Page 89 of Under Ground

She nods. “It really is. It took a while for me to find my feet, and one day Josh came home with a camera and suggested vlogging. I don’t do it that often, just now and again, but it’s a bit of fun. I’ve made friends now, too, which helps.”

Blowing out a breath, I lean back in my seat. “I’m not sure yet what to do.”

“Do what you want?” She shrugs. “I don’t know what you and Alex have decided, but he’s making enough money from this movie. So do it. That’s my philosophy.”

I laugh. “We haven’t made many plans past getting a place of our own, and that’s about it.”

Delaney smiles. “Well, you’ve got me and Pania. Pania works most days—she’s started up her own fashion business and is sharing an office with Josh and Reece. It’s early, but it means we don’t get to hang out during the day. So, I’m more than happy to have you around to keep me company.”

The baby monitor lights up as Addison lets out a wail.

“I guess that’s my cue. Be back in a minute.”

She gets up and walks out of the room. I look over at Casey. Amelia has the whole plush collection of Paw Patrol, and she’s apparently outgrown it. Casey’s focus is entirely on making up Paw Patrol stories with her friends. She’s chatting away, making them have conversations with each other. It’s so cute.

My phone buzzes. I’ve kept it charged, even though I’m not really using it here for much other than browsing the internet sometimes.

There’s a message request in Facebook Messenger.

I should know better.

Instead, without even thinking about it, I click on it.

My stomach rolls.

Through all of this, I’d still managed to keep pretty low-key on social media. But someone’s taken the time to find my account. Someone who’s clearly a fan of Alex.

“Are you okay?” A dip appears between Delaney’s eyes as her brows knit in concern. She places Addison in her bouncer.

“I … uhhh.”

“What is it?”

I look back down at my phone. “I just got this awful message on social media.”

Her eyebrows rise. “What kind of message?”

“One telling me I’m not good enough for Alex, and I should just fuck off?”

She holds out her hand. “Give me your phone.”

“What?” I hand it over, despite not knowing what she’s about to do. After a few taps and some growling noises, she hands it back.

“I turned off all your notifications. Josh did that for me, and it helped a lot. We have someone who manages all our social media. I can get her to take care of yours too.”

I stare at her. “Really? I don’t use it much, but …”

She smiles. “Relax. It’s still yours. She cleans up comments, bans people, and reports threats to the authorities.”

“Threats?”

Delaney gives me a sympathetic look and sits on the couch beside me. “Some fans are going to be very envious that you have something they don’t. Most are fine, but there’s always a group who think they can say whatever they want to you and about you.” She draws in a deep breath. “Josh had an established career when we got back together, and I was lucky that he stepped in and helped me. Alex’s star is only going to climb, and the more attention he gets, the worse it’ll get. So, we’ll do something about it now, and make sure that you’re protected.”

I swallow hard. “I knew Alex’s fans were very interested in his private life, but I never thought about policing my own social media. My biggest decision was moving countries.”

“That’s why I’m only too happy to help. We had to work our way through it, and I was so glad to have Josh. I’m not sure how Alex deals with his social media, but I’m here if you need me. For anything. This won’t be the only thing to deal with.”

I swallow hard. “It’s all a lot to take in.”

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