A sidelong smirk appears. I knew I should play on his strengths. Moose likes his ego stroked.
“They’re controlled messes, though. Usually ones we create ourselves,” he replies.
“But I did create this mess. I’m enacting you as the king’s hand. Clean thy mess and confess thy sins,” I say, joking. His blue eyes twinkle with mirth. When his dimples show, I know I have him. “You have to be at least a little bit excited?”
“More like ready for the biggest letdown of my life, but hey, in the spirit of your book, one in which you spill so many details and tenuous secrets about my best friend and his bedroom habits, I’m willing to play ball.”
It never occurred to me Smith would have spoken to Moose about the book. “Oh, god. What did he say?” I blink a few times very slowly. I’m pretty sure it’s a defense mechanism because all of a sudden I feel faint, my vision morphing into a tunnel.
The door creaks open to my back, and the time is finally here. Moose flashes me a grin and turns a megawatt, exuberant smile at the door. Megan. “I’m sure he’ll tell you himself,” he says, through clenched teeth.
He puts his hand on my shoulder as I spin. Jasmine joins us to my left. All air leaves the room when I see him. I can’t put up a wall or even false pretenses around this man. Smith forces a smile when he sees Moose, but I watch the confusion and hesitance arrive in the same breath. Smith avoids looking at me, which makes it even more awkward because it’s so obvious he’s trying not to look at me. With one arm he’s holding Megan around her waist, like he alone is keeping her standing, but in the other he’s holding my book. The spine bent as if it’s been through the dryer seventeen times in one week. My heart jolts, and I feel I may be sick right here on the carpet in front of everyone. One glance at Megan’s face and I know she’s read it. What type of horrendous torture must that have been for her? I can’t even imagine the pain it caused. The anger. The absolute terror of realizing how in love someone else is with her fiancé.
“What are you doing here?” Smith asks Moose. He’s so stunning, standing tall and proud with the air ofconfidence only worn by those who claim it truthfully. It makes me weak. The last thing I need right now is any form of weakness.
Jasmine squeezes my hand. “I asked him to be here. He plays a large part in Greenleigh’s novel, and in turn the character will play a large part in any future movie role. Our attorneys have cut him into the deal as well.”
Moose squeezes my shoulder. I hadn’t told him that yet. It’s a thank you for being here today. The least I can do with my pain money I don’t need. That’s what I refer to it as now. Looking at the cover alone makes me squeamish.
“What she said,” Moose replies.
Smith doesn’t buy it. Not even for a second.
Megan watches me so intently that I feel like an actress putting on a show. Do I look pretty enough? Am I missing a line?
“Please sit down. Let’s get the process going,” the attorney says.
Smith and Megan sit across the table from Moose, Jasmine, and me. Smith’s attorney meanders in and makes his way to a seat near Megan and opens his files. When we’re all seated, Smith drops the book in the middle of the long conference table. The loud thud makes everyone jump.
I swallow, close my eyes, and take a few beats to clear my head. He’s so angry I can feel his tremors from across the room.
“Never Forever,” Smith says, quoting the title.
I open my eyes, but he’s pointing a glare at Jasmine.It’s meant for me, but he won’t risk that move. He doesn’t intend to make this any harder on himself.
“A Navy SEAL’s tale of loss, love, and honor.” He reads the tagline through gritted teeth.
“It was beautiful,” Megan says, already tearful.
Great. This is how it’s going to go. I turn to my attorney and give him a nod.Make this fast.
He starts in on his speech about the contracts and percentages and all of the other boring math things that go over my head but are too important to ignore. No one else is listening. They’re too busy tasting the air so thick you can cut through it with a knife. The tension is so visceral that no one is unaffected.
Megan speaks over the bald man. “I said it was beautiful.”
So, it begins.
Jasmine sighs. “It’s incredibly beautiful. They’re already billing it as this generation’s Romeo and Juliet,” she replies to Megan. “Carina wouldn’t budge on the title. I think it suits it fine enough. It’s simple so people will remember it, yet it still remains integral to the story.”
Smith’s hand shakes as he reaches out for the worn-out proof copy of the book but ultimately merely lays a hand on top of it. Like a Bible. “This wasn’t what I expected,” he says. “It’s…it’s…too much.”
“Too much what?” I ask, willing him to turn his gaze my way.
He doesn’t, though. He slides it back in front of his chest. His resolve is faltering. I see the cracks in his front.He knows how much this will cost. The price has never been higher. Still, he doesn’t realize Megan already knows. It’s why she’s crying, a mess of tears and insolence as she stares at our story, now a tangible item lying in front of her.
“I don’t want any money from this. I know my name won’t be associated with it, but that’s the only thing I care about. I want to leave today being reassured that this will never come back to me. No matter how big this thing blows up, I don’t want to be this person.” He speaks to me while looking at Jasmine, at the same time pointing to the cover of the book.
“You are that person. You can’t pretend you’re not. The rest of the world will never know, Smith. But you will. And that’s the only thing that matters,” I say.
