Page 35 of Scandal

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She shrugs. “The truth. They’re not going to believe anything else.”

She has a point. She’s only been here a day. Trying to convince them we somehow fell for each other in less than twenty-four hours would be impossible. “Hendrix won’t like it.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“And your father? He’ll know what this means?” That I’m not coming back…

She lets out a sigh. “I’ll talk to him.”

“No.” I reach out and take her hand. A tiny gasp escapes her lips. “We’ll talk to him. We’re in this together.”

“Right,” she says softly. “Together.”

As I stare at our joined hands, suddenly nothing feels scarier than the idea of her and me.

Together.

Chapter Eight

MERCURY

Pres

Omg, Merc. Are you like a princess now?

Cash

You sound like Taylor. And it’s a PR stunt, remember? It’s fake—kind of like your marriage.

Hendrix

Better be a fucking PR stunt.

Pres

Okay, first of all, always happy to be compared to my niece. Secondly, nothing about my marriage is fake. Well, not anymore.

Pres

Wait, is that where you got the idea, Merc? Am I a trendsetter?

I think about it for a second. Shit? Is that where I got the idea? My sister and her husband, Hollis, accidentally got married inVegas last year. That’s what happens when you add years of unresolved feelings and a whole lot of tequila.

Unbeknownst to us, they were sort of faking it for months before they really fell for each other and renewed their vows on the beach in my parents’ backyard.

Me

Guys, I’m not a princess, or a duchess, or a debutante, which are apparently very different. I’m just helping Asher out.

Myles

A debutante is just a rich girl being fawned over. A duchess is like, noble and shit.

Hendrix

…

Myles

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