Page 87 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
Holy crap, is that Lewis Prescott???
Hey, that guy with the shaggy blond hair and beard looks kind of like Lewis Prescott!
What the heck was Lewis Prescott doing at Naomi’s wedding?!
The hot veterinarian from that show was at Naomi and Simon’s wedding?? OMG!!!
Panic throttles me from the inside out. I know Naomi’s mom didn’t mean any harm by posting the photos. I’m sure she was just so excited to share photos from her daughter’s big day. But as a result, Lewis’s privacy has been violated, and after successfully evading the paparazzi for nearly three months, he’s in their crosshairs again. Because of my family. Because ofme.
My stomach churns. I think I’m gonna be sick.
When I look up and see the glare on Lewis’s face aimed straight at me, the panic turns to dread.
“Looks like your getaway has come to an end, my man,” Trent says, interrupting our silent standoff.
Lewis blinks and glances to the side. “I’ll call you back, Trent.”
He hangs up and walks right past me.
“Lewis, wait.” I follow him to the guest bedroom, watching in stunned silence as he starts shoving all his belongings into his suitcases. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he bites, punching his clothing into the open slots of each bag.
I step over to him and gently place my hand on his forearm. He closes his eyes instantly.
“Lewis. Please. Can we talk about this?”
When he moves to sit on the edge of the bed, I’m heartened. He props his elbows on his knees and holds his face in his hands. I reach to touch his arm again, but he flinches. I swallow through the sudden ache in my throat.
“I’m sorry,” I rasp. “My aunt—Naomi’s mom—posted photos of the wedding on Facebook, and you happened to be in some of them. She didn’t realize what she was doing.” I pull my lips into my mouth at how pathetic that sounds. Because her intent doesn’t really matter when it’s created this awful situation for Lewis. For both of us. “People must have recognized you...and the post blew up.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out,” he mutters.
“I—I don’t know why she did that... I told her not to. Or maybe she didn’t think it would be a big deal—”
“Well, it turned out to be a pretty big fucking deal, Harper.” He clamps his mouth shut and closes his eyes, like he’s mad at himself for saying that. “Look, I know this isn’t your fault and you didn’t mean for this to happen, but I’m still really upset, okay?”
“I’m sorry, I just—”
“Saying ‘sorry’ doesn’t magically fix this fucked-up situation.”
“I know that. But I just think it’s important to recognize that this was a mistake. My aunt is such a sweet and well-meaning person. She would never intentionally hurt you in this way.”
“Well, she did.” He goes quiet, his gaze a mix of hard and bewildered as he stares off to the side.
I can’t think of a single helpful thing to say. So I stay quiet, hugging my arms around myself, and gaze at the floor until Lewis is ready to speak again.
“I can’t do this.”
“Can’t do what?”
“We can’t be together if this is what it’s like to be with you.”
My jaw pops as it hinges open. Did he seriously just say that?
“What do you mean, ‘if this is what it’s like to be with you’?”
Closing his eyes, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I love you, Harper, but I can’t be with someone whose family is gonna be a liability for me—a threat to my privacy. I’ve already dealt with that in my own life. I refuse to let it happen again.”
