Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 119184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
She clenches her hands, her nails biting her skin as she shakes her head in confusion.
Damn.
I can’t begin to imagine what she’s been through over the past twenty-four hours, what she’s thinking, but there’s no time for doubt.
The live stream is about to start.
With the deepest breath, I face the camera. The tablet on my desk shows there are already over ten thousand people tuned in and waiting, with thousands more joining every second.
The counter on the screen ticks down a few more seconds.
I feel the weight of the world crushing me as I try to ignore the beautiful, hurt Medusa in front of me, promising to turn me to stone if I look at her.
Sorry, Sass.
Not now.
Not yet.
Once she’s heard me out, I’ll let her decide if those big brown eyes are heaven or portals to hell.
“Hey, everybody,” I start, without my usual smile. “Brady here, and today it’s all business. I couldn’t leave you in the dark a minute longer with all the rumors flying, so let me clear this up.
“First, on behalf of my family and Pruitt Ag, I’ve made some heaping mistakes recently.” Off camera, Luis hides his face. Lena looks pale, motionless. I force a smile. “That’s all on me and nobody else. Honestly, it hasn’t been great for my state of mind. A few hours ago, I even thought about socking a man in the face.”
Comments trickle in on the tablet. I glance at them, then at Lena, who’s watching with a frown.
Nobody ever said radical honesty was easy.
“Here’s some more truth—I’m almost thirty years old. Until this summer, I didn’t know I still had a lot of growing up to do. I know how that sounds, so go ahead and laugh. But hell, I’ve been stuck in the mud for too long. I haven’t been growing, not while I’ve been crashing out, haunted by my past. You know my reputation. That’s why half of you are here, I’m sure—you logged on to see a rich playboy punk get kicked in the nads by karma—but I’m going to disappoint you. I’m still a walking mess, just not the kind I used to be.”
Lena’s eyes brighten. I can practically hear her panic through her slow breaths, her shoulders rising and falling. All the ways she’s tensing, silently screaming no, no, no.
“Before, I felt paralyzed about my future,” I confess. “About what everyone expected from me. What they said my destiny had to be. The public eye is never easy, especially when your reputation is ruled by stupid mistakes you made years ago.”
I sigh.
“So, I made a snap decision to spruce up my image. I found a beautiful, smart, outrageously kind woman to get engaged to—to play my temporary fiancée. I set up a master sham.” I hold up my hands, but I’m not looking at the camera anymore.
My eyes are welded to Lena.
The whole truth and nothing but. That’s what I owe them.
My whole soul. That’s what I owe her.
“Stupid doesn’t begin to cover it, and when you mix ego with stupid and desperate, you get me. I didn’t want to deal with my image worries honestly or get tangled up in an arranged marriage with someone I didn’t love, so I did the next worse thing. I tried to pull one over on Seattle, my family, and my fans,” I growl, watching Lena every second. She’s so still she’s barely breathing. “I tried to buy myself time, hoping I’d become a real man rather than a wooden cutout. To figure out who the hell Brady Pruitt is supposed to be, because I still don’t know.
“That was the mistake I planned for. But the biggest mistake was the one I didn’t: falling for Miss Lena Joly for real and then falling apart when I let my own reckless anger go wild. I felt like I had to step in and thump my chest when she came under fire from a really awful dude I don’t need to mention. You know who he is, if you’ve been following the news. Turns out, I’m not the only person with a history I hate, but hers was much scarier than mine. And I couldn’t stand by and watch hers eat her alive. I had to protect my Lena.”
Her mouth drops.
Her lips quiver like she wants to say something but can’t find the words.
Understandable.
That was me this morning, figuring out this speech, even if I didn’t write down every line. I wound up with bullet points and decided I’d let the words come straight from the heart.
“I’m stating this as clear as day against the advice of my legal team. I’m the man behind exposing Harry Jay’s abusive business practices. I’m solely responsible for the leaks, and frankly, I’m proud of it,” I continue. “Any consequences, legal or otherwise, should fall on me alone.”