Page 50 of Faking the Pass

I Still Do

P resley

Rosie shook her head, clearly not wanting to discuss Randy.

I was sure the little worm had been taunting her, and she probably didn’t want us to start our day in court with me pounding him into the marble floors.

“Let’s just get to the courtroom,” she said. “It’s about to start.”

Something foreboding stirred in my gut. Rosie wasn’t acting right.

She’d been subdued since we’d returned from New York and found the summons in the mail, but this was different.

Though we walked together hand-in-hand, she wouldn’t meet my gaze directly.

I couldn’t wait until this court thing was over, and she never had to see Randy Rump again. It couldn’t happen soon enough—the next week or two was bound to be rough.

Hopefully it would wrap up fast and he’d go back to California and his baby mama as soon as possible.

Then Rosie and I could go back to our life together in peace.

We walked to the front of the room where I took a seat in the first row behind the plaintiff’s table, in case Rosie wanted to turn around and say anything to me. She took a seat in a chair at the table next to her lawyer and his associate.

Once we were all inside and seated, the judge entered the room from a door behind the judge’s bench.

She was a distinguished looking woman in her sixties and she made a point of smiling in the direction of both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s tables as she said, “Good morning.”

The greeting was echoed back to her.

Since both Rosie and Randy had waived their rights to a trial by jury, the judge alone would be hearing the evidence and deciding the facts of this case.

Nodding toward Randy’s table, she said, “I was given a note that the plaintiff would like to address the court before we begin today?”

“Yes your honor,” Randy said.

She motioned him forward with a hand. “You may approach the bench. Ms. James, would you like to join?”

“No thank you, your honor,” she said. “I’ll stay here.”

What was going on? Was Randy going to try to charm the judge and get some sort of special treatment?

It was possible such a huge movie star would get it anyway, just by being in the room. I hoped not, but the judge was human, too, and it was hard to be a human and not be swayed by celebrity.

Speaking in a clear voice that was a little too loud for the nearly empty space, Randy said, “Thank you, your honor.”

Then he turned his body so he was angled to address both her and Rosie’s legal team who were seated with her at the defendant’s table.

“I’ve decided to drop my suit. I’ve come to a private agreement with Ms. James.”

What?

All heads turned toward Rosie, including mine.

She didn’t look back at me, just kept staring straight ahead.

“Is this true, Ms. James?” the judge asked. “And you are both satisfied with the terms of this private agreement?”

Rosie nodded. “Yes, your honor.”

I gripped the edges of the wooden bench beneath me, feeling like I was about to spontaneously combust.

What agreement?

Why didn’t I know anything about it?

The foreboding feeling from earlier grew even stronger. Was this what Rosie had been talking about with Randy before I’d walked in?

How could any sort of agreement to a months-long dispute be reached in the time it had taken me to park the car?

I didn’t like this. I didn’t like it at all.

By the looks of it, neither did the judge. She raised a brow and dipped the gavel in her hand toward Randy.

“You are one lucky son of a gun, Mr. Rump,” she said, addressing him by his legal name.

Lifting a thick white envelope from the desk in front of her, she went on, gesturing with it.

“I received a letter signed by no less than twenty women,” she said, “all actresses and Los Angeles residents, accusing you of romancing them and telling them a pack of lies about all the glorious things you were going to do for their careers because you’d fallen so head over heels for them and wanted to make them stars. ”

“Several allege there were wedding plans discussed,” she said. “Some of their timelines seem to coincide with each other, some with your relationship with Ms. James here— and with the woman you reportedly just had a child with.”

Shaking her head, she dropped the envelope to the desk where it landed with a thwak .

“I only wish their stories were going to see the light of day, but as they all signed non-disclosure agreements, and as this is a sealed hearing, and you have decided to drop the case, it looks like you’re off the hook—for now,” she said.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she added, “I’d advise you to stay clear of my courtroom in the future, sir.”

“I will, your honor,” he said. “Thank you for your discretion.”

She smirked. “Thank your lawyers and their NDAs.”

Then she looked around at the rest of us in the room.

“Case dismissed. I wish you all a good day.”

As she made her way down from the judge’s bench, she shot Rosie a sympathetic glance.

Rosie’s shoulders sagged—in relief or defeat, I still wasn’t sure.

She and I both thanked her legal team, and the courtroom emptied except for the two of us.

For some reason, Rosie stayed on the other side of the rail separating the public benches from the judge and jury areas and the litigants’ tables.

When she finally turned around to face me, the look on her face stopped my heart.

