didn’t actually like that type anymore.
But when Margot’s gaze went toward Maddie’s left hand, like she was looking for an engagement ring, I quickly took Maddie’s hand in mine to hopefully conceal the fact that her ring finger was undecorated.
When I looked at Margot, her eyes narrowed, like she suspected something fishy was going on. But then I saw that the hostess was starting to lead her grandfather to their table, so with one final smile, I said, “It was great seeing you again, Margot. I hope you enjoy your dinner.”
Margot’s shock was still written all over her face. But she nodded, mumbled a goodbye, and headed back to her grandfather.
As soon as she was gone, I loosened my grip on Maddie’s hand and was almost weak with relief as I exhaled, “Sorry about that. I panicked.”
“It’s fine,” she said softly. Then seeming to notice Margot glancing back at us, she slipped her hand into the crook of my arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Exes are complicated.”
“That they are.”