Page 28 of Love to Prove You Wrong

I scoffed. “Oh, I am. We’ve got a reception planned here in one hour. I’ll be damned if I let Justin screw this up.”

Carter dropped his hand. Poor guy. I’d probably scared him with my reaction, but I didn’t care. This was not about him. In fact, it didn’t concern anyone but me and Mr. Famous back there, smiling and signing women’s body parts. To think I’d fantasized about his bedroom hair hours before. Ugh.

I marched over toward the group of fans and tried to push my way to the front.

“Hey, stop it, lady,” one of them called out, pushing me aside. “Wait your turn like everyone else.”

My eyes grew wide. The nerve! I contemplated pushing her back but thought better of it. Bodily harm was not my M.O. and I wasn’t going to make it so now.

“Yeah, back off. Show some respect and get in line like the rest of us,” a girl with braces told me. How did she even get here? Didn’t she have school to go to, or parents?

“Respect?” I said with a hiss. “I’ll tell you what respect is. It’s getting out of my way. I own this place, damn it, and if I say you let me through, you will.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this angry, but I did know it felt horrible.

My words didn’t seem to impress them, as all I got were cold stares. I put my hands on my hips. “Anyone who doesn’t get out of my way will be removed from the premises. And I won’t hesitate to call your parents,” I said, staring at the girl with the braces.

Those words seem to do the trick. The crowd parted for me as if I was Moses on a mission.

“Oh, hey, Addy,” Justin said, oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded.

“A word, please. Inside.” I tried to sound as casual as possible, but failed tremendously.

Justin motioned toward the women around him. “I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can’t it wait?”

Carter had also made it to the front of the frenzied crowd, and coughed. “Don’t anger her, man.”

“Or what?” Justin asked, a stupid smirk on his face.

Of course, this was all fun and games to him, as always.

“She’ll have you removed from the premises,” one of the women said with a roll of her eyes, eliciting laughs from the others.

“I doubt it’ll come to that.” Justin laughed and continued scribbling down his autograph on a woman’s arm.

“I’ve had enough of this,” I cried out.

I snatched one of the signed pictures out of some woman’s hands and held it up. I might have gone officially certified.

“I swear I’ll rip this thing to pieces,” I said, waving the picture in the air like a mad person. “Everyone needs to leave right now.”

Justin held his hands up in surrender. “Ladies, I’ll just be five minutes.”

I threw him the coldest stare I could muster.

“Or could be ten,” he quickly added, then followed me into the kitchen at a leisurely pace.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked as soon as the doors were closed behind us.

I couldn’t believe he’d made me lose it out there. Normally, I was reserved and sweet, and yet Justin had managed to bring out the worst in me.

He cocked an eyebrow. “There’s nothing wrong with me. My fans showed up and I posed for pictures, signed some photographs. What on earth could you have against that?”

“I don’t need a bunch of silly fans crowding the place. There’s a reception about to take place outside and it’s invitation only. Somehow I doubt these women will stop showing up.”

Justin sucked in some air. “They won’t. Look, this is what being famous is like, okay? Do you think I like it when this happens? I was enjoying the fact that no one in Old Pine Cove cares that I’m famous. Everyone here knows me from before, so they leave me be. But I knew it was only a matter of time before people would find out I was staying here.”

I frowned. “How would anyone find out? It’s not like we broadcasted you staying here.”

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