Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
So that night, we went to the Gloaming, and Arran snapped a few candid photos of Bro and me cuddled in the pub booth. Brodan posted one of them to his socials with the caption, “It’s good to be home with my love.”
He told me his comment section went wild, but he wasn’t looking at them. Brodan closed the app as soon as he posted, and I was never more thankful that I didn’t have social media accounts.
The real problem, Annie had told us, was that once Brodan announced his retirement from acting, we had to prepare for the speculation that I was the reason. Some of that speculation would turn negative, and fans might blame me. The thought didn’t fill me with as much dread as I’d anticipated. In fact, it reminded me I rarely cared what strangers thought of me. All I cared about in the end was Brodan.
We were inundated with requests from chat shows and morning television for live interviews that Brodan had his people shut down immediately. And before we could even get to dealing with the upcoming announcement of Brodan’s retirement, we had to endure the paparazzi that descended on Ardnoch. Walker took leave from his position on the estate to be Brodan’s full-time bodyguard, and a security guard from the estate, who was ex-Special Forces, agreed to be my temporary bodyguard. His name was Jock, and he was professional but a lot warmer than Walker. It was scary leaving the cottage in the mornings to a crowd of paps, pushing their cameras in my face as Jock shoved them back. When one of them grabbed at my arm hard enough to leave bruises, Brodan had enough. We packed up some things and moved into his suite in the castle where they couldn’t get to us.
He and Lachlan were pretty certain it wouldn’t take long for the tabloids to grow bored and leave. The village did protect the celebrities who stayed at Ardnoch Castle, and they were getting nowhere with our neighbors. They were also unable to get into the castle or follow me into the school because Anita had asked for a police presence. I’d felt awful creating such a stir, but I had the feeling Anita found it exciting, so I let my guilt go.
After a week of being hounded, however, a politician in London got caught on video snorting cocaine while a half-naked woman, who wasn’t his wife, draped herself over him. Brodan and I were old news, and while it was nice to be catered to in the castle, I was glad to return to our cottage. To not have to be tailed by Jock and Walker wherever we went.
Yet having my love life plastered all over the internet, all the speculation and gossip, and hounding by the media wasn’t even the worst moment during it all.
A few nights ago, while we were still staying in the castle, Brodan was showering and I was on the bed, creating online worksheets for the kids. He’d left his phone beside me and, while he’d silenced all social media notifications, he’d kept his ringer and text notifications on. His phone buzzed a few times, and every time I’d instinctually glance at the screen.
The third time it buzzed, I noted the name Lotte, and the first line of the text was visible on the notification screen.
Hey, sexy. So is the redhead why you didn’t take me up on …
Heart thumping in my chest, I desperately wanted to know what Brodan hadn’t taken her up on. Who was she? I racked my brain and then suddenly, it hit me.
Holy shit.
Lotte Fischer. Gorgeous German American actor who starred in a romantic thriller with Brodan a few years ago.
What was she doing texting Brodan?
The urge to read the rest of the text was real, but if Brodan invaded my privacy in that way, I’d be so disappointed that he didn’t trust me. Still, I’d sat nauseated on the bed, unable to concentrate until he came out of the shower. He was rubbing his hair dry with a towel as he stepped into the main bedroom, wearing nothing but boxer briefs and looking like something out of a Calvin Klein ad. I didn’t want to be jealous of his previous relationships, but what the hell was Lotte Fischer doing texting him?
Whatever he saw in my expression made him pause. “What’s wrong?”
“Your phone buzzed a few times.” I couldn’t help my sullen tone.
“Okay?”
“I didn’t read your texts, but I can see part of them when they come up on the screen.”
Brodan tensed. “What is it?”
“Lotte thinks you’re sexy and wants to know if the redhead is the reason you didn’t take her up on …” I shrugged. “That’s all I saw on the screen, so who knows what you didn’t take her up on.”