Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

DANIELA

"Hey, you want to go grab a coffee before you head home?" Morgan asked as we walked out of our last class of the day. "You still need to give me the dirt on your date with Braden."

"It wasn't a date," I deflected, rolling my eyes.

And how was I supposed to tell her anything at all when my feelings about it were still a jumbled mess? It wasn't like I could tell her why I felt like I didn't know which way was up anymore. Why I'd spent more than one sleepless night just staring at the ceiling trying to make sense of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – er, the enigma that was Braden Hicks. Why I was questioning everything I thought I knew about myself because of one stupid peck on the lips.

"Um, excuse you?" she chuckled. "You dressed up. He picked you up from your apartment and took you to the most expensive restaurant in the city – which, for your information, Mal hasn't even been able to get a reservation at, so I have no clue how Braden managed to. And then you kissed him outside said restaurant in front of God and everybody. What would you call that, Miss Ma'am?"

"A contractual obligation," I reminded her.

" Riiiiight . That's all it is." She threw a playful elbow into my side.

"That is all it is. He's doing something for me, and I'm doing something for him. It's a business arrangement."

"And that's totally why you let him lay one on you in front of the cameras the first time he took you out. You, who need a connection to even be attracted to someone."

"No, I let him do that because the stupid paparazzi were trying to crawl up his ass about his arrest and asking if he was going to get benched. Even I was getting annoyed with that, and I wasn't the one they were harassing. He wanted to give them something else to talk about. And it was going to have to happen sooner or later."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," she said with a schoolgirl-like giggle. "It's okay to admit you like him, you know. It's okay to let yourself have fun. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want this to be a chore for you."

But that was just it. It wasn't okay. I couldn't like him. I couldn't let myself keep feeling this way about someone who had ripped my sister away from me by getting her pregnant.

Mercifully, my phone buzzed, saving me from having to answer Morgan. I pulled it out of my purse to check it and immediately wished I hadn't.

To: Daniela Ramos [[email protected]]

From: Unknown [[email protected]]

Subject: BACK OFF!!! HE'S MINE!!!

If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from Braden. He's MINE, and I don't share.

*picture of kiss outside the restaurant with a big red X over my face*

You've been warned.

-Me

I could hear my heart beating in my ears as I just stood there, phone in my shaking hand, unable to move or speak.

What the hell was this? Who the hell was this? And, more importantly, how on earth had this person gotten my email address?

"Dani?" My best friend's voice cut through the haze as her hand landed on my arm, making me snap out of my stupor.

I looked up at her, and her eyes were wide as she took in my present state. But I still couldn't find a single word to explain this message to her.

"Is it Isaac? Did something happen?" she asked.

Instead of speaking, I just handed her my phone so she could see the text for herself.

"What the fuck?" she muttered, then took a deep breath. "Dani, you need to tell Braden about this. It could be nothing, but…well, I should probably let him tell you."

What was she talking about? What hadn't Braden told me before I'd signed that damn contract? Was it something that could put me – or worse, my infant nephew – in danger?

"How…how do they have my email?" I finally croaked out.

"I don't know," she sighed. "But, I mean, there were a bunch of pictures of you online over the weekend, and most of the articles mentioned your first name. Maybe this person had way too much time on their hands, did a bunch of digging, and connected the dots because you and I are friends and it's public knowledge that I'm with Mal. Unfortunately, it doesn't cost much to do a background check and get your email address from that."

"I guess…" I trailed off. "What do I even say to Braden?"

"Just tell him you got an email telling you to stay away from him."

Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I pulled up my text thread with Braden and started to type.

Me

I don't really know how to say this, but…well, I just got an anonymous email on my school email account threatening me to stay away from you. Is there something going on that I need to know about?

Not even thirty seconds after I hit the send button, his picture was lighting up my phone screen as the device vibrated.

"Hi," I answered flatly.

"Hey, beautiful," came the voice that was starting to make my stomach do flip-flops every time I heard it – but it was strained, unlike his usual carefree demeanor. "I know you're busy, but do you have time to meet me for coffee or something so we can talk?"

"Um…sure. I'm just getting out of class. There's a coffee shop called The Witch's Brew about ten minutes from campus."

"I know it. Meet me there in half an hour?"

"Is it okay if Morgan comes? She's with me right now."

"Absolutely. Whatever makes you comfortable. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," I mumbled before hanging up, then turned to Morgan. "Looks like we're getting that coffee after all."

