I rolled my eyes when Barrett made kissy noises at me and polished off the rest of my cannoli before he returned. “Want another?” he asked, dipping into the box.
“I’m pretty stuffed.”
He made quick work of the one in his hand. “Ready to head back?”
“Sure.”
I’d barely gotten out of my chair when Ty arrived at my side. “Are we going straight to the hotel, or will there be any other stops?”
“To the hotel.”
Ty nodded before heading out the front door. When he deemed it safe, he waved us on outside. Once again, he fell in step behind us. We’d barely made it up the street when Barrett’s phone dinged, and he reached into his pocket to dig it out.
“I’ll be damned.”
“What?”
“We’re already on TMZ.”
I froze on the sidewalk. “Like the gossip site TMZ?”
“Yeah.”
“How is that even possible? Did your dad go ahead and make the announcement?”
“No. He would have let us know.”
Nibbling on my bottom lip, I watched Barrett staring intently at the screen. “What are they saying?”
“See for yourself.” Barrett handed me his phone, and I gasped at the sight of several grainy pictures of our dinner at Russo’s. The one of me feeding Barrett my cannoli was the largest. It also had the caption, Bare Callahan caught out on the town in DC sampling an unknown brunette’s delights. This news will certainly have his latest flame, opera diva Evangelina Petscova, singing a different tune. The two were seen just yesterday boarding a private plane in Los Angeles.
Suddenly, the fact that I was on TMZ in my ratty Duke sweatshirt paled in comparison to the fact that I was being painted as the other woman. “You were with another woman yesterday?” I asked. I hoped it was all a lie; TMZ was a gossip site after all.
Barrett winced. “Actually, I was with her today.”
I shoved his phone back at him. “I can’t believe this.”
“Give me a break. Until eight hours ago, I didn’t even know you existed. I didn’t know Dad was going to spring this marriage business on me today any more than you did.”
“Surely you understand what I’m worried about here, Barrett. My first mention in the press is as the homewrecking other woman!”
“Not with the story the campaign is putting out about us. Evangelina was just a side piece while I was pining for you.”
“Yeah, excuse me for having a conscience about humiliating another woman,” I spat. There was that, and the fact that there was no way anyone would believe Barrett had been pining over me when he had Evangelina.
Ty stepped between us. “Guys, you have to take this discussion out of the streets. We need to get you guys back to the Jefferson,” Ty said. At what must’ve been our sullen faces, Ty added, “If TMZ has broken the story, other media outlets are picking it up. You have to sell the relationship now more than ever.”
Barrett and I didn’t argue. Instead, I allowed him to take my hand as we started back.
Turning to Barrett, I forced a smile to my face even though the question I was about to ask didn’t warrant one. “Did you care about Evangelina?”
“Not like you’re worried about.”
“What does that mean?”
“She was fun to hang out with.”
“‘Hang out with’ being code for sex?”
“Yes.”
“You’re such a disgusting pig.”
Barrett brought my hand to his lips to bestow a tender kiss. “Thank you for the judgmental compliment, sweetheart, especially since you don’t know any of the particulars.”
“Such as?”
Through a smile, Barrett replied, “Women know what they’re getting into when they’re with me. One google search eliminates any of the mystery. The content of my character is clearly laid out in all the stories about me. If they get hurt, they really only have themselves to blame.”
“Just when I think you can’t possibly out asshole yourself, you go and say something like that.”
“Hey, I’m honest and forthright with every woman I date. Wouldn’t it be worse if I was leading them on just to get them into bed?”
“It’s all equally sickening.”
“Whatever.”
When we turned the corner toward the Jefferson, I saw a gaggle of reporters waiting outside the front entrance. “Fuck,” Barrett muttered.
“Side door?” Ty suggested.
That would have worked if we hadn’t been spotted. The photographers descended on us like a swarm of locusts, and when I shielded my eyes from the flashbulbs, a murmur of shock rippled through the crowd. “She’s wearing an engagement ring!” someone shouted.
“Is Bare, the eternal bachelor, tying the knot?” a reporter questioned before sticking a microphone in Barrett’s face.
“How did you meet?”
“Do you think he’s going to be faithful?”
As we were peppered with questions, I fought to breathe. Even though I was supposed to have had the weekend to prepare, I wasn’t sure anything could have adequately prepared me for the onslaught. While my panicked gaze searched for an escape, Barrett squeezed my hand almost reassuringly. “Could you guys just back off for a minute? I will explain, but not until I know Addison is comfortable.”
Since I never expected them to actually respect Barrett’s wishes, I couldn’t believe it when it became deathly silent around us except for the clicking of cameras. My heart beat a little faster not just out of fear, but also because of the care Barrett was showing for me.