“Hey!” I answered my phone, stepping out into the front yard. “How are you?”
“Well, you sound chipper,” my sister said with a smile in her voice.
“It’s been a good day. I helped Jared welcome in our new sheep and then I got to ride in his tractor while he cut hay in the fields.”
She chuckled. “Who would have thought my little sister would like the farm life?”
“I gotta admit, it’s charming me more than I could have imagined.” All of it. Mostly its owner. Damn it.
Aria muttered. “Shit.”
“Shit? What?” I scowled.
“I just hate that I’m calling to tell you this when you’re in a good mood. And even more so because I was worried about you last night after dinner, but you sound like things are good and?—”
“Aria, why are you rambling? You never ramble.” Unease shifted through me.
“Ally, I’m sorry. I got a call from a journalist contact that keeps me informed of any news that might break about the estate members.”
“And?”
“The media have found out about you and Jared. There’s a story running online tomorrow from a major tabloid.”
Oh fuck.
“You … it’s time to tell Mom and Dad.”
“Yeah.” I squeezed my eyes closed. Things were finally good with me and Jared and now this. “I guess so.”
Nineteen
Allegra
Before my relationship with my father crumbled upon learning his secret, Aria and I used to attend a lot of his film premieres. We stood on the red carpet in fancy gowns beside our glamorous parents while paparazzi shouted at them to “Look this way” all the while blinding us with their camera flashes.
Footage of us had more than once been discussed by a group of famous women who hosted a panel show where they conversed about social and pop culture. They’d argued over if my clothing was suitable attire for a girl my age, and how proud Aria should be for touting society ideals about body type. Like it was Aria’s choice to be a curvy goddess and not Mother Nature’s. And like it was any of their fucking business what she looked like or what I wore.
I remember being followed by a pap when I was fourteen and on a date with Dax Reynolds, the actor Moira Reynolds’s son. Dax was two years older than me, but we attended the same high school, and everyone was so jealous he’d asked me out. At the time I’d just been excited to be dating him, but once the photos of us were published, people online started talking about howhe was too old for me. Dax got weirded out by the attention and dumped me.
Lately, I’d made peace with the images of me and Jared that were splashed all over the internet with headlines like “The Farmer’s Wife,” a supposedly cute reference to my father’s movie of the same title. I should have known they’d go there. Jared and I had avoided being seen in the village together, not wanting to give them fodder for their newspapers. The great thing about living in Ardnoch was that the villagers were protective of the tourism brought in by the estate’s celebrity members, and thus protective of the celebrities. Paps were not welcome. So, they got bored after a few days and left. Jared took it all in remarkably good stride.
Long ramble short, I was used to being the focus of attention in certain situations. However, the one place I’d never gotten used to it was at my own art shows. I’d had quite a few over the years, the worst being at art school where the purpose was to be judged and graded. There was no way I’d ever get used to someone scrutinizing something I’d created. Something that was born from a deep, personal place inside me. Standing in a room filled with people looking at it was almost as bad as standing there completely naked. In fact, I’d probably deal with public nudity better than this.
“Are you okay?” Jared’s warm breath tickled my ear and I had to force off a shiver of want.
The last few weeks, since our heart-to-heart, things between us had been different. Better. And also worse. Jared was warmer and more open with me, but that also meant it was easier for me to catch feelings. I was trying very, very hardnotto catch feelings. Unfortunately, the physical desire train had left the station long ago. Tonight he was my support. But also my temptation, because as “husband and wife,” this was the first time Jared wasreallyplaying his part since the wedding.
And apparently it involved keeping a possessive palm pressed to my back or taking my hand in his whenever he could. Touching! It involved touching. I was already nervous for the show but with Jared’s hands on my body, I was overstimulated.
I glanced up at him from under my lashes. “I always get nervous at these things.”
“You’ve no need,” he replied sincerely. “Seriously, Allegra … I’m no expert, but I think your work is phenomenal.”
I leaned against him. “Thank you.”
Together we’d survived the world finding out about our marriage and the explosiveness of revealing it to my parents. Well, the explosiveness ofmy motherdiscovering the truth. My dad was, as I’d guessed he would be, congratulatory and introspective about the whole thing. Mamma was not. Mamma was incensed that not only had I married behind everyone’s back, thus depriving her of a wedding, I’d married a Scotsman, just like my sister.Why did we want to be so far away from her?she’d demanded. Then, of course, she didn’t disappoint with “And a farmer! A farmer, Allegra!”
Jared had left the room at that point and my protective instincts kicked in. I had intended to be cool and calm while my mother ranted. However, hearing her insult Jared flipped a switch in me. While she yelled at me in Italian, I yelled back in good old-fashioned English.
