Emma yanks her hand out of my tight grip. “Oh my God. Why are you such a menace?” she cries. “I can’t believe you lied! What are we going to do when some chatty Cathy nurse tells the tabloids that we’re engaged?”
“We’ll deal with it when the time comes. I wasn’t thinking about the rumors. I only cared about staying with you,” I admit. “It was the first thing I could think of. I didn’t want you in the hospital without me.”
Emma’s eyes widen. Our gazes connect before she looks away. “You have zero impulse control,” she grumbles, but softer now. Then sighs. “Hopefully, no one will even believe we’re engaged in the first place.”
“Hate to break it to you. But they probably will,” Daisy says. “Because of the photo of the two of you in front of that club that was all over the tabloids the other week looking quite cozy. And how Sebastian carried you out of the premiere. And then there is the article inModern Manthat just came out.”
“What article?” Emma asks.
“It’s very illuminating.” Daisy grins. She pulls a magazine with my face on the cover out of her bag and slaps it on the bed next to Emma.
I snatch the magazine before Emma can open it.
“Nope. Doctor’s concussion orders. No reading.” I roll it up and set it behind me on the chair.
Emma’s brow furrows. “What’s this all about? What did it say? Matt mentioned the article also, like something in the profile was a problem. Did the reporter trash Sebastian?”
“No. It was surprisingly effusive. However, the journalist spends an entire page of the article detailing your extensive history with your boss, and she said that she thinks you two are secretly an item.” Daisy is clearly enjoying this little tidbit. “This gives legitimacy to the shippers.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, Sebastian was very protective of you during the interview. And your name came up. A lot. She said there was a vibe.”
“A vibe?” Emma asks, looking around the room.
“A vibe,” Olivia confirms. “The magazine was released late yesterday, but excerpts of it are already all over social media and the news, especially the parts about you and Sebastian.”
“Plus, there’s the interview that Allegra Jameson gave, complaining that Sebastian didn’t get it up for her,” Daisy says with a sunny grin. “She claims they never slept together in all the time they dated. The internet has many theories as to why that may be. One of those theories is that he’s been secretly in love with his assistant.”
“I can’t believe Allegra was so indiscreet,” Olivia says.
“Well, I can’t believe Sebastian never slept with her, if what she’s saying is true,” Daisy shoots back.
I shrug, not giving a fuck what anyone thinks. All my attention is on Emma.
Her color is high, and she looks as if she wants to ask Daisy more questions about Allegra’s interview currently going viral, but instead, she turns to me. “If news of an engagement gets out and everyone believes it, the tabloids will be relentless.”
Guilt hits me. The last thing I wanted was to drag Emma even further into the chaos.
“I promise, Emma. I will protect you,” I vow.
“Do the doctors know when you’ll be good enough to go home?” Daisy asks.
“I can leave in a day or two if the rest of my tests come back fine.”
“The doctor said you’ll need someone to take care of you,” I point out. “And he said you have to take it easy. That it might take several weeks to fully heal—or longer.”
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Emma says tartly.
“We can take turns caring for her,” Olivia volunteers. “We’ll set up a schedule.”
“No one has to take care of me. You’re all busy, and I’m not having you change your plans.”
“What about your sister?” Daisy asks. “Since your dad’s out of the country, right?”
Emma nods. “He’s working in Africa. I haven’t told Sadie about being in the hospital. She just started her new job in New York. She’d insist on coming back, but I don’t need a babysitter. I’ll be fine. Yes, I got a little careless. Maybe I didn’t sleep as much as I could have. Maybe I skipped a few meals. Maybe I haven’t prioritized my health. But it’s no big deal. I just got a little unlucky that I passed out and hit my head.”
“A little unlucky? What if you’d been driving when you went unconscious?” I growl.
