28. Ian
28
IAN
The moment Maddie closed the door to her suite to finish packing, I darted into my room and threw everything into my suitcase. My thoughts were racing, bouncing between Maddie, her dad, and the plans I’d need to adjust for today.
I could apologize to the conference committee later about skipping tonight’s gala. A fancy dinner didn’t matter as much as getting Maddie where she needed to be.
After putting my suits in their bag, I texted Mr. Frankle—the client I was supposed to meet for lunch—and apologized for the short notice, explaining there was an emergency and that I’d be in touch next week to reschedule.
His company was just starting the onboarding process with Hastings Industries, so I knew he had a lot of questions for me to field, but hopefully, he’d understand.
Once that was taken care of, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed down to the lobby to check Maddie and me out of our rooms.
When Maddie joined me a few minutes later, her face was pale, her shoulders tense.
“Ready to go?” I asked when the valet pulled up in my car, just outside the front doors.
“Yes.” She nodded and then we stepped out into the warm morning air, putting our bags in my trunk with the assistance of the bellhop.
Maddie didn’t say much as she slid into the passenger seat, but she didn’t need to. I could feel her anxiety radiating off her.
Hopefully, her dad would be okay. Hopefully, he’d get through surgery and everything would be fine.
The drive to Syracuse was close to five hours, but according to the quick research I’d done on how long bypass surgeries took, we would most likely make it to the hospital before he was out.
I just hoped he was okay. I didn’t know him, but Maddie’s world revolved around the people she loved. Losing him? It would shatter her.
As we hit the highway, Maddie remained quiet, staring out the window as the landscape blurred past. Music played softly in the background—a mellow acoustic playlist I’d chosen—but it wasn’t enough to fill the heavy silence.
I glanced at her occasionally, watching as she twisted her fingers together or wiped at her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking.
She just needs a little space , I decided. So I kept my focus on the road, even as my phone buzzed repeatedly in my pocket.
I’d missed a call from my publicist Bronwyn when I was checking out of the hotel and figured I’d just call her back later when we got to Maddie’s dad. But she was apparently in a persistent mood today because my phone had been buzzing every fifteen minutes since hitting the road.
“Do you need to get that?” Maddie asked when Bronwyn’s name lit up my phone once again about two hours into the drive.
I glanced at my phone, knowing that based on the persistence of her calls that Bronwyn probably had some kind of bad news for me. So I said, “I’ll just call her back when we stop for gas.”
Twenty minutes later, we stopped at a gas station to fill up. Maddie mumbled something about needing the restroom and headed inside. While the tank filled, I finally pulled out my phone and scrolled through the messages from Bronwyn.
Bronwyn: Call me immediately.
Bronwyn: Ian, you really need to see this.
Bronwyn: There’s a video from last night. You need to call me NOW.
I frowned, swiping to dial her number. She picked up on the first ring.
“Ian, have you seen the video?” she asked, jumping right in and ignoring her usual pleasantries.
“No,” I said, my stomach twisting. “What video?”
“It’s from the mixer you were at last night,” she said. “You’re standing at a cocktail table with your assistant—Maddie, right?—and Slade Jennings.”
“What?” I asked, anxiety instantly flashing through me as I realized what the video probably showed.
“The audio isn’t super clear,” Bronwyn continued. “But it looks like you and Slade had an argument. Then it shows you pulling Maddie away, and as you walk out, Slade says something to another guy about you getting engaged to your assistant because you got her pregnant.”
“Ah sh—” I said, stopping myself from swearing. “And a lot of people have seen it?”
“It’s blowing up,” Bronwyn confirmed. “And people in the comments are talking about how you introduced her as your fiancée just earlier that day after your keynote. They’re running with it, Ian.”
“This is—” I blew out a breath as I ran a hand over my face. “This was not supposed to happen.”
“No kidding,” Bronwyn said. “Ian, did you really get engaged to your assistant? Because I’m pretty sure I saw a ring on her hand when I zoomed in on one of the photos someone shared.”
“It’s…complicated,” I said, sighing as I glanced toward the gas station. Through the window, I could see Maddie browsing the shelves, completely oblivious. “I accidentally introduced her as my fiancée to get Margot off my back, and we just rolled with it for the summit. It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal.”
But of course it was a big deal. Because even if I seemed to forget it most of the time, there were other people out there in the world who liked to talk about me and whatever new trouble I’d gotten myself into.
And they all think I got Maddie pregnant!
This was not good.
“Well, it’s a big deal now,” Bronwyn said. “Which is why we need to decide how to handle this. Do you want me to release a statement?”
“I don’t know.” I hesitated, watching Maddie pick up a burrito and read the label. “This affects Maddie, too. I should probably talk to her first.”
“Fine, but do it quickly,” Bronwyn urged. “The sooner we address this, the better.”
“I will,” I promised. “But right now, her dad’s in surgery after a heart attack. I’m not exactly sure she can handle this on top of everything else.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Bronwyn’s tone softened immediately. “Okay, handle her situation first. But don’t wait too long, Ian. This is already spiraling.”
“I’ll let you know.”
We ended our call, and I slid my phone into my pocket, my chest tightening as Maddie walked back toward the car with burritos and coffee for both of us.
“Everything okay?” She glanced at me, her brows knitting together slightly.
“Yeah,” I lied, forcing a smile. “Just work stuff. Let’s get back on the road.”
She nodded, climbing into the car without another word. As I started the engine, I couldn’t help but wonder how I was going to break this news to her. Because while I didn’t care about the rumors for myself, I hated the idea of Maddie’s name being dragged into this mess.
She didn’t deserve that—not after everything she was already dealing with.
As I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, her face pale and her hands clutching the coffee cup, I made a silent vow. No matter what it took, I was going to fix this.
For her.