my mommy and daddy and they are going to get married soon.” For good measure, she added a harrumph on the end of her declaration.
Cameras began flashing as Jaylen hugged her father’s side. Reporters moved closer to the table with gleams of “first scoop” in their eyes. “Can you confirm your daughter’s statement, Noel?” a reporter in the first row asked.
“Is it true, Noel?” a reporter in the back of the room yelled out. “Are you turning in your player card for good?”
As the room erupted in laughter, Ryla ran onto the stage, quickly grabbed Jaylen and tried to make her way to escape. But suddenly three reporters descended upon her and Jaylen, blocking their path.
Like a hero, Noel came to their rescue and warned the reporters that his daughter was off-limits, looking around to ensure his message was clear. But before they could continue out of the room, one of the reporters shoved a microphone in Ryla’s face and asked, “Can you confirm your daughter’s statement? Are you and Noel going to be married soon?”
Ryla immediately turned to Jaylen, then back to the reporters. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Jaylen said, “Tell ’em, Mommy. Tell ’em how you can’t wait to marry Daddy.”
“Ma’am, is that true?” another reporter asked. “Are you excited to be marrying Noel Carter?”
“No comment,” Ryla said, and then rushed out of the room, leaving Noel holding on to Jaylen’s hand with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
The reporters then turned to Noel. “So, when’s the big day?”
He glanced at his little girl. She looked up at him, waiting and expecting him to be her knight in shining armor and save her from these mean old reporters who didn’t believe her. He simply could not crush her spirit by denying the truth of her words. So, he picked Jaylen up and rushed out of the room without saying a word.
* * *
Back at the office, Noel was fuming as he sparred with Ian over the press conference. “I’m still trying to figure out why you even called this press conference today. You knew they wouldn’t ask any serious questions in light of how a few of my ex-girlfriends blasted me on an entertainment news channel earlier this week.”
“Those women are the reason we had to do this press conference today. Since they started flapping their gums about how you dated and dismissed them, your poll numbers have taken a dive.”
“And meanwhile, one of them just earned herself a guest appearance on a popular reality show with scorned women who don’t seem to be the least bit real, ” Noel said, still fuming.
“Whether those women are real or not, you will soon have a real wife,” Ian told him.
“Oh, no I won’t.” Noel wasn’t about to get trapped by Ryla and her “no comment” crap. She could have just as easily said no and then rushed out of the room with Jaylen. Instead, she left his daughter behind for him to crush her dream. Noel knew how it felt to have dreams crushed, so there was no way he was going to do that to his kid, not in a million years.
“I don’t see what the big deal is. You told me yourself that you were in love with Ryla during college, and the reason you dated so many women after college was because you hadn’t met anyone who could take your heart back from her,” Ian said.
“That was before I discovered just how heartless and cold-blooded she is.”
Ian flopped down in his seat. “Look, Noel, I think it’s time that you face the facts.”
“And just what are these facts that you want me to face?” Noel sat down across from his campaign manager, snarling like an angry bull.
Ian sighed deeply as he said, “Your poll numbers have plummeted since your ex-girlfriends started sharing your bedroom secrets to anyone with a camera and a microphone.”
“I can’t stop them from talking, Ian. This is still a free country. And although I thought I treated every woman I dated with dignity, maybe they’re right about the
Cameras began flashing as Jaylen hugged her father’s side. Reporters moved closer to the table with gleams of “first scoop” in their eyes. “Can you confirm your daughter’s statement, Noel?” a reporter in the first row asked.
“Is it true, Noel?” a reporter in the back of the room yelled out. “Are you turning in your player card for good?”
As the room erupted in laughter, Ryla ran onto the stage, quickly grabbed Jaylen and tried to make her way to escape. But suddenly three reporters descended upon her and Jaylen, blocking their path.
Like a hero, Noel came to their rescue and warned the reporters that his daughter was off-limits, looking around to ensure his message was clear. But before they could continue out of the room, one of the reporters shoved a microphone in Ryla’s face and asked, “Can you confirm your daughter’s statement? Are you and Noel going to be married soon?”
Ryla immediately turned to Jaylen, then back to the reporters. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Jaylen said, “Tell ’em, Mommy. Tell ’em how you can’t wait to marry Daddy.”
“Ma’am, is that true?” another reporter asked. “Are you excited to be marrying Noel Carter?”
“No comment,” Ryla said, and then rushed out of the room, leaving Noel holding on to Jaylen’s hand with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
The reporters then turned to Noel. “So, when’s the big day?”
He glanced at his little girl. She looked up at him, waiting and expecting him to be her knight in shining armor and save her from these mean old reporters who didn’t believe her. He simply could not crush her spirit by denying the truth of her words. So, he picked Jaylen up and rushed out of the room without saying a word.
* * *
Back at the office, Noel was fuming as he sparred with Ian over the press conference. “I’m still trying to figure out why you even called this press conference today. You knew they wouldn’t ask any serious questions in light of how a few of my ex-girlfriends blasted me on an entertainment news channel earlier this week.”
“Those women are the reason we had to do this press conference today. Since they started flapping their gums about how you dated and dismissed them, your poll numbers have taken a dive.”
“And meanwhile, one of them just earned herself a guest appearance on a popular reality show with scorned women who don’t seem to be the least bit real, ” Noel said, still fuming.
“Whether those women are real or not, you will soon have a real wife,” Ian told him.
“Oh, no I won’t.” Noel wasn’t about to get trapped by Ryla and her “no comment” crap. She could have just as easily said no and then rushed out of the room with Jaylen. Instead, she left his daughter behind for him to crush her dream. Noel knew how it felt to have dreams crushed, so there was no way he was going to do that to his kid, not in a million years.
“I don’t see what the big deal is. You told me yourself that you were in love with Ryla during college, and the reason you dated so many women after college was because you hadn’t met anyone who could take your heart back from her,” Ian said.
“That was before I discovered just how heartless and cold-blooded she is.”
Ian flopped down in his seat. “Look, Noel, I think it’s time that you face the facts.”
“And just what are these facts that you want me to face?” Noel sat down across from his campaign manager, snarling like an angry bull.
Ian sighed deeply as he said, “Your poll numbers have plummeted since your ex-girlfriends started sharing your bedroom secrets to anyone with a camera and a microphone.”
“I can’t stop them from talking, Ian. This is still a free country. And although I thought I treated every woman I dated with dignity, maybe they’re right about the
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