A half hour later, we wrapped up our call.
“If I’d known you’d blather on about your boyfriend for thirty plus minutes, I would’ve made more room in my schedule. As it is, I should submit your salacious yet saccharine story to Mills and Boon for publication and be compensated for my valuable time.”
“Bugger off, you cranky wanker. You’re just jealous. Let’s deal with this mess so I can reunite with my man. It’s been seven hours since he left my bed, and I’m going out of my bloody mind.”
“Please save your ridiculous proclamations for someone who actually believes in romantic love. I’ll text you when the conference call is set up. In the meantime, I’ll chat with your PR team, and we’ll issue a brief release about the press announcement. DO NOT speak to any reporters or your uncle until that time. Understood?”
“Right. Thanks, Aiden. I owe you.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the bill.”
I didn’t care how much it cost; it was worth everything. So long as Andrew came back to me.
TWENTY-FIVE
ANDREW
I slept fitfully in my childhood bedroom and finally woke around 7 AM when my phone rang. I reached around, fumbling in the dark since I was half asleep.
“Good morning, love.”
My sleepy body was wide awake once that sexy British accent hit my ear.
“Ro, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Well, not really. I fucking miss you, but it won’t be long now.”
I ran a hand over my face and sat up in my bed, the sheets tangling around my waist. “I’m sorry I freaked out and left.”
“It’s all right, I understand given your past. And I think we were both in shock yesterday.”
“To put it mildly, yes. But I’m not running away. My mother gave me some tough love when I got here.”
“Did she? What did she say?”
“That I should’ve waited until my contract was over before we got together. Oops. And she told me not let this press racket ruin our future, and finally, she wants to talk to you as soon as possible.” I threw out the last part to see if Rowan would cut and run. Or hang up on me, in this case.
“Well, you can tell her that one, she’s right, but oops again. As to the second, I agree wholeheartedly, and finally, I’ll have my plane ready and waiting for her.”
“I’ll let her know.” I smiled. “What happened with Kayla?”
“I fired her and kicked her off the ship. She threatened to go to the media again, but I’m preparing to sue her for breaching the NDA.”
“Holy fuck!”
“Exactly. I had a long chat with my solicitor, Aiden Barstock, after I fired her. He arrived late last night, and now he’s busy getting me prepped for a virtual news conference I’m hosting. I have to tell my side of the story to the public to settle things down. And I need to talk to you about what I’m going to say. Like your mother, Aiden is not happy with me right now, and by the way, he is currently having you investigated. It’s a formality given my wealth, but unfortunately, a necessity.”
“I have nothing to hide, so investigate away.”
“And Aiden would like to meet you. He’s a friend in addition to acting as my legal counsel. I’m sure you’ll find him highly amusing. He’s like a mouthy shark, highly intelligent but deadly in any argument, and he has absolutely no tact. Be forewarned.”
“No problem, I’ve got a pretty sharp mouth myself.”
“I love your mouth. I miss it. I miss you.” Rowan sighed. “Fuck, where was I? Oh yes, I’ll give a statement to the press that summarizes how you and I met, that we are in love, that you no longer work for me, and to please, please leave us alone.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you’ll be a bit more detailed than that.”
“Not really. The less said the better. I want this over with so we can move on.”