“Susan Rodriguez, San Diego This Morning. Who are you? Who are you with?”
She froze. It never occurred to her that she’d be an object of fascination. That anyone would ever want to know her story. It also completely caught her in the headlights, like a frozen deer. There was no way she would have a good answer to this.
Jessica stilled, blinking back at the reporter and completely unsure of what to say. “I…I…”
Like a hero riding his steed out of the mists of battle, Brent appeared before her and linked his arm through hers. “Hello, Susan, lovely to see you this evening. This is my date, Ella Summers.”
Jessica would have laughed at the whole thing. Before all this, she was used to dimly lit library stacks and research labs. She was the girl helping her dad at work with his gofer errands. She certainly wasn’t someone with a secret identity and, apparently, the talk so far of a charity ball. All of it felt like a dream, which was okay if tomorrow turned out to be a nightmare.
Susan smiled and nodded. “And wherever did you find her? You know that you’ve been San Diego’s hottest bachelor for over a decade, Mr. Sanderson.”
Brent winked and took the questions in stride like the pro he was. “Oh, you know me, Susan. I’m a man of many secrets. I’m just happy to have Ella here,” he said, winking at her again. “I can’t thank all the donors for coming out. We’re optimistic this will be our biggest fundraiser yet. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
He sidestepped easily through the gauntlet of reporters and paps, as if he had been born doing maneuvers like this. Maybe he had. His father had been a huge talk of the town for decades for his telecom company, and trust fund kids still had their own set of paparazzi stalking them. It was amazing how effortless he made everything. While Jessica stumbled a bit and just tried not to be blinded by the cameras, he smiled and charmed everyone.
It warmed her heart to see this side of him, the business side everyone respected. The fatherly side and the lover were what she knew so far, but she could also see why he was so successful at negotiating contracts and winning over stars to do his pictures. He was amazing.
They entered the hotel and quickly to the ballroom which was decked out like Mardi Gras. Arches of balloons filled the ceiling, flowers of all sorts of tropical, Lousiana-climate varieties from creeping moss to gorgeous hothouse roses layered each table’s centerpiece. Performers swallowing fire or walking high on stilts crossed the room, and currently, a real blues band was wailing for everyone on the dance floor.
It wasn’t completely what she expected, but it was more fun than any party she’d ever been to. The jazz and blues swirled around her and, unlike some parties she’d been to, everyone seemed ready to dance. Brent smiled down at her and guided her to the dance floor. Part of her was flinching, even with the wig and Mardi Gras mask she wore, Jessica expected to be identified. Somehow, she felt like an imposter just one step away from being escorted out of the event. Brent would never. Still, this was the function for anyone that was anyone in Southern California. She shouldn’t be here. She didn’t fit in here at all. Yes, her dad was a wiz at math and was a respected accountant, but he wasn’t a CEO, and he was the logistics guy behind an up and coming studio. He wasn’t the handsome face, the trusted golden boy like Brent. Christ, Jessica was just the science student locked up in the library and trying to get into graduate school.
She wasn’t a princess.
But tonight, she felt like one, and it might be her last chance for that if Brent didn’t feel the same way about the twins as she did. If he broke up with her.
“So,” Brent said, “do you want to dance?”
She swallowed hard, and it felt like her throat was lined with cotton. “I do… I…”
“What?” he asked, quirking his head at her. “You sound hesitant.”
“It’s just that I think everyone will be watching us.”
He chuckled, something low and hungry that made her belly flare with warmth. “I hope so. That’s why I brought you here, so everyone can see the woman I love on my arm.”
“Brent…” she started. She just wasn’t ready to say the same, couldn’t until she knew for sure how he felt about the twins.
He shook his head, then nodded to where everyone else danced. “I don’t need you to say it back to me. I don’t need anything tonight but you in my arms, babe.”
She smiled, despite all her fears, and let him lead her out to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, and she was pushed flush against his body. The scent of cinnamon and cloves wafted through her nostrils, and the strength of his frame pressed against her. He was the man who could protect her. That much she knew. If he’d protect her children was the next question on her mind.