Page 128 of Booked on You
“You can never stop writing,” I tell her, pulling away and meeting her eyes. “No matter what happens between us, okay?”
“You’re the only person who’s ever told me that.”
“I mean it,” I confirm, studying how the sunlight streams into the room, making everything appear to have a golden glow. “Some people write, Scarlett, but you give your full self, knowing people might hate the parts of you that you put into your characters. I understand how hard it is to navigate life without privacy when people assume so much. Being together might get harder before it’s easy, so please promise me you’ll never, ever stop writing as long as you’re able.”
Emotions flood through her.
“I promise,” she whispers. “Thank you for believing in me.”
“You have something special. I will do whatever I can to protect that.”
“I don’t know what I did in my life to deserve you,” she says.
Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead. “I feel the same.”
She returns to reading the comments, and her jaw tightens.
“Gold digger. Clout chaser. She’ll dump him when the book tour is over.” She looks up at me, shaking her head. “Theyhateme.”
“They don’t know you.” The rage in my chest builds because how dare they, how fucking dare they judge her when they’ve never seen how hard she works or how kind she is or how she makes me light up like a tree on Christmas morning.
She laughs, but it comes out bitter. “The internet is making me look like a PR mastermind when I’m on the verge of losing myentirecareer. That’s bittersweet, isn’t it?” The hurt in her voice makes me want to find every person who commented and make them understand how wrong they are.
“Babe, you know what it sounds like to me?” I reach for her hand because I need to touch her, need her to know I’m here.
“No.” She lets out a breath and sets my phone down on the bed like it burned her.
“Kinda sounds like the greatest comeback of your entire career.”
A few tears fall down her cheeks, and I wipe them away.
“Play into it,” I tell her. “My mother used to say, if you can’t beat them, join them. Time and the truth will always prove them wrong. Always. Just be yourself and don’t lose who you are in what strangers have to say. You know you. I know you. Everything else is noise.”
She nods, and something shifts in her expression. The hurt is still there, but my words uncovered something defiant.
“Your mom is right. Fuck them.”
“I don’t think that’s what she said.” I chuckle.
“Well, they can say whatever they want. Starting now, I don’t want to know about anything else, please. I just want to enjoy the rest of my time with you and not let this spoil it. But there is some truth hidden behind their words. Based on my past relationships, you should be concerned I’ll write about us.”
A smirk touches my lips. “You already have. As I mentioned before, I’m not afraid, Scarlett. I can handle your truths, regardless of the delivery.”
She stops and looks at me with fire in her eyes. “I’m falling in love with you, Ezra. I will fight for us to have a real chance.”
Emotions happen so fast, it makes me dizzy. This is not the woman who ran away from New York to hide. This is someone new, someone stronger, someone who’s choosing to fight.
“Oh, babe, I’m already there.” I hold out my arms, and she moves toward me, sliding her lips against mine.
“I’m sorry, I have morning breath.”
I laugh. “I don’t care.”
Capturing her mouth as she runs her fingers through my hair, we grow breathless. I’m tempted to pull her onto the bed with me. “No sex until you finish your book.”
She gasps. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Then I’m going to worship you from front to back.”
