by Autumn Reed
Deciding to stop hiding in the living room, I slowly stood and walked into the kitchen. Shane immediately moved to my side and pulled me into a hug. “Hey, babe. Did we wake you?”
“Maybe, but it’s for the best. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Though, to be honest, I was kind of glad I had. Otherwise, I would have been worrying about Nicholas the whole time.
“Are you hungry?” Cole asked. “I was going to order Chinese.”
I glanced at the clock, surprised to find it was after nine. No wonder my stomach was growling. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
After submitting our order online, I forced myself to ask about my missing boyfriend. “So, you guys haven’t heard from Nic at all?”
“Not once since he left this morning,” Shane replied.
“Maybe I should try calling him.”
“I think his phone is turned off, but it’s worth a try.”
I dug my phone out of my purse and found a number of missed calls and texts from Simone and a message from Chris letting me know he made it home safely, but that was it. Well, other than an obscene number of social media notifications. Clearly, news of my Naughty Goldilocks status had already spread among my larger social circle. I should have been horrified by the thought that so many people were talking about me, but I just didn’t have enough emotional energy to care.
After responding to Simone and Chris, I dialed Nicholas’s number, unsurprised when it went straight to voicemail.
“Hey, Nic. It’s me. Call me when you get this.” I paused, tempted to lecture him or, at the very least, let him know how worried I was. Instead, I just added “Love you,” before hanging up.
This time, Cole wrapped me in his arms. “Don’t worry, Em. He’s fine.”
I snuggled into his chest, accepting all the comfort he was offering. “Has he ever done this before?”
“When Nic is really upset, he tends to go off alone. He’ll be back.”
“I still can’t believe someone outed our relationship so publicly. Who would do that? Do you have any idea?”
“No, the best theory Shane and I have come up with is that someone got wind of James’s plan to run for office and just stumbled upon the story while trying to dig up dirt.”
Dirt. My beautiful relationships with Cole and Shane and Nicholas had been reduced to dirt. I was sure the thousands of people talking about us over their dinner tables tonight believed I should feel embarrassed, ashamed. But, really, all I felt was exposed. Misunderstood.
I loved my boyfriends, and they loved me. We weren’t hurting anyone. We didn’t deserve this. Neither did James and Kat.
In that moment, any lingering desire to become a journalist vanished. I could never stomach exposing someone’s personal life in the name of a story. Never. And as much as I liked to think I could pick and choose my assignments, I knew that wasn’t reality.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Cole changed the subject and attempted to keep a conversation going, but his effort was halfhearted, at best. How could the three of us talk about anything else when this was hanging over our heads? I knew I should ask them how they felt about this newest blow, but part of me didn’t want to know. Just for tonight, I wanted to live in a denial bubble, believing that Nicholas would come home, and everything would go back to normal.
Needing a distraction, we started a movie, but an hour into it, I excused myself and disappeared into Nicholas’s bedroom. I stripped down to my bra and panties and slid between his luxurious sheets. As his scent enveloped me, I wondered for the thousandth time where he was and why he hadn’t responded to a single message.
I cursed my impromptu nap, because I didn’t feel even a little bit sleepy and spent the next few hours staring at the shadows on the ceiling, thinking way too much.
When the door to Nicholas’s bedroom finally opened, the clock told me it was almost three o’clock. He turned on the bedside lamp, looking shocked when he found me in his bed.
“Oh, Emma, sorry. I didn’t realize you were in here.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t asleep.”
My eyes took stock of him, needing to verify that he was in one piece. Although his hair was disheveled, like he’d spent the night running his fingers through it, he looked fine. Better than fine, really, with his charcoal T-shirt molded to his body like a second skin.
“How are you?” he asked, perching on the edge of the bed.
“Better now that you’re home,” I replied honestly. Although I wished he hadn’t ignored me all day, my relief at seeing him was almost overwhelming.
“God, I’m so sorry for everything. This has been such a fucked-up day.”
“Nic, it’s okay.” I sat up, not caring that the sheet fell, revealing my nearly-naked body. “None of this is your fault.”
His eyes roamed over my exposed skin, and when he reached for me, I didn’t resist. He tasted of alcohol, but it wasn’t overpowering in a way that made me think he’d spent the day drinking. His kisses turned desperate, and his hands made quick work of my bra before sliding over every inch of my heated torso.
As much as I wanted to talk to him, I wanted this more. Needed it. I reached for his shirt but paused when a new, unwelcome sensation assaulted me. Not wanting to believe it, I pressed my nose to the fabric and inhaled deeply.
Perfume.
A stabbing pain filled my chest as I drew away and stared at him, the sight of his messy hair taking on a new—sinister—meaning. It couldn’t be…he wouldn’t…
“Nic, who were you with tonight?”
His eyes widened in surprise and then flashed with guilt before finally settling on a neutral expression. “It’s not what you think.”
Chapter 10
It’s not what you think. If Nicholas spoke those words to make me feel better, he hadn’t succeeded. Not even a little bit.
