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“Well, that’s comforting,” Ben said. “Seeing as how I haven’t prepared anything.”
“Don’t worry. I prepared a cheat sheet for both of you, and when this is over, Arthur Scott is going to look like a bully.” She turned her eyes to the two of us and smiled. “And let me be the first to apologize for my own behavior. When Roxie told me about you and Jake, I wasn’t happy. I didn’t want your romance to overshadow Ben’s work, but now, I think we’re going to spin it to our favor. Everyone loves a happy ending.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ben said. “I’ve never been much of a happily ever after man myself.”
Tony, who had been quiet for the most part, got to his feet, and before he could excuse himself, I decided it was time to apologize for what happened at his party.
“I’m sorry about the party. I’m afraid I lost my head, and I should have trusted the two of you. But I’m sure you can see why I was so possessive.”
“It’s okay, Jake. She’s an amazing lady. I’m sorry about this mess, and I hope that after today, we can put it all behind us and put my money to good use.”
“Yes, sir.” I shook his hand, and Tony filed out into the hallway.
“Well, I guess we should join him,” Ben said. “We can’t keep everyone waiting.”
“What else is new?” Ally mumbled. She gave a soft laugh and followed him out.
We walked out of the office and down the hall, and when we walked into the round room together, Ben was standing up at the microphone, talking about his film. “Oh, the film is going great,” he said. “We’re just about to wrap up in another few weeks, and hopefully, we’ll have a trailer soon after.”
“What about the scandal with Jake Storm? Is it true that he fired his publicist over the leak?”
“I’ll have to let Jake Storm speak for himself, but I just want to say that it’s really sad that two people, high-school sweethearts at that, can’t rekindle a romance without someone like Arthur Scott trying to make it dirty. Jake and Kate are two lovely people.”
“Isn’t it true that you had Kate escorted off the set?”
Ben waved off the question. “My assistant did have Ms. Bridges escorted off the premises, but only because we had to ensure Ms. Bridges’ safety as well as the safety of others. From now on, there will be better security on the lots. I’m going to turn it over to Jake and Kate. Thank you.”
I was tempted to reveal the truth about Kate’s escort, but I knew Ben had only done it to move on, so I decided that the smartest thing was to dispel the rumors and let it slide.
The cameras flashed on me, and I had to let the noise die down to be heard. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here today. I have been deeply hurt and disappointed by the accusations being made about me and my longtime love, Kate Bridges. It’s sad that Arthur Scott got taken by a greedy employee, but the truth of the matter is she didn’t know the past between Kate and me. I’m sure if she had, this wouldn’t have gone as far as it did. While it was not our intention to bamboozle the public, as Kate and I worked closely, we had the blessed opportunity to rekindle our old romance and we are officially dating. Sorry, ladies. I know it might not be good for my eligible bachelor status, and while I appreciate your support, I’d also like to ask for it at this time. Kate makes me happy, and I know that’s all any of my true fans want for me.”
I pulled her close and kissed her. The cameras flashed, and the crowd went wild. Portia was in the crowd, and she stormed away, angry things didn’t end badly for us.
After we answered questions and stepped away from the podium, Kate leaned in and squeezed my hand. “Any regrets? It’s too late to turn back now.”
“Not one.” I pulled her in and made love to her mouth and thanked the heavens she was mine and now everyone knew just what she meant to me.
Epilogue
Kate
It was hard to believe that one year had passed since our public debut as a couple, and now, it was time for Jake’s big premiere for Operation Amazon.
I had been running around all day, trying to make sure things were running smoothly, and I had just finished up with the makeup artist twenty minutes earlier. It was time to slip into my dress and heels.
Putting on the dress made me feel like a princess. It was black silk and fit me like a glove, clinging to my flesh before falling away at the hips where it cascaded, flowing to my feet where my heels gave me the height I needed not to walk all over it.
