“Shit.” Gray blew out a mouthful of air. “I’ll try to find us a hotel to stay in.”
“No.” Ashleigh shook her head. “I’ll take her to my house. They won’t find us there. And if they do, it’s on a huge estate with closed gates. Nobody can get anywhere near her. Mom, I’ll call you back later.”
The thought of Maddie being away from him felt like a constrictor squeezing his chest. But he knew it was right. She wasn’t ready for this exposure. He needed to make things right first.
“Okay,” he said. “That seems for the best. I fly to L.A. tomorrow, but I’ll be back early next week. Hopefully things will have calmed down by then, and we can get back to normal.”
“Don’t I get a say about this?” Maddie asked, arching an eyebrow.
Gray smiled. “Of course you do. Where do you want to go? If you’d rather go to a hotel, I’ll find one.”
She sighed. “No, it’s okay. I’ll go to Ashleigh’s.”
“You should probably get out of here, Gray,” Ashleigh said, turning the car around. “Walk home through the woods. That way nobody will spot you.”
“Can I say goodbye to my girl first?”
“Don’t push it,” Ashleigh muttered. But then she stopped the car, unclipped her seatbelt, and climbed out. “You have one minute, and then I’m coming back in. Don’t dirty my car, okay?” She stomped out, ignoring the irony of her feet and shoes caked with dry mud. As soon as the door closed, Gray managed to climb through the gap in the seats until he was next to Maddie.
“You could have come through the door,” Maddie told him. He hated the way her voice was so thick with emotion.
“That’s not how we do things, is it?” He reached out to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. “Climbing is our thing.”
“Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“With a less tragic outcome, I hope.” His eyes were soft as he smiled at her. “I’m sorry I got you caught up in this mess. You don’t deserve it.” He pressed his lips against hers. They were soft and swollen and made him ache for her. “I wish I could make it go away.”
“So do I,” she whispered, her mouth moving against his. “But you can’t.”
He slid his arm around her back, pulling her against him as he deepened the kiss, loving the way her breath came in tiny pants against his lips. When he pulled away, her eyes were hot and heated, and it was only by force of will that he didn’t kiss her again.
“I have to go,” he told her. “Before Ashleigh throws a fit.”
“She’s been so nice today.”
“Yeah,” he said with a smile. ?
??It’s making me nervous.”
She laughed. It was quiet and muted, but still a laugh. He’d take it.
“She’s okay,” she said softly. “She may be a bitch at times, but she’s always been there for me when I’ve needed her.”
“Don’t make me like her,” he warned. “That’s a step too far.”
The driver’s door opened and Ashleigh peered in. “Are you done?” she asked Gray.
His eyes caught Maddie’s. “We’re not even started.”
“Just get out,” Ashleigh said with a sigh. “Before the paparazzi catch you in my car.”
He kissed the tip of Maddie’s nose. “I’ll call you later. I’ll be in L.A. for two days. Three at the most.”
“Where are you going now?”
“Back to my dad’s. I need to pack. And I want to make sure they’re okay.”
“Be careful.”