Page 46 of Protecting Hailey

“What did you say?” I asked. My body felt cold.

“I said you need to pay attention to more than just the music.” She chewed slowly and looked around the table, oblivious to the growing tension in the room.

“You said ‘date the right people’.”

She nodded. “Yes, I did. Among other important things.”

“Did you tell Frankie to set me up with Trey? Was that your idea?”

“Ye—'' she was about to admit it when she finally caught the stares directed at her.

“Did you know that Trey never liked me? Were you the one to orchestrate that with Frankie?”

“Orchestrate? You make it sound so salacious.”

“Wasn’t that the point? To sensationalize my relationship?”

“Yes, but it was for your own good. You were always so focused on your music that you never stopped to think about the other factors of fame. Honey, I did it for you.”

I laughed disdainfully. “You had the nerve to blame Christian for the bad press when you were the one who is to blame.”

“Me? How are you going to pin this on me?”

“If you kept your nose out of my love life, then I wouldn’t have had the crazy idea that maybe my boyfriend loved me.”

Christian ran a hand through his hair, his frustration visible in the lines around his mouth.

“If that bodyguard of yours would have kept his hands and lips to himself, then people would have blamed Trey and you would be the victim here. They would rally for you.”

“You wanted me to be the victim?” I pushed away from the table. “I can’t believe you. You knew he would do something like this and you still did it anyway.”

“I didn’t know or plan this. Don’t be ridiculous. And stop trying to blame me when I wasn’t the one who kissed you.”

“I kissed Christian. And you know what? I would do it again.”

My father cleared his throat, and Anya smiled from ear to ear. Christian rubbed his face and lips, hiding his smile.

Oh, he was enjoying this, was he?

Turning to my mother, I said, “I can kiss whoever the hell I want to kiss. Do you get that? Not you, not Trey, not even the court of public opinion can stop me.” I grabbed Christian by his T-shirt and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was meant to be brief, but adrenaline rushed through my veins and when he ran his fingers through my hair, I moaned.

“Oh, god, Hailey. Not at the dinner table,” my mother moaned, and I pulled away from Christian’s lips. “Fine. You’ve proven your point.” She waved at us dismissively. “You can do whatever you want. Just please, think about it. Do you want to lose everything for him?”

Christian stiffened, and I let go of his shirt. Turning to my mother, he stared at her. “Mrs. Jones, you don’t have to worry about that. Hailey will never have to choose. Her career comes first. I understand that. But I care about your daughter. I won’t deny it. And I will protect her, no matter what.”

My father picked up his fork. “There. Now will you eat your dinner, Anne?”

Narrowing her eyes at Christian, my mother tossed back her hair but never resumed eating.

He said he cared about me. He hadn’t said love, but it felt like so much more than just friendship. I wasn’t sure what was happening between us, but I knew I wanted to kiss him again.

13

Christian

The way she kissed me in front of her whole family, like she didn’t care who knew, was fucking hot. I knew we shouldn’t be crossing the line like this, but now that it was out in the open, I no longer wanted to hide my feelings for her.

When her family finally left, I helped Hailey clean up. As she wiped down the counter, I struggled with the right words to say.

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