“Me too.But apparently we’ve gone viral while in the bubble.I say we make a quick post and be done with it.”
I tried to get back to dinner prep—fresh seafood from a market we'd stopped at, pasta, a simple salad—but Archer’s words kept ringing in my ears.I scrolled through social media—big mistake.The comments made white-hot rage simmer inside me.
“Everything okay?”Clara’s intuitive gaze was on me, and I knew she could already tell something had cracked open inside me.
I cleared my throat, tossing the phone on the counter.“Looks like your ex-manager Brenda is the one who blabbed.”
Clara’s mouth fell open.“Thatbitch.”
"This is how it works in my world," I said gently."People see dollar signs.They'll say anything, true or not, if someone's willing to pay for it."
"How do you live like that?"
"You get used to it.You develop thick skin.And you focus on the people who matter."
She nodded slowly, stirring the noodles."So let’s post something.Control the narrative, or whatever a publicist would say."
"A photo from the ceremony, and a caption about keeping it intimate, focusing on what matters."
Clara pulled out her phone, nodding."Yes.Super simple.The simpler, the more real.At least in some corners of the internet.”
She handed me her phone, and I scrolled through the photos the photographer had sent us.We’d hired a guy to stay in the shadows that day and expedite the photos in case we needed them for social media or the committee.Of course, then we got to Big Sur and avoided real life entirely.I found one of us just after the kiss, our foreheads pressed together, both of us smiling, with Mia visible in the background tossing flowers.It was candid and genuine."This one."
"That's actually really beautiful," Clara said softly after I held it out for her to see.
I drafted the caption:When you know, you know.Keeping it intimate with the people who matter most.Mr.and Mrs.Nightingale.#cityhallwedding #family
I posted it to my account, then set my phone aside.“Can I be done with social media for today?’
“You have my permission to ignore your phone until we touch down in New York,” she said with a laugh.
A movement across the great room snagged my attention, and I saw Mia stumbling out of her bedroom, rubbing at her eyes.Mia flocked to her mother as she always did, and Clara hoisted the sweet girl into her arms.
“Did you have a good nap?”Clara asked, smoothing her hair.Mia was a creature of habit, and she always wanted a hug from mommy as soon as she woke up.
Mia nodded, her gaze sliding to me as she rested her head on Clara’s shoulder.
“Mommy and Nash have been getting dinner ready, are you hungry?”Clara went on.
Mia nodded, still looking at me.Clara kept murmuring to her, gently swaying while she continued stirring the noodles.After a while, Mia pointed to me.
“What’s that, baby?”
“Naff.”
“You want Nash?”Clara asked.
Mia nodded and reached for me.I was probably more shocked than Clara.I deftly received the little girl from Clara, hoisting her in my arms as Clara kept cooking.I held her wordlessly, feeling her small, light frame in my arms.
“This is an honor,” I said.“A post-nap hug.Thank you, Mia.”
“Naff is nice,” Mia said after a while, patting my arm.
Clara rolled her lips in, looking like she might cry.She fanned at her face.“Pasta is ready.But my ovaries might be exploding so I need to go take care of that.”
“Mmm.What’s the solution for that?”I cocked my head, more than curious for the answer.
“Nothing that I can talk about now.”
