Incognito

Chapter Thirty-One

"Just keep your head down and stay in close but behind Jake." Edward captured Bella's hand in his, guiding her ahead. "We should've used the fucking VIP exit."

Jake snorted, his hands up to hold back some ravenous paps. "No shit."

"Then your haters would call you pretentious or some bullshit." Bella slipped an air pod in her ear, ignoring the catcalls and the horrible crap the paps were yelling as flashes nearly blinded her, as intended.

"Your safety is worth it. Next time, VIP all the way. I'm tired of catering to these assholes. I don't give a fuck what they think." Edward kept his anger under tight control, but after the hell they'd been through, he was finding it difficult. All he wanted was to see his baby sister marry one of his best friends. Instead, paps ambushed them and they had to leave before the ceremony even started.

It had taken some sneaking around—which, of course, fueled rumors—to get the paps to follow them instead of his family, for his sister and Garrett to get married. The news of Kate's pregnancy hadn't shocked his parents; his mother was quite observant. Nor were they angry since they wanted grandchildren. They were, however, concerned the baby was the only reason they wanted to marry.

Garrett assured them he had intended on asking her to marry him later that month on Kate's birthday and had already bought the ring a week earlier. So, of course, their parents had joined them in Vegas, but after the media learned who was getting married, the paps took to slut-shaming his sister, hoping to piss Edward off.

Nothing sold better than pictures of a favorite celebrity losing their shit.

If it hadn't been for Bella and his family, he would've hit someone. Kate didn't deserve any of that, and he was the reason her wedding day was being marred by some camera-wielding assholes calling her a slut.

Edward felt that it wasn't worth it anymore. He loved the work; just not every aspect.

Bella's hand tightened in his, and then he felt her trip as someone shoved a camera in her face. Edward pivoted, catching her before she hit the floor. "Get the fuck off her, asshole."

Jake was there in moments, pushing the guy away without using his hands. The asshole tried to take advantage of his position on the ground. The flash had Bella covering her legs, realizing he was trying to take a picture of her crotch. She lifted her foot, ready to smash the man's nuts, but Edward wound his arm around her waist, lifting her and carrying her.

"Get us the fuck out of here," he snarled as several airport security surrounded them.

"Oh, I forgot I'm wearing spanks." She showed she could walk, but she turned and double flipped the paps the second Edward placed her down.

Edward laughed, taking her hand again. "You know those pictures will probably go viral."

"I'm counting on it. Better than the ones of you looking murderous in Vegas." She kept her voice down, knowing it was for the best.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, earning a beautiful smile in return.

"Seth got your bags." Jake slipped his phone in his jacket pocket and continued to lead the way. "Almost there."

"LAX is a nightmare on a good day." Bella looked up for a moment, regretting it after the flashes made stars dance in front of her eyes. "This is ridiculous."

A pap, in his haste to get in front of them, fell over his own feet, making them laugh, but they kept their heads down.

"Did you think that was funny?"

"Bella, do you enjoy seeing others humiliated?"

"That was hilarious, right? Payback for almost tripping you. Care to comment?"

Seth kept a stern look on his face as he opened the door to the SUV waiting for them at the curb. "Good to see you, boss." He winked and slammed the door once they were safely in the backseat.

"Fuck me," Jasper whispered from behind the driver's seat. "They're fucking relentless since they saw you guys in Vegas." He waited as Jake and Seth jumped in the car.

Edward allowed his head to fall back against the seat, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Sorry, man. Is Alice okay?"

Jasper nodded. "As if I'd let anything happen to her. Besides, she keeps turning on the sprinklers whenever they get too close to the house." He grinned as he pulled into the busy street. "I'm semi-retired, so we haven't seen this much pap action in months."

"Stop punishing yourself." Bella lay her head on Edward's shoulder. "Your family and Garrett knew it could become a circus."

"Your father called me last night while you showered and threatened to hang me by my balls if we got married without them in attendance." Edward shook his head, smiling a little, as though the phone call had been disturbing. Especially considering Charlie had somehow gotten his private number, knew his exact location before they told anyone other than family, and that they had left for Vegas before even the media knew about it.

Something told him that Bella's father had some serious connections. The kind that would allow him to hide a body if needed.

Like his own.

"And I put him in his place."

"Sorry about my mother," Edward said, wrapping his arms around her. "Now that Katie took away her dreams of the perfect wedding, she expects us not to do the same."

Edward's family was well aware that they were technically engaged, having seen the ring on the necklace Bella had worn under her dress. They couldn't be happier, but it worried them.

Did they all see something he didn't?

Bella's reluctance to announce it to the world still hurt him. He understood, but it was almost as if she was waiting for it all to come crashing down around them. Then again, after their weekend, it was possible that she wouldn't be able to live with the constant scrutiny, the haters that had already flooded her social media accounts with their trash talk, and lack of privacy.

"I don't want to lose you." Edward kissed her temple, holding her tighter.

She scoffed. "It's going to take a lot more than that to send me running, babe."

He stilled, something akin to anger simmered in his blood. "Does that mean there's a line they could cross that would?"

Jasper cursed. "Jesus, Edward. Stop putting words in her mouth, or you are going to lose her. Don't forget I was the same way with Alice, and she had to walk away. I was waiting for it to end because of things I had no control over."

