“I get it,” she said, truly understanding the desire for solitude right now.
He raised his brows at her.
“Even the most camera-loving actors need a break every once in a while.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“Well, it’s true.”
Fox nodded, and the two of them stood there in silence for several moments. While they weren’t touching, Sienna was acutely aware of Fox in the small room. She’d come here to make sure he was okay, but his presence pushed into every nook and cranny of the space and made it impossible to think clearly.
“We’re not supposed to spend a lot of time in here though,” she said. Her voice trembled slightly when she remembered the look Bruce had given them that first day. The look that implied they were never supposed to hide out in the safe room.
Fox sighed. “Yeah.”
“So, let’s head back into the woods. Get you some fresh air,” Sienna said, pleased her voice sounded steady despite the excited thrumming of her heart.
Why did she have such a hard time controlling her emotions around him?
His smile grew and transformed his entire face. “That would be great.”
Oh yeah, that’s why, she realized with a twist of her stomach.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. Sienna told Bruce she’d try to get some good footage, and she would, but that didn’t mean she wanted everything to be caught on camera. That would be something for later. Now, she just needed to get Fox out of here without getting noticed.
It surprised Sienna that the desire to be alone with Fox was stronger than the pull to shine onscreen. But maybe it was just because he actually liked her for who she was, when no one else seemed to. Even Audrey and Harper had given her a talking to before they started the table decorating, telling her she needed to tone it down.
Like she needed the reminder how over the top she was being. For every question Audrey had gotten right, Sienna had whooped like it was the winning shot at the state finals. Her victory dance when the boys had lost had been part drumline, part chicken dance.
But their comments hadn’t been as painful as Fox’s scowl from across the room. Its silent judgement of her phoniness had almost taken all the fun out of winning.
Sneaking out of the inn with Fox, however, was turning out to be a lot of fun.
He held her hand tightly in his as they made their way to the trailhead at the end of the long gravel driveway to the inn. Sienna didn’t see cameras anywhere and prayed it would stay that way. She wanted Fox to open up to her again. She wanted to see the soft and kind version of Fox that made her heart race.
“What happened back there?” Sienna asked once they were safely under the green canopy of fir and spruce. Night was falling, but she’d grabbed a flashlight from the front desk on their way out.
He dropped her hand and ran it through hair. “Harry.”
Sienna waited to see if there would be more, but Fox stayed silent.
“You let that jerk get you all riled up?”
“You didn’t hear what he said about Reagan. He’s such garbage. She deserves so much better. And he deserves a punch in the face.”
“Why didn’t you do it then? You seem strong enough to do some real damage.” She flushed at the way the compliment sounded like she was drooling over him. Had that been too over the top?
“I could do some damage, that’s why I left.” Fox looked down at their feet, grabbing Sienna’s hand to lead her over some rocks in the path.
Her heart fluttered at his unexpected touch.
“I’ve done a lot worse to people and told myself I never would again.”
The air hung heavy with his revelation. Sienna swallowed hard. “What have you done to people?”
Fox pressed his lips together. For a long time, it didn’t seem like he was going to answer, but then he took a deep breath. “I told you about my ex and how she left. That wasn’t really the end of my career. I could have recovered, but I let that pain destroy me. I lashed out at everyone around me. Most of the band stuck with me when Becky left, but I’d get into fights with them over dumb stuff. I would throw a punch at the smallest provocation.”
He looked to the sky and breathed in through his nose.
Sienna squeezed his hand.
“I also started drinking and partying, way more than what you’d expect from a normal college kid,” he said. “Which obviously didn’t help the fighting. Within a few months, the label had dropped me, and everyone had left.”
“Everyone but Eli?” Sienna asked. When Fox nodded, she started putting the pieces together. No wonder he was so loyal to his friend. Going on this ridiculous show must have been Fox’s way of paying back Eli for his help years ago.
“Eli, Audrey, even Reagan, they were all there for me during the hardest year of my life. There’s no way I would have survived without them.”
“You’re lucky to have so many people who care about you,” said Sienna and stopped walking in front of a fallen log to sit down.
Fox stayed standing and shrugged. “A few people.”
Sienna took a deep breath. “Well, you have one more now.”
He looked down at her, brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Ugh, guys needed everything spelled out for them, didn’t they? “I care about you.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Me? The scowling grump?”
Sienna’s lips curled up in a smile. “You’re so much more than that.”
He dropped his arms and looked down at his feet. “You’re so much more than an attention-seeking phoney.”
Sienna’s heart went into overdrive. If only that were true. She wanted it to be true, but the cameras—and how to act in front of them—was always in the back of her mind.
Even now, she needed to tell Fox about Bruce and how she’d promised to give him some good footage for the show. Fox wouldn't like the idea of playing it up for the cameras, but maybe if he knew about the roles they were playing before they showed up, he wouldn’t be so resistant. Especially if it was for Eli.
Just as she opened her mouth to tell him, he sat down next to her on the log. Right next to her. As in, no space whatsoever. Their legs were pressed together, and his hand settled somewhere on the log behind her back. Her senses were completely overwhelmed by him, and she instantly forgot whatever she was going to say.
