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I turn onto the road and merge into traffic. “Well it’s a good thing you don’t have to, then.”
“Excuse me?”
My hand finds Tessa’s and I intertwine our fingers once more. “In case it wasn’t clear, you’re fired, Blaire. I’ll mail you your last check.”
“What?” she shrieks. “You can’t fire me! After all I’ve done for—”
The car goes quiet as I hit the button to end the call, until Tess starts to snicker, shaking her head.
“What?” I question.
She looks at me in disbelief. “Oh, I don’t know. You just outed us to the entire damn world and fired your bitch of a publicist all in the last three minutes.”
She’s right, I did—and there isn’t a single damn part of me that regrets it. My reputation may be in ruins by tomorrow, but as long as I have her by my side, nothing else matters.
I shrug. “What can I say? I took a page out of your playbook and went for what I want, no holds barred.”
Her eyes roll as she huffs, but I can see a hint of the smile she’s trying to hide. I drive through the city, finally feeling free. It isn’t until I feel someone’s gaze burning into me that I turn my head. I look over and find Tessa smirking.
“Care to share?”
She bites her lip. “So, you’re in love with me, huh?”
I chuckle, bringing our conjoined hands up and kissing the back of hers. “Nah. You’re way too young for me.”
Laughter bubbles out of her, and it’s like music to my ears. “You’re such an old man. I’m obviously only dating you for the inheritance.”
30
TESSA
The phone rings constantly for the rest of the day, and for a couple days after. Everyone wants to get a statement from Asher about his forbidden relationship, as they like to call it. With Blaire gone, we didn’t have much experience on how to deal with it all. However, Colby was able to find someone who specializes in these kinds of situations.
She’s nice, and a huge upgrade from the last one. When Asher mentioned another publicist was coming over to talk to him, I immediately shied away from the idea. I was so afraid she would come in and try to force me out the way Blaire did. Thankfully, that’s not at all what happened.
She speaks to me like a human being and not a problem she needs to get rid of. She told Asher and I about how we can get all the records on my past sealed, and even how to get a restraining order against the paparazzi so they can’t perch outside the building and follow us everywhere we go. She even managed to spin the narrative of our relationship so Asher doesn’t look like a creepy pedophile. The fact of the matter is that I’m a legal adult and we’re in a consenting relationship.
When we were leaving the hospital, I had no intentions to come back here. Despite how pissed she is at me, Lennon agreed to hide me at her house. I thought I was no good for Asher, and he was better off without me. Hell, I still do, but he’s not taking no for an answer. He calls it pulling a Tessa. I call it being stubborn. Still, he kisses me in a way that throws my argument out the window.
“Babe, have you seen my black tie?” he asks me.
I shake my head. “But wear the gray one. It’ll go better with that suit.”
“This is why I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I answer honestly.
With a kiss to my nose, he retreats to the bedroom. Delaney sits across from me on the couch with a smirk on her face. I roll my eyes and flip her off.
“Not a word from y
ou.”
She chuckles. “I just think you’re adorable. Love looks good on you.”
I don’t answer. Not because I think she’s full of shit, but because there’s no reason to deny it. I was always the first person to roll their eyes at happy couples. I had no interest in settling down and every interest in just having a good time. It wasn’t until Asher came in and made me work for it, ruining me for everyone else, that I realized what the hype is all about.
Glancing at the clock, Delaney stands up. “I have to go. Dad is meeting me at the restaurant.”
