I don’t know why the hell it didn’t occur to me that this would be a massive media frenzy. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t warned me about any of this. Last night, she mentioned it several times. She’d be able to take down her ex on the media landscape, and I’d get to stay in the country and keep my job.
But with Madison throwing all this information at me, I started wondering what I’d actually gotten myself into.
“The proposal should be just as simple, too. You look like a simple man to the media, so keep it that way. Short, straight, and to the point. The two of you knew when you first laid eyes on one another. You bought a ring not too long after that. You couldn’t wait to propose, so you did it in her dressing room on set during lunch one day. Bada-bing. Bada-boom,” Madison said.
“What are we, the Mafia?” Syn asked.
Seriously, this was insane. These talking points and having to memorize all this shit to inane-sounding questions and painting myself to be some simplistic little man beside Syn was crazy. Was this what she had to go through all day?
I didn’t know how the hell she did it.
“The only issue we’re going to have to get around is when the two of you met. Obviously, on set. But we have to figure out when things became romantic. Because right now, what it looks like is that Syn was seeing you behind Liam’s back. Which is going to paint an equally terrible picture of her,” Madison said.
“Even though Liam was doing that exact same thing to me,” Syn said.
“What if we do something like… you knew he was seeing her? And you decided to move on, bide your time until he finally had the gall to end things?” Madison asked.
“Sounds too spiteful. I’ll get devoured for that,” Syn said.
“Or, they might take the ‘women empowerment’ route. You know, applauding you for taking your future into your own hands instead of waiting for some guy to do it for you,” Nat said.
“Then she could’ve simply broken up with him herself. But she didn’t,” Madison said.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Syn said breathlessly.
“We’ll also have to explain why she didn’t have a nicer ring on her finger,” I said.
I finally pulled out of my trance and tuned in to the conversation.
“What?” Madison asked.
“Oh, fuck,” Syn said.
“There was a photographer early this morning that caught us coming into the hotel. We’ll have to explain why I proposed without a nicer ring for Syn,” I said.
Madison waved her hand in the air. “More of a way to show this as a real love story. It isn’t the ring that mattered to you, or her. Love was all that mattered. If we can make this all about the love you two randomly found on set while Syn was being tossed about by Liam, I think we can safely dodge a lot of the other ugly questions that’ll come from this.”
“You think so?” Syn asked.
I felt more on edge than ever before. This fantasy had quickly turned into a nightmare, and I was legally obligated to go through with it.
Damn it.
“Have we heard anything from Liam’s camp?” Nat asked.
Madison shook her head. “No, actually. The story of their marriage broke a little before nine this morning. And as of that time, Liam’s story was still nothing but a rumor circulating on lower-level entertainment blogs. I ran the story, those pictures of you two coming into the hotel surfaced not too far behind, and the entire media is in a frenzy speculating about what the hell happened and how long the two of you have been together and all sorts of other nonsense we have to work out now.”
“Madison. Breathe,” Syn said.
She drew in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth.
“He’ll be forced to respond after something like that, though. Because I saw those pictures of you two coming into the hotel. You two looked great. I mean, even the shot of Gael batting away the photographer to shield you from him. It was amazing. It looks like you two have been together for a while,” Nat said.
“Which is going to come with those ugly-ass questions,” Madison said.
I remembered Liam Rainey. I did several stunts with him back when he was still on the show. And I had to admit, I wasn’t impressed by the man. He came off more squirrely than anything else. His acting was subpar. He definitely rode Syn’s coat tails throughout that entire season. And he was an absolute asshole.
Even Voxx didn’t like him. And despite Voxx’s hard demeanor, he found a reason to like everyone.
Except Liam.
“How long were you and Liam together?” I asked.
Madison balked. “He doesn’t even know that?”
Syn held up her hand. “We were together fourteen months.”
“And when did you two break up?” I asked.
“Holy hell,” Madison breathed.
“We can do without your commentary, thanks,” I said flatly.
Syn grinned. “Not even two months ago. It’s probably been more like five or six weeks.”
“Okay, that’s not a lot of time to work on. Is it possible to come out and say something like, ‘the two of you had been very distant and disconnected the past couple of months’? Play off a story like that?” I asked.
“That gives Liam room to come right back and say that it was all in her head,” Madison said.
“Did the two of you have any sort of an NDA? Something that protects you if he outright comes out and says it was nothing but an arrangement?” I asked.
Syn shook her head. “No, we don’t, but Liam’s pride will keep him in check like that because the second he says something like that it’s going to deflect back on him. And everyone is going to be scrutinizing those posed pictures of him and that new girl of his.”
“She’s right. Liam’s bound by his own pride at this point, which is a win for us,” Madison said.
“Any way to simply prove that he was seeing Anna before he broke up with Syn so we’re in the clear that way?” I asked.
“This is going to be harder than I thought,” Syn murmured.
“Yes, it will be. Just like we told you, but we’ll get through it,” Madison said.
