Page 53 of The Proposal
“Yeah?”
“What happens if we stay married?” I ask. “What does that look like? I’m not saying I want to do that, because I really don’t, but theoretically …”
“I’ll be honest—I don’t know. We’d have to play it off and look convincing. Otherwise, it would bite us in the ass even worse.”
Play it off. Look convincing.
How the heck do we do that?
And how do I ensure I don’t get my ass handed to me in the end?
Brock clears his throat. “It’s obvious I think you two just fucked all the way up, and I’m pissed about it.” He swallows. “But I’m going to back away and let you figure it out.”
“Thank you,” I say.
He turns to Renn. “I want to say one thing.”
“Go for it,” Renn says.
“Blakely is more important to me than anyone else on this planet,” Brock says. “She trusts too easily and sees the good in people. It gets her in trouble.”
My heart lodges in my chest.
“I expect you to protect her,” Brock says. “I don’t want to see her go through this all over again. You got her into this; you get her out of it. But if you do anything to hurt her, Renn, so help me God—”
“I won’t.” Renn squares his shoulders to Brock. “You have my word. Whatever happens, I’ll do everything I can to ensure she’s as unaffected as possible. I love you, man.”
Tears cloud my vision.
Brock’s jaw tenses as he pulls Renn into a hug. I don’t breathe until they part without throwing punches.
My brother steps back. “Okay. Let me know if I can help.”
“I love you, Brock,” I say, my voice wobbling.
He crosses the room and wraps his arms around me. “I love you, B. No matter how many times you fuck up—”
I laugh through the tears falling down my cheeks.
“I’ll always be here.” He pulls away. “Always.”
“Thank you.”
He rubs the top of my head before giving Renn a final stare. Then he heads for the door.
Reality fills the room again. It’s just me and my now husband—and a million unanswered questions.
If we file to end this mess, we’re handing ammunition to the tabloids. But if we play it out, will the injuries be less?Or worse?
“I feel like we need to talk this through—you and me,” I say. “There’s a lot to consider and my head is scrambled.”
Renn nods. “Agreed.”
“I don’t want to stay here. We’ll be held captive in this room since everyone in the world knows we’re here. And I really want to get away from my brother and Ella.”
“If I really married you, I’d take you on a honeymoon. If we went away somewhere for a few days, that would give us some time to work it out without confirming or denying anything. And the optics would be goodifwe decide to play this out.”
Makes sense. “Can you get away from here for a few days?”