She turned her head and looked up in his eyes. The night air was cool, but warmth flooded her and made it hard to breathe. She struggled to keep her breaths even, not wanting Fox to see how affected she was by him.
“Do you really care?” he asked softly, his words sending shivers down her spine when his breath touched her face. “Or is it just for the cameras? Because Bruce said we looked good together?”
“We do look good together,” she said with a slow smile.
He chuckled, and she could feel the rumble in his chest pressed against her side.
“But I do truly care. I didn’t expect this to happen. It kind of ruins all my plans for kicking your butt in this competition.”
At this, he threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing into the dark night. “I have laughed more this week than I have in months,” he said, and drew up his hand to brush it across her cheek. She closed her eyes, wanting to remember everything about this moment. “And I think it’s because of one very annoying, very cute bridesmaid.”
“Reagan?” She smirked but felt a tug at her heart.
“She’s a friend.” Fox smiled and relief flooded her veins. “A good one. But she’s more like a sister after everything she’s been through with me.”
She smiled up at Fox. “Did Harper win you over with her amazing s’mores, then?”
He rolled his eyes playfully at her. “You’re going to make me spell it out, aren't you?”
Sienna loved seeing this fun, flirty side of Fox. And seeing him like this made her relax. She was absolutely going to make him spell it out
for her if that meant she would get to see more of it. She shook her head and lifted one shoulder. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Fox closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m having a good time, and I think a big part of that is you.”
When Fox opened his eyes again, Sienna’s breath caught in her chest. If playful Fox was fun, this smoldering version threatened to consume her.
Fox brushed a stray strand of hair out of Sienna’s face, and let his fingers linger on her cheek. The tips of his fingers were rough against her skin, and Sienna leaned into his touch.
He closed the distance between them as his other hand reached out and gently wrapped around the back of her neck. Fox’s gaze stayed glued to her the entire time, and Sienna suddenly felt the world shift.
Oh my goodness, Sienna thought. He’s going to kiss me.
But that realization was nothing compared to the fact that she wanted to kiss him too. She licked her lips and held her breath. Was this really happening? How could someone so good, so loyal, feel this way about her?
Fox bent down, so close that their lips were almost touching and—
A loud sneeze broke through the clearing.
Fox and Sienna jumped apart from each other, and their heads snapped in the direction of the sound. There, crouching behind a small tree with a camera propped on his shoulder, was the cameraman from earlier. The red light was blinking, which meant he was filming.
It was suddenly very hard to breathe. Sienna wasn’t sure if she was more upset about her kiss with Fox being interrupted, or the fact that they’d been caught. Either way, this was bad. Really bad.
What had she been thinking? She had been genuinely worried about Fox, otherwise she would have realized how naive she’d been when she didn’t think the cameraman would follow her. Of course he followed her even when she told him to wait. If she thought she’d have an opportunity to warn Fox about getting more footage, she was living in a dream land. Now her thoughts raced as she tried to figure out the full extent of her carelessness. Maybe the cameraman had just started filming. Maybe he hadn’t captured the entire very personal and very private conversation, or their almost kiss?
One look at Fox’s face, and she knew it didn’t matter what footage they’d gotten. His trust in her was completely shattered.
It wasn’t like Sienna had planned for this to happen, but she knew how it must look to Fox. She turned to face him, to explain what was really going on, but his hard expression made her throat dry up.
“I’m an idiot,” he said under his breath.
“No, you’re not,” Sienna said, finding her voice. “This isn’t what you think.”
“Oh yeah? And what do I think?”
Sienna’s heart pounded. “That I brought the cameras up here deliberately. But I swear I didn’t. I wanted time alone with you, away from them.”
“Do you even like me? Or were you trying to make me kiss you for TV?”
“I wouldn’t do that.” She shook her head and reached out to him. “Trust me.”
Fox pushed her hand away. “Funny, that sounds almost exactly like what Becky said when I first suspected she was going to ditch me.”
Her stomach roiled. This was everything he was afraid of, and it was all her fault. “But this isn’t the same,” she said, her hands falling helplessly to her sides. He had to see that she really cared.
“You’re right. It isn’t the same because this time I’m not going to fall for it again.”
Fifteen
7 Days Until Dream Wedding
He was an idiot.
This was exactly why Fox stuck to the small beach town he called home and worked on boats. Other than Eli and a handful of others, people always let him down. Becky, most of his college friends, and now, Sienna.
How dumb did he have to be to think that someone like her could change in three days?
She was a professional actress. Fox had seen her cozying up to Bruce and Jason, trying to get on their good side by doing whatever they wanted. Besides, Fox and Sienna were practically strangers. It was foolish to think that she would do a one-eighty and be authentic—for him, no less.
Fox ran his hands through his hair as he stormed back to the safe room. It was small, it was cramped, but it was better than Sienna and her lies—or the cameras. Thankfully, the cameraman had stayed behind with Sienna. She would need to do damage control for her image, no doubt.
