Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“Not her,” I whisper. “Him.”
“Him who?”
“Fucking Grady.”
My brother shrugs. “Hey, drama sells. And clearly, she's looking for her fifteen minutes of fame."
I don’t correct him.
For all I know, she was fine with her brother going to the paparazzi and selling the story. If she is actually pregnant, a few hundred thousand dollars probably sounds like a really good deal. Good enough to screw over your friend.
And lover.
And father of your kid.
My kid.
Oh my god, I’m going to be sick to my stomach.
“Drama sells.” I give Drake a weak smile, his humor lighting the room's heavy atmosphere. "Yeah, well, she got her fifteen minutes. The whole world knows now."
Drake nudges me playfully. "So what's your game plan, superstar? How are you gonna handle this scandal?" He pauses. “Handle scandal—I made a rhyme.”
I flop down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, running a hand through my hair.
"First, I need to talk to Tess. Figure out why she did this if she did this—and why she didn't tell me about…the pregnancy. Then I guess we'll have to figure out what we're gonna do next."
Drake raises an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know, you could always consult our family's resident scandal expert."
I chuckle, shaking my head. "You mean you?"
He grins, clearly pleased with himself. "Who else? Duh. I've navigated my fair share of drama. I've got tips, tricks, and a few creative cover-ups up my sleeve."
I give him a skeptical look. "Are your 'creative cover-ups' legal?"
He waves a dismissive hand. "Details, details. Let's focus on the task at hand. First, call Tess again. Get the facts straight from the source. Then we'll brainstorm some damage control strategies."
Like get a lawyer.
Call Drew’s agent.
Call my mother and brothers.
Leave it to Drake to turn a potentially disastrous situation into a slightly less daunting one. "Alright, fine. I'll call her. But no shady cover-ups until we get to the truth, yeah?"
He holds up his hands in mock surrender. "You're the boss. No shady cover-ups. Just a touch of Colter charm.”
He winks.
I can barely muster up a smile. "I can't believe I'm actually taking advice from you."
He grins, giving me a playful wink. "Hey, I'm the big brother for a reason, right? And then we can call SportsCenter—the world is waiting to hear your side of the story."
As I dial Tess's number, I can't help but feel a strange mix of nerves and determination.
With Drake by my side, armed with his unique brand of advice and a touch of idiot sense of humor, maybe I can navigate this scandal without throwing up in the garbage can.
I find Tess in my phone.
Hit CALL.
Listen as it rings.
And rings.
And goes back to voicemail.
I give my brother a frantic look when the phone beeps so I can leave a message.
“Uh. Hey, Tess, it’s me. Drew. Uh—Colter.” I’m an idiot. “I was watching SportsCenter, and uh, there’s a story about me, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it? About, um, me getting a young woman pregnant? Seriously, Tess, please call me back, I’m kind of freaking out here. Let me know you’re okay. We need to talk. If this isn’t you they’re talking about, then I’m seriously fucked. Okay. Well. Call me. Bye.”
“Well, you’re not winning any awards for speech writing.”
“Screw you.”
And that’s when my stomach heaves. Clenches.
Empties.
Straight into the garbage can.
CHAPTER 38
TESS
THE HEART WAS MADE TO BE BROKEN. – OSCAR WILDE
“Why would you have sold the story? Why, Grady?”
I don’t understand.
Plus, I’m not far along, anything could happen between now and…
I told him in confidence because Miranda convinced me it was the right thing to do and what’s the first thing my brother does?
Sells the story to the press.
I’m so confused.
“Uh. Hey, Tess, it’s me. Drew. Uh—Colter. I was watching SportsCenter and, uh, there’s a story about me, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it? About, um, me getting a young woman pregnant? Seriously, Tess, please call me back, I’m kind of freaking out here. Let me know you’re okay. We need to talk. If this isn’t you they’re talking about, then I’m seriously fucked. Okay. Well. Call me. Bye.”
I watched as my phone rang and saw that it was Drew; watched the NEW VOICEMAIL notification light up my phone, listened in horror as I played it.
His voice.
He sounded so…
Sad.
And confused.
One more thing we have in common.
“He feels betrayed. He thinks I did this to him!” I shout at my brother, who has the gall to sit in my best friend’s kitchen, looking not the least bit affected by the shitstorm of drama he created.
“Actions have consequences,” Grady states, plucking a banana off the counter and peeling it.
My brother hates bananas, so I know he’s only doing it to appear unaffected and bored.
When did he become such a dick?
“This is not what I need right now.”