Zander huffed out a breath, lifted his chin, and squared a look at the producer. “Duke was in Nepal. Then he got stuck in Washington. I didn’t want to, but it was live TV. We know how that works as well as anyone.”
She held his gaze for a blink, then nodded. “Yes, you do. So Kat doesn’t know?”
Admitting the truth to Marsha before telling Kat…it felt like an added level of betrayal. Heck, it seemed half of the world already knew. “No,” he admitted. “But I’m going to tell her right now.”
He stepped forward to move past Marsha, but she put up a firm hand to stay him. “Not yet,” she said. “There are repercussions for what you’ve done. And for what Duke let happen after he signed a very binding contract.”
Anger flared hot in his chest as he stepped around her. “I don’t care.”
“Randall’s telling her about the page right now,” Marsha said.
Zander stopped mid-step. “He is?”
“Yes. Who knows what she’s thinking? She might realize they’re right and demand to leave the island. Or she could be in denial and wanting confirmation from you. You’ve got to think through this before you just spit it out.”
Fear was a terrible thing. Zander had experienced plenty of it over the years. He’d worried about Winston and his addiction the most. And even amidst all of that upset and fear, despite his and his siblings’ desperate attempts to save his younger brother’s life, their worst fear had become a reality.
In the end, there’d been nothing they could do. But this…this was different. How he handled this situation with Kat could make all the difference. She needed to know that he was repentant. That he had a valid reason for doing it, for keeping it from her. And for not telling her even after they’d fallen in love.
“We’re willing to cut a deal with you. We’ll forgive every infraction against you and your brother if you agree to tell Kat on film.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”
“You lied to all of America too, Zander.”
It had been days since someone had called him by his real name. The sound of it made him flinch. Standing just outside of the trees now, Zander looked over his shoulder. “You’re right. But the only person I care about is Kat.”
“Zander?”
Ice replaced the blood in his veins. It wasn’t Marsha who said his name this time; it was Kat. And by the sound of her voice, she was standing nearby.
A gulp slunk past his tightened throat. A rash of chills spread over his skin. Little by little, Zander turned to face her.
Kat’s eyes were wide with shock. Lips parted, she searched his face. “Marsha just called you Zander.”
“Don’t say anything,” Marsha mumbled from behind.
But Zander only nodded and took a step closer to Kat. “Yes,” he said, “she did.”
Kat took a step back, eyeing the white sand between them. “Why? Why did she call you Zander?”
The hurt in her face—it was like a million knives stabbing into him at once. He put his hands up in surrender and took another step. “Kat, listen.”
“It’s true?” She brought a shaky hand to her heart, began pressing at it with her palm. “Please…tell me the man I fell in love with wasn’t lying to me that whole time.”
The blades sank deeper, threatening to rob his next breath. Sweat broke out over his face and palms. “It’s just a name, Kat. I only lied about my name. I am who I said I was.”
A humorless laugh trilled from her throat. “Does that mean you are Duke? Because who you told me you were was Duke Benton, not Zander.” She forced out another laugh. “I don’t even like Zander. I told you that, and you defended him.”
The words I don’t like Zander caused a different sort of hurt, one that was drenched in fear. Fear of losing the woman he hoped to spend the rest of his life with.
“Please, Kat. Let me explain.”
But she was already hurrying away.
Zander trailed after her through the sinking sand toward the beach house, fear turning quickly to anger. “This is exactly what you did the first time we met. Just run away instead of giving me a chance to explain things.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Kat hissed while hurrying up the stairs. “Don’t follow me.” She flung open the screen door and bolted inside.
