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Robert: I’ll say. Final paperwork will be ready in four days, but that should be easy. Your mom’s flight is booked.

Robert: The press conference was great. The feedback online is already positive and glowing for you and damning for Tommy.

Me: Glad to hear it. Thank you for your help.

And just like that, the rage that’s been driving me since yesterday dissipates and is replaced by something lighter. By the simple, overwhelming need to be with my girl and my boy.

As I slide into the back of the waiting car, I finally feel my shoulders relax. For the first time since all this began, I close my eyes and breathe.

32

The press conference ends, and all of us stare at the massive flatscreen in Mason’s family room in bewilderment. But I can’t even begin to explain how full my heart is. The things Loomis said about me. In public like that. If I had been there, I would have mounted him like a horse and ridden him straight into the sunset.

Stone turns off the TV, and suddenly I feel a dozen sets of eyes on me.

“Wow,” Wren finally says, breaking the silence. She turns to Jack. “Right?”

“Definitely,” Jack agrees. “That was pretty incredible.”

“Yes,” Sorel acknowledges from Mason’s lap, his hand on her large, pregnant belly. “He seriously loves you.”

“Like, no joke, loves you. Keegs!” My sister squeals my name, and I can tell she wants to get up and tackle me with a hug but is refraining. “I’m so happy I could cry and pee at the same time.”

“Not on my couch you won’t,” Mason tells her pointedly, and she rolls her eyes at him.

“Holy crap!” Katy squeals as she stares at her phone. “You should see what’s on IG now.”

“Damn. The video of the press conference that was posted is getting so many comments of love and support for him.” Bennett smiles at me, his hand on Katy’s thigh.

“And the video Tommy posted the other day is getting ripped apart,” Vander states with a smug grin. “Same with the post he just made stating that this is a scheme to ruin his good name and reputation and that he hopes his fans and the world will believe him. They’re not. They’re slaughtering him. Crazy how things like that spread so fast.”

I get up and walk over to Vander, and before he can object, I sit on his lap and hug him fiercely while I pepper his face with a million kisses. He bursts out laughing, futilely attempting to ward me off.

“I love you, Vander. And now that you shaved your grizzly beard, I can kiss your cheeks instead of that rat’s nest.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you, too. Now stop or I’ll grow the beard back.”

“Like you weren’t already going to.” I giggle and give him another squeeze and one last kiss before I pull back and turn serious. “I owe you so much.Weowe you so much.”

“It was fun, and the guy had it coming.”

“Vigilante shit,” Katy praises, giving him a fist bump. “Speaking of your beard, why did you shave?”

Vander throws Katy a devious sort of look. “Reasons.”

I raise an eyebrow and share looks with my girls.

“He’ll never tell us, though it’s nice to see your ugly mug for a change instead of the mangy, lice-infested thing you were calling a beard.”

Vander flips Mason off.

“For real, though, I’m happy for you, Keegs,” Mason continues. “Powell has some serious balls. Speaking as someone who’s done a million press conferences and has been coached onwhat to say and what not to say, Powell just blew all that away and kicked its ass. People will respond to that.”

“Seriously,” Owen agrees and turns to me as I climb off Vander’s lap and retake my seat. “It seems they already have. Same for you.”

“You better sign my books,” Wren demands. “They’re going to be worth a fortune now.”

I roll my eyes at her, though she’s not wrong about my sales. Those have skyrocketed in the last twenty-four hours, and my publisher emailed to say that they want me to do a multi-city book tour for the release of the first book. I still have my residency to finish, and I will, but the idea of a book tour, of making this a full-time profession, has me stupidly giddy.