Page 46 of One Weekend in London

As the hiss of the shower fills the room, I burrow deeper into the luxurious bedding, where I spent all night—morning too since it’s now past lunchtime—immersing myself in Rhys’s scent.

Against my heated skin, the who-knows-how-many-thread-count sheets act as a cocoon, both cooling and comforting me.

My eyes flutter closed and blindly, I reach for my phone on the nightstand. Might as well check in with the crazies back home in Garrison while I’m lying here, shrouded in bliss, and wrapped in pure happiness.

Lord knows I don’t need Knox’s brooding, hot-tempered self jumping on a plane and interrupting my good time, something he’d have no hesitation in doing.

Talk about what would be a disaster of epic proportions.

After reopening my eyes, I snap a quick selfie, artfully concealing my still-trembling body with the top sheet and making it look as though I’m not totally naked underneath.

Thank goodness for portrait mode.

Exhaling, I open the family group chat.

Me: [photo] Miss you guys! Just checking in. London is AMAZING. And so is Rhys. I think I may have found my Prince Charming after all.

Notifications instantly flood my screen.

And here we go...

Tasha: HOLY CRAP @SADIE. I was just about to call you! You and Rhys are BREAKING THE INTERNET. Literally. Like, I’m talking you guys are front page news EVERYWHERE!

Confused, I scroll as images start to appear.

And just like that, my heart stops.

Tasha’s sent a barrage of screenshots—tabloid covers and live-feed shots plastered with photos of Rhys and me. Our charged, almost-kiss at the hotel elevator. Arriving hand in hand at the theater. His fingers on my chin, his forehead intimately pressed to mine.

An anxiety-constructed boulder settles in my belly.

Headline after headline screams: “Mystery Woman Snags London’s Most Eligible Bachelor,” followed by “Rhys Kensington Off the Market?” I nearly drop my phone. I seriously can’t believe this is happening.

I almost begin to panic.

But then, oddly enough, I don’t.

Because you know what? Who even cares.

I’ve never been someone who yearned for the spotlight. In fact, I’ve always followed the crowd, doing my best to blend in. But if being at Rhys’s side means I star center stage here and there on some trashy tabloid magazine or a celebrity gossip website, then I’ll deal with it.

I’ll work through my anxiety and the most-of-the-time unnecessary panic that accompanies it. Because being with Rhys? It’s more than worth it.

And hey, at least photogs got my good side.

Knox: @Sadie you’re not thinking straight. You’ve been through a lot and the last thing you need is to fall for some stranger’s sweet-talk. Get on the plane tomorrow morning, or else I’m coming to get you.

Me: No, actually I don’t think I will.

Knox: @Emmett, come pick me up. We’re flying to London ’cause, apparently, I’m gonna have to drag @Sadie back, kicking and screaming before she ends up hitched to some guy we’ve never met and pregnant with his baby.

Pregnant? I don’t think so.

Someday, but not anytime soon.

Sutton: I’m coming too! @Tasha, watch after Devney for me while I’m gone. You know I don’t like leaving my girl but this is #familybusiness.

Sutton is absolutely full of it.

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