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My mouth gapes open for a quick second before I snap it shut, because I have no idea how to answer that. You seem to know more about us than I do is at the tip of my tongue. At least, he wouldn’t be able to ignore me if they plastered it over every news channel and magazine article. A wicked grin creeps up my face and I lean forward to answer, but April lightly shoves me aside.
“We’re done here. Thank you.”
I narrow my eyes at her and she does a tiny shake of her head, escorting me behind the metal gates, away from the cheers and hollering.
She leans over and whispers, “It’s not the time to call him out, Aspen.”
“I thought it was the perfect time.”
“Yeah, I could tell.” She laughs. “You did great out there. You might be better at this public speaking than you think.”
I laugh out loud at the ridiculousness. No way. Not happening.
When a soft knock at the door pulls my attention away from my book, I expect to see Halli walk in. Instead, Mila peeks her head inside. “Aspen, are you awake?”
“Yep, just reading. Come on in.”
She walks in, shutting the door behind her. I scoot over on the bed, giving her room to sit on the full-size mattress. “You did really great today. We grew up in front of the camera because of Dad, so it’s second nature to us. And now I live in front of the camera. So, I know how hard it is.” Mila works on a talk show. We watched a rerun yesterday and she’s amazing at her job.
“It was crazy, to say the least. People were crawling over each other to ask me a question. And then the crowd. Where’d all those people come from?”
She laughs. “You mean a lot to more than just us. People can be insane. You just watch for the ones that become fanatical. And there will be some.”
“I can’t wait,” I respond, sarcastically.
“Have you thought about where you’re going to live?”
Oh, I’ve thought about it. I pull my bookmark out from the last page of the book and mark my page, and place it on the dresser. “I have, but I’ve not decided yet.”
“Would you…” she hesitates for a beat, playing with the edge of her shirt before her eyes meet mine again. “… want to live with me? In New York City?”
My eyes widen at her question. Our start was slow, but spending the last week together has helped, but this is huge. Is she doing it out of obligation or does she really want me there?
Part of me wants to leap at her offer because what are my other options? Yet, the other part doesn’t want to be anywhere near Ryker. Especially if he’s with someone else.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to, Aspen.”
“No, it’s not that. I’d love to get to know you better and I need a place to live, but…”
“Ryker?”
I sigh, hating that it always comes back to him. “Is it that obvious?”
She bobs her head. “A little.”
I’ve thought about trying to start my life by myself because I have the money, but maybe the best thing to do right now is have someone helping me navigate through this mess.
“Are you asking because Beatrice asked you to? I don’t want to incon—”
She puts her hand on my leg. “Neither of those. You’re my little sister and I would love to get to know you more, too.”
Little sister. Words I never thought I’d hear brings me to tears and I sit forward. “Really?”
“Yes. It’ll be great! My bodyguard lives next door. I have enough room for you and Halli, if she doesn’t prefer to live with Dean next door. Also, I’ve lived in the city for ten years and I’ve never run into Ryker.”
I don’t know if that’s reassuring or disappointing. And after what he said, promising things, I deserve some answers.
“Can I ask a favor?” I’ve thought about this the last couple days and I’m not sure if she’ll be on board with it, but if not, I can meet her there.
