Page 71 of The Backup Bride Proposal

Her smile got wider. He helped her up into the truck and went around to his side and climbed in.

“New vehicle?”

“Yeah. I had them switch out the rental. Maybe a truck will slow down the photographers.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

He’d thought about taking her to a restaurant somewhere in the city, but then he had a different idea, one that would afford them some privacy. He’d asked one of the staffers to book the reservation, prepay and grab the key, so it wasn’t even in his name. The hotel wasn’t crap and it wasn’t super high-end. It was what he’d call above average and not somewhere you’d expect a movie star to stay. He pulled into the side parking lot and slid on his cowboy hat.

“You’re taking me to a hotel?”

“I’ve heard the room service here is really good, and it’ll give us some privacy to talk.”

She shrugged. “Sounds good.”

They went in the side door and down the hall to the room. He’d specifically asked for a fast-entry-and-exit location so he wouldn’t run into people who might recognize him. Which meant no lengthy walks down a hallway or taking any elevators. They were four rooms down the hall from the side entry. He made a mental note to tell Paul he’d done an excellent job scouting out the perfect room, at least from a geographical perspective. Now he could only hope the room itself wasn’t awful, because at the moment, he didn’t think dazzling her with his charm was going to work.

He slid the key card in and pushed the door open, breathing a sigh of relief at a decent living area separated from the bedroom. There was a table and a couple of chairs, a sofa, a bar area with a sink, and it all looked bright and comfortable.

“This is nice,” she said, placing her bag on the table and moving fully into the room. She peeked her head into the bedroom and surprised him by lingering there a few seconds before turning around. “Well, then. Let’s talk.”

“You want something to drink?” he asked, suddenly nervous to engage in what he was sure would be a difficult conversation.

“No, I’m good.” She slid onto one side of the sofa, an unsaid invitation for him to sit on the other side, so he did.

“Mae, I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

“No, actually, you weren’t. You were trying to protect me. I overreacted, and for that, I’m sorry.”

This wasn’t at all the way he expected this to go. “You didn’t overreact. You’re perfectly capable of deciding for yourself how much you can handle. I thought I had hidden myself well and I was overconfident. When I heard the click of cameras, I freaked. I was pissed off, and my first thought was to get you the hell out of there before the paps could sussout every detail of your life and spread them across the gossip sites.”

She tilted her head to the side. “That hasn’t happened. The only thing they said was you have some hot new woman in your life and are you cheating on Everly.”

“Yeah, I read that. And, again, there’s nothing going on with Everly and me.”

“I believe you. And they said I was hot. How could I complain about that?” She gave him a wry smile.

“Well, they were right on that point. But they’re intrusive as hell and I’m still pissed about them following you around.”

“They aren’t following me around anymore. Your production company has increased security and the Bellinis have hired their own. Trust me, no one is getting anywhere on Bellini grounds unless they’re getting married, doing a wine or wedding tour, or part of the movie production. And no cameras allowed other than cell phones. Even those aren’t allowed during the tours. Plus, Honor is giving the wedding tours and Brenna does the vineyard, so I’m mostly in my office except for already scheduled weddings. Everything’s fine, Kane.”

He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Okay. And you’re right. You do have it all under control.”

“Of course I do. And so do you.”

That was debatable. “Sure.”

She scooted closer to him. “Kane. It’s really okay. I’m sure this is something you’re used to.”

“Yeah. Typically it’s just me, or me and other people who are in the business. They know what to expect. It’s you I’m worried about.”

She laid her hand on his thigh. “You have to stop worrying about me.”

“Not possible.”

She shifted, drawing one leg up on the sofa so she faced him. “Here’s the deal. I’m not going to hide. And I don’t think you should, either. I would also like to continue to hang out with you, if that’s what you want.”

This wasn’t going at all like he expected it to. He’d figured he’d have to grovel a little, maybe a lot, because he really liked Mae. He planned to continue to see her, hiding out if they had to. Turned out that wasn’t what she wanted at all.

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