Page 111 of Double Play

She takes my hand. “There’s something I need to tell you. I spoke with…”

Before she can finish, her cell phone rings. She looks down at it. “It’s Tanner. I was just about to tell you this. Fantasy Suits isn’t letting me out of my contract. Now that yours is canceled, he can represent me. He said he’d call and try to work something out.”

Shit. I was afraid of this.

She accepts the call. “Hey, Tanner. You’re on speaker with Layton and me.”

“Are you okay with me talking about your business in front of Layton?”

She rolls her eyes as if the answer is obvious. “Of course.”

“It’s not good, Arizona. I made very little headway. They want you to go shoot as previously scheduled, and they want it to be with Butch McVey. They’ve already come to terms with him.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

She nods. “Longley mentioned Butch when I spoke with him earlier today. They not only want me to shoot with him, but they also want me to pretend like we’re together. Obviously, I told them no. They threatened to sue me for breach of contract.”

My head starts spinning.

She looks down at the phone. “What else did they say? Is there any good news?”

“As a show of good faith, they’ll reduce the promo period from three to two months after the shoot, but that’s it, Arizona. The contract is iron clad. You’re going to have to go, and you’re going to have to act like you’re dating Butch McVey for the full term. You can’t be seen publicly with Layton once you step on that plane. That’s a breach of the terms of your contract.”

Tears fill her eyes. She croaks out, “That’s a total of four months. I won’t see him for two and then what are we supposed to do, date in secret for the next two months? This is ridiculous.”

Tanner is quiet for a few moments. “I’m so sorry. Once shooting begins, you and Layton will only be able to see each other behind closed doors. It’s crystal clear in the contract that you can’t have another boyfriend. They were very adamant about the wording of theBoyfriend Clause. Your boyfriend is whoever they choose, and they’re choosing Butch.”

I don’t need to add to her pain right now, but I’m internally freaking out. Visions of her on a beach, half-naked, with Butch McVey’s hands all over her body immediately stream in my mind.

I grab her phone. “Thanks, Tanner. Let us go. We’ll talk to you later.”

“Sorry, buddy.”

I end the call, and she begins sobbing into her hands. Heavily. I’ve never seen her like this.

I tug her hand. “Get into bed with me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

I open the blanket, unwilling to take no for an answer. She gingerly slides in on my good side and buries her head in my chest.

I simply hold her while the only sounds in the room for a long time are those of her crying. I’m trying to be strong for her, but it’s not easy.

I rub her back. “It will be okay.We’llbe okay. We’ve got the secret relationship thing down cold.”

She sniffles and lets out a laugh. “We sucked at loving each other in secret. We fooled no one.”

I smile. “That’s true. But it’s because our feelings are so strong. Strong enough to overcome this speedbump.” I caress her hair. “I’m going to be immobile for the next few weeks anyway. You’ll be back before we know it. And then we can simply hide in bed until the contract is over. I wouldn’t mind being stuck in bed with you for two months. In fact, I prefer it.”

I do my best to give her a reassuring look, but she still looks pained.

“Four months is basically as long as we’ve known each other. I barely remember life without you anymore.”

I wipe the tears from her face. “What’s four months when we have a lifetime together?”

Her eyes swim with love. I hope mine don’t swim with the deep fear I’m currently feeling.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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