“I don’t have the best relationship with the public. Or publicity,” I say. Bending down, I pick up my phone and scroll to the comments. I don’t read them—I’m not a masochist—but I hand it to Bash. “Are the comments nice?”
The frown that forms on his face within moments is answer enough.
“That’s what I thought. I bet some people are talking about how I probably only got a book deal because of my parents’ fame, right?”
Again, he remains silent, the furrows on his brow deepening.
“And I’m sure there are people ripping into me and calling my books glorified porn? Or that I don’t belong with you because you’re out of my league and all of this must be a PR stunt or that you’ve agreed to go out with me forresearchpurposes?”
His voice is horse when he speaks. “Rosebud…”
“It’s okay.” I take my phone back and fidget with it. “I mean, it’s not, but it’s what I expected.”
“Who cares what a bunch of anonymous assholes on the internet think?” The ferocity in his deep eyes banishes some of the swirling anxiety that’s making me feel nauseated.
“I know. I know I shouldn’t care, and I try not to, I swear. But as much as I try to ignore it and as much as I try not to be hurt by the things people say, after a while, if enough people say the same thing, it’s hard not to wonder if it’s true.”
“It’s not, though. Not even a little bit.”
I suck in a ragged breath. “Then why do so many people say it?”
When he pulls me against his chest and folds me into his embrace, I let myself feel it all. All the insecurity, the hurt, the confusion about why I’m always the punching bag bubbles to the surface, and I allow myself to acknowledge it.
“People are jealous assholes, Indie. They take their own unhappiness out on others because they can’t stand allowingsomeone else to shine when they feel so dark.” His fingers stroke my hair, sending tingles over my scalp. “But not all the comments on that article were negative.”
I huff out a breath against his chest.
“I’m serious. Even at a quick glance, some of the comments with the mostlikeswere by women saying Violet Quinn is their favorite writer and that they’re so excited to find out who you really are.”
“Well, I have no intention of reading them, so I’ll take your word for it.”
“You don’t have to,” he says, plucking the phone from my hand. He unlocks the screen using my face, then he scrolls through the comments. “Oh my god, I love Violet Quinn so much. Who would have thought she was Robert and Vivian’s daughter all along? It makes sense, though. They’re storytellers, and so is she.”
I raise my eyebrows at that, because it’s an angle I never considered. But I suppose it’s true.
“And this one says,OMG, please tell me she’s going to write a hockey romance.” Sebastian smirks at that one, but little does he know that Ihavewritten a hockey romance. One that was not-so-loosely based on him and our relationship.
Yeah. Not ready to talk about that yet.
“This person says,Please tell me this means she’s going to do some signings and book cons? I have been dying to get my hands on signed copies.”
Okay. So not everyone hates me. That’s good. Still, this whole situation is a mess, and I’m worried about how my publisher will react.
“I believe in you, Indie. And I’m so fucking proud of you. The fact that you’re already a badass author doesn’t surprise me in the least, and I can’t wait to buy all of your books and display them proudly on my shelves.” Sweeping his palm over my cheek,Sebastian looks down at me with so much pride and tenderness before he tangles his fingers in my hair and slants his mouth over mine in a toe-curling kiss.
I should have told him sooner.
“Everything will work out. I’m here for you. I’ll always have your back.”
“Thanks, babe. I can’t believe I spent ten years without you.” Every cell in my body hums happily when he looks down at me like I’m the most precious thing in the world. “And I can’t believe you’re secretly a D&D nerd.”
“Shut up,” he says, chuckling.
“That’s hot.”
“Call your agent, Indigo. You’ll feel better once you have a plan in place.”
I know he’s right. Sighing deeply, I take my phone back and tap on Elise’s number. Leaning into Sebastian’s strength, I try to calm my breathing.