Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
With Maia, it would mean something.
I wanted to spoon with Maia MacLeod.
Impatience rode me.
“One day,” I murmured, before I bent down to press a kiss to her forehead.
As I was leaving the flat, filled with that impatience but also hope for the future, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket to see it was a text from Callan.
Just giving you a heads-up, mate. Sorry people are pricks.
Attached to his text was a link to a video. I turned the volume down as I exited Maia’s building and strolled over to my bike.
The video was of a fit brunette, telling the world she’d fucked me a few weeks ago and I was clearly cheating scum. She’d posted the clip from the tabloid newspaper that got me in trouble. She was one of the girls in it. I did not remember sleeping with her.
I didn’t remember her, full stop.
Feeling sick, I turned and looked up at Maia’s dark flat.
What kind of shitstorm was this about to unleash on us?
On the possibility of us?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MAIA
Discombobulated.
I’d always liked that word.
I was discombobulated when I woke up the next morning in my bed, unable to remember how I got here. Quite quickly, I realized I must have fallen asleep on the couch and Baird had not only put me to bed, but he’d made sure my alarm was set. For a few minutes, I just lay there staring at my ceiling, heart racing, because of the squishy feeling in my stomach.
I recognized that squishy feeling.
It was accompanied by other feelings I’d been ignoring for a few weeks now.
“Damn,” I murmured, flushing hot all over with realization. “I’m crushing on my best friend.”
There.
It was true.
I was developing a big, juicy crush on Baird McMillan, the absolute worst romantic candidate in my life.
Aye, he was sweet and funny and protective and considerate … but he was also a giant man-whore who had no intention of settling down.
Groaning, I covered my face with my hands. Why did I have to complicate this? I was totally crushing on him because of all the nice things he said yesterday, and he was just saying those things to make a point to Will.
Right?
I threw off my duvet with a groan and sat up, reaching for my phone. My stupid pulse leapt at the sight of the text notifications from Baird (among a few from family and friends). Baird had placed my glasses on my side table. Butterflies erupted in my belly at his thoughtfulness.
I made a whining sound. “Come on, really? Baird?” I asked myself out loud.
Not that Baird wasn’t crush-worthy of course. But he wasn’t for me. I did not do casual anything.
Grumbling, I put on my glasses and tapped my phone screen.
The first text said:
U were out so put u 2 bed.
The second text said:
I’m sorry bout this.
This turned out to be a video a girl had posted claiming that Baird was a cheating snake because he’d had sex with her only a few weeks ago. While it was the giant splash of cold reality I needed to remind myself that Baird was not the one for me, I was upset for him. I didn’t want the world thinking that about him. Or that I was the kind of girl who would put up with that.
A third text stated:
My management advised me 2 respond.
Then there was a link to another video.
This time it was Baird on his own socials. The sight of his handsome face stirred another flutter of butterflies, despite everything. I didn’t know where he was, but it was a close-up, handheld selfie video.
“Oi, oi, everyone,” he said with less enthusiasm than usual. “I don’t usually respond to bullshit videos, tabloid crap, and such, but I felt it was necessary. Maia and I have been friends for over a year. We didn’t get together until just a few weeks ago after the alleged stupid video that’s circulating. Maia knows my past. I know hers. Our engagement might seem quick to everyone, but once we knew we wanted to be together, we didn’t see any point in hanging around. We’re committed to each other, and videos coming out of the woodwork intended to damage us won’t. Those people are showing themselves for the petty humans they are. That’s all I’m going to say about that. My love to our friends, family, and supporters. Thanks for being happy for us.”
I was at once bemused by how well he lied about the state of play between us and proud of him for being so straightforward and direct. Looking at the comments, most people really appreciated that about him and were being supportive. There were some arsehole remarks. When I saw more than a few questions about why I wasn’t in the video with him, defending him, my cheeks burned with irritation.