by L. P. Dover
He stepped back as if I’d slapped him. I used that moment to slam my door shut and speed away. But I made the mistake of looking at him in the rearview mirror. He looked so lost and dejected, it broke my heart all over again.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Lucas
Numb. That was the only way to describe how I felt.
Never in my life did I expect that the silly bet with my brother would come back to haunt me. I wanted to race straight after Ashley, but she didn’t need me to cause a scene at her work. She’d never forgive me for that, and rightly so. Instead, I high-tailed it all the way to the resort.
The sound of laughter filled my brother’s room. I banged on the door and Noah answered. He got one look at me and his smile faded. “Hey, man. What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got a huge fucking problem.”
He stepped out of the way and I walked in. Harper and Aiden were at the table, eating lunch. They both gaped at me, and Harper shot to her feet. “What’s wrong? Is it Ashley?”
I glared over at Aiden. “She found out about the goddamn bet. Meredith heard you talking to Noah about it.”
Aiden froze. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“When did you mention it?” I asked, feeling the anger burst through my chest. It wasn’t his fault necessarily, but I needed help getting Ashley back.
He closed his eyes, as if thinking back, but Noah was the one who spoke up. “It was at the bar the other night. We were having some drinks and we got on the subject. Nothing much was said, it was just a casual mention of it.”
“And nothing of the outcome?” I asked.
Noah shook his head. “No. I thought Meredith had gone to the bathroom. And we both knew the outcome, so nothing was said about you paying the money.”
Harper glanced around at all of us. “Bet?” Then she focused on Noah. “What’s going on?”
Noah sighed and looked at me. “You tell her. It was your idea.”
I tossed the magazine at Aiden. “Tonight, those magazines are going to be on every shelf, in thousands of different stores across the country.”
Harper rushed over and gasped. “Oh, my God. Let me see that.”
Aiden gave her the magazine and she flipped it open. He read the article over her shoulder, looking sicker by the second. Turning away, he ran a hand through his hair. “Holy fuck, this isn’t good.”
“You’re damn right, it’s not,” I snapped. “Meredith stopped by the clinic and showed it to Ashley.”
Harper growled. “Why the hell would she do that? She’s lucky I wasn’t there, or her ass would’ve gotten kicked.” Noah waved for the magazine, so she tossed it to him, keeping her murderous glare on me. “You’re a moron, you know that?”
“No shit, Sherlock.” I threw my hands in the air. “The worst part is, she didn’t even give me time to explain before she ran away.”
Aiden jerked around, eyes wide. “You didn’t tell her that you gave up on the bet a long time ago?”
I shook my head. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. She blindsided me, then left before I could say much of anything.” Harper still glared at me and I sighed. “I’m in love with her, Harper. Yes, the bet was stupid. So stupid, in fact, I paid Aiden the money just to drop it all like two days into our relationship. I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
Groaning, Harper pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call her. You need to explain everything to her.”
“She won’t talk to me.” I rubbed my hands over my face, already dreading the aftermath of the tabloid fiasco. It wasn’t going to be good.
Noah set the magazine down on the coffee table. “If this story gets out, it’s going to be bad. Ashley’s family will no doubt hate you for it.”
“And all for nothing,” I murmured sadly. The thought of losing her terrified the fuck out of me. I didn’t do anything wrong, other than being an idiot of course.
Harper tried calling her over and over again, to no avail. “I’ll ride by her house tonight. If she’s not there, I’ll see if she’s at Cam’s or her parents. One way or another, I’ll find her. She should be made aware of all of the details.”
“Thanks, that means a lot. This whole thing makes me so goddamn furious. I never wanted this for Ashley.” But I loved her and I wasn’t about to give up.
Aiden sat on the couch, burying his face in his hands. “What are we going to do?”
So many things ran through my mind, a lot of them impossible feats, but I had to try. Heart pounding, I pulled out my phone. “What’s Meredith’s number?” I asked quickly.
Aiden scoffed. “She’s not going to answer.”
“I don’t care about her answering. I have something else in mind.”
A quick call to a friend back home, and I had Meredith’s whereabouts—she was at the airport. Getting to her gate was a pain in the fucking ass, but I’d paid off the right people to let me through. There was no way in hell I was letting her leave town without knowing the damage she’d caused.
I found her at her gate, sitting by herself with her back to me. I was running out of time. Circling around the row of seats, I stopped in front of her. She looked up from her laptop and sucked in a breath, her body tense.
“Lucas,” she gasped. With fear in her eyes, she searched around.
Voice low, I glared down at her. “It’s just me. Aiden doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Why are you here?” she asked, closing her laptop.
There were people around listening, but I didn’t care. “I’m here to tell you how wrong you are with what you’re doing.”
She scoffed. “Me? You’re the one who deceived Ashley, not me.”
“And you’re airing it out for the whole fucking world to see. You’re the sick one, whether you believe it or not. What’s worse is that you obviously didn’t stick around to uncover the entire truth.”
She packed up her laptop and stood. “What was there to hear? You’re a scumbag who used a woman to get her to fall in love with you. For all I know, there was probably one on me too.”
