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“Yeah, I get that. But I’m not giving up on us, kitten.”
“You should. You’ll be much happier in the long run.”
“Impossible.”
In spite of it all, she couldn’t help but smile. “You sound so sure of yourself.”
“Because I am. Listen, I gotta go. Just… promise you won’t give up on us completely.”
“Goodbye, Austin.” Pulling the phone from her ear, she tapped the button to end the call. For a moment, she sat and stared at the blank screen, trying to summon the strength to move. But the enormity of what she’d done overcame her, rooting her to the chair. Giving in to it, she curled into herself and wept. For herself, for Austin. And for the life they’d only started building together, that now lay in ashes at her feet.
Chapter 29
Austin
“Austin? Yo, Earth to Barrick.”
A pair of fingers snapping in front of his face had Austin jerking his gaze up from the phone he’d been scowling at. “What?” he snarled at Mary, who was studying him through narrowed eyes.
“Did you hear a word we just said?”
“Ah, yeah. Sure I did.” Lies. He’d been thinking about the conversation he’d had with Kit that morning. The way she’d said goodbye had felt like her slamming the door on their relationship and locking it for good. And it had shaken him to his core.
“Right. Just stick to the damn script, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Mary shoved him towards the side of the stage to wait for his cue. A moment later, his jaw nearly hit the floor when Jaxson and Chase flanked him.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
To his right, Jaxson snorted and adjusted his tie. “You didn’t really think we were going to let you go out there on your own, did you?”
“Yeah, I did. Look, this is my mess, I can clean it up myself.”
“Well, sure you can.” Grinning, Chase clapped him on the shoulder. “But it’s more fun this way.”
“I can’t ask you guys to stick your neck out for me like this.”
“We aren’t. We’re protecting our own names and our assets.” Jaxson slid a sideways glance his way and the corner of his lip twitched ever so slightly. “Besides, it’s always fun to tweak the press.”
Austin shot him a grin, the knots in his stomach loosening for the first time since Kit had walked out on him that morning. “It sure is. All right, boys. Let’s do this.”
They stepped through the curtains, Austin heading straight for the podium with Jaxson and Chase standing behind him, silent sentries. A hush fell over the crowd of reporters for a moment, and then the room exploded with noise as questions were hurled at them.
Why are the Davidson-Cartwrights with you?
How long have you been engaging in these deviant sex acts?
Where is Katherine Callahan? Are you two still together?
Is there any truth to Chloe Carlisle’s accusations?
He waited for the roar to dull to a loud hum before pointing to one of his favorite reporters. Lacey Reynolds was as sharp as she was pretty and she’d always been fair with him. She stood, her face set in a serious expression. “Did you force Chloe Carlisle to perform sexual acts with you without her consent?”
Leave it to Lacey to cut right to the heart of the matter. “No, I did not. I won’t comment on the nature of our private relationship, but I can honestly say that everything between us was consensual and Chloe was always a willing and enthusiastic participant.”
With that out of the way, he selected another reporter, one he didn’t recognize. “You, with the goofy tie.”