Edward lifted his arm off Bella's shoulders and crossed both over his chest. He watched as Bella rolled her eyes and scooted away. "She believes all that goes with being a celebrity in Hollywood could be stronger than us."

Bella looked at him. "And I'm right. You're proving it right now." Her head rested on the opposite window, her gaze moving away from his. "Not that I believed it would be stronger than us. It's you I'm worried about."

She couldn't have shocked him more, and Jasper nodded in agreement. "You're your own worst critic and enemy."

Was he?

Maybe.

"Fine, maybe I am. It's not like I haven't seen this kind of shit breaking other people apart."

"Exactly," Bella blurted out, her arms waving around. "Other people. I wanted to wait until you no longer consider us other people. Not just the rest of the world, you."

Edward rubbed his hands over his face, exhausted and in a shit mood. He hadn't been able to see Katie get married, and it pissed him off. The anger didn't allow him to see reason.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this," he muttered. "I'm too old for this shit."

"You love acting." She didn't even question what he meant. She just knew.

"I love you more." He held out his hand, silently pleading for her to take it. "Please don't be angry with me if I suddenly choose to stop, okay?"

"I would never be angry with you for making an important decision that's best for you. If acting is no longer making you happy, then I'll stand by your side as you try your hand at something else."

"Maybe I should wait? I mean, at least until I go back. See what it feels like to be in front of a camera again."

"That's a good idea. I'm sorry that my wanting to keep our engagement under wraps is hurting you. Just talk to me. If you think you can handle what the world will do and say, then we can release a statement."

"No, you're right. I can wait, but I will not keep our relationship a secret."

"Sounds good to me." She pulled out her phone, turning it back on, then it vibrated with message after message. "Ugh, back to the daily grind."

Edward laughed, turning on his phone, too. "Shit, Jane left a few voicemails, at least."

Bella nodded. "She left a few on mine, too." She listened, and with every second, her face paled more.

"What is it?" He ignored his phone, worried about whatever caused Bella to turn white as a ghost.

"She wants to represent me." Her dark brown eyes widened, remaining on him.

"For makeup and custom design?"

She shook her head. "A video of my theater performances has gone viral. She's getting bombarded by calls from producers."

Jasper sighed and spoke up. "We warned you the other night at the dinner party. They were going to want her to come out from behind the scenes."

"Shit."

.

.

.

Bella had been pacing for the last hour since getting home. "… either I seem ungrateful for such amazing opportunities after refusing to even audition or I seem like I'm using your A+ celebrity status to get the roles."

"More like B-," Edward stated, snorting. "Rags still like to rub that shit in, still have won none of the 'big' awards, meaning I'm nowhere near an A."

"That's such bullshit, like three Emmys, two People's Choice, and three Golden Globes is so easy to get."

"I paid for them, apparently. Even the MTV and Kid's Choice ones." He laughed when she turned to glare at him. He grabbed her hand as she passed him, sending her tumbling onto his lap. "I'm kidding, Bella."

"Obviously, but this is no laughing matter. Jane still hasn't texted you anything?"

They both told his agent they'd think about it, but only if she discussed their options with his newly hired PR team. He wasn't taking any chances with his relationship with Bella.

According to some friends in the industry, she remained blacklisted because of the asshole producer who tried to force her to sleep with him for her to keep her job. They were simply ignoring the black mark on her since she was gaining attention. It bothered Bella and Jane because it was all because of their rumored relationship.

Edward understood. One of his exes had taken advantage of his celebrity status at the beginning of his overnight success. She'd gotten small parts in several television shows, even two on the big screen, dropped his name to get into clubs and restaurants while she partied with her friends, tried to get drinks and food for free from those places. He ended that relationship after he realized she called the paparazzi for a quick lunch together in an out of the way taco place. They never would've found them there if she hadn't called. She even confessed she had done it.

"Do you want to act?"

Bella shrugged. "When I was younger, sure. But I love what I do now, too."

"I say audition. You will know if it's something you want to pursue until you do it."

"I think… I don't think I'm ready yet." Her fingers twisted in his shirt. "I still struggle to be alone with some asshole producer or director while I work, and I've rarely been on movie sets since they blacklisted me. Maybe one day, but not now."

The tension in her body melted away once she made her choice.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Can you let Jane and your team know? I'm going to shower. The stench of paparazzi is still clinging to my skin."

"Anything for you." Edward watched her go and googled Bella's name. After watching three videos, he understood why there was interest in her. She was good—better than good, mesmerizing. There was something about her eyes that seemed to tell the audience exactly what she was feeling.

Another search caught his eye; a post from an older blog of hers. He hated invading her privacy, but she had published it publicly, so he hoped she wouldn't be mad about it.

It was a detailed description of her encounter with an unnamed producer that ultimately lead to her dismissal from a project and being blacklisted. Every word made his blood boil. He realized people were sharing the link on Twitter and Facebook, and it would likely go viral soon.

Jane always told him to avoid the comment sections. Always. Yet, he couldn't help himself. He looked at the recent comments, glad to see they weren't horrible like he expected. There were a few that were anonymous, one claiming to have had a similar experience. Even as he sat there reading, more and more comments were coming in.

He had to tell her.