24. Mira

24

MIRA

"You've got to be kidding me, Zane."

I know from the schedule Hanna sent over this morning that Zane has a half-hour break right now, but I still didn't expect him to answer my call.

I can practically hear him gritting his teeth. "You texted this morning and said you wanted to get Aiden out of the condo. I'm making that happen. The words you're looking for are, ‘Thank you, Mr. Whitaker.'"

I glance at the behemoth of a man standing next to what has to be the world's largest SUV. I'm pretty sure it's actually a Transformer. Apparently, when Optimus Prime is not saving the world from aliens, he's chauffeuring me very conspicuously around downtown Phoenix.

"The bulletproof car is one thing, but where did you find this driver? The fucking WWE?" I hiss, keeping my voice low enough that Evan—driver by day, boulder by, well, always —doesn't hear me. He seemed nice when Aiden and I came downstairs and met him five minutes ago, but this isn't about him. "I can drive my own car and I don't need a bodyguard."

Lowkey. Under the radar. I've lived a quiet life for years and now, I might as well walk around the city with a big flashing sign over my head. Look at me! I'm important! I need extra protection because of how special and attention-worthy I am!

"That's why I didn't hire Evan for you ."

My cheeks flame. "That's not what I—Don't twist my words."

"Then don't give me so many words to twist," he retorts. "Say it just like we rehearsed and then I can get back to work."

This asshole. If he was in front of me, I'd jab him in his crystal-clear blue eyes.

"Come on, Mira," he coaxes. "Say it with me: Thank you, Mr. Whitaker. "

Fuck you, Mr. Whitaker.

Over my dead body, Mr. Whitaker.

"I can take care of Aiden on my own!" Devil knows I've been taking care of myself long enough. "I wanted to get us out of the house. Do something normal. Being followed around by a planet-sized human isn't anything close to ‘normal'!"

"Neither is being the son of a famous athlete," he spits. "You seem to be confused about the nature of your job, so let me clear up any confusion: you're not being paid to second-guess my decisions. You're being paid to take care of Aiden. I just made that job even easier for you by hiring a driver and protection. Once again, you're welcome. "

I've never exactly been a big fan of other people. In my experience, humans leave you—if you're lucky. If you're not, they stick around long enough to fuck you up beyond repair.

But no one—and I mean absolutely no one—has ever ground my gears the way Zane Whitaker can.

I grip the phone so tightly my fingers are going numb. "What about your fake girlfriend, huh? Does she get to have an opinion? You're paying me for that little chore, too, remember?"

"Oh, I remember. Every fucking day," he mutters. "And the answer is no. I'm paying you to smile and look good on my arm when the people who matter are looking."

If steam could come out of my ears, I'd be whistling like a teapot right now. I'm vibrating with a million nasty things I want to say to Mr. fucking Whitaker .

But before I can settle on which one I want to spew first, the line goes dead.

"He hung up on me," I breathe, double-checking just to make sure. "He actually hung up on me."

Asshole.

Scumbag.

Pompous, good-for-nothing puck-for-brains.

I squeeze my eyes closed, take a deep breath that doesn't do shit to calm me down, and turn to face my new bodyguard.

He's standing at the bumper of the car with Aiden next to him. Aiden is typically shy around new people, but he already seems comfortable with Evan. It might have something to do with the fact that Evan doesn't look like any normal person. He has a broad, beaming smile and hands as big as catcher's mitts. He's a cartoon bear brought to life.

Somewhere deep down, I admit that Zane might have done a good job selecting this one.

I slap on a thin smile. "Is everybody ready? Great. Let's go."

We've only been driving a few minutes when Even peeks into the rearview mirror at me. "You're sure everything is okay, ma'am?"

"Positive. I'm fine. Mr. Whitaker and I just had a… disagreement."

"Over me?" he guesses with a wry smile. "It's fine. I know it was about me."

I sigh. "It's nothing personal, Evan. Really."

"I was a little nervous about being hired on retainer like this. I've never had a semi-permanent client before. I've also never been called a ‘planet' before," he muses, catching my eye in the mirror. "It's a big day for new experiences."

I sink down in my seat, wishing I could melt into the immaculately clean creases between the leather. "Evan, I am so, so, so sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear that. I shouldn't have said it in the first place. I was just upset and?—"

He waves a hand for me to stop. "I took it as a compliment. If you keep apologizing, then I might start getting offended."

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Okay, I won't apologize anymore. But can you turn the child lock off? I want to throw myself into traffic."

A deep, warm laugh rumbles out of his barrel chest. "If you want me to keep my job, you'll stay in that seat."

Ten minutes ago, I didn't want Evan to keep this job.

Now, I think it might be nice to have at least one person in my day-to-day life I can talk to.

The children's museum is fifteen minutes away. As Evan pulls to a stop in the unloading zone out front, I see Taylor and Daniel waiting together on the steps.

Daniel is so focused on Taylor, I don't think he even notices our cruise ship of a vehicle idling fifteen feet away. Taylor notices us right away and bounds down the steps. I can tell by the way her hips sway that she knows Daniel is watching her.

She pulls me into a hug and Daniel's voice booms from the top of the stairs. "Aiden! Come on, buddy! I've got a ticket with your name on it."

