“I’ll take your word for it. Text me when you’re headed this way. Kole let me in and I’m going to lay down until you get here.”
I hang up, pocket my phone and call out to Cam.
He comes stomping into the room, his booted foot just missing Kyle’s head. “Well?”
“Get the car ready, and I’ll meet you down at the gate. Keep it running and when I’m done, we head to Kole’s.”
Cam gives me a nod and turns to go to the garage, but not before I see that creepy-ass grin back on his face.
MY MIND SLUGGISHLY STARTS TO wake. I jolt when I feel another poke against my back. Swatting behind me at the annoying sensation, I burrow deeper into the pillow. I start to relax when the sharp poke hits me again.
“Willow!”
My name, accompanied with another jab, makes me jump, and I almost fall off the side of the bed in my haste. Turning my head, I squint through the darkness at the intruder.
“Kole?”
His white teeth shine brightly in the dim lighting, and his head bobs in affirmation.
“Is everything okay?”
He bends and clicks on the lamp next to the bed, soft lighting bathing the room in a muted glow. He’s rumpled from sleep, and my eyes almost bug out of my head when I realize he’s only wearing some low-riding sweat pants. I quickly avert my eyes and look away, hearing his deep chuckle as my face heats.
“I need you to come with me,” he tells me before bizarrely standing and walking over to the door. “I figured you would want something more comfortable to wear instead of that … well, that,” he says and points at me.
I look down and gasp when I see the state of my appearance. I had thrown off my jacket when I came in here earlier and because my bra is the most painful thing ever, it followed. I left my pants and top on, but given that I had been sound asleep, the top had shifted and now one of my nipples was dangerously close to giving Kole a show.
“Oh, God. I’m sorry,” I rush out in embarrassment and grab the sweatshirt he had been pointing at. “Holy crap.”
“Don’t worry about it. Nothing I haven’t seen before, but do me a favor and let’s not mention that to my brother.”
At the mention of Kane, my humiliation fades, and the pain I felt earlier returns. God, it hurts. My whole body feels bereft without his presence.
After pulling the sweater over my head, I move toward where Kole is waiting and follow him through the hallway and into what I assume to be his office. He points at the chair behind the enormous monitor and waits for me to sit. I look over my shoulder at him curiously and wait for him to clue me in to why he woke me up. His hand moves over the mouse and the computer wakes, making my eyes hurt when the brightness hits me.
“Sorry,” he mumbles and pulls the wireless keyboard over to him.
I keep watching his movements on the screen as he brings up the browser and then I move to his fingers as he quickly starts typing.
When I see the address for a very well-known tabloid site, I gasp and look up at Kole.
“Trust me,” he says with a wink.
He has no way of knowing, but hearing that in a voice so similar to Kane’s and followed by his wink, cracks my heart a little deeper.
God, I miss him.
“Here we go,” he drones, and I look up to see him nodding to the monitor.
When I see the scene unfolding in front of me, I scoot closer and take it all in. I’m shocked at what I’m seeing, but my heart responds to the image of Kane instantly by picking up speed and all but bursting out of my chest.
What the heck is he doing? Walking out of his front gate and into the madness screaming and yelling questions so rapidly you can’t decipher what any of them is actually asking.
My gaze drinks him in and I try to understand the expression on his face. He looks nothing short of determined with his body held tall and sure with each step he takes past his now open gates and closer to the cameras. A strobe light of flashes dances in the darkness as he willingly walks, alone, into the crowd. It isn’t until he stops and holds up one hand to silence the group in front of him that I get a good look at his face.
To the world, he looks like Kane the movie star, confident in every move he makes including this one, but to me, all I see is the man who is falling apart.
“Holy crap.” I gasp when those eyes I love so much seem to look through the screen and right into my soul.
Kole grunts out a low laugh, but neither of us speaks, waiting and watching the live feed on the screen.
“I’m sure you have better things to do than to sit at my gate,” he starts, looking around him at the reporters in his path. “As you know, there have been a few reports about my private life today that have created some unpleasantness for me and those I love.” The crowd starts to buzz at the mention of those rumors, but he continues before anyone can question him. “While I hope you understand I won’t confirm everything that is out there, I want you all to just shut up and listen to what I have to say.”
Kole laughs loudly at his brother’s hard tone and passive-aggressive dig at the invasiveness that their very existence brings him.
“Today, the woman I love found out the hard way just what your tactless reporting can do when you take just the smallest grain of truth and twist it into whatever you want. She was hurt because of my life, and I won’t allow anyone the chance to question her value to my life. Not by you, my fans, and not even from herself. My private life is none of your business. My happiness and hers are the only things that concern me. So while I have your attention, allow me to set the rumors to rest. Yes, it’s true that I am without a doubt spoken for. The beautiful woman who fell into my life earlier this year owns every part of me, my heart, and my future. You might think that’s newsworthy, and you can try to find drama to fill your stories with, but I’m here to let you know you won’t find any. The woman I love gave me the greatest gift when she opened herself up and took a chance on me. Go home and wait for the next story to break because you will not find it with Willow and me.”
He keeps his eyes on the cameras in front of him for a few beats and then turns, walks to the car I hadn’t noticed idling just inside the gate, and climbs in the passenger seat. I can see Cam’s face, a huge smile in place, as the cameras start to flash rapidly as he inches forward and the feed cuts off.
“Did that just happen?”
Kole closes the browser and turns his head. “Fuck yeah, it did.”