Page 42 of Until Then

A gentle hand touches my arm, drawing me back to the moment, to reality. I’m basically in a closet with Hayley Foster, after making her my girlfriend of six months.

I gave the world the scenario I wished had happened. And once more took a choice from her.

“Get off your martyr pedestal, Pretty Boy.” Her voice is firm, her touch is gentle, and her eyes are almost mischievous. “I’ll run when I’m good and ready, but right now we need to plan. It’s a pity you’re so pretty—rhyme,” she says, chuckling to herself, “but you are, and people like to look at every step you make.”

“All I heard was you think I’m pretty.”

“I thought that was established a long time ago.”

“I’m famous. I have a fragile ego and need to hear it every twenty minutes.”

Hayley snorts. “Already a needy boyfriend.”

I shove my hands back in the pockets of my pants. “I’ll make up for it in other ways.”

She rolls her eyes. “Can you not insinuate anything about your remarkable physical abilities for ten seconds?”

“Remarkable?” I waggle my brows. “I prefer indescribable, mind-blowing,devastatingly perfect,but remarkable will do.”

For the first time since this disaster unfolded, Hayley laughs. The sound is a little delirious, but it’s a laugh that embeds in the center of my chest all the same.

Hayley lets her back hit the opposite wall. We’re face to face, both a little slouched in defeat. Her smile is resigned. “What are we going to do, Noah?”

I walk back, sliding my back up the wall until I straighten. “Option one—I admit I lied. But I make no promises about not explaining why all to expose that douche for how he treated you. Option two—we . . . go along with it for a little while. Save my stupid face from some scrutiny.”

Hayley cocks her head. “So it’s all about you, huh? What do I get out of it?”

“Besides this arm candy?” I gesture to my body. “I’ll bring attention to your ranch, your therapy services.”

For a moment there’s nothing but silence. Hayley’s lips part and she looks at me as though she has no idea who I am.

“You heard?” she whispers.

She’s embarrassed, and there isn’t a need for it. “I heard. I’m sure it’s a tough business.”

“No.” Her lashes flutter when she blinks rapidly. “My . . . my grandpa had cancer and not great insurance, so it’s not that the ranch isn’t good, it’s . . . bills and things had to?—”

“Hayley.” I trap her face in my hands. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m not so detached from reality not to realize how hard people like you work to make ends meet. I happen to believe what you’re doing is . . . amazing.” When I realize how close we’ve come, I force my hands down, force myself to take a step back. “I’m also really rich, so there’s that.”

She lets out a wet laugh. “You don’t need to do anything for the ranch, Noah.”

“You’re helping me out . . . unless we’re going with option one. I don’t mind helping you out too. I thought you mightremember, I never achieved my dream of being a cowboy.” I pull out my phone and pull up one of my socials. Millions of followers. “I’ll post pictures of us. I’ll talk about what you do. I’ll help financially.”

“Time frame,” she blurts out. “I can’t be draining your accounts forever.”

If she only knew how much it didn’t bother me in the least. “How long do you want me?”

The question is loaded, and she knows it.

Hayley fiddles with her skirt—one of my favorite of her quirks. “I don’t know. I think a little spotlight could do wonders to help people know our services are even there. And . . . stories blow over pretty fast in Hollywood. A month? That’s equal to like a decade in celebrity relationships, right?”

I chuckle. “Basically.”

A month. Thirty days to convince her to stay for good. It’s better than nothing. “So, option two? For a month?”

She blows out a breath. “I can’t believe this. What happens when we break up and people start throwing eggs at my ranch?”

“It’ll be my fault,” I say without hesitating. “I’ll be the reason. A big scandal where you find, I don’t know, provocative messages. Dax is a genius with tech stuff, he can fabricate direct messages easy enough.”

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