Page 137 of You and Me, For Real
“A man that helps heal a part of you is a man worth keeping around. He mended a piece of you that you thought was broken forever. He gave you the gift of relationships and friendships back into your life. That’s something pretty special.”
“But what if I get hurt again?”
She shrugs. “You might. Odds are, if you stay together, you will. But that’s why they call it love. You have to continually choose love. Youfightfor it.”
My heart lifts slightly, the possibility of us glowing inside me. I want it so badly.
“But what about his career? How can I be with someone who’s constantly kissing other women?”
“Because you’ll be secure enough in your relationship to trust him. And when you’re not, you talk about it. Communication is everything.”
“But what about jealousy? I can’t just make that go away.”
She squeezes my hand. “You can, and you will, because I have no doubt that if that man loves you as much as I suspect he does, he’ll banish your doubts by proving his love for you every single day.”
“I’ll have to deal with the constant paparazzi attacks again. I’ll be miserable.”
“Oh, hogwash. You two will become some boring married couple completely devoted to one another. What’re they gonna say?Oh, look at this sweet couple still so in love. Boring!”
A smile stretches across my face.
The swinging doors burst open, and Marissa comes running to the front desk. “You guys, you have to see this!”
“What? What is it?” Lynn asks, rolling her chair back.
Marissa wedges in between us. “Griffin! He’s on TV, and he’s talking aboutyou!”
My heart plummets with dread.
At the sight of Griffin on his familiar back patio, Roxy resting her head in his lap, I lurch forward and snatch the phone, wanting a closer look. He looks comfortable in his jeans and T-shirt—more like the Griffin I’ve come to know rather than the one I’ve seen on TV, usually half-dressed. The ache to be near him, to have him hold me again, grows at the sight of him.
Gwen says to Griffin, “So it’s true? You left Scarlet for her?”
Griffin holds up his finger. “No, remember, a publicity stunt. There was never a legitimate relationship between Scarlet and me. We pretended to have a relationship for mutually beneficial reasons.”
My stomach drops. “What is he doing?” He’s going to ruin everything he’s worked for! He’ll lose the film contract. And his gleaming reputation.
Marissa’s head is glued next to mine. “What’s he talking about? He never really dated Scarlet?”
Lynn and I both shush her.
She leans back, affronted, but keeps her eyes on the phone screen.
“—Ashton deserves that, too. She’s nothing like the tabloids portray her as. Social media has got it all wrong. She’s the most kind, caring, genuine woman I’ve ever met.”
My breaths come in quick succession.
Gwen asks, “You’re saying she never came between you and Scarlet?”
With his gorgeous, bright, topaz eyes, Griffin looks directly toward the camera. It’s as though he’s speaking directly to me.
“What I’m saying is, there never was a real relationship with Scarlet Rhodes. Ashton Reid was never theother woman. She isthewoman. And I love her. And that means I’ll do anything to keep her protected. That means making sure the public gets it right. Even if you don’t believe me about my relationship with Scarlet—fine. Make me the bad guy here, not her. Never her.”
He just told the whole world he loves me.
He loves me. Hereallyloves me.
My ears tune out the rest of the interview. I stare at the desk, my focus blurring.
