You’re becoming a needy bastard.
Chastising myself doesn’t work because I’m already using all my self-restraint not to do all the things I want to do to Nova. Every night, when I feel her body pressing against mine, my control slips more and more, and the only thing keeping me from crossing the line is the fact that I don’t want to scare her off.
There are moments when I’m sure Nova’s interested in me, but most of the time, she treats me like a friend.
I’m one hundred percent certain I want more with Nova, but if I make my move and she just sees me as a brother, it will fuck things up badly.
My phone rings, pulling me out of my thoughts, where I’m sitting at the island with my smoothie forgotten in front of me.
I pull the device out of my pocket, and seeing Sylvia’s name on the screen, I answer, “Hi, how are you?”
“I’m good. How are you all doing?” she asks.
“We’re managing,” I reply. “What’s up?”
“I hate to do this to you, but we need to have a press conference. Rumors are spreading, and there are all kinds of articles being printed.”
Nova and Lainey come down the stairs, and I watch as Nova toasts a few slices of bread.
“What kind of rumors?” I ask. When Nova points at the toaster, giving me a questioning look, I nod.
Lainey climbs onto the stool beside me while Sylvia mutters, “There are photos of you with your hands on Nova’s hips, so everyone is speculating that you’re dating.”
“Don’t worry about those,” I tell her.
“There are also photos and videos of you carrying Rachel out of the hospital,” she informs me.
I let out a sigh. “I’m not doing a press conference, but I’ll meet with one reporter. What do you want me to say during the interview?”
“You need to tell everyone Rachel has passed away and that Nova is nothing more than a close family friend and Lainey’s godmother.”
I climb to my feet and walk toward the sliding doors as I say, “I’m fine with the first part but not the last bit.” Only when I’m outside do I add, “She is more than a friend.”
“Oh.” Sylvia’s quiet for a moment, then she asks, “Are the two of you dating?”
“Not yet.” I keep glancing at the doors to make sure I’m alone. “I’m giving Nova time to get used to me before I begin a relationship with her.”
“Okay ... um ... then we’ll just tell the public what I said. There’s no need to give them something more to speculate about.”
“Fine.”
“But you need to let me know the moment you start dating. I want to be prepared for the shitstorm the news will unleash.”
“Okay,” I agree. “Is that all?”
“No. We have to agree on a time that I can bring Mark fromThe Hollywood Reporterover to your place for the interview.”
Taking a deep breath, I think for a moment before replying, “How about four this afternoon?”
“Works for me.”
“Is that all?” I ask again.
“For now. Bobby also gave me a bunch of scripts for you to look at. I’ll drop them off when I see you for the interview.”
I let out a heavy sigh before I drop the bomb on Sylvia, “I’m going to take some time off.”
“How long?” she asks.
