Falling Into Love with You (The Hate-Love Duet #2) - Lauren Rowe Page 0,46
I’ll act totally surprised when you kneel down and ask me. I’ll make this face.” She gasps, widens her eyes, and brings a shaky hand to her mouth, like she’s a newly minted beauty queen who’s just heard the good news. In a heartbeat, she drops the beauty queen act, and flashes a mischievous smile. “Pretty convincing, huh?”
“Masterful,” I concede.
“So . . .? I’d be thrilled for you to get a little extra money out of this gig, after I’ve taken half your salary. All I ask is that you give me a heads up the day before you ‘propose,’ to confirm you’re going ahead with it, so I can warn my mom and sister it’s coming. If they saw you pop the question on TV, without me telling them the real deal beforehand, they’d crap their panties with excitement, and I wouldn’t want to do that to them. Telling them after the fact it was all a money grab would break their poor little hearts.”
Fuck. My heart squeezes. In a flash, I have the preposterous impulse to propose to Laila for real. It’s a stupid thought and I chastise myself for having it the moment I do. I’m not husband material, any more than I’m boyfriend material. But, man, it would be fun to give the Fitzgerald women that kind of thrill. A happily ever after, after all the shit they’ve been through with Laila’s father.
“It’s okay,” Laila says, apparently reacting to my facial expression. “I’m sure the idea of fake-proposing to me gives you hives. It was just an idea to make some money for you and give me an insurance policy. But don’t give it another thought.”
I don’t know what Laila saw on my face to make her say that. Yes, I’m feeling conflicted and confused about the idea of fake-proposing to Laila. But in the end, the thing that doesn’t feel confusing at all is the notion that Mimi would love to see that.
“You know what?” I say. “Now that I’ve told you about the bonus provision in my contract, I think the proposal is probably doable.”
Laila’s blue eyes ignite.
“For Mimi,” I clarify quickly. “Not for the money. More than anything, Mimi wants to see me settle down with the great love of my life, the way she did with her husband, Jasper. If, incidentally, me doing this silly thing for Mimi would also help you, then why wouldn’t I do it?”
Laila’s face is glowing with excitement. “Are you sure?”
My heart is racing. “Pretty sure. Can I have a little time to think about it? My contract says I don’t have to give them advance warning to earn the bonus. The clause states I can decide, right up until the last possible moment. So, maybe, let’s see how things shake down tomorrow with our newfound commitment to being dicks to each other again. If things look like they’re going well for you after that, it’ll be a moot point. But if it looks like you’re still on the chopping block, then I can always swoop in and make it known that I’m planning to propose in the finale.”
“Fantastic plan. Thank you so much.”
“Of course.”
I kiss her, and as I do, our phones buzz in unison with an incoming text. We break apart and pick them up to find we’ve both got the same message from Reed Rivers:
Reed: Due to time constraints, I’ve asked Fish and Alessandra to help you write the duet. I know you’re both heading out of town for the holidays on Saturday, so I’ve asked them to meet at your house tomorrow night at 7. I’ll take the lead on getting the song produced during the holidays, and you can add your vocals to the track in the new year. RR
“What do you think?” Laila says, putting down her phone.
“It doesn’t matter what I think. The all-powerful Oz has spoken. Reed always does whatever he wants, no matter what I, or anyone else, wants.”
“Yes, I know, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have an opinion. What do you think of Fish and Alessandra helping us get the song written? That’s two more people earning royalties, at the end of the day.”
“True, but what’s the alternative? We’ve tried, many times, and we can’t write this damned song to save our lives. Honestly, I think Reed is a genius for putting Fish and Alessandra on the project. Fish let me hear some of the rough cuts from the album he’s co-writing with Alessandra, and every