I rolled away from him and slipped on my shirt and jeans, needing at least that much armor to get me through this. “Tell me.”
He rubbed a hand over his face, his agitation obvious. “Can we do this in the kitchen? I need coffee.”
More than ready to escape the confines of his bedroom, I left without another word and headed straight for the coffee maker. I desperately needed something to do with my hands.
Apparently sensing that I needed space, Nicholas sat down at the kitchen table, leaving me alone with my thoughts. They weren’t pretty ones as I pictured him getting drunk and hooking up with a random girl at a club…or meeting up with an ex-girlfriend…or I didn’t even know. I didn’t want to assume the worst, but the guilt in his eyes had been unmistakable. Something happened tonight, and I had a feeling it was going to change everything.
As I filled two mugs with coffee, I searched for the calm that was currently buried deep. This had been a stressful day for all of us, and I wanted to be understanding and supportive. No matter what he had to say, I could handle it. I repeated the thought over and over until it started to sink in.
Sitting across from him at the table, I took a sip of my coffee and waited. Nicholas stared down at the table, not saying anything for a few minutes. Eventually, he looked up at me and simply said, “I’m sorry.”
He looked so miserable, I wanted to reach across the expanse between us and hug him. But I needed to know what he was sorry for. Had he really cheated on me? I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the possibility.
“What are you sorry for, Nic?” When he didn’t immediately answer, I asked, “Did you sleep with someone else?”
His responding, “No,” was quick and decisive. “Definitely not.”
It took everything in me to refrain from crying out in relief. Only the knowledge that something happened kept me from immediately going to him.
He reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry I made you think that. I would never do that to you, Cinderella.”
“Okay, then, what happened?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face again. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Why
don’t you start by explaining this whole James running for office thing. How long have you known? And why didn’t you tell me?”
“Kat just told me a few weeks ago. She knows you’re with all three of us and asked me to keep the relationship as private as possible because of the campaign. I didn’t want to tell you because I felt guilty for agreeing. On the one hand, I get where she’s coming from. James is running on a conservative platform. Any hint of scandal could ruin his political career before it even gets started. On the other hand, I never want to hide what you are to me.
“I was planning on telling you about the campaign after Chris left, but then this happened,” he said, gesturing to the air. “And Kat and James may never speak to me again.”
Sadness seeped into my bones at his words. Nicholas’s sister was the only member of his family he actually got along with. Although I knew it wasn’t my fault that their relationship may have been unalterably damaged by the public outing of our relationship, I couldn’t help feeling bad about it.
“Anyway, I’m sure Cole told you that I lost it when I found out about the article this morning. I drove around for a while and then decided I needed to do something about this. Fix it. For you. For Kat and James. Even for Shane and Cole.”
When I noticed his nervous expression, my own nerves flared up yet again. “Fix it how?”
“If the press believes we’re just friends, that I’m not in a romantic relationship with you, they’ll leave you alone. They won’t care what you and Cole and Shane are up to. The story will blow over, and James can get back to focusing on issues rather than this stupid scandal.”
“Okay…?”
He took a deep breath, and the contents of my stomach threatened to resurface. I didn’t want to hear this. I just knew I didn’t.
“The best way to convince them that we’re not involved is to make sure they photograph me with someone else…so I called Alyssa.”
“Alyssa? As in rich, perfect, supermodel gorgeous, wants to marry you Alyssa?”
“I wouldn’t describe her as perfect—”
“Nicholas!”
He sighed. “Yes, that Alyssa.”
I hopped out of my chair and started pacing. “Oh my god. Alyssa? That’s who you were out with all night? That’s whose perfume is saturated into your clothes? Hell, maybe even your skin?”
“It wasn’t like that. I swear. We were only acting like we were together. She was doing me—all of us, really—a favor.”
I snorted. “Right. I’m sure hanging all over you was a real chore for her.”
“Emma, I’m sorry, but I wanted to fix things for all of us. This seemed like the only way.”
I paused in my pacing and stared at him. “I’m not saying I agree with your methods, but if you were going to do this, why did it have to be her?”
“Because she was the only woman who would be believable. She’s a longtime friend of the family, and we’ve been photographed together before, as you know. She makes the story plausible.”
I wanted to be logical about this situation, but it was impossible. I didn’t even know how I felt about Nicholas going out to “be seen” with another woman, much less the one his mother was determined to see him marry.
“Did you kiss her?”
He didn’t look away as he said, “She kissed me, once, when she knew we were being photographed. It was a peck, and it meant nothing.”
I nodded. “I think I’ve heard enough. Good night, Nic.”
I headed toward the stairs, but he caught me before I reached the first step. “Emma, wait. Please don’t be angry with me.”
“What did you expect? Instead of talking to me about any of this, you went ahead and made sure the whole world believes you’re dating the perfect woman for you. Congratulations, Nic. I hope you’ll be happy together.”
I was being spiteful, but knowing they’d kissed was the last straw, peck or no.
“What’s going on?” Shane asked as he descended the stairs.