Aiden races up the stairs and lunges for the ticket, but Daniel scoops him up into a hug instead. He tips Aiden upside down, dangling him from his ankles with ease like only a former professional hockey player could.

"He's showing off for you," I tease, elbowing Taylor in the side.

She smirks, but her attention is fixed on Daniel. "Not gonna lie, it's kind of working."

We wander through the children's museum for the next couple hours, taking turns doing the different exhibits with Aiden.

I help him wash his hands and then we inspect all of the leftover germs under a black light.

Daniel rides in a helicopter simulation with him, screaming and laughing as Aiden pilots them directly into the ocean.

Even Taylor, as averse to small humans as anyone I've ever met, walks through the Hall of Optical Illusions hand-in-hand with Aiden. She doesn't call him a "crotch goblin" even once.

By the time we make our way upstairs to the cafe for lunch, I've almost entirely forgotten about my domineering, condescending fake boyfriend.

Which means someone has to bring him up. I don't make the rules; I just suffer under them.

" You're here, Daniel," Taylor observes, touching his elbow for the fifth time in as many minutes. "So where is Zane?"

"One of the perks of being a non-playing part of the team is having time to escort beautiful ladies such as yourselves around the nearest children's museum."

Taylor arches a brow. "Is this where you take all the ladies?"

"Only for a first date."

"What's a second date with you: the arcade?" she teases.

"Bingo." He nods. "And on a third date, if you're lucky—" He leans forward, positively dripping with charm. "—I'll rent us a bouncy castle."

Aiden finishes his sandwich first and Daniel volunteers to take him to the glorified McDonald's playspace in the next room over.

"Don't get stuck in the tubes!" Taylor calls out as Aiden drags Daniel away.

He looks back over his shoulder, eyebrows dancing. "I know how to navigate in tight spaces."

As soon as he disappears around the corner, Taylor whips back to me. "Was that supposed to be a euphemism?"

"I think so," I laugh. "Did you like it?"

Taylor groans. "Oh, God, I think I did. Why did you have to bring him with us? I don't have time for a new crush right now. I was just about to start a juice cleanse."

"You're always about to start a cleanse. Also, I didn't bring Daniel. Zane must have told him we were coming and he tagged along."

"Weird that Daniel showed up and not Zane."

Something strange reverberates through me. I take a bite of my food and hope Taylor won't notice. "It's not weird. Like Daniel said, Zane is working."

"What about when he isn't working?" Taylor tries to sound casual, but it's obvious she's fishing. "Does he spend time with you then?"

"He's not paying me to spend time with him. He's paying me to spend time with Aiden."

I'm paying you to smile and look good on my arm when the people who matter are looking.

Taylor twists her lips together, her face creased.

I scowl at her. "Either you're thinking really hard or you're about to be sick."

She swats at me. "I'm just trying to figure Zane out."

"Good fucking luck. I've given up on that puzzle."

Why can't this thing with me and Zane be as simple as what Taylor and Daniel have? They laugh and joke and flirt. A few dates and a bouncy castle from now, he'll be navigating all of her tight spaces… which I'm realizing now was definitely a euphemism. Ew .

"No, you haven't, Mira. You know how I know?" She doesn't wait for me to respond. She just leans across the table and taps the end of my nose. "Because you're still here. When you give up, you disappear. Usually for months at a time."

I roll my eyes, but only because she's right. "Don't forget he's paying me. That's good motivation to stick around."

"Oh, I remember. He's paying you a lot of money to live in his house rent-free. He also rented out that store for you the other day?—"

"That was for Aiden."

"And I got a front row seat to the way he was eating every inch of you up in those little denim shorts on moving day."

"A moving day that only happened so I can help him keep Aiden."

"Plus, he hired that beefy bodyguard."

"Also for Aiden! Everything is for Aiden, Tay. Everything. "

She holds up her hands. "Maybe you're right. Still, a man who is willing to go to these kinds of lengths to take care of a kid he just found out about is probably a man worth getting to know, y'know?"

I sigh. If only it was that easy.

"Do you think these lengths are necessary, though?" I muse. "I mean, you saw how big the driver is. I'm starting to think Zane might be a little paranoid."

Taylor throws her head back in a cackle. A group of moms in the corner toss nasty looks our way. "Paranoid pot, meet overprotective kettle."

My cheeks redden. "I'm not paranoid!"

"No, of course not. You just won't sign up for a department store rewards program because you don't want anyone hacking into your email account."

"I don't like junk mail. Sue me." I shrug. "That's different than thinking someone is going to try to kill your kid while you're at a museum."

I can relate to that anxiety, but the difference between me and Zane is that I'm not paranoid; I'm operating from hard-earned experience.

"Fans can be crazy," she says. "My dad bought the Angels when I was in middle school and reporters tracked me down at school and took pictures of me in gym class. Whatever Zane is doing to make sure Aiden is safe—especially after the kind of shit people used to write about him online—it still might not be enough."

Those words hit hard. For the rest of the day, guilt swirls in my gut.

I can be mad at Zane about a lot of things. Especially the suggestion that my only job is to look good on his arm—no matter how much the vainest, most superficial parts of me like that he thinks I'm pretty.

But I can't be mad at him for being a good father.

Instead of an apology, I text him a picture of Aiden in the flight simulator with Daniel. He's smiling as big as I've ever seen and it's my favorite picture of him I've taken so far.

He looks exactly like Zane.