Page 133 of Double Play

What is wrong with this guy? I think he has a screw loose. I point my finger in his face and raise my voice. “I find myself wondering if you have a hearing issue, so let me say this loud and clear. I’m not interested. You and I areneverhappening. I need you to respect my boundaries and keep your hands the fuck off me.”

He rolls his eyes. Has this guy ever heard the wordnoin his life?

He pushes his big body against mine, pinning me to the building. He grabs my chin. “I think if you’d just…”

I snap. I’ve now asked him multiple times to stop touching me. He’s not getting it, so I knee him in the balls. Hard. He goes down like a pile of bricks. “This is the last time I’ll say this. Don’t touch me. Stay the fuck away from me.”

He grumbles, “You bitch.”

“That’s Mrs. Bitch to you. Actually, I’m Layton’s bitch. By the way, he’s a thousand times the man you are. When we’re shooting, and you have to touch me, it makes me sick to my stomach. I have to pretend it’s him just to get through every day with you.”

I’m done with this guy. I walk away and leave him on theground in front of the restaurant. I don’t give a shit that he’s hurt, and I most definitely don’t give a shit that we could have been photographed fighting.

I walk along the beach and think. I can’t take another three months of pretending to be Butch McVey’s girlfriend. I didn’t mind him as a friend at first, but now he makes my skin crawl.

I’m not far from the production tent. As soon as I get close, my phone pings with all the texts and emails I missed for the two hours we were at dinner and didn’t have cell service.

First, I see a text from my mother.

Mom: No need to worry. That man of yours is so madly in love with you. It seems like he had a nice day with your brother.

I smile. I had asked Quincy to go over and talk to Layton and to go with him to Linda’s House.

There’s also a text from Layton.

Layton: I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole. Thank you for everything you did for me today. You’re the most amazing woman. I’m lucky you’re mine. I love you. I miss you. Four weeks, one day, and seven hours until the real Captain America is with you again. The things I want to do to your body are probably illegal in Thailand anyway. Happy Thanksgiving. It’s the last one we’ll ever spend apart.

Tears roll down my cheeks. He has no idea how much I needed to hear this from him tonight.

I don’t want to wait another month to be with him and then see him only in secret for two months after that. I wipe my tears and pull up the contract on my phone. I’ve reread theBoyfriend Clause over and over again. There has to be a way around this. Maybe I need to come at it from a different angle.

And then it hits me. Holy shit. I can’t believe this never occurred to me before. I’ve been looking at this all wrong.

I quickly find Tanner’s number and hit dial, praying the call goes through. He answers immediately. “Arizona? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is great. Do you have a minute?”

CHAPTER THIRTY

TWO WEEKS LATER

LAYTON

The past few weeks have been tough but at least there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. Arizona is on her way from Bora Bora to Hawaii now for the last leg of her trip. Two more weeks, and then she’ll be home. We’ll have to be together in secret for another two months, but at least we’ll be together.

While photos from their beach shoots leak daily, there have been very few of them out socially. I know my girl enough to know her smiles are fake. Sometimes Butch is touching her back when they’re out for dinner, but her shoulders are always turned from him. I know what her face looks like when it’s filled with love and affection, and I don’t see it in any photo. I was a fool to think otherwise.

She’s clearly doing the bare minimum required by her under her contract. She calls me every moment she can, sometimes three or four times a day. I think she’s going out of her way to keep my mind at ease. I love her even more for that.

Thanksgiving with the Abbotts and all my friends was a fun, family day that I can only hope to have more of in the future. I sat down with both Quincy and Arizona’s father and told them I plan to ask her to marry me after her contract with Fantasy Suits expires. They gave me their blessing. I’ve been brainstorming ideas, trying to come up with something more romantic than what I had planned for Thailand.

I’ve spent nearly every day since Thanksgiving at Linda’s House. It’s lifted me out of this depression I’ve been in since Arizona left and I broke my leg. My passion for spending time with those kids grows every time I’m there. It’s made me think about what I want for my future. What my true calling might be.

When Henry isn’t working, he comes with me. As it turns out, he’s amazing with the kids. He’s kind of a goofball himself, and they eat it up. I have a few ideas about getting him even more involved, but I want to talk to Arizona about it when she gets back. I want her as my partner in everything.

I hate how I acted those first few weeks after she left, letting my fear of abandonment rear its ugly head. I hate that I took it out on her. Never again. She’s my angel.

I’ve done my best in the past two weeks to be nothing but supportive, trying to make it easy for her. I’m not the only one struggling with the separation. Missing Thanksgiving with her family and being away from homeisn’t easy. There’s no need for me to add to her stress. I want to be strong for her.

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