And it was better that way.
Once inside the small storage room that doubled as the safe room, Fox let out a loud growl that bordered a scream. When that wasn’t enough to satisfy the frustration flowing through his veins, he hit one of the shelves that held linens. Hard.
The entire shelf collapsed with a loud crash, and towels spilled across the floor.
The small space was trashed, and Fox struggled to catch his breath. It was too similar to the chaotic scenes from his post-Becky days.
Back then, he’d start drinking, let his temper get the best of him, and next thing he knew, something would be broken. He’d ruined all his relationships, other than his friendship with Eli, and caused so much self-destruction, he’d vowed never to let himself fall down that hole again.
And for ten years, he hadn’t.
Fox pressed his palms against his eyes and focused on breathing—inhale, exhale. He was embarrassed that he’d lost control. And knowing that all it took was one of Sienna’s lies proved he wasn't ready to open up to anyone. Not anytime soon, at least.
Once he was calmer, Fox opened his eyes and assessed the mess he’d made.
The white towels were scattered across the floor, but thankfully, there wasn’t anything breakable mixed in with them. And once he kneeled down and examined the shelf he’d knocked off the wall, he discovered it wasn’t actually broken. It was the kind that sat on brackets, and he had just knocked it out of place.
With one last sigh, Fox lifted the shelf and set it right. He looked down at the towels. He debated folding them and putting them back, but who knew the last time this floor had been cleaned.
He gathered the linens in a giant heap and walked out of the safe room, only to run into Wade and Eli. Fox thanked his lucky stars it wasn’t Bruce or the cameramen.
Wade’s wide-eyed gaze went to the giant pile of towels in Fox’s arms, to Fox’s face, and back again. “Hey buddy, what were you doing in there?”
Fox felt his face heat up. He could either let his friend's imagination run wild, or he could admit that he’d totally lost his cool. He closed his eyes. “I, uh, hit the wall and knocked the shelf over.”
“Oh, Fox,” Eli whispered.
When Fox opened his eyes, he was sure he would see disappointment on his best friend's face. Instead, he was met with a small smile.
“Here,” Eli said as he reached out to grab some of the towels. “Let me help you.”
“Thanks, man.”
“I guess I should grab some too,” Wade said with a sly smile. “But I’d better not find out you threw up in them.”
Fox rolled his eyes. “They spent all of two minutes on the ground. Other than that, they should be fine.”
“Cool,” Wade said as he shifted the pile of towels in his arms. “Any idea where we’re taking these?”
Fox pressed his lips together. “I think I saw a maid’s station on the other side of the building. Want to try that first?”
“Sure,” said Wade, and the three guys headed down the hall.
Fox didn’t see any cameras, and while he was thankful for the temporary semblance of privacy, his senses were on high alert after what happened with Sienna. He was constantly looking over his shoulder and down halls.
Eli raised his brows at Fox. “Want to talk about what’s going on?”
Fox grunted. “Not really.”
“Okay,” Eli said slowly. He was quiet for a beat longer. “Maybe you could start with why you were hitting things in the safe room.”
Fox sighed. He really didn't want to talk about
it. But Eli was his best friend, and when he’d gone down his dark path all those years ago, talking to Eli had helped him tremendously. “Sienna.”
Wade laughed. “I knew you were going to end up falling for that girl.”
Falling? More like tumbling down the mountain onto a pile of jagged rocks.
The entire thing had been a game to Sienna. While Fox was putting himself out there for the first time in ten years, she had been trying to get good ratings. And the worst part? Fox should have known better.
Sienna was leaving after the wedding, and Fox would go back to his boats. Things would never work between the two of them. And because of that, he didn’t want to tell his friends just how much Sienna had hurt him. Fox returned Wade’s eager, teasing smile with a glare.
Wade shifted the pile of towels once more and lifted a hand. “Fine. No one is falling for anyone,” he said, but Fox couldn’t help but notice the way a corner of Wade’s mouth lifted as he said it.
Eli turned back to Fox. “But I’m still curious what this has to do with Sienna.”
“I talked to her about Becky.” He paused. “And everything that happened after.”
Eli’s eyes went wide. “You did?”
Fox nodded.
“She didn’t take it well?” Eli asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
“No, that wasn’t it.” Fox opened his mouth to elaborate but spotted the door to the maid’s station.
The three guys walked inside, much to the surprise of the staff, and explained what had happened. Fox apologized for giving them extra work to do when the show had already turned things upside down for them and was met with gracious smiles from the employees.
Once they were finished dropping off the towels and were back out in the hall, Eli stopped and put his hand on Fox’s shoulder. “If it wasn’t your past that freaked her out, what happened?”
Fox brushed Eli’s hand off of him and started walking again. To where, he wasn’t sure. Just as long as it was away from the cameras and Sienna.
“Dude,” Eli said firmly as he jogged to catch up to Fox’s quick pace. “What happened?”
The Bridesmaid & The Jerk (Wedding Games Book 1) Page 11