Escorting the Billionaire - Part 2

We went out to the middle of the courtyard, the ceiling soaring high above us. I saw Evie and her cousins all in fancy beaded dresses, sitting in an arrangement and having their hair and makeup fussed with. My family also was nearby, as was the camera crew and all their equipment.

I ignored everyone but Audrey. I watched her take in the glory of the space. “Oh. Wow,” she said, looking dazzled. “I’ve never been here before.”

“It’s perfect,” I said, and I didn’t mean the garden. I squeezed her hands and drank her in. She was so beautiful, it was as if it cut me.

“I love it here,” she said, still looking around, dazzled. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“We should come back here sometime,” I said. I drew her to me and kissed the top of her head. She didn’t say anything, but she hugged me, hard.

Todd came over, a hesitant smile on his face. “Hey, guys. I hate to interrupt.”

“So don’t,” I said, not letting go of Audrey.

Todd’s eyes widened a little, but he knew better than to say anything. He looked at me for a beat, studying my face, the way I was holding her.

I pulled back from her and gave him a wary smile. I needed to deflect attention from us. “Are they ready for me?” I asked, motioning to the camera crew.

“For both of you,” Todd said. He rubbed Audrey’s arm in greeting and beamed at her. “We want you both in the pictures.”

Audrey smoothed her dress and looked at me nervously. “I don’t need to be included, Todd. That’s really nice of you, though.”

“Nonsense. I insist. I want to remember everything about this time in my life, including you,” he said, holding out his arm for her.

“Okay,” Audrey said hesitantly. She smiled at him. Clearly, Todd had gotten the lion’s share of our family’s limited charm genes.

Pleased, I squeezed her hand in reassurance. We went over to my parents. Celia was watching us as closely as ever.

“Hello, Mother,” I said.

“Hello, James,” she said formally, mocking me. She turned to Audrey, inspecting her from head to toe. “And how are you this evening, dear? You’re looking very… satisfied.”

My mother was an astute observer. Plus, she’d been next to us at dinner last night. Looking at Audrey right now, I could see what my mother must have seen: Audrey’s skin was positively glowing, as if her every cell was lit up.

Audrey smiled at her without missing a beat. “I am very satisfied,” she said kindly and without irony. “Your son has been showing me a wonderful time.”

“I’m so sure,” Celia said, and she did not look pleased.

“Okay everyone, it’s time,” Todd called, breaking up the conversation and saving us. “We’re going to start with our family on one side of the fountain, Evie’s family on the other.” He grabbed Audrey’s arm and steered her toward the photographers, chatting happily.

My mother watched him, the look on her face shifting quickly from surprise to utter indignation. “These are family photographs. Where is she going?”

I gave her a savage smile and grabbed her arm, following after them.

“With the rest of us, mother,” I said loud enough for Audrey to hear. “My girlfriend is going to be in these pictures.” I unceremoniously dropped my mother in front. Todd winked at me as I went toward the back and grabbed a stunned Audrey’s hand.

I held it for every photograph they took.

* * *

“Well, that was… interesting,” Audrey said when we were back in the car. “I thought your mother was rooting for me for at least the rest of the wedding celebration, but now I’m pretty sure I’m on her radar. Her bad radar.”

“Oh, well.” I shrugged, not giving a f**k about my mother or her radar for the moment.

“And you didn’t have to say I was your girlfriend,” she said. I watched as a hot blush crept up her neck.

I played with her hair, brushing it off her face. “Yes, I did.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Audrey.” I waited until she turned to look at me. “Not only am I paying you to act like my girlfriend, I wanted to say it. So let’s leave it at that, okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbled and looked out the window.

“Are you going to tell me about before? What that phone call was about?”

She sighed. “Honestly, you don’t want to know.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what the problem is.”

“That’s okay—it’s not your problem. It’s mine, and I’ll deal with it.” She took out her phone and looked at it. “I have a voicemail,” she said miserably. “I have to listen to it.” She was quiet for a minute, her brow furrowed. When she hung up the phone, she looked pale.