“Anyone want a bagel? These things are outstanding,” Nat said.
“I’d like one actually, yeah,” I said.
“We can do food later. Right now, we fix all these details,” Madison said.
“I can multitask,” I said.
“The only angle we have to play off of is the fact that it looks as if Liam was going behind Syn’s back first. Those pictures of him and Anna surfaced very, very late last night. The blogs already ran away with that theory. It’s all we’ve got to work with at the moment, so we’ll have to make it work,” Madison said.
“Well, with Syn married, it kind of looks like Liam started dating Anna because Syn was so far gone in another relationship with another man that Liam didn’t stand a chance of getting her back,” Nat said.
“Whose side are you on anyway?” Syn asked.
Nat smiled. “The side that buries that asshole into the ground.”
“Which is why we play up a ‘whirlwind romance’ sort of deal. You two met, sparks flew. The two of you knew you were meant for one another. And since you had an inkling that Liam had already moved on anyway, the two of you started seeing one another. Casually, until you caught him and Anna out somewhere. You didn’t bother to bring it up to him. You just let the relationship fall to the wayside. He stopped calling. Stopped texting. And you took that as your sign to move forward, like adults,” Madison said.
Syn pointed. “I do need to pay you more.”
She sighed. “Yeah, you really do.”
“That actually might work,” I said.
“It’ll have to work, which means you’ll have to work to sell it. Don’t falter. Syn’s reputation is on the line with this,” Madison said.
“Well, mine is, too. Don’t worry. I’ve got this,” I said.
“With that story, it looks like a woman in contro
l of her own destiny. It looks like you took life by the horns instead of waiting for some man to come back around. You felt it in your gut, so you took control of your life. I can put out a statement like that sometime this afternoon because if we don’t combat it this way, we risk losing everything before it ever starts,” Madison said.
Syn nodded. “Then, do it.”
“On it,” Madison said.
“Really, these bagels are fantastic,” Nat said with a full mouth.
I walked over to the food cart and picked up a bagel. I slathered some cream cheese onto it while Madison and Syn kept going back and forth. I was already tired of that woman’s voice. I was also tired of how she kept talking to Syn as if the woman was a second-class citizen. I kept my ears trained on the conversation and made sure nothing went overboard. And when I finished my bagel, I cut through the noise of their voices.
“Just tell me what I have to say, and I’ll say it,” I said.
Madison held out her arm. “See, he’s being agreeable. Why don’t you be more like that?”
I pointed. “And you can stop talking to Syn that way. It’s disrespectful, and I won’t stand for it.”
Syn smiled. “Yeah, Madison. He won’t stand for it.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Okay, look. The bubble around your honeymoon is about to be thoroughly burst. Nat and I already have a room rented across the hall—”
“Across the hall?” I asked.
Syn looked at me and sighed.
“I’m sorry, Gael.”
“Why are you sorry? You knew this is what would happen. I told you this is what would happen,” Madison said.
Syn’s eyes held my own. “That’s not what I’m apologizing about.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks. Why Syn was so eager to get to Vegas. Why she wanted to get out of town so quickly. What felt like a prank before a massive dream come true quickly managed to make me feel like nothing but a pawn. And Syn felt like this every day of her fucking life. My heart ached for her. Her saddened eyes danced between mine, and I knew what she was thinking. She wanted more time. More space. More moments like this.
So do I, beautiful.
If I wanted my green card out of this deal, I had to play the part. But at what cost? Not only to myself, but to Syn, too? I felt so many things I didn’t expect to feel. I found myself dealing with questions, wants, and desires I didn’t expect to be able to indulge. And now with her personal assistant and her publicist invading our space, the only thing I wanted to do was step up and be her man. Kick them out before taking her into my arms and kissing the pain and the fear and the weariness away.
I didn’t have that power though because I wasn’t really her man.
And she wasn’t really my woman.
14
Syn
The weekend passed in a blur. As much as I had wanted to spend the weekend wrapped up in Gael’s arms and in bed, I spent it volleying stories and answers to questions and dealing with Nat and Madison. Renting a room right across from ours? What the hell was she thinking? At least give us a bit of space.
They came in and out all weekend, leaving absolutely no time for Gael or myself to strike anything else back up. Nothing at night. Nothing during the day. We were confined to that honeymoon hotel suite, and we didn’t do anything to show for it.
Not like the first night, anyway.
“When we get back to Los Angeles, the first thing we need to do is rehearse for the Us Weekly interview. And that’s coming up in two days so we need both of you to be ready for it,” Madison said.
I nodded slowly. “Got it.”
“They’re going to run the story first in their print magazine and pay royally for pictures of the wedding. You said you had a thumb drive full of them, right?”
I looked over at Gael. “Yeah, I do.”
“Good. I’m going to need that so I can pick out the best pictures to send. I can probably take the worse pictures and sell them to lesser magazines for some fluff pieces so we can make the most of what’s happened.”
I studied his crossed arms. “Sure that sounds good to me.”
