Page 67 of Accidentally Yours
Someone in the back of the room laughed, and then abruptly stopped.
“She killed you off, Derek,” Soo-mi repeated Paige’s words in a sing-song. It gave Paige the push she needed to continue with her truth.
Standing up tall, she said, “When I first created Hans, yes, he was mildly based on you. But as our relationship fell apart, I regretted that. Because I wrote that character how I wished you had treated me. Hans’s actions toward the heroine were thoughtful and protective, kind and loving. Everything I wished I had.” Derek looked like Paige had hit him with a stun gun. “After we broke up, I still had to face that truth on the page. So, I made the conscious decision to kill off that character because I was ready for it all to end. To leave that pain behind. Even at the expense of my career. Because that decision didn’t land well with my readers. They had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.” She took a quick breath and continued before she thought twice. “But recently I wrote a bonus chapter and I’m going to re-release my last book, with an explanation of why Hans faced such an abrupt ending. Hopefully, my readers will understand and forgive me. Because I couldn’t forgive myself if I’d gone on writing a character and a love that I didn’t believe in anymore.”
Behind her, Soo-mi gave a low whistle, and a quiet, “Oh, snap.”
Paige nodded, agreeing with Soo-mi, and feeling lighter for getting all that off her chest.
But she had more.
“I wish you no ill will, Derek. We weren’t right for each other. And that’s fine. And if you want to stay friends with my dad and keep coming to my family’s events, that’s okay. Just know that I will not entertain stroking your ego as everyone else does.” Derek’s smug grin fell from his face, and Paige was done addressing anything that had to do with him. She’d said her piece and now at least her parents knew where she stood.
Soo-mi came up beside her, tapped her on the shoulder, and handed her a glass of champagne.
“Thanks, Cos,” Paige said. Then she turned back to the crowd, took a slug of bubbles, and continued, “And while I’m at it, I’ve got a few more things to say to set the record straight.”
Soo-mi took a sip of her champagne, staying by her side.
“The whole thing with Ethan started out fake,” Paige admitted, ready to spill the full truth. “Our publisher set it up. We pretended to date to promote the book we’re writing.”
There was a collective murmur. Her mother looked horrified. Her father frowned. Derek’s eyes widened, and he looked slightly amused. Paige didn’t care. She was pressing on. She was telling her story.
“That kiss on the escalator was fake?” The woman Paige didn’t know asked incredulously, and Paige was astonished at her audacity, but she wasn’t skirting the truth any longer.
“No, that was real,” Paige replied.
“Huh?” the woman said.
“Our relationship started off fake,” Paige continued, ignoring every piercing set of eyes boring into her. She was stating this for herself. For herself, only. “Somewhere between the writing and the treasure hunt, the research trips, and the arguments over adverbs, I started liking Ethan. And then, I fell for him.” She shrugged. “For real.”
Silence cloaked the room.
“I didn’t plan on it, and I tried to fight it. Only because I was scared. It took me a while to figure out exactly what I was feeling and why I was resisting it . . . but now I know.” She lifted her chin. “And tonight, I’m going to tell him how I really feel. All of it.”
A gasp rippled through the room. At first, Paige thought the crowd was reacting to her declaration—until she realized they were looking past her. Pointing.
A familiar voice rang out behind her.
“I fell for you too, Paige.”
She spun around, heart crashing into her ribs.
Ethan stood in the doorway, a bright bouquet of flowers in one hand and a birthday-themed gift bag in the other. His hair was windswept, his cheeks rosy, like he’d run all the way from downtown to the suburbs.
“Ethan?” Paige asked, wanting to make sure he was real.
Grandma Moon stood beside him, looking smug. “I let him in,” she announced. “Saw him wandering around outside with flowers. Figured any man with a bouquet like that had somewhere important to be.”
Paige blinked, disorientated, wondering if she’d dreamt him up. “Did you—” she started. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to hear what I needed to know.” Ethan smiled, and it warmed Paige like a mug of hot tea.
Grandma Moon gave Ethan a pat on the back and winked at Paige. “Soo-mi, Grandma needs a glass of champagne.”
“On it!” Soo-mi called with a delighted chuckle as she moved toward the bar.
But Paige couldn’t look away from Ethan. His steady blue eyes. His soft grin. Strong arms and a tender heart, both hidden beneath his grandpa’s leather jacket.
