He laughs dryly. “It’s a bit ostentatious.”
“A bit. Dear god, it’s ginormous, and not in a good way. There are ways to do luxury, but this misses the mark.” It’s a twenty thousand square-foot rectangle box of windows.
“I’ll give you a tour, and you’ll see why he did it. He has a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the water with all the windows since the ocean is in the back and Mecox Bay is in the front. Though I agree, it’s not for me either.”
Flashes suddenly start going off. “Why are there paparazzi here? That seems very unlike the Hamptons.”
“It’s probable Carter called photographers, not paparazzi. Controlled chaos.”
“Jeez,” I mumble, more to myself.
“I’d like to open Ms. Caldwell’s door,” Harrison calls out to the driver. Robert had off, so he stayed in the city. “I will send a message ten minutes before we’re ready to leave. We shouldn’t be late.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be parking in the beach lot down the road, so I’ll only need a five-minute warning.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Harrison grabs my hand before he opens his door. “If you don’t want to go, we’ll turn around right this second. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to show you off tonight. If we give them what they want now, they’ll likely leave us alone in the city.”
I nod. “You’re right. Let’s do it.”
I take a deep breath, pull my shoulders back, and hold my head high. The spotlight here was never as intense in my former life. Nevertheless, I can do this for Harrison.
And worse comes to worse, I’ll do what I always did—fake a smile until it was over.
The door opens, and when a set of dazzling blue eyes smile down at me, I immediately realize it’s different now. I don’t need to fake a thing, when I have Harrison by my side.
“Mr. Davenport. Over here.”
“Harrison!” another person calls over all the others as we walk up to the step and repeat.
Harrison slides his arm around me and splays his hand over my hip, pulling me into his side.
We stand and smile for the cameras, and I’m surprised at how calm I am with him anchoring me.
“Harrison, this is not your first time photographed with Ms. Caldwell.”
“Is there a question in that statement?” he retorts, in his Mr. CEO voice.
“Are you dating Ms. Caldwell, or will we see you with another date in a few weeks at the Rockefeller Benefit?”
Harrison’s eyes sweep the room before locking with mine. His face softens, and he shoots me a devastating grin that I know they’re all eating up.
The cameras begin flashing wildly when Harrison reaches up, cups my face tenderly, and brushes the apple of my cheek.
Oh my god.
My mouth curves into an unconscious smile. “What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I told you. Giving them what they want.”
He turns back toward the photographers. “I can confirm that Juliette Caldwell and I are dating, and no, I will not be bringing another date to any other event in the future. From this day forward, you will only ever see Juliette on my arm. No one else…ever.”
Everyone gasps, along with me.
That sounds like forever…and that sounds amazing.
This is so unlike Harrison and goes against his privacy stipulations.
