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“What choice did I have? I can’t stand the idea of being put on display for everyone to laugh at on a regular basis. And as long as Austin is playing ball, that’s exactly what I’m going to be. A permanent punchline.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
Kit snorted and rolled her eyes. “I think that ship has sailed.”
“True. Do you love him?”
“That’s not the point.”
Emma cocked an eyebrow at her, and Kit wondered if it was a gesture she’d picked up from her husbands since it so perfectly mimicked the expression she’d seen from Austin whenever she’d pushed him a little too far. “And that’s not an answer.”
“Of course I love him. But sometimes love isn’t enough.”
“I get that. And I get that this is really fucking hard. But if you back down, if you break things off with Austin and go into hiding, then those keyboard commandos win.” Righteous fury flashed in Emma’s eyes. “Every single person who has ever bullied you, or made you feel like you’re somehow less of a person because you’re not a size two, wins. And the women like us, the women who have spent our entire lives fighting that uphill battle against a culture that wants us to feel ashamed for just daring to exist — we lose.”
Guilt and shame coated Kit’s stomach. “That’s not fair,” she whispered, shaking her head. “It’s not fair to put all of that on me.”
“I know. More so than most,I know. I’ve felt every ounce of that burden from the moment Jaxson and Chase and I made our relationship public.” The corners of her lips tilted up in a sad smile. “It would be nice to have someone to share it with.”
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough for all of that, Emma.”
“You don’t have to be. If you let him, Austin will give you strength when yours fails. I saw his press conference; there’s no doubt that man worships you. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe and happy. And I’ll be just a phone call away.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” Grinning, Emma bumped her shoulder against Kit’s. “Us big girls have to stick together. And rumor has it you’re exceptionally good at your job. I fully plan to take advantage of our newfound friendship and pick your brain about some of our investments that aren’t performing as well as I’d like.”
“Oh, god. Please take advantage. I’ve been lusting over the Cartwright-Davidson empire pretty much my entire career. I would do immoral and possibly illegal things for a peek behind the curtain.”
Laying her hand over Kit’s, Emma squeezed. “I’d settle for a promise that you won’t let the assholes win.”
“How about a promise to think about it?” Kit conceded after a lengthy pause.
“Good enough.”
* * *
Emma had only been gonea few minutes when there was another knock on the door. Annoyed at the idea of yet another interruption, Kit yanked the door open, prepared to give whoever it was a piece of her mind.
But as soon as she did, a kid who barely looked old enough to drive shoved a long white box at her. “Mr. Barrick covered the tip, ma’am. Have a good day.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and hurried back down the front steps to where his still-running car was parked in her visitor’s spot. Shaking her head, Kit shut the door and carried the box to her bedroom.
Should she even open it? There was no card, but the delivery kid had already confirmed it was from Austin.
Of course, it was from Austin. Who the hell else would it be from?
Placing the box on the bed, she crossed her arms and glared down at it. From the wrapping, it was most likely from the same place he’d gotten her corset. But that didn’t automatically mean it was lingerie. The store could sell perfectly normal clothes as well.
Yeah, right.
Giving in to temptation, she tugged on the silk ribbon and pulled the top off the box. Nestled on top of the tissue paper was a small envelope. She opened it, butterflies dancing in her stomach as she read the note.
Meet me at our spot at 9:00pm sharp. Wear the outfit. If you still want to call it quits after tonight, I’ll let you go. Just give me one more night, kitten.
Their spot. Was he talking about the club?
Shifting the tissue paper aside, she stared down at the contents.