I almost didn't notice Braden as he walked into the coffee shop. He was wearing a baseball cap and big Aviator sunglasses, which covered half of his face. Clearly, he was trying to make sure he wouldn't be recognized on sight, which spoke volumes, especially given that we were supposed to be trying to convince the world of a romance that didn't exist. Being spotted having a casual cup of coffee would have only helped that endeavor.

But he saw me right away, and a smile started to light up his face as he walked to where Morgan and I were standing in line to place our orders.

"Hey, beautiful," he murmured as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. "Thanks for meeting me."

And somehow, just that simple gesture seemed to lift some of the weight off my shoulders and help me breathe a little easier. God knew why because I had absolutely no reason to trust anything he said or did – after all, at the very least, he'd neglected to tell me something that pertained to our arrangement before having me sign that damn contract – but I couldn't shake it. For some reason I didn't understand, he'd had that effect on me from the second we'd met.

"Of course," I sighed, unable to stop myself from melting into the half-hug.

Without letting go of me, Braden turned to Morgan, who had an earsplitting grin on her face. "Hey, Morgan."

"Hey yourself," she chuckled. "Why do I suddenly feel like a third wheel?"

He let out a quiet snort. "You're not. You're here for moral support. But let's get our drinks first."

"Yes, let's. I need my caffeine something fierce," she practically groaned.

"And you're not the one with a baby at home," I teased, forcing myself to disentangle from the bane of my existence's arm as we stepped up to the counter.

"Hi, Dani," Claire, the ever-chipper barista, greeted me as she grabbed a cup and started to write my name on it. "Large café con leche with two pumps of toffee nut?"

"Yes, please. And a warmed-up slice of banana bread." My mouth was already watering in anticipation.

"You've got it. Anything else for you?"

I shook my head as I started to pull my wallet out, but Braden discreetly put a hand on my arm to stop me.

"These girls are with me," he told her.

"Gotcha. Morgan, large iced vanilla latte and a pumpkin scone?"

"I clearly come here way too often," Morgan chuckled. "Yep."

Turning to Braden, Claire furrowed her brow and cocked her head slightly, like she was trying to figure out where she knew him from. Which, given that he had yet to remove his sunglasses, wasn't nearly as easy as it would have been otherwise.

"And what can I get for you?"

"Large iced passionfruit green tea with two pumps of peach, please. And a lemon loaf."

"And your name for the cup?" she asked as she grabbed a plastic cup and started marking down his order.

"Garrett."

I looked up at him, shocked that he'd used an alias. I had thought that he'd be the kind of person who'd want everyone in the world to know his name.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a dead ringer for the football player Braden Hicks?" she chuckled, scribbling down his phony name.

"Yeah, I get that all the time," he said with a quiet snicker.

After he paid for our orders and dropped a fifty into the tip jar – couldn't tip too much without giving away his identity, I supposed – we stepped to the side to wait and I turned to him.

"Garrett?" I asked quietly.

"It's my middle name," he whispered back. "I use it when I don't want to get hounded. And today's definitely not the day for that."

"Fair enough," I chuckled weakly.

"Your turn. What's yours?"

"My what?"

"Your middle name. You know mine now," he said with a playful grin.

"Oh. Right. It's Sofía," I mumbled.

"Daniela Sofía," he said slowly, like he was testing out how it sounded. "I like it."

"Glad you approve," I teased, unable to stop myself from smiling.

"Dani!" the barista who was working on the espresso bar called, effectively ending our conversation.

Once the three of us had our drinks and pastries, we settled at a table in the far back corner of the café, Braden facing the wall. Only then did he remove his sunglasses, and the worry and concern I saw in his eyes…it floored me, and I could tell it was one hundred percent genuine.

Why, though? Why did he care this much about me when he hadn't given a flying fuck about my sister?

He took a deep breath. "Dani, do you mind showing me the email you got?"

I nodded silently as I pulled my phone out of my purse and brought up the message. He took it from me and read it, then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before handing the phone back to me.

"Can you forward that to me?" he asked.

"Sure?" I said, more a question than a statement, as I did what he'd asked. "Who is this, Braden? And why didn't you tell me about them before I signed the contract?"

"I don't know who it is," he said with another sigh. "I wish to God I did because I'd have filed a restraining order long before now. For the past few months, I've been getting emails to my fan email account from literally dozens of anonymous email addresses. It's like I can't block them fast enough. At first, I just thought it was an obsessed fan because she was saying stuff about how much she loved and missed me. Around the time I got arrested, it started getting more direct and the girl started sending me nude pics, but nothing with her face or anything identifiable. And then on Saturday morning, after the picture of us kissing outside the restaurant hit the tabloid sites, the whole tone changed. Said if I didn't dump you, she wouldn't be responsible for what happened. I should have said something to you, and I'm so sorry I didn't, but I had no reason to think this woman had access to any of my personal info, so I never thought in a million years that she'd even be able to figure out who you are with only a first name to go on. I'm so sorry, Dani."

