Page 87 of Say You Remember Me
IAN
“Okay,yeah, let me know what the board suggests, and I’ll take it into consideration before making any statements,” I said into the phone, keeping my voice low.
“Just make sure you don’t wait too long to respond.” My dad’s voice on the other end was steady but firm. “It’s better to get ahead of this.”
“Yeah, I hear you,” I said, nodding even though he couldn’t see me. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll touch base with you later.”
“Take care, Ian.”
“You too,” I said before hanging up.
I slipped the phone into my pocket, exhaling a breath. Turning around, I ran a hand over the back of my neck, the tension there refusing to ease. Then I saw that Maddie had just stepped back into the waiting room, her expression a mixture of uncertainty and exhaustion.
Her lips were pressed together, like she was trying to hold something back, and when our eyes met, I could tell she’d overheard the end of my conversation. “So,” she said, crossing her arms and tilting her head, “I guess you heard that we apparently made the news?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, my jaw tightening. “That’s what Bronwyn was calling me about when we were driving here. I would’ve told you earlier, but with everything going on with your dad…” I sighed. “It didn’t feel right to pile that on you, too.”
She gave me a small, understanding nod. “It’s okay. I get it.” Then her brow furrowed slightly. “What exactly has been reported? The nurse in there—” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder toward the hallway. “—said she’d seen a story about our engagement. That we’d secretly dated for a few months. Is that basically it? Just what we were telling people at the conference?”
I shifted uncomfortably, licking my lips. “That’s…part of the story.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What else is there?”
I hesitated, not wanting to drop this bombshell on her, but knowing I had no choice. “Well,” I started carefully, “it sounds like someone posted a video of the conversation with Slade last night.”
“What about the conversation?” She sounded wary, and her jaw tightened visibly.
I grimaced. “The video’s audio isn’t great, but apparently, you can hear Slade joking about us being engaged because you’re…” I trailed off, reluctant to say it.
“Because I’m what?” she asked, her tone sharp now, panic rising in her voice.
I exhaled. “Pregnant.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped, her face paling. “People—random people on the internet who I don’t know—are saying I’m pregnant?”
I nodded, trying to gauge her reaction, but she was already pacing, her hands running through her hair. “Oh my gosh. This is…this is insane.”
“It’s obviously not true,” I said quickly, hoping to ground her. “So we can try to squash all the rumors with a statement.”
“Have you talked to your family?” She stopped pacing and looked at me, her eyes searching mine. “Do they think…this?”
“No.” I shook my head. “My dad knows the real story. I called him when you went to see your dad. I wanted to make sure they heard the truth before hearing anything else.”
Her shoulders sagged slightly. “So he knows everything?”
“Yeah. He gets it,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “But before I even called him, he’d already gotten a few calls from people on the board who’d seen the story.”
“And they’re upset about it?” She winced.
“There have been pretty mixed reactions, actually.” I let out a dry laugh, still wrapping my head around it. “Apparently, there are quite a few board members who are actually relieved to hear I’m settling down.”
Her brows shot up. “What?”
“I know. I’m in shock, too. I mean, they’ve already been relieved that I stopped making headlines with my, uh, escapades. So while they’re not thrilled to see my name popping up again—especially with a pregnancy rumor—I guess my dad’s stories about how marrying my mom helped him focus stuck with them. They seem to think the same could work for me.”
“And me?” She blinked, clearly trying to process that. “What do they think of me?”
“I don’t know all their thoughts,” I admitted, “but they know you’re a hard worker, responsible. They probably think you’re exactly what I need—someone grounded.” Then I added softly, “Which you are.”
