Page 74 of The Publicity Stunt

She slips on her jacket and walks outside into the brisk air after nodding to Tessa. April has been colder than she's used to for New York, but she finds it calming. Rounding the corner to the restaurant, she steps inside and smiles. It's a very comforting place.

Easton gives a little wave, and she walks over to the booth he sits in. "Hey."

"Hey," Bri says and slips off her jacket before sliding into the opposite booth.

He stares at the menu, but she's eaten here enough to know everything by heart. And she knows exactly what she wants to order.

"What is it you always get here again?"

"The tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce. It's the best I've found outside of Italy."

Smirking, he looks up and sets the menu down. "I know. I already ordered for us. Just testing to make sure you haven't changed that much."

"What do you mean?"

"A hockey player, Bri? And a fake relationship?"

"A B-list actress, Easton? And a baby that wasn't yours?" she counters.

Easton chuckles. "Touché."

The server stops by and brings them water, and she shakes her head. "It's not what it sounds like. At least, not for me."

"What happened? How did it all start?"

"You happened, Easton. Two weeks before my tour starts, and you get caught with your pants down in a pool while you were literally inside Johanna McDaniels."

He tenses and looks down at the table. "Oh, yeah."

"Oh, yeah," she says and takes a drink of her water. "It was an idea that came about because Kace and Brett were spotted at my opening concert, and after getting asked for the fourth time in a week how I felt about you and your soon-to-be bundle of joy, I figured what the hell? But it wasn't fake for me, Easton. Not even a little bit."

"You started to fall for him?"

"I'm in love with him," she says and looks into his eyes. Even after everything he put her through, he only ever used her name when it directly related to him. Like being his ex. She knows he'll never share this information no matter how much everyone assumes she should be leery. "That's why it's hard to figure out what the hell I do next."

Reaching out, he takes her hand in his. "I feel like this is my fault."

Bri laughs. "Because it is, Easton."

"I know," he sighs. "I'm sorry, Bri. I don't think I've actually said it to you."

"Sorry for what, exactly? The cheating or the getting caught?"

"All of it?"

Squeezing his hand, she gives him a little smile. "Why couldn't you just break up with me? We both know we were never destined for a happily ever after. Were you thinking at all, or were you trying to humiliate me?"

His other hand moves on top of the table and takes her other hand. "I never meant to do that. It never crossed my mind how it would all affect you, and then I let my team use you to boost this whole stupid relationship I had going. I never should have allowed that, either."

"Was that the first time you were with her, or had you been seeing her for a while at that point?"

"Maybe a couple of weeks," he says and licks his lips. It's his nervous habit. His tell that she figured out early on in their relationship. "She seemed impressed with my music, and you know I'm a sucker for that."

Pulling her hands from his, she lets out a breath. "I have to ask. It's been driving me a little insane because you're not as stupid as the media portrays you-"

"I knew the baby wasn’t mine. There was no way it could be, but I'd gotten so deep into the situation that I didn't really have a way out."

"How long were you going to play along? Eighteen-years-of-child-support long?"

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