Despite the dismissed complaints against her, she looked like she’d just received a death sentence.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked. “What agreement?”

Rosie looked at her toes, her shoulders rising and falling with a large inhale and exhale.

“What’s this agreement Rosie? When did this happen?”

“This morning,” she said in a quiet voice.

Finally lifting her eyes to meet mine, she said, “I can’t talk about it. I signed a new NDA. I can’t afford to wind up back in here.”

“How could you do that?” I demanded. “How could you trust him again—after all he’s done to you?”

She just gave a little shrug, tears welling in her eyes.

“Fuck the NDA—talk to me. You can tell me. I’m your husband.”

Very slowly, Rosie’s head swung side to side. “Not really.”

She held out a large brown envelope in my direction.

“I want you to know I appreciate everything you did for me… more than I can possibly say.”

Her voice sounded choked, on the verge of sobbing.

“I’m not sure I can ever repay you for all of it, but I can give you your life back.”

I took the envelope with numb hands and watched as she removed her wedding rings.

She held them out to me as well.

“Rosie… I don’t understand,” I said.

But it was pretty damn clear she was ending our marriage. And I was pretty damn sure of what I’d find inside the legal envelope she’d given me.

I was literally scared to open it and look.

“What are you doing, Starfish?” I said gently, ignoring the rings and holding out a hand to her.

“Come on. Let’s go home. We’ll talk there.”

Rosie shook her head, visibly struggling now against looming tears.

“I can’t,” she gasped, blinking rapidly. “I can’t go with you. I’ve got to get to the airport. I’m going home today—to California.”

For a long moment, I just stood there, stunned, as my brain tried to process her words.

“With Randy ?” I finally asked. “Are you flying back with Randy?”

“He has a plane, and I don’t exactly have the funds for a last-minute ticket.”

I threw up my hands, one of them containing the large envelope. The fear had been usurped by anger, giving me strength to open it.

It was just as I’d suspected, but my mind was blown anyway. This was all so surreal.

“Divorce papers,” I said in a flat tone, flipping through the stack.

Several pages featured helpful colored sticky notes to indicate where I should sign and legally dissolve everything we’d built together.

My eyes came back up to Rosie’s. “You had divorce papers just ready and waiting. When did you have these drawn up?”

I couldn’t imagine when she’d even met with a divorce attorney. She’d been with me almost constantly, and when we’d met with our lawyers for this civil case, I’d been sitting right beside her.

Practices. She must have done it one day when I was working with the team.

But how long ago? How long had she known she was going to divorce me?

Or maybe… maybe she’d done it while I was off planning some romantic surprise for her.

While I’d been busy falling in love, Rosie had been plotting her escape.

“I didn’t have them drawn up,” she finally said. “Randy did.”

“Randy,” I repeated, the name tasting nasty on my tongue. “And when did you start talking to Randy again… about divorcing me ?”

Fiery jealousy burned my gut. It felt like I’d eaten a bowl full of raw ghost peppers.

Rosie shook her head, blinking rapidly.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is, it’s time. Our marriage served its purpose. It’s time we both move on. It’s for the best.”

“You can go back to the team,” she said. “You can break that record you’ve wanted your whole life. You won’t have any distractions as you make your comeback and prepare for the playoffs.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Did Rosie think she was doing me some kind of favor here?

“I’m sorry that you’ll have to find another decoy to keep the unwanted female attention away, but I’m sure you’ll have no trouble.”

She gave me a sad smile. “And I’m going to do another movie.”

“With Randy?” I asked.

She nodded.

“You sold us out… to do another movie with Randy,” I said bitterly. “Are you going to move in with him again, too?”

Her eyelids flared, but she didn’t deny it. “I don’t know.”

I pointed toward the empty judge’s bench.

“You heard what she said, didn’t you? That you were just one of God knows how many women he’s lied to about his ‘love.’”

She nodded.

“I know. I don’t love him,” she whispered. “And I know he doesn’t love me.”

“So, it’s just about your career then,” I said.

“I don’t…” she stopped then started again. “I can’t talk about it. I just hope… I hope someday that maybe you and I can be friends again.”

If I hadn’t been so devastated, I might have laughed.

“Let me tell you something, Starfish,” I snarled.

“I have never felt like just your ‘friend.’ Not back in high school and not now. The reason I couldn’t let any of my friends date you was that even back then, I knew you were the one.

It scared the shit out of me. I wasn’t even close to being ready to feel that way about someone, but I did. I always have.”

I reached out for her left hand, which clutched the rings she should be wearing.

“I still do.”