“No, sweetheart. They don’t hate you for that.”
When she blows a puff of breath through pursed lips, it makes her hair flutter. “Okay.”
“I promise they don’t hate you. They’re excited to see you.” Which is an understatement, really. They’re already asking when I’m going to propose. So, while Indie may be worried about what they’ll think of her, I’m worried they’ll say something that makes her nervous and want to run.
“Okay, yeah.”
“What do your parents think about us dating?”
Indie purses her lips so tightly, they’ve basically disappeared. “They, uh, they don’t know.”
Oh. Well, that kind of hurts.
Hoping I’ve hidden my wince, I force myself to smile. There’s a lot going on with Indie’s parents right now, so I shouldn’t make a big deal of her not telling them. Everyone knows they’re in the middle of a divorce, then there’s the sex tape and the fact that they’re both still making movies. Of course, she hasn’t told them. I’m not sure she even speaks with them regularly.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Bash,” she says, her tone imploring, “please don’t read into it. It’s just, things with them are weird right now. They’re both distracted with everything, and after things ended with my ex, I kinda decided to keep them out of my next relationship.” She blows out a breath, and it makes her lips vibrate together. “They can be a lot.”
“I’m sure it’s because they love you.”
“Probably, but that doesn’t make their attention any less suffocating.”
We haven’t talked about her ex yet, and I’m not sure it’s the best time right now, but I’ll admit I’ve been curious. I’ve seen photos of them together, and he doesn’t strike me as someone who’d be her type. Though, I guess the ten years we spent apart means I’m not exactly an expert on what Indigo Bloom likes and doesn’t as an adult.
“They liked your ex?”
“I mean, yeah.” Indie fidgets with the hem of her little black dress. “He’s my dad’s assistant.”
“Really?” Damn. No wonder she doesn’t want to tell her parents we’re together. If her ex is her dad’s assistant, they must be close.
“Yep. Ryland is very charming.”
The way she accentuates the wordcharmingsays a lot. “Was he good to you?”
She wobbles her head from side to side. “He wasn’tnotgood to me, but he wasn’t goodforme, you know?”
“Not really, Rosebud.”
“We wanted different things. He treated me well enough, I guess, but Ryland wants fame. He wants to go to all the parties, be seen and photographed, and he wants to shake hands with as many A-listers as possible because he’s hoping someone will help him break into the industry as more than an assistant.”
“And your dad isn’t willing to do that?”
“I think he’s introduced Ryland to a few people, but he’s more of amake it on your own meritguy, you know? Ryland is looking for a benefactor. Someone to pave the way for him.” Her nose wrinkles when she says that, and I grin. Indie’s never been one to ride her parents’ coattails. She got into her top choice of school without ever using their names, and I’m sure she could have a huge book deal by now if she name-dropped, but she never would. She’s determined to make her own success, and I know she will.
Frankly, I’m shocked she hasn’t taken the literary world by storm all on her own already.
“And did Ryland realize you hate the spotlight?”
“I thought so. But it seemed like he believed he could change my mind after a month or two of dating. And once he realized that would never happen…” Her voice trails off, growing small.
What a fucking dick.
“I’m sorry, baby. He’s an idiot, if that’s why he ended things. You are so much more than your name.” When I reach across the center console and grab her hands, her fingers immediately cling to mine. “I’m sorry you went through that, but selfishly, I’m glad things didn’t work out with him.”
I have to admit, I was worried for a while. As far as I could tell from my internet stalking, Ryland was her longest relationship. After six months or so, my stomach would lurch every time my phone lit up with a Google alert about her because I was afraid to see a headline announcing their engagement.
“Me too,” she says, her face transforming with a genuine smile. “I should probably thank him for being such an ass.”