I was distracted by Gael. I had chartered the four of us a flight back to Los Angeles for Sunday afternoon, and he was lounged in one of the plush first-class seats. It was a small jet, one that made him look even bigger than he really was. His face was completely blank as he sat by Nat, who was engrossed in a book with a sucker stuck in her cheek. And as he stared out the window, more guilt ate away at my heart.
The position I had put him in was unfair.
“Are you even listening to me?” Madison asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I am.”
“What did I just say?”
I sighed. “Can we take a break?”
“We can’t afford for you to take a break. I need you to feed me the answers to these questions. I need to know what you’ve retained and what we still need to work on.”
“Leave her alone, would you?” Gael asked.
He didn’t turn his head to look at us, but his booming voice filled the cabin space. Madison scoffed as she closed her laptop, and I smiled softly at the man who wouldn’t even look at me. At the beginning of all this, we’d had such a powerful connection. It felt so real. So right. So true to form. But now? There wasn’t anything.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Or the craziness of eloping with a stranger.
In the harsh light of the day, things weren’t as rosy as they seemed. I felt sadness filling my gut, and I started wondering if I’d made a huge mistake. I turned my head forward and slouched in my seat, ignoring the cocktail Madison had ordered for me.
I didn’t want any more alcohol for a long while.
Madison had never steered me wrong before. I knew she’d help me navigate these waters and get me out of this mess I had created. She helped me build my brand. She tailor my image and that image had landed me some great roles. Hell, that very image had landed me the role I currently had, the one that had skyrocketed me straight to the A-list. She never ceased to help take my career to new heights, and she was always studying up on new trends in the consumptive world of entertainment. What people liked. What people didn’t like. What resonated with them, and what made them buy into stories.
So, if she told me we needed to hit back against Liam hard, I’d do whatever I had to do.
“How is yesterday’s story being received?” I asked.
“Honestly? I’m letting the general public put things together right now. Liam did exactly what we figured he would. God, that pompous asshole. His publicist let loose so many more pictures of him and his hag girlfriend making out everywhere. And because they didn’t edit the pictures, including one of them in Times Square, the date on a billboard was in the upper left-hand corner.”
I jaw dropped open. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. He’s shot himself in his own damn foot. The time stamp is clearly back when the two of you were still exclusive and still regularly in the media. So, right now? The public is cheering you on while he’s sinking down the damn drain.”
“When did all this happen?”
Madison sighed. “You’ve been a bit distracted, so I’ve been focusing on drilling these answers into your head. I figured if something bad happened in the press, I’d tell you. Otherwise, I’d let it ride.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“No problem, Syn.”
I giggled. “It really had a time stamp?”
“It was so prevalent on the picture that you didn’t even have to enhance the photograph in order to see it.”
“God, that man is an idiot.”
Madison laughed. “He really is.”
“Has there been anything today?” I asked.
She sighed. “Well, there are more pictures of Liam and his lady friend. Just, you know, pictures of them on set.”
“Making out?”
“Seems to be all they do, apparently.”
“How are they being received?”
“Ri
ght now? About fifty-fifty. You know some people have the attention span of flies. Some are devouring the pictures, some are saying things like ‘if Syn’s happy, then he should be happy,’ and some are still nailing him for being a nasty-ass cheat.”
“When was that time stamp?”
Madison paused. “Do you really want to know that?”
I nodded. “I really do.”
I felt Gael’s gaze suddenly fall against the profile of my face. It took all I had not to look over at him.
“The time stamp was June 9. This past summer.”
I blinked. “He was in Times Square with that woman over six months ago?”
“Syn, he’s just—”
“I was sick and in the hospital in California, and he was in New York with that stupid little bitch?”
“You were in the hospital?” Gael asked.
I whipped my gaze over to his. “I—well, it—it wasn’t—”
Nat finally piped up. “Ironically enough, she contracted mono. Put her in the hospital for a couple of weeks.”
“I worked overtime to keep that out of the media,” Madison said.
Gael sighed. “I’m so sorry, Syn.”
I pointed at him. “That’s the reaction I don’t want from the general public.”
“And you won’t get it. I promise,” Madison said.
Gael nodded before he went back to staring out the window. And as my eyes rolled over what parts of him I could see, I wanted nothing more than to be held by him. Kissed by him. Snuggled underneath that arm of his to feel his warmth. He hadn’t so much as touched me for the rest of the weekend. Hell, he slept in the other bedroom while I slept on that stupid canopy bed. I wanted to be close to him again. I wanted to feel him again.
I wanted to feel special again.
Stop being foolish, Syn. He’s just a stuntman you had a one-night stand with.
A stuntman who also happened to be my damn husband.
A lot of this didn’t sit right with me. Selling off pictures of the wedding. Making Gael rehearse all of these answers for interviews. Putting him through this, in general. Nat was right. I hadn’t thought this completely through. I had been on a selfish train, figuring this would help both of us. It wasn’t helping anyone, though.
His Secret Baby Page 8
