She reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Ryker, I was a bitch and I’m sorry. But we’ve been through a lot the last eight years and I’ve always had your back. You’ve never questioned what I’ve done in the past and I let that control get the best of me. But I can help you. Even if she’s by your side.”
I narrow my eyes at her. Bree always has a game plan. She’s meticulous in everything she does and that’s why I’ve always trusted her. Until now.
She yanks her hand off me and drops her gaze to the floor for a moment. “I did one thing wrong. One thing, Ryker. And now you don’t trust me?”
One thing that was a dick move and might have cost me the woman I love.
“Trust is the most important thing in my world of shady people. Once it’s broken, it’s hard to fix.”
“Okay.” She nods and her body deflates. I watch her stomp to the bar to grab her purse. She takes a second to gather her wits before she turns around. “I get it. But you need someone. And fast. I’ll text you a few recommendations that would be a good fit.”
I run my fingers through my hair, groaning. Reverse psychology at its finest and it’s definitely grabbed hold of me. I’m being an asshole. She’s right, we have been together long enough that I should see she’s trying to make this better and I will need someone to help derail the train wreck coming.
I blow out a breath, hoping I don’t regret this. “You win. You can come back.” Her shoulders perk up and her smile pulls at the corners of her mouth.
“Are you sure?”
No. “Yes. But no more tricks.”
She holds a hand up in the air. “Promise. Now, why in the hell didn’t you tell me about Aspen,” she barks, getting right to business.
“I was going to. The night of the gala. But then you—”
“Gotcha,” she stops me, holding up her hand. “Okay, so this is huge, Ryker. The President’s daughter?”
“Tell me something I don’t already know.”
She steps over to the couch and plops down, crossing her legs. “Have you talked with her since the press release? How is she holding up?”
Following her into the living area, I sit down in the chair and stare up at the ceiling, my hands on my head. “I haven’t talked with her in days.”
She shifts in her seat and I don’t have to look at her face to know her eyes are popping out. “What? So, are you guys not together?”
I tell her everything, which is pretty much nothing since we haven’t talked. Replaying our last visit, I still don’t know what I did wrong. Other than her seeing the pictures, but that didn’t happen until a few days after I left her room.
My gut twists in knots thinking I’ve lost her. And it’s not like I can go see her. They’ll lock the place down like Ft. Knox.
Bree listens to me ramble about how screwed up this whole situation is.
She rolls her neck and then checks her calendar. “Okay. You’re out of town all next week, so I’ll get in touch with Aspen’s PR person. Find out what she’s saying about you because you’ll be a topic of discussion on her end too.”
The last place I want to be is flying around the US doing keynote speaking and guest appearances. But I can’t back out now. “Make sure all the talk shows I’m doing, Aspen is off-limits.”
“Already noted,” she says, holding up her phone and shaking it. “I’ll update you as soon as I hear something from them. For now, stay on the down-low.”
Laughter bubbles up inside me. “You know what happened the last time you told me that.”
“You never listen,” she says in a teasing tone.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Aspen
One week of intense crazy.
My world has turned upside down, inside out, and any normalcy I was holding on to is no longer anywhere close to normal. The news broke about me five days ago, and every second since has been stolen from me. I can’t catch my breath most days.
I long for the island, the wall of water keeping me hidden. At least my prison there didn’t suffocate me. Publishing houses have contacted me to write a book. And movie deals are coming in.
The world has gone crazy.
I’m afraid to leave the ranch. Reporters camp outside the gates. In. Freaking. Tents. David and Beatrice tell me it will eventually die down. The