She tried to walk away, but I blocked her path. “I did place a bet with my brother, and you know what, I gave him the money days after because the bet didn’t mean a goddamn thing to me once I got to know her. I didn’t care if I won or lost it. I love Ashley, and she loves me . . . or at least, she did, until you fucked it all up.”
Tears pooled in her eyes and she sat down. “So, you’re not playing games with her?”
I threw my hands in the air. “Would I be here if I was? She means everything to me, and I’m not going to let anyone screw that up. This needs to be fixed, now.”
“I don’t know what to do,” she cried. “My boss was going to fire me if I didn’t give him a story.”
“Fuck him,” I growled. “I’ll pay you a year’s salary to find another job, if you help me fix this.” I was also going to find a way to have her boss fired.
She shook her head. “Even if I quit, it’s too late. The magazines have already gone to press. They’ll be delivered and shelved by morning.”
“Excuse me,” a woman called out from across the aisle. She was young, probably late teens, who had been sitting with who I assumed were her parents. She hurried over and held up her phone. “Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhear. My dad told me who you were, so I had to document this. It’s the only way my friends would believe I saw you. Okay, I’m totally babbling now, but I actually got everything you said on video. If I share it and get all my friends to share it, it could possibly go viral. That way, your Ashley might come across it and forgive you. I know I would if I were her.”
Her parents walked up behind her and I smiled at the gesture of goodwill. “What’s your name?” I asked.
She bounced happily on her feet. “Jessie.”
“Thanks, Jessie.” I shook her hand. “But I’m afraid I’m going to need a lot more than a video to help me on this one.”
“Not necessarily,” a man said from two sea
ts down from Meredith. “I have an idea.” He was a middle-aged man with glasses and a comb-over. He held out his hand and I shook it. “My name’s Chris. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I follow golf and you’re one of my favorites.”
“Thank you, Chris.” By now, we’d drawn the attention of everyone in the terminal. “How can you help me?”
He peered around at everyone around us and grinned. “It might cost quite a bit, but I know what you can do.”
“Will it work?” I asked.
His grin widened. “If you know the right people. Turns out you already do. Plus, I have a feeling there’s going to be a ton of people willing to help.”
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Tell me.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ashley
I’d gotten so many text messages and phone calls throughout the night, I’d turned the damn thing off. All I wanted was to have some peace and quiet, before I faced utter chaos at work. So, I’d headed to the beach, and spent hours walking along the coast, until the sun came up. Sleep wasn’t my friend, but it wasn’t like I’d have gotten any anyway if I was at home. The time away had been exactly what I needed, but now it was time to face the humility of yet another tabloid exploiting my relationship with Lucas. I thought my skin was thick, but realized it needed to be as hard as metal.
I changed into a clean set of scrubs that I kept in my car for emergencies. Luckily, there was no one around to see me. I would’ve loved to go home, but I was afraid Lucas would be there. I wanted to talk to him, but I wasn’t ready yet.
When I arrived at the clinic, Cameron was in the parking lot talking to Aiden. My heart sank, and I feared the worst. If word had spread, my brother would be beyond furious.
Taking a deep breath, I got out of my car and Cameron came over to me, his worried gaze on mine. “Where have you been? Everyone was out looking for you. You had us worried when no one could get in touch with you.”
My chest ached. “I’m sorry. I needed some time alone.”
With a heavy sigh, he reached out and pulled me in for a hug. “Don’t do that again.”
“Do you know why I was gone?” I asked nervously.
He rubbed my back. “Yeah, I do.”
“And you’re not ready to kill someone?” I stepped back, and he laughed. His jovial attitude caught me off guard.
“Not anymore.” He nodded toward Aiden. “He’ll explain everything. Dad’s on his way to help cover your patients today. We know it’s going to be a crazy day for you.”
That didn’t help me feel any better. “Thanks for reminding me.”
Aiden stood nervously by Lucas’ Escalade. I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed he wasn’t Lucas. “Hey,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
He held up his hands. “I know you’re angry right now. All I’m asking is that you please listen to what I have to say.” His brows lifted pleadingly.
I shrugged and gestured for him to continue.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped toward me. “Lucas came over yesterday and told me about Meredith.” He paused. “About how she overheard me talking to Noah about the bet.”
Clenching my teeth, I nodded. “Yeah, she visited me.”
“I know,” he said low. “I had no clue she was a reporter. I thought she wanted to be with me.” I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Anyway, the bet was over before it even began. Lucas didn’t want anything to do with it once he actually got to know you, so he gave up and paid me the money, even though you clearly are in love with him.”
My breath hitched. “He paid you and not the other way around?”
“Yes,” he stated adamantly. “He’s been in love with you from the very beginning, even when you hated him. I’ve never seen him like this with anyone.” He pulled out his phone. “If you don’t believe me, watch this.” A video of Lucas and Meredith played over his screen.
I gasped in shock. He was at the airport, confronting her. Tears sprung to my eyes and I smiled. “I feel like such an idiot.”
