This One Moment (Pushing Limits, #1)(49)

I glared at the abandoned thumbtack in the stretch of white wall in front of me. “Lemme guess. You’re not issuing a statement confirming that the only relationship I have with Alyssa is purely professional, because she’s the spokesperson for the emergency women’s shelter in L.A.?” One of the reasons she had such a favorable reputation.

“That’s correct. We’re going to let people continue to believe you two are romantically involved. And in the meantime, you’re to keep out of the spotlight. Don’t leave that apartment for any reason, and don’t get into any more trouble.”

“And what about what happened to my sister and mother? What’s going to happen once it’s made public?”

“You’ll have a lot of experts pointing out that the root of your bad-boy reputation stems from what happened to your father and your family.” Her tone was cold and impassive, and I had no idea why. I also couldn’t tell if she believed her own words. “I won’t lie and tell you it will be easy. Far from it. Those who’ve never liked you will have a field day. But we can also use it to our advantage when it comes to your relationship with Alyssa. You’ve been donating to the emergency shelter for the past few years. Alyssa can talk about how she fell for your compassion toward those women in need, and that’s how the two of you became romantically involved.”

I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head, and I could tell there was no point reminding her once again that Alyssa and I weren’t romantically involved.

And if the photos of Hailey and me kissing were leaked, where would this all leave Hailey? She’d be labeled as the bitch who’d stolen me away from the selfless Alyssa. No one would see Hailey for the beautiful and equally selfless woman that she was.

And in the end, only Hailey would be hurt.





Chapter 31


Hailey


The moment Nolan walked into my room, I knew the news wasn’t good. He’d been relaxed, satisfied after the shower. But now the corners of his lips curved down and he couldn’t even look at me when he entered the room.

“What happened?” I asked, walking the short distance to him.

“I just spoke with the label’s PR person.”

My insides clenched into a tight fist, and I felt more raw and bruised than I had after the attack. “And you don’t have good news?” Maybe they should redefine the term PR as meaning “personal ruin.” That sounded more fitting, given the bad news I sensed coming.

“They’re still figuring out what to do about the paparazzi situation, since we have no idea what kind of story will be leaked. They don’t want to put out fires that don’t exist.”

“That makes sense.”

He glanced at my bed, his expression a twist of pain and uncertainty. “But while they don’t want to waste time extinguishing nonexistent fires, they want to be proactive about what it could mean for my reputation.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He shifted and finally made eye contact. “They want to make the most of the lie that Alyssa and I are romantically involved. They believe that her association with the women’s emergency shelter I’ve been donating to for the past few years could help me. Because I was doing it anonymously, it means I wasn’t trying to benefit from it and it will look good for my image.”

A voice in my head repeated his words, They want to make the most of the lie that Alyssa and I are romantically involved, and my heart crumpled. “They want you to go back to L.A., don’t they?”

“It was suggested that I return now, but I’m not ready to leave yet.” He moved closer to me and ran his thumb along my cheek.

“Why’s that?” I said, voice little more than a whisper. I’d known that what we had between us couldn’t last forever, that I only had mere weeks with him anyway, but the record label’s request for him to return sooner made it feel more real, more final.

His thumb brushed against my lips. “I missed you after I left the first time. More than I thought would be possible. You’re my heart and soul, Hailey.”

I was too stunned to say anything, which was just as well. His mouth captured mine and we were kissing. While I might have been unable to respond to his words with my own, I more than made up for it with my kiss.

He was my heart and soul too.

I don’t know long we were kissing before we finally pulled apart. He rested his forehead against mine and we stayed this way while we regained our breath. But as the fog in my head began to dissipate, those words from earlier came back. Nolan might have told me I was his heart and soul, but that wasn’t what the record label wanted. They wanted him linked with Alyssa.

What would that mean for Nolan and me? Did the record label expect the pair to fake their relationship in public, so people believed what they had between them was real? Or did they expect Nolan and Alyssa to fall in love? Rumor was she wanted to record an album, since she was also a talented singer. Was this romance nothing more than marketing to benefit both their careers?

“I’m going to the store.” I needed to temporarily get away from everything circling me like soul-sucking vultures. “Do you need anything?”

“I’ll come with you.”

I shook my head. A run-in with another of his ardent admirers was not what I needed right now. “It’s better if you stay here. I won’t be long.” I gave him a quick kiss and left before he could argue otherwise.