Page 36 of Accidental Proposal

“Oh, are you guys doing real couple things now?” he asked, turning to Liam. Even though Liam stood a few good inches above Garrett, my driver seemed to be toe to toe with him. Something in Garrett’s tone made me take a step closer to them. Both boys seemed to be having a stare down, and with a grin plastered on Garrett’s face, I could tell he was goading Liam on.

“What do you mean ‘doing real couple things now’?” asked Liam, his gaze never wavering from Garrett’s.

“You guys—” I tried to say but was cut off once again.

“Well, seeing as you aren’t a real couple, it’s just interesting hearing you’re doing things together now,” Garrett said, shrugging as if it was no big deal. I hadn’t realized that telling Garrett that we weren’t really engaged was a bad idea or that Liam would find out. Slowly, Liam turned toward me, his blue eyes hard.

“You told him about our deal?” he ground out. The look he was sending me was making my knees weak, it was not a good weak, and I was suddenly nervous.

“I…uh well…” I tried to come up with the best way to say it, but nothing came out.

“You did!” he yelled suddenly. “Jenna, I specifically told you not to tellanyoneabout this! You signed a contract saying you would not. Good God, Jenna, he is probably the one who told the paparazzi and maybe even the paper!” Liam yelled.

“I didn’t mean to, Liam! It kind of just slipped out, but Garrett would never do that! He promised me he wouldn’t tell anyone,” I defended, looking over at Garrett for confirmation. Instead of finding confusion like I thought I would, he was staring at me guiltily. “Garrett, please tell me you didn’t!” I turned to him.

“Jenna, I didn’t tell them your engagement was a fake. I just told them you were engaged!” I stared at him, shocked that he would even do such a thing. “I swear, Jenna, I didn’t tell them it was all fake. They came up to me after I dropped you off this morning, asking me about Liam and who I dropped off at his house. They paid me three grand to tell!” His brown eyes were pleading for me to understand.

“This is why I don’t trust people, especially you! Garrett, get the hell out of my house. You’re fired!” Liam roared at me, then at Garrett. I was too stunned from Garrett’s betrayal that I didn’t even flinch as Liam yelled at me. Garrett got the hint that he’d better leave before Liam did something; as he backed away to the door, he kept his gaze on me.

“Jenna, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to get you hurt or anything. I thought it was harmless information.”

“I swear to God, if you don’t leave right now, I will personally make you,” Liam growled, taking a step closer to him. Garrett let out a sigh, nodding at him.

“I really am sorry, Jenna. I hope you can forgive me. You have my number if you need me.” With one last sad look, he turned and walked out the door. I stared after him, not knowing what to say. I never would have thought Garrett would say anything. The bright side was that he didn’t tell the paparazzi my and Liam’s relationship was a lie. I just couldn’t believe that he would sell me out for money! At that thought, my insides froze. But wasn’t I doing almost the exact same thing? I was doing something to get money, just like him.I’m no better.

I stood with my back to Liam, awaiting the yelling I knew was coming my way. How was I supposed to know Garrett would go spill to the paparazzi? It wasn’t my fault.It’s your fault for trusting someone,a little voice said in the back of my head. With one last look at the door, I turned around to face Liam. I knew nothing I could do would make any difference with Garrett, and I might as well face Liam now.

“Liam, I—”

“No, Jenna. This whole mess, that will include the newspaper in the morning, is because of you. I told you not to tell anyone about this because someone will find out. Now we have to do damage control before anything else gets out of hand. You should not have opened your big mouth. It seems that whenever you do, something goes wrong,” Liam said. His blue eyes were dark, and his mouth was set in a firm line. The way he was talking to me made me feel like I was being scolded. “Who else have you told?”

“No one,” I said quietly, feeling small under his gaze. I briefly thought of Sophia but immediately shut that thought down. Out of anyone, she would never tell a soul. Liam stared at me almost like he was waiting for me to crack and say something else.