Aiden shook his head. “You didn’t know. You knew the bet was real, but you didn’t know the logistics behind it. The communication was just bad all around.”
“You’re telling me. Why didn’t he just blurt it out?”
He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Because if you haven’t realized this yet, the man’s crazy in love with you. When you got upset, all he could think about was how he was losing you. He felt hopeless.”
My eyes burned and I looked away. “What are we going to do now? I probably look like an idiot all over the internet. Not to mention, Lucas is going to look like the bad guy, even when he’s not.”
Aiden’s smile flashed bright. He pulled up another video on his phone and showed it to me. This time, it was of Lucas, pleading with people around the country to help him out.
I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oh, my God. He did not post that on social media, did he?”
Chuckling, he reached for the car keys out of his pocket. “Yep. It went viral within a few minutes.” He pressed the key fob and the back hatch opened to reveal boxes and boxes of magazines.
I stared at it all in shock. “Wow. There has to be thousands in there.”
“Oh, there is,” he agreed. “Lucas contacted everyone he knew to get them off the shelves. These are just from the local areas. His fans even helped.” He picked up one of the magazines and tossed it back. “Granted, Lucas explained the entire situation in his video, so people are aware, but they aren’t going to be able to read that bullshit magazine now.”
Relief washed through me and I flung my arms around him. “I don’t know what to say.”
He hugged me back. “Say you’re going to forgive my brother.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Where is he?” Heart racing, I let him go. I wanted to find him as soon as I could.
Aiden glanced down at his phone. “He is probably at your house by now. The man went ninety miles an hour last night. He wanted to come here himself, but I wanted to be the one to explain. Figured I could do it better than him, since I’m the smart one.”
That made me laugh, which felt good. “Thanks, Aiden.” Turning on my heel, I started toward my car, but then jerked around. “Aiden!” I shouted. Brows lifted, he faced me. “Have you talked to Meredith?”
He frowned. “No. Lucas is the only one she’s talked to, but I know she put in a lot of calls to get rid of the magazines. I’m sure she doesn’t have a job now.”
I nodded. “When she came to see me, I could see it in her eyes. She really cares about you. Now that she knows the truth, maybe things could work out between you two?”
He shook his head. “Doubtful. She hasn’t even tried to talk to me.”
“Maybe she’s scared to,” I replied. “Women handle things differently from men.”
“That’s for damn sure.” I pursed my lips and he chuckled. “No offense to you, but instead of confronting me about everything, she left and assumed.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes. “Just as I did to Lucas. I was just too upset to talk to him. I needed my space. Being with someone and learning to communicate through your problems is something I need to work on.”
He smiled. “Nobody’s perfect at it. Maybe Meredith will call, and we can work things out. I’m leaving it up to her.”
I couldn’t blame him. We were in all this mess because of her. I would’ve expected something like that from Sophia, but not her.
Aiden motioned me toward the car. “Go. Stop talking to me and get over to Lucas. The man’s been going out of his mind.”
When I got down to my house, I slammed on the brakes and jumped out of my car, racing to the door. I thought it’d be unlocked, so I tried to charge through, only to run head first right into the glass.
I stepped back and rubbed my head. “Ow.”
“Slow down, sunshine. You don’t want to break that pretty nose of yours.”
Gasping, I slapped a han
d over my heart and turned to him. He was on my front porch swing, trying his hardest not to smile.
“I would’ve gone inside, but I didn’t want to if you were still angry at me.” He stood, and I raced over to him, throwing my arms around his neck.
“I’m so sorry, Lucas. I was so angry.”
His arms snaked around me, holding me tight. “It’s okay. I would’ve been angry too, if the situation were turned. I’m just glad I was able to fix it. Unfortunately, I can’t say it won’t happen again.”
Tears fell down my cheeks and I breathed him in. “I’m done worrying about the media. All that matters is that we have each other.” I pulled back and glared at him. “Just don’t place anymore stupid bets. It broke my heart to think that everything we’ve done together was just a ploy to get me to fall in love with you.”
He gently caressed my cheek. “Trust me, I wanted you to fall for me. That’s why I tried to make everything exciting.” His lips touched mine. “But that’s because I’d already fallen in love with you. I only wanted you to love me in return.”
I leaned into his touch. “And I do.” He kissed me again and I melted against him. “What about Meredith? Where is she now?”
He nodded toward the road. “On her way to apologize to Aiden. She quit her job in California. I’m going to help her find a new one around here. It was because of her I was able to work as fast as I did.”
With a heavy sigh, I rested my head against his chest. “She thought she was helping me. Granted, publishing it for the world to see might not have been the way to go about it, but her intentions were good.”
Lucas scoffed. “It was horrible for my reputation though. Good thing I’m used to the lies. But if anything like this happens again, you must promise to talk to me about it. I’d like to say it won’t, but you never know.”
I gazed up at him and kissed his chin. “I still love you, even though you drive me crazy.”
“I could say the same for you.” We stared at each other and his eyes twinkled. “So, does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” I shook my head and he pulled me closer. “Is this the part where we have make up sex? I hear it’s the best.”
