Page 144 of He's The Reason Why

“Yes.” Piper closed her eyes and let out a long breath. “Lord help me.”

“Thought so.” Lizzie stood up. “I’m going to get the party out so you can have your house back.”

“No, don’t.” Piper got up and walked with her sister back into the house. “This is my night. Let’s celebrate.”

She wondered why Blake didn’t try to call, but then realized she had no idea where her phone was. After a brief search, she found it in her bedroom, where it had been helpfully hidden under her pillow by, she assumed, one of her sisters.

She sat on her bed and scrolled through her messages after everyone but Della had gone.

Neil texted her with reminders and demands that she let him know she was alive.

She responded with a one-finger emoji, followed by a cheesy grin emoji.

Paul texted with surprisingly subdued pleas to let him know she was all right.

Piper reassured him everything was going to be fine.

Tamar stayed silent about everything that happened on the red carpet, but Piper supposed there was very little she could do about it anyway.

There were four missed calls and several text messages from Blake. She clenched her jaw in an effort to stop the tears as she read them.

I never should have said those things. They weren’t true.

No, he shouldn’t have.

I also said you were right for the part. You were. You are. The right choice.

Maybe that was true. Maybe not. Maybe they only cast her to get access to her fan base. Maybe she’d just been the only one to say yes, just like him.

I was an idiot. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

I miss you.

She swallowed, but the lump in her throat refused to go down. They should have been celebrating together tonight. He should have been here laughing with her sisters, having drinks with the boys, or just holding her hand while they told storiesabout Jeremy and Gina. He should be here right now, with his arm around her shoulder.

Piper brushed a tear away. She missed him too, but that didn’t change anything. There was no putting this genie back in the bottle. His thoughts were out there for the world to see, and there was nothing she could do about it.

They were scheduled for rounds of promotional interviews the next day, though only one where they had to appear face-to-face.

How was she going to go on camera after what had happened? All of the questions would be about the gossip, not the movie. Could she call in sick?

Her gut wrenched sideways at the idea.

That would be the coward’s way out, and this was what she’d worked so hard for. This was her time to shine. If she didn’t show, they’d just gossip about her behind her back anyway.

“What are you doing?” Della said from the doorway. “You shouldn’t be looking at the trash out there right now. You of all people should know that.”

“I’m not.” Piper tucked the phone back under her pillow. “I need to get some sleep. I have to be at the studio for interviews by six.”

“You’re going?” Della asked softly. “Are you sure?”

Piper smiled, sensing her sister’s concern and feeling grateful for it, but it didn’t change her mind. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Della didn’t sound convinced, but she dropped the subject. “I’ll make sure you get up in plenty of time.”

The door closed softly behind her.

The first round of interviews went better than she’d expected. Everyone in the main cast remained in individually assigned rooms, while the press rotated from person to person. When shefirst arrived, she caught a glimpse of Blake’s back as he was shown into his interview room, but she didn’t see him again the rest of the morning.

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