Page 57 of One Small Secret

“No.” His teeth graze my earlobe in a soft bite. “No, I am not.” And then he pulls my lips back to his to prove it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Spring has arrived, but there’s still snow glistening in patches around the lake. I lean back into Ruben’s chest and his arms come around me, locking together below my chin. Axley is probably ready to get out of his stroller, but we’re only staying a minute or two longer before we have to head back into town to watch the second-to-last episode of Broke or Billionaire.

Episodes started airing weekly in January. Despite the ridiculous premise of one billionaire dating twenty women, half of which are wealthy and half of which come from humble backgrounds, it has pretty much taken the nation by storm. During episode three it came out that Ruben Palmer’s girlfriend is Moira’s stepsister, so the show and Moira went from being barely talked about to being on everyone’s lips.

Ruben Palmer’s fame strikes again. Everyone wants a piece of him, and I’m still a bit dazed by the fact that he’s all mine. I cover his arms with my mittened hands and pull him closer.

“We should probably head down.” Ruben’s voice is low in my ear and his breath warms my cheek. Washington isn’t cold when he holds me like this.

“I know. I’m just…”

“Preparing yourself?”

“Yes.” Each week one or two of the women on the show leave, which means each week Moira will either continue living her dream, or she’ll be kicked off the show. If she wins, I’m pretty sure she’s expecting us to continue raising Axley. If she doesn’t, I’m just not sure what will happen. Will she really not take Axley back after the excitement of the show has died down? And for the life of me, I don’t know which outcome I want. No matter how much I love Axley, I know he must miss Moira, and no matter how fun it is to see Moira happy and living a cleaner, more fulfilling life, I can’t watch the episodes without looking at Axley and thinking about everything she gave up.

Basically, I’m a wreck every Thursday evening.

I spin against Ruben until I’m facing him and bury my face in his neck. “Maybe we should just skip this week and read the recap.”

“Is that really what you want?”

I want to scream yes, but Axley loves seeing his mom on TV, so instead I inhale deeply. Some perfume company should bottle up his scent of cinnamon and spice and sell it as cologne. They could call it TeenDream and it would sell out faster than Alyssa Fourtuna’s new lingerie brand. “No. Let's head back.”

Mom has our typical snacks laid out on my counter when we get back. I fix a plate for Axley, then take a seat practically on top of Ruben. He’s my support human and he plays his part well.

“Mama!” Axley runs up to the screen and pats his chubby hand on Moira’s face when it pops up during the intro. There are only three women left, and Andre takes all of them on a lavish date. Andre takes Moira on a helicopter ride to a mountaintop, where they eat a picnic and play in a stream. The only extravagance is the helicopter. Maybe Andre gets her.

She’s going to win.

I hold my breath at the end of the episode when Andre gives what the internet has deemed ‘the kiss of death’ to a woman named Helen. I close my eyes and settle deep into Ruben’s chest. Next week, the finale will air live, and then the show will be over, so no matter what happens, at least I’ll be able to chew Moira out in person soon.

The camera follows the rejected woman off the set, and then pans back to the three remaining people on the show. “And now, we’re down to two women.” The emcee’s voice talks over the scene before there’s a cut to him sitting in an opulent living room by himself. “We have one billionaire, Jessica, who also comes from a lavish background, and Moira, who doesn’t have much more than a penny to her name. Or do we?”

The former boyband singer’s eyebrow rises. “We have one last twist. One of our three stars has been lying all along about their wealth. But which one? And will love conquer all, when we finally answer the question Broke or Billionaire?”

Ruben’s body stiffens and Mom gasps.

What just happened?

“What did he say?” Mom is the first to speak.

Ruben’s body relaxes. “One of them is hiding their net worth.”

“It isn’t Moira,” I say, even though it’s obvious.

“It could be Andre.” Mom says what we’re all thinking. What if Moira did all this, gave up Axley, and then found out Andre is as penniless as she is?”

I shake my head. “No way.”

“Do you think it would matter to her?” Ruben asks. “She seems to really like him.”

I turn my head and look at him like he’s crazy. “She went on the show thinking she was competing for the love of a billionaire. It matters to her.”

“But maybe now that she knows him?” Ruben tries again.

“Oh, honey, that is sweet of you.” I pat his arm. “But I’m not sure a few months of him dating her along with nineteen other women would make up for the fact that he lied to her this whole time.”

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