The Marriage Deadline by Niobia Bryant

Author:Niobia Bryant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-07-06T13:40:30+00:00

* * *

“Luc, I’m still not sure about this.”

He glanced over at Eve sitting beside him in the back of one of his family’s chauffeur-driven SUVs. She looked astoundingly beautiful in an emerald satin strapless evening gown with her short ebony hair in large finger waves and a diamond flower-shaped hairpin over her left ear. “I would like you by my side, Eve,” he said, reaching to take one of her hands into his.

She released a shaky breath as she stared out the tinted window at the brightly lit New York theater of the Directors Guild of America. There was a crowd and plenty of press hoping to catch a glimpse of the celebrities scheduled to attend the world premiere of Nicolette and Phillip: Love, Family & Food.

She looked over at him with a weak smile. “This is the type of attention I would have craved in the past,” she admitted, clutching his hand tighter.

Lucas saw her unease but pushed it aside. “I think it’s time to not let the past control you anymore,” he said. “No more running, Eve.”

Lucas had asked her to carve out time in her hectic schedule to attend the premiere with him. And he was excited about it. On those nights they lounged about her house making love, taking a night run, or chancing a skinny-dip in the lake, Lucas felt relaxed just being with her, spending time together and laughing. Eve.

“You’ve changed,” he reminded her. “There’s no going back.”

Eve nodded as if reassuring herself of it.

Just a few days ago they had been in the Caribbean and now they were making their world debut as a couple.

“Ready?” he asked.

She leaned it to kiss him and then retrieved a napkin from her clutch to wipe his lips free of her shiny peach-tinted gloss. “Ready,” she said.

As they stepped out of the rear of the SUV and onto the red carpet, Lucas felt Eve’s hand gradually tighten on his as the camera flashes went off around them. But as they walked the red carpet and posed for pictures, it was clear that Eve could not be comfortable back in the spotlight. Her body was stiff and her smile stiffer.

Normally, it was during public spectacles that Lucas would smile through his own discomfort being in front of the cameras. Being seen. And judged. The chubby kid of his past was always with him. Always feeling not quite good enough. Or fit enough. Or handsome enough.

And then it hit him.

He had cajoled Eve right into a scenario that he rarely found comfortable.

Lucas pressed a kiss to her temple, and she looked up at him. He smiled at her and she did the same. For a moment, everything around them faded to nothing. It was just them and he felt her ease return.

But it was short-lived.

The roar of the crowd and the press broke through their bubble.

Eve forced a smile as she leaned in close. “No more photos for me,” she said.

He held on to her hand, but she eased out of his grasp and walked away to stand at the end of the red carpet.

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