LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(88)

“Not too long, believe it or not,” Diana said, taking my arm and leading me to a nearby chair next to the kitchen. “Earl took the girls to our suite for naps, Marigold and Preppy Dude snuck out the back when they realized there were three additional state troopers here, Polly is on the phone with her man, and Cyndee went to get you some juice. The troopers came in right behind the paparazzi and started threatening to take them into custody. In the process, apparently Larry was outed as a Louisiana state senator who’d done some naughty things—”

“Don’t call me that,” Lolo chastised her from across the room. “Besides, it was the other way around. And I only did it for the photos. His wife hired me. I had to take the blue pill to even make it through, for god’s sake. Ew.” He shivered and closed his eyes. Trevor reached out a hand to squeeze his shoulder.

Diana continued. “—and whose son was involved last night in a convenience store robbery.”

“Good god,” I said, shaking my head as I tried to keep up with the flood of information. “Quality family.”

“Needless to say, he left.”

Cyndee approached cautiously with the juice. “Here, see if this helps.”

I reached out a shaky hand and took the small glass from her, relishing the sweet, cold taste on my tongue. “Thanks. Where’s Scotty?”

Cyndee and Diana exchanged a look.

I sat straighter in the chair. “Where is he?”

Neither answered and my heart immediately began to hammer again. “Di, where is he?” My voice was high and panicked. I looked around but didn’t see him anywhere.

“Did he… did he leave?” I asked, the words barely a whisper.

“No,” Cyndee said firmly. “He’ll be back. I’m sure of it.”

I looked frantically at Diana. “He’ll be back means he left. Where is he?”

She gave me a helpless look. “I don’t know.”

I turned toward Cyndee and she shook her head, making it clear she didn’t know either.

I spun, intending to tear the house apart from top to bottom—all ten thousand square feet of it—when I realized that I knew exactly where he’d gone. To the barn. To Nugget. He’d told me that growing up the barn had always been the one constant, the most stable environment. It was where he went when he needed to center himself or to think or to wrap his arms around his horse’s neck and remember he was loved.

My jaw clenched. If I had my way, that man would never question that he was loved ever again. I would spend the rest of my life making sure he knew it to be true.

I stood up, ignoring the leftover unsteadiness. The mudroom had my boots and coat, so I headed there. “I don’t understand why he left.”

“Roman,” Diana said, following after me. “He saw the paparazzi here and bolted.”

I froze a moment, letting that sink in. Hearing that the photographers had scared him away shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. Yes, it had been my biggest worry, but I’d truly thought he was different from Pete. I’d thought he was stronger and feistier.

“He couldn’t fucking take it?” I spat. “The first sign of trouble and he bolts? Jesus. That’s exactly why I sent him to another room—so this wouldn’t happen!”

I shoved my arms into my coat and stomped into my boots. My teeth clenched in anger. “That motherfucker better run. He’d better run far away from me. Fucking coward. I’m going to find him and give him a motherfucking piece of my goddamned mind.”

I was angry enough to punch something, and I almost ripped a hole in my palm pulling my boot laces tight.

Diana’s eyes brightened and a smile appeared on her face.

“What?” I growled at her.

“You’re pissed.” She said it like it was a good thing. It wasn’t.

“Damned right I’m pissed! He doesn’t get to give up that easily. He doesn’t get to promise me pretty words and make me think he’s different and then he bails at the first sign of trouble. Fuck that, Di.” My voice rose until I was practically shouting. “Fuck him.”

A giggle escaped her throat, and she clamped both hands over her mouth. Her eyes danced, and it brought back memories of when she used to tease me for having a crush on the kid who’d brought the fancy rooster to the county fair.

I glowered at her. “Stop laughing, dammit,” I hissed, standing back up. “This is awful. He’s breaking my fucking heart, Diana!” My voice broke and I refused to lose control.

“He’s not Pete,” she said with a grin.

“Of course he’s not Pete,” I spat. “Pete was nicer than him! He didn’t cause trouble like this.”

I grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around my neck several times before belatedly realizing it was his super-soft gray one, the one he’d worn the day we’d met. It smelled like him and almost brought me to my knees.

“And you let him go,” Diana said, her voice gentler.

I turned to her in confusion. “Huh?”

“You didn’t once fight to keep Peter.”

My nostrils flared. I couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying. “Whatever. Fucking coward,” I grumbled again. Because if I didn’t stay angry at Scotty, I’d curl up into a ball and die.