CHAPTER 30 KAYLEE
I sleep until ten, which is incredibly late for me considering my habit during the school year was to get up before the sun to go for a run. Ben’s not in bed when I wake, and I grab my phone off the nightstand and turn off the do not disturb mode.
I immediately wish I hadn’t.
I have so many missed text messages that I know something’s wrong. Instead of trying to play catch-up, I click over to my voicemail and listen to the first one from Ellie.
“Hey, sorry to call so early with this, but we need to get going on damage control. Call me back, okay?”
Damage control? I mean, she is in public relations, so she probably needs my help with one of her clients who was up to no good last night.
I should look at the texts and other messages, but my head is swimming from too much sleep and I’m in desperate need of a shower followed by some Diet Dr Pepper to get me moving.
After my shower, I head downstairs and find Ben sitting with his laptop at the kitchen counter. “This is un-fucking-believable.”
“What’s going on?” I ask. I grab my pop and slide onto the stool beside him and see the first headline.
Vegas Aces Star Tight End Caught in a Love Triangle.
“A love triangle?” I ask.
He shakes his head and slams his laptop lid closed. “Fucking Tatum.”
“What’d she do?”
“She flat out lied to the press. I don’t even know how that assclown Billy Peters found her, but she gave an exclusive and told him we were together while I was in Montana.
And with no recent photos of you and me to back it up, it looks bad.
” He leans his elbows on the counter and closes his eyes while he rubs his temples.
I chug down half the can of pop. “Have you talked to Ellie?” I ask.
“Not yet. I just got up an hour ago. I went for a run and showered and came back to this shit.” He shakes his head and glances sideways at me. “You feeling any better?”
“Much,” I say. “I haven’t slept that many hours in years. And thank God. I was worried I came down with something and I don’t want to get anyone sick at the wedding.”
“Bachelor and bachelorette parties tonight. You ready to party?” he asks.
The thought of partying tonight is exhausting, to be honest, but I just nod as I try to be enthusiastic about it.
“Should we call Ellie?” he asks.
“Sure,” I say.
He glances at me again. “Everything okay?”
I lift a shoulder. “Not really. I knew life was going to change when we got back here. I just never imagined it would be someone in Montana causing the issue since we seemed to have it so easy there.”
He presses his lips together. “I’m sorry, Peaches.”
“It’s not your fault,” I mumble as I lean forward and rest my head on the crook of my arm.
He reaches over and rubs my back, and I close my eyes for a beat as I relish his touch. “I’m the one with the history with her, so it falls on me.”
“Don’t blame yourself. She’s the awful one.”
He nods. “Let’s control the damage and move on. Yeah?”
“Okay.”
He dials Ellie, and she answers on the first ring. “What the hell happened in Montana?”
Ben sighs. “My mother forced my ex on me despite my protests and now she’s flat out lying to the press.”
“You sure you’re still against the idea of actually getting married?” Ellie asks.
My eyes pop open and I sit up. Ben’s gaze finds mine, and he looks far less fearful than he did the first time she mentioned it. He shrugs at me but doesn’t answer Ellie.
Holy shit.
Is he really considering it?
“Because if you two were actually married, you’d have a much stronger case against this love triangle crap your ex is trying to pull,” Ellie says before either of us answers. She sighs. “But I get it. I’m not trying to force you into something you’re uncomfortable with.”
He mutes her. “I was uncomfortable with proposing, and I did that…”
Ellie keeps babbling, but neither of us are listening.
“What are you saying?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Would you do it?”
Before I get a chance to answer, Ellie says, “Ben? Did I lose you? This damn phone…”
“I’m here,” Ben says, unmuting the phone. His eyes move back to mine. “It’s a lot to think about. What else you got?”
“Public appearances, ignore the bad press and make some good press. I can find a charity event for you two to volunteer together and you can chronicle it in your stories. Post some current images of you two—you should have plenty of opportunity this weekend with Jack and Kate’s wedding events.
Don’t lay low unless you’re without each other.
And for the love of God, Ben, stay out of trouble at the bachelor party tonight. Okay?”
“I always stay out of trouble,” he protests.
I can practically see Ellie rolling her eyes, but in all honesty, I’m rolling mine, too.
“We’re free from now until tonight if you’ve got any volunteer opportunities in mind,” I say.
“I’ll text some ideas over in a few minutes,” Ellie says.
I glance at Ben, who nods at me. “Perfect. Thanks for looking out for us.”
We hang up, and Ben makes me some oatmeal. I’m halfway through when the text from Ellie comes through. “The first one is a dog shelter where they just need people to come in and walk the dogs,” I say. “You in?”
He nods and sends Ellie a text to book us there, and we finish our breakfast and head out for what Ellie would call some good press…good press that will become something we need after the events that we don’t know are awaiting us later tonight.
After lots of photo ops with the adorable dogs at the shelter along with a promise to return soon, we head back home and get ready for our night.
We make out a little when we spot each other after we’re all ready, and then we head over to Jack’s place, where we’ll go our separate ways for our separate parties and meet up with more friends along the way.
My stomach feels all jittery again. I do my best to ignore the feeling, but as the men pile into the car Jack arranged for them to take off for their night of fun, the feeling only gets worse.
Especially since we’re with my family and we have to pretend like we haven’t fallen completely head over heels for one another.
I don’t even get to kiss him goodbye, and that jittery feeling in my stomach makes me feel like something bad is going to happen tonight that will change the course of… well, everything.