“You’d better be right, because if I find out anyone else knows, I will make it my personal mission to end you,” he threatened. I stared up at him, scared. Liam was making this to be worse than it actually was. They only knew that we were engaged, not about anything else.

“Liam, you are making this to be worse than it is,” I said, my voice soft, afraid that if I said anything too loud it would set him off even more.

“Worse than it is? Do you not realize what will happen if people find out I am paying you to marry me? My father’s business will crash, my family will be ridiculed, and don’t forget breaking my mother’s heart.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think he would do anything if I told him.”

“That is right. You don’t think, Jenna! You only think about yourself and what will happen to you. I seriously can’t even stand to be in the same room as you. From now on, you will stay in this house unless I tell you to. Do not even think about leaving, because I will know. You will do everything that I say this week, and if you don’t, you are done.” His voice was so cold and emotionless I felt my blood freeze. From the way he was looking at me, I knew he was beyond serious. He was like a bear that was waiting to be poked. “Why I chose someone so incompetent, I have no idea. You were definitely a mistake.” With that, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. I watched after him and jumped when the door to the garage slammed.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to the empty room, wrapping an arm around myself. I was always left alone. I let one tear slide down my cheek before heading to my room. Liam was right. Everything I said or did turned into a mess. Maybe I was a mistake.

Chapter Sixteen

That night, all I did was toss and turn. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get comfortable, and I couldn’t get Liam’s words out of my head. He was right, and that was the problem. The words that were true were the cruelest, because deep down you knew it and it scared you. They were always the words that hurt you the most. I finally gave up around three in the morning, knowing that it was no use to try and sleep. Feeling confined in my room, I threw my sheets off, grabbed a light sweater, and quietly padded to my door. Praying it wouldn’t squeak, I opened it and nodded when it didn’t. With one place on my mind, I tiptoed down the hallway to the kitchen.

Throwing on my sweater, I opened the back door and headed outside toward the gazebo. The light breeze blew across my bare legs as I made my way around the pool, the glow of the moon guiding me. The air was kind of cold, making me wrap my sweater more tightly around me. A few pieces of hair that had fallen from my messy bun blew in my face.

I finally made it to the gazebo and took a seat on the bench. Pulling my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them. I closed my eyes, breathing in the fresh air, and felt my body finally relax. My mind started shutting down, only concentrating on being outside instead of what happened yesterday. Even though it was three in the morning, I was wide awake.

Opening my eyes, I leaned to my left and looked up at the moonlit sky. Since we were a little outside of the city, I could see some stars above me. Seeing the dark sky only lit by the moon made everything seem so peaceful and mystical. For some odd reason, I had always loved the night more than the daytime. Being dark outside, it is easier to hide your feelings, your demons, and even your thoughts, but during the daytime everything could be seen and picked apart. It was easy shielding yourself at night. When I was younger, I used to climb on the roof of the home and stare at the stars in the middle of the night. I felt safer and peaceful watching the stars twinkle and seeing an airplane slowly make its way across the sky. Even though the next morning I would be tired and barely awake during class, I didn’t care.

Leaning my head back against the wood of the gazebo, I closed my eyes again, listening to the sound of crickets and the wind blowing through the yard. I didn’t know how long I stayed out there with my eyes closed and slowly drifting off to sleep. The rise of the sun jerked me awake, and I groggily sat up, looking around. My back was stiff from being in the same position all night. With a small groan, I stood up and stretched, hearing my body crack. It was probably only six in the morning, and I was more than happy to head back to bed. With my eyes half-closed, I made my way back to the house.

The sound of glass clinking reached my ears as I stepped onto the patio. I knew Liam was up, but I had no intention of seeing and talking to him unless told otherwise. Not bothering to even knock so I don’t scare him, I opened the door and walked into the kitchen. I didn’t miss the surprise and confused look on his face as I walked by him, half-asleep. He stood frozen, watching me with a cup of coffee in his hand. Without a glance in his direction, I walked out of the kitchen and to my room. Without taking my sweater off, I plopped down on the bed and was out in seconds.

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