Page 65 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

Corey appeared in my backyard a few moments later with a woman in an FBI jacket close behind him. The pair of them arrested Joseph, hauling him away even as he hurled threats my way.

“Haley,” Corey said as he came back around the side of the house, Joseph nowhere in sight. “We’re going to have to ask you a few questions.”

“Okay,” I said, my voice shaking as numbness took over my body.

Corey led me away for questioning while I tried not to panic.

This entire mess had to be over now. It had to be.

26

TYSON

HoursaftertheFBIagent left with Joseph in handcuffs, there were still reporters and police officers in the front yard. Haley was pretending she was okay, but she was still pacing back and forth across the kitchen. Her hands were shaking as she held her phone. She had gone back and forth about calling her dad and asking him to bring Trinity home.

“Hales, come here for a minute,” I said, opening my arms and waiting as she bit her lip before walking into my embrace.

I kissed her forehead and hugged her hard. I could feel her heart racing as we were pressed together.

“What’s going through your mind?” I asked gently as I ran my hands up and down her back.

“This is going to be all over the news. The story of your secret family, my stalker, all of it. There will be no privacy to anything that has happened over the last couple of months.”

“What else?”

“Those reporters might not leave once they have their stories. They might keep following us, hoping for more dirt. I don’t know what to say to them either. What am I supposed to say? If I act even slightly standoffish, I’m going to be called aggressive. How am I going to get more clients if they think that I’m aggressive?”

I pulled out my phone and dialed Camille’s number.

“You are a media nightmare,” she said the moment the call connected. “I thought that trying to make Drew look good was going to be impossible, but if you keep stirring up small town drama, I’m going to come down there and kick your ass.”

“Can you talk to Haley about the reporter situation, please? Maybe a PR crash course?”

“I would much rather talk to her.”

“Play nice.”

Telling Camille to play nice wasn’t necessary. Though she liked to give me a hard time, she was the kind of person who made others feel like they were her family in seconds.

Camille snorted. “I’m always nice. Now, put the poor woman on so I can help her.”

“Thank you, Camille.”

“You can thank me by sending me another one of those fruit baskets.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes, handing the phone to Haley. Haley looked at me with wide eyes before taking the phone and walking away. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to Camille, and I didn’t need to. Camille would take care of her and make sure that she was feeling better by the end of the call.

The last thing I wanted was for her thinking that everything was going to end like it had with her mother. I had done everything in my power to protect her, and I was going to keep doing everything I could to keep her and my daughter safe.

What happened here would be on the news, and there was no way to escape that. Camille would get ahead of what she could and give Haley enough media coaching to get through this without worrying.

Soon enough, there would be some star going in or out of rehab that would capture the attention of social media outlets, and we wouldn’t be watched anymore.

As Haley paced around the kitchen talking to Camille, I got out my computer and pulled up the resumes for security guards. I would hire her whoever I needed to. If Haley wanted an entire team of people always surrounding her to make her feel safe, I would do just that.

When the call ended, Haley came back over to me and handed me back the phone. She sighed and ran a hand down her face, looking exhausted as she leaned against the counter.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, peering at the computer screen.

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