Page 27 of Tell Me When It's Over

Even gives me a gruff, “Making Mia do this shit next time though,” before tugging on my hair again for good measure.

Chapter Eight

Kyler / Present Day

The dinner with Harry goes about as bad as expected. He got up throughout the meal to answer his phone, barely paid attention to anything I said, and half-assed his questions and answers to Leighton. So, I got us the hell out of there when his phone rang for the fourth time before the dick could come back.

Thankfully, the days following are uneventful. He doesn’t bother calling or texting. His assistant doesn’t send an email that apologize on his behalf. Leighton and I go back to settling in, but I can tell it bothers her even when I tell her not to let it. She isn’t programmed to think little about people like Harry because she wants his respect. I don’t have the heart to tell her that she’ll probably never get it. That’s just who he is. Even after doing everything he wanted of me, I barely got any praise from the man.

When I pull into my sister’s driveway, I curse at the number of cars lined around her place. There’s barely an open space left for us. Lenny locks up beside me, gripping the seatbelt over her chest, probably counting all the vehicles she sees and wondering what she can do to convince me to stay out here. There’s nothing.

“Fucking Mia,” I grumble, parking away from the rest so we can’t get blocked in. Something tells me it’ll be a shorter night than planned because I have no intention of making Leighton deal with the people inside who will no doubt try butting into our business.

“I thought it was just going to be us and a few others,” she whispers, eyes darting to me. Panic has settled into her dark eyes, making me silently curse my sister.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” I unbuckle and turn to her. “You know Mia, she doesn’t know what ‘small gathering’ means. We’ll make an appearance, hear what she has to say, and then leave. No big deal.”

She shakes her head, staying silent. We both suspect the news that we were summoned to be part of. Her mood swings and growing midsection tells me exactly what the rest of the world has been speculating since she made the cover of every tabloid announcing the rumored pregnancy.

Lenny briefly adjusts the strands of her hair, which look damn good considering who she trusted to dye them, before running a hand down the dress that I would have rather she not worn tonight because she looks way too grown up for my liking. Far older than eighteen, which I push in the farthest pits of my mind, because I’m not sure what to think about how her appearance tugs at my chest. Maybe it’s the looks she’ll garner from people that has my fists twitching, ready to fight if I need to. Ridiculous. I didn’t lie when I told her she looked beautiful. The dress falls mid-thigh. Nothing scandalous. There’s a deep V, but it’s not too revealing, or too tight but also not loose, and the color against her darker complexion makes her look…well, like Katherine. Except classier. Sexier.

Swallowing, I abandon that thought quickly.

Her eyes are staring intently at something out her window, so I lean forward to see what’s gotten her attention. The van is one I’ve seen before, but the markings on the side make it obvious to Lenny who hasn’t been around the camera crew filming The Casanova’s. Her voice is quiet when she peels her gaze away from it. “They can’t put me in the show, right? They’d need my permission or something.”

I swipe a palm down my face. Mia knows better than to put Leighton through this. Me? I don’t like the reality TV bullshit, but I can handle five minutes with a camera in my face if it means that much to my big sis. It’s part of her job. I get it. I just wish she would have warned me first.

“Right,” I tell her. Sighing, I reach for her seatbelt again and give her a comforting look so she’ll let go. “I’ll talk to Mia and the producer, okay? I know you want to stay under the radar but…”

“But what?” The uncertainty rivaling with the panic in her tone just about shatters my loyalty to Mia. I want to turn the car back on and leave, but I know that’d upset my sister and that’s the last thing I want to do. Plus, the rumors would start, and her fucking show would turn it into something it isn’t like it has before. Then I’d have another headline saying I’m on the outs with my family and Gordy would have to deal with the shitstorm that followed, which isn’t fair to him because he’s been working overtime with countless meetings for me since I’ve been back.

I hate to tell Len this, but she needs to hear it one way or another. “Whether you like it or not, you can’t be the wallflower anymore while you’re here. People know who you are from before, and if they don’t, they will find out. That’s the price you’ll pay for being near me and Mia. I’m sorry for that, truly, but it’s something you need to come to terms with.”

We’ve had a similar discussion once before, but she’s not the timid thirteen-year-old anymore who looks like she’s going to vomit and then bolt. Well, maybe she still looks like she’s considering both, but living with her now makes me see she’s different. Able to handle a lot more than she was before thanks to what her mother’s put her through over the years.

I pin her with my eyes because she needs to know I’m not giving her an option to back out of this.

Her eyes go to the lit-up house. “I’m doing this for Mia,” she tells me, letting the seatbelt retract before reaching for the door handle with a somber sigh.

I get out and meet her around the front of the car with a proud smile on my face. One arm draped around her shoulders as I walk us toward the front doors, I say, “That’s my girl.”

I swear she shivers as she settles into my side, then blushes when she catches me looking at her. Smiling, I tug her closer and assess our surroundings, feeling her tense when we grow nearer to the noise.

“You ready?” I ask softly, dropping my arm to reach for the doorbell.

She chokes out a “no” but does her best to pretend otherwise when the door opens. We’re greeted by my sister and two different cameramen. When Leighton’s default is stepping back, I don’t let her, keeping her close and cocooning her in my safety.

“You guys made it!” Mia greets happily, kissing both of our cheeks.

One of the camera guys narrows in on a stricken Lenny. Someone asks who she is. Another person tries getting a shot of the three of us together. I know how this works. They’ll need Len to sign a waiver among a shitload of other things to air any film they get tonight. Usually, there’s a meeting about this shit before they shove cameras in our faces, but I guess they’re doing whatever the hell they want nowadays without the writer to explain the narrative they’re shooting. I guide the two of us in, ignoring the cameras and tell her to do the same.

It’s going to be a long fucking night.

I wrap my sister in a tight hug after battling through the throng of people giving her their congratulations. The announcement came to nobody’s surprise, but the story attached did, and it makes me feel like a damn tool for not knowing how bad she and Dylan struggled all this time. I know my sister’s fake tears, seen them a time or two, and the ones she shed while holding her rounded stomach were real.

Before I can apologize like she deserves for my absence over the years, she does first. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it’d be filmed.”

Squeezing her gently, I rest my chin on the top of her head and murmur, “It’s not me you need to apologize to.”

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