“But if the publicity team can turn this around, I wouldn’t need to run anymore.” She stared up at him, her hands on her hips. “I won’t stay with you. Not for one minute beyond what it takes to get the press off me. The minute that happens, I’ll leave.”
A fierce satisfaction ran through him. “I’ll take the chance.”
She shook her head. “There’s no chance, Michael. I won’t ever trust you again. We can spend the next year together and I’ll still walk out at the end.”
But she did trust him on some level. She trusted that he would do what he said he would. She trusted that he would let her go when it was time.
Deke was right. His guilt wouldn’t fix the problem, but his love might.
He moved into her space. “I want them all to understand that I’ll protect you whether or not you stay with me. If you leave, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there. But for now, you have a role to play. Know that I won’t be acting at all. This is the role I want for the rest of my life.”
“We should move out.” Big Tag took a post to Vanessa’s left. “Kyle’s here. Ava, you need to be the one to talk to the press. I want Michael to keep his mouth shut since he’s already got a court appearance to deal with. Vanessa, not a word from you. All you have to do is hold Michael’s hand and look as vulnerable as you do right now.”
Her hands went to her cheeks. “I should put on some makeup.”
“You are perfect.” Michael loomed over her, wanting her to feel his strength. It was all for her. “You’re perfect when you’re a blonde and you’re perfect when you’re a brunette. With your hair up or down. With bombshell makeup or a clean face. Your body was perfect before you had your breasts done and they’re perfect now. Every scar and little line is gorgeous, so no, you don’t need to do a thing. You need to let them see this side of you, too.”
She went still for a moment and then she frowned. “Maybe I should go to the ranch.”
He didn’t want to lose her now. “Or you can play this role. You can do it. It’s nothing more than another movie role. You don’t have to feel anything. You’re my girlfriend, and I’m going to protect you. All you have to do is let me walk you out and put you in the car and then you can go right back to hating me. I’ll let you yell at me all night.”
He didn’t fear her yelling. He could handle it. Hell, he wanted the fight because the fight meant she thought there was something worth fighting over. He feared her silence.
She looked to his mom. “I won’t stay with him, Mrs. Malone. You’re a lovely lady. I don’t want to disappoint you, but I won’t be able to forgive him. I don’t know why you would want to be invested in this relationship, but it’s not going to work, and you should know that up front.”
His mom moved in front of her. “You let me worry about that. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that loving someone, really loving someone, isn’t something to ever regret. You might regret the outcome or the pain, but never the love. The love we feel makes us better people.”
“Even when it’s not real?” Vanessa’s voice wavered.
“It’s always real. What you feel is always real. What you have to decide is whether what he felt was real and whether he’s worth taking that risk on again,” his mom said. “But all you have to do right now is face down a pack of wolves who want to tear you apart. You can figure out the rest later. I’m going to stay with you tonight. You don’t have to worry that Michael will do anything he shouldn’t with his mother there.”
Now that was something he hadn’t planned on. “Uh, I only have one guest bedroom.”
“Not a problem, love,” his mother cooed. “I’ll take yours and you can have that lovely couch. Unless Vanessa would like your room. I don’t know if she wants to sleep in the bed where you misrepresented yourself, dearest.”
Well, it was good to know his mom was one hundred percent Team Vanessa. Though her words did make Vanessa’s lips tug up slightly.
She turned back to him, and the smile was gone. “All right. Let’s do this.”
Her hand slipped into his, and he watched her mask go on.
He loved the feeling of her hand in his.
“We’re a go. You should understand it’s a mob out there. I don’t think DPD was ready for this, though it could work in our favor. At least we’ll know the big news stations aren’t going to ignore this.” Big Tag nodded to the uniformed officers at the end of the hall and then took a place beside Ava Malone. “Derek has already given the press a statement clarifying that you were never technically arrested and the matter has been satisfactorily concluded with no charges being sought.”