Page 201 of Calamity Rayne Gets Hitched

“The butler let me in.”

Percy had shown up with a doctor sometime after Hale left. After giving me a tube of ointment for my feet and something for my head, the doctor instructed me to cover my feet with socks and stay off them for a solid day if I hoped to walk down the aisle without limping. Since no one was going to be holding my arm for that long walk, I figured that was sound advice.

“Is Hale back?”

“I haven’t seen him.”

I had a feeling he was sleeping things off in Elara’s suite.

Lifting one of the magazines, I frowned at the glossy cover. “Who’s this woman touching Hale?”

“Which one?” Tyler shoved the tabloids closer and sat on the bed. “Ray, are you prepared for this? I’m not sure what happened last night, but I think someone needs to check in with you to make sure you fully understand what it is you’re signing onto.”

Why were these women touching my fiancé? “What do you mean?”

“Look at the dates, sweetie. Every time this guy has gone out in the last few months the paparazzi has found him. So have all the single women.”

I stared at the shot of Hale walking swiftly. Yes, there was a woman at his side, but she wasn’t actually holding his arm. It looked more like she was reaching for him. He appeared disinterested.

“This doesn’t mean anything. The Davenports have always been followed by the press.”

“He’s not the only person they’re following.” He tossed another tabloid onto the bed. “Page nine.”

I flipped open the book and my stomach lurched. “No.”

“That’s you and his brother, right?”

That was definitely me and Barrett. But unlike the women chasing after a disinterested Hale, I was laughing and plastered all over Barrett. It looked like we were at a bar. It looked bad.

I frowned at my outfit. “This is from weeks ago.” Words jumped off the page. Brother. Fiancée. Scandal. Warning Signs. “Those vultures!”

Tyler pulled the magazine from my hands. “You know you can tell me anything, Ray. I’m on your side. Always.”

My brows pinched. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“You’re sure?”

“Tyler, yes. I’m with Hale. Just Hale. There’s absolutely nothing going on between me and his brother.”

“Does Barrett feel the same way?”

“Yes! The only reason we started hanging out was because he’s been so banged up about Elle.”

“Are you sure? I mean, maybe there’s more to it and that’s why Elle’s been so distant.”

“No—” I covered my mouth. “Oh, my God. No. No! She doesn’t think that. She can’t.” Then a worse thought occurred. Could Hale? “Oh, my God, everyone probably saw these!”

“Okay, relax. I didn’t bring this up to stress you out. I just wanted to see if you needed to talk about this. Obviously, this is just a case of shitty pop culture and toxic media coverage.” He blew out a breath. “Who knew you’d one day qualify for celebrity status news?”

I covered my face and groaned, falling forward on the bed. “This is not my life.”

“It doesn’t mean anything.” Tyler rubbed my back. “We all know everything in the media’s staged. And these magazines are trash. They thrive on rumors. This is just a gross misrepresentation of the truth.”

“But it’s hurting real people, Ty.” I fisted the glossy pages and shook them violently. “They’re dangerous!” This explained so much. “Hale probably saw this when it was published and that probably planted a seed of doubt. He’s been so weird about me spending any time with Barrett and now I get it.”

“Rayne, are you interested in Barrett romantically?”

“Not even a little bit!”

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