Page 82 of Love In The Spotlight

He ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know what the hell is going on or what you think I’m doing or trying to do, Laken. Spit it out. I can tell my answer isn’t enough for you.”

“Fine,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re not trying to divert attention away from Penelope to us? Using me for that reason?”

“Where the fuck would you get that idea from?” he asked. “Where have I ever come off as someone that devious? And if you think that of me, I’ve got to wonder why and if you’re that way or if you’ve got something to hide. Like insecurity.”

He was pacing now; she was doing the same.

Could he have been that wrong about her?

“I’m going to kill my mother.”

“What?” he asked. “What does she have to do with this?”

He was shocked to see her lips twisting and teeth bared as if she was getting ready for a fight. He hoped it wasn’t with him. He was almost scared.

She walked to her phone and picked it up and then tossed it down.

“No. I need to calm down first.”

“No,” he said. “You need to tell me what is going on and why I just got accused of something that never even crossed my mind. I think you owe that to me.”

She walked over and flopped on the couch, her head in her hands. “I’m such an idiot.”

“I’m not denying that right now,” he said. He moved closer and sat next to her. “Care to tell me what is going on?”

“I could have just ruined things with you for no reason.”

“There is always a reason,” he said. “Trust me when I tell you I know that.”

“My mother has this way of playing her kids to do things they might not want to do.”

“What was it you didn’t want to do?” he asked.

“Tell you about Alex. But of course I just acted like an idiot and now I have to explain myself and in order to do that I have to tell you about a person I didn’t want to.”

It took him a second to absorb what was said. “Is Alex an ex?”

“He’s an ex and an asshole,” she said.

“Start somewhere in the beginning. Just remember, I don’t have the best reputation when it comes to my personal life so I’m sure it’s not nearly as bad as getting a stripper pregnant while I was drunk and don’t remember,” he said drily.

She whipped her head around and froze him with her look. “Don’t talk like that about the woman who gave you Penelope. If you feel that way, others will too. There is no shame or embarrassment in your child.”

Damn, he hadn’t expected her to defend his daughter that way.

Or put him in his place.

“You’re right,” he said. “I know that. I need to get past it.”

“I’m good at my job and defusing things though I don’t do much publicly.”

“And that is why you thought what you did about me wanting it known about you and Penelope around the same time? Because your work experience has taught you to get ahead of things?”

“No,” she said. “Yes, on my comments about Penelope. My work has taught me that people latch onto what you’re feeling and giving off. Like you reading my body language and getting worked up thinking I was going to end things with you. You jumped to a conclusion based on what I was portraying. I know that and didn’t control it.”

“You don’t always have to control everything when you’re with someone you care about,” he said.

“You care about me?” she asked.

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