Page 60 of Until Then

“Why?”

“I’m sure there are cruel things in the comments.”

“Oh.” Vienna sighs. “I hate to say it, but after a while you almost get desensitized. Sometimes, there’s a few remarks that are so awful it cuts.”

“How do you handle it?” No doubt, Vienna Hayden has endured her own fair share of scrutiny. Perhaps she was more in the life before really dating Rees, and knew how to tolerate public scrutiny. I don’t know much of her backstory.

Vienna looks at me. “I focus on the parts that make it all worth it.” With a smile she points at her husband where he walks to chase their son with Noah. “They are worth everything to me. I don’t need to let anyone on the outside have an opinion on what happens inside the walls of my home. It was a struggle at first, for Rees more than me. He never wanted me to get hurt because of him, but we made a deal early on. If we wanted each other for good, then we wouldn’t allow the noise of the crowd to crack what we were building.”

I smile. “I love that.”

“It helps that we’re boring.” Vienna chuckles. “With everyone in the band married with kids, those metal heads are in bed right after their shows, they go to awards with their wives in tow, and the only real sightings beyond that are at soccer games or T-ball tournaments.”

“But the rumors and lies,” I say. “Noah told me about the lovechild situation.”

“Poor girl, getting her face stolen like that.” Vienna clicks her tongue. “I was angry someone was lying all to cause a rift in my marriage right after our son was born. I didn’t have excellent postpartum health, so it added to everything, but I know Rees. I know him better than I know anyone else. He would never do something to risk us like that. Are you worried about all this?”

“Yeah. I definitely don’t like the spotlight on me,” I say. Mostly because it could draw out the father who resents myexistence, and when he denies me publicly, it will do nothing but reopen old wounds.

“I admit it would be harder with Noah’s job. Rees doesn’t have to kiss other people sometimes. But it’s only for a month.” Vienna shoots me a knowing glance. “Right? It won’t really matter what lies they spread about Noah, since it’s not real anyway.”

“Right.” I speak too quickly and it hardly sounds like a statement, more a word to say when someone wants to agree to end a conversation.

Vienna laughs. “It might not be the worst thing if, you know, it was a little longer than a month.”

I fall flat on my back and cover my eyes with my arms. “I’m not . . . built for the spotlight. I’m a horse trainer and therapist.”

“And I was a high school English teacher.”

I peek out from behind my arms. “You were?”

“Yeah, and Alexis Cole—Bridger’s wife—was a librarian. We have authors, interior designers,therapists”—she holds my stare for a longer pause— “in our little crew. None of whom ever anticipated falling in love with a guy in the spotlight. But it’s up to you to decide if that’s the life you want. No shame if it isn’t.”

Vienna watched the guys again. Now, Noah had Rees in a headlock, trying to shove his face in a hole. Jude kept dancing between burying his dad or saving him.

“But,” Vienna goes on, “if you decided maybe the risk is worth it for you, I don’t think you’d regret taking that risk with Noah Hayden. I might be biased since I’m married to his twin, but he’s one of the most loyal, kind-hearted men I’ve ever met.”

“Vi!” Rees shouts, wrestling his brother. “You going to let him . . . treat me . . .” Rees grunted when Noah shoved his shoulder. “Treat me like this?”

She laughs and stands, brushing sand off her legs. “Either way, I’m glad you’re here with him now, Hayley.”

With that she takes off, squealing and signing when she approaches her boys.

Noah catches my gaze across the beach. I hug my knees to my chest, studying him, memorizing him.

Yes. I answer Vienna’s question in my head. Yes, I think Noah Hayden might be worth every risk, every time.

EIGHTEEN

Noah

Hayley’s ex is a true scumbag. The man has made it his mission for the whole of the week to blast every image of us across his platforms, to boost every other post with comments. I know his type, a guy who can’t stand to look like the rejected one.

He probably took a bit of pride when he was caught with Red and Hayley was cast aside. No doubt, he spun the story as being unsatisfied with the normal girl he had at home.

If the normal girl is Hayley Foster, I’d be running home every night.

The worst I’ve gotten is a furious message from Eden

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