I released a long, controlled breath as I tried to collect my thoughts.

The rational part of my brain knew this wasn't Braden's fault. He couldn't control that some random woman had fixated on him. But rational thought wasn't exactly prevailing right now. Because there was an innocent baby mixed up in this too. A baby I loved more than anything and would have given up my life to protect. If this person had gotten enough background on me to figure out where I went to school, they had to know about him by now.

"I can't…I can't put Isaac in danger, Braden." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'd never ask you to put him or yourself in danger, sweetheart," he assured me, reaching across the table for my hand – and damn it, I couldn't bring myself to yank it away. "That's part of why I wanted to see you today. I'm meeting with a private investigator in an hour so they can help me figure out who this person is and I can get a restraining order. But in the meantime, I want to hire security for you. Two bodies, plainclothes, around the clock on rotating shifts. One person to stay with Lina and Isaac, and one person to accompany you when you go out. Just to make sure you're all safe until we catch this woman."

I paused, considering. Was I really worried enough about this to have a security guard follow me around all the time? That sounded annoying as hell. But at the same time, this freak knew where I went to school, so they probably knew where I lived too.

"It's a smart idea, Dani," Morgan said quietly, then looked at Braden. "Would they take her to and from school until classes are over?"

"That's up to you," he said, ducking his head down a little to catch my eye as he squeezed my hand. "This is all up to you, beautiful. Selfishly, I want to keep seeing you because I like spending time with you, but I understand if you're too scared to go through with this anymore. If it was me, I would be. And it won't be anyone's fault but mine if you decide you can't handle it. I'm the one who should have told you about this before you agreed to anything."

I took a calming breath and sipped on the sweet, strong coffee as I thought this through. And the fact of the matter was, I still needed this money. If Braden was willing to pay for security as a precaution until his PI found out who was doing this, then I had no real reason to worry for my safety.

"You promise this is the extent of it? There's nothing else you haven't told me?" I asked.

"I swear on my life, there's nothing else," he said, staring straight into my eyes. "And I also swear I'll tell you if anything else happens."

"Then I'm still in," I sighed.

The smile that spread across Braden's face could have lit up a whole football stadium all by itself. And it was in moments like this that it took everything I had to remember why I hated him. Because my God, this smile…it was so pure. So real. So heartbreakingly beautiful. It wasn't something he could fake.

"So, I'm meeting with the company who does security for the team during football season in the morning," Braden said as we walked out into the parking lot. "I'll make sure they assign people I trust to keep an eye on you and Isaac, and hopefully we can get the detail started immediately."

Blowing out a long breath, I nodded.

I'd have been lying if I'd said I wasn't still a little worried about this whole situation, but I could tell Braden was taking this seriously, so I had to trust that he'd make sure I was safe. Besides, even if I had decided to break off our arrangement, what guarantee would I have had that this person would stop? I was probably safer following through with it and letting him provide a security detail for me.

"Okay," I murmured.

He turned to look at me, putting a hand under my chin to make me look at him. "Tell me the truth, sweetheart. Are you okay? I know it's a lot, and I hate that this creep dragged you into this mess."

"I won't say I'm not a little freaked out, because I am. But I'll live," I sighed.

Placing a hand on the back of my head, Braden leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my forehead. My skin tingled as he pulled back, and those damn butterflies were back with a vengeance, as if daring me to deny the way he made me feel.

"I swear I won't let anything happen to you or Isaac," he said softly. "Not if I can help it."

"I know," I said on a shaky exhale. "And I know this isn't your fault."

"Doesn't mean I'm not blaming myself." He let out a humorless chuckle. "I'll text you after I meet with the security company."

I nodded.

"I'll see you soon, beautiful," he said, kissing my forehead one more time before heading toward his car.

"He likes you, you know," Morgan said from beside me. "Like, really likes you."

Right. She was still here. How had I forgotten that?

"We were in public," I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, no. Holding your hand across the table, kissing your forehead, calling you ‘beautiful' and ‘sweetheart' like that…that's not for show, babe. Neither is the way he was looking at you. Trust me, he's not that good of an actor."

I snorted loudly. She had no idea. Because she'd only seen Dr. Jekyll.

But then again, that was all I'd seen since our arrangement had started too. Not once had Mr. Hyde come out to play.

And more and more with every passing day, I was starting to wonder if that side of him even existed at all anymore.