Without thinking, I walked straight into his arms, needing my denial bubble back. My life wasn’t falling apart. It wasn’t.
Nicholas reached for my hand. “Please. We need to talk about this.”
“I know, but not now. Shane, take me to bed.”
I hated myself the moment the words left my mouth. They’d been spoken out of hurt, out of confusion, out of fear. I would never use Shane the way the words implied, but I couldn’t bring myself to explain. I just allowed him to lead me to his bed and into his arms, where I fell asleep with tears streaming down my face.
“Hey, lazy. You gonna sleep all day?”
My eyes popped open, shocked to find Simone standing over me. I glanced around. Yeah, I’m still in Shane’s bedroom.
“What are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet your bestie, especially since I came bearing your favorite donut holes?” She lifted a familiar paper bag, holding it out of my reach.
My mouth salivating at the thought of what was inside, I sat up and grinned. “Simone, I’m so glad you’re here!”
“That’s more like it,” she said, and tossed me the bag.
After I’d popped two donut holes in my mouth and reveled in the chocolate doughy goodness, I turned back to my best friend. “Seriously, though, what are you doing here?” Although she was always welcome, she’d never just shown up at the townhouse without warning before.
“Considering it’s almost noon, and I hadn’t heard from you, I called Shane to figure out what was going on. He suggested you might need a friend, so here I am!”
The unwelcome memories of last night and early this morning seemed to hit me all at once—Nicholas disappearing, discovering the scent of perfume on his clothes, Alyssa kissing him—and my appetite vanished. I still couldn’t, didn’t want to, believe that Nicholas had gone to her to “fix” this problem.
Simone sat cross-legged on the end of the bed and gave me a sympathetic look. “I don’t know what Nicholas was thinking. Boy must be crazy.”
I would have been surprised she already knew about Alyssa, but clearly photos of them together had hit her favorite gossip site. “How bad are the photos?”
“Does it matter? Shane explained that Nicholas was faking it for the press.”
Did it matter? Deep down, I knew he didn’t go out with Alyssa because he wanted to. I’d probably be better off not seeing the evidence. Then again, imagining it might be worse.
I held my hand out to her, knowing the photos were already queued up on her phone. “Let me see them.”
“Are you sure?”
No. “Yes.”
She passed me her phone, and I scrolled through the photos of Nicholas’s and Alyssa’s night together, not pausing on any one in particular. It seemed that their kiss hadn’t been captured, but the rest were incriminating enough without it. In each one, his arm was around her waist or his hand was linked with hers. She appeared perfectly at home leaning against his side and even playing with his hair. The worst was one of them dancing at a club, and I doubted you could have slipped a credit card between their bodies, they were so close.
When I allowed myself to study the pictures with a more critical eye, I could tell Nicholas was going through the motions. He stayed close to Alyssa, but he didn’t look at her as anything but an acquaintance. Most people wouldn’t notice, but I could tell the difference.
Alyssa, on the other hand, was obviously besotted. He might think she was merely doing him a favor, but her smiles told a different story.
I tossed the phone at Simone and fell back on the bed. “What a fucking mess.”
“Since you’re already upset, there’s something else you should probably know.”
Rolling over, I buried my head in the pillow and groaned. “Fine. Rip off the Band-Aid.”
“Nicholas’s plan didn’t exactly work as intended. The gossip sites, at least, are questioning whether he’s cheating on you rather than assuming he was never with you to begin with.”
Simone crawled up the bed and smacked my butt. “Stop it! Nothing about you is pathetic…well, except this ‘poor me’ routine you’ve got going on at the moment.” She started bouncing on the bed as she spoke. “I don’t know why you’re upset about your new Naughty Goldilocks nickname, anyway. It’s totally badass.”
Hoping to stop her bouncing, I sat up and glared. “Only you would think so. Can you imagine what my dad would think if he read those articles? And who knows? By now, he probably has. I’ve likely officially been disowned by every member of my family except Chris.”
Simone sighed and pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry. This entire situation sucks, and I didn’t mean to make light of it, though I am jealous of your nickname.”
I snickered and pushed her away. “Why don’t you go snag yourself three sex god boyfriends, and then you can earn a badass nickname of your own.”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Challenge accepted.”
Chapter 11
After hiding in Shane’s bedroom with Simone for over an hour, I finally worked up the courage to go downstairs, mostly because I desperately needed real food. I didn’t even know if Nicholas was home, or whether I was ready to see him, but I couldn’t avoid him forever.
Relieved to find only Cole, Snow White, and Ace in the living room, Simone and I joined them after re-heating leftover Chinese food. When I was finished eating, Cole, so often my hero in the subtlest of ways, pulled me in to sit between his legs and placed Snow in my arms. As always, she was ecstatic to see me, and stroking her soft coat immediately put me at ease.
When Nicholas came in through the garage a short while later, silence descended on the room, and my denial bubble wavered. Why were bubbles so delicate, anyway? Couldn’t they be made of impenetrable rubber or something instead of soap and water?
