Kellan seemed equally content as he traced the tender rectangle covering my wounded wrist. I knew we both had things we needed to do today, and we would eventually have to get up and deal with the gossip explosion that was probably already happening, but a few more minutes of quality time wouldn’t hurt anything. And I had a feeling this might be the last peaceful moment we had for a while.
That thought was confirmed for me about ten minutes later. Like reality was throwing a wet blanket over our serenity, my cell phone started going off, and Kellan’s went off a few second later. I inhaled a deep breath as I locked gazes with Kellan. We both ignored the ringing for a moment, then Kellan whispered, “Why did we get cell phones, again?”
Laughing, I kissed his nose. “I suppose we should answer those. The photos must be out by now. People are probably worried.” I cringed, wondering if my parents had seen the pictures yet. Dad was going to flip if he saw a picture of his daughter being called a whore.
Kellan sighed, then nodded. He started to turn away, but I cupped his cheek. Ignoring the incessant ringing in the room, I looked deep into his eyes. “Whatever happens from here on out, I want you to know that I don’t regret anything. Being with you, loving you, experiencing this with you . . . it’s all been worth it, and we’ll get through this together.” I smiled. “We’re a team. It’s us against the world.”
Clearly moved by my declaration, Kellan murmured, “Us against the world? That sounds like wonderful odds.” Our phones were silent a second then started ringing again.
I chuckled as I placed a light kiss on his lips. “It’s better than no odds at all.”
It took a minute for Kellan and me to disentangle ourselves. Somehow, we’d wrapped the sheet over us and under us. We were giggling when we finally got the mess sorted out. It made me happy that even though this chaos was being shoved down our throats, we could still find tiny pockets of levity. I quickly tossed on some fresh clothes while Kellan pulled on his boxers. Before hurrying to my phone, I took five seconds to fully appreciate the sight of Kellan’s tight abs and lean legs showcased by the silky black material. He was perfect, inside and out, and I really couldn’t blame the world for being obsessed with him.
Wondering which concerned loved one would get a hold of me first, I glanced down at the screen before picking up. I smiled when I saw Denny’s name. No matter what, Denny would always be on my side.
“Hey, Denny,” I said, bringing the phone to my ear. Kellan was across the room, also on his cell phone now.
“Kiera, you okay?” His accent around my name was just as warm, sweet, and caring as the first day I’d heard it. “Have you seen the news? Your face is everywhere. They know about you. They’re all calling you Kellan’s mistress.”
I sighed as I sat on the edge of the bed. “I haven’t seen it yet, but I knew it was coming. That creeper ambushed us yesterday when we thought we were alone.” Cringing, I asked, “So, how much do the Kell-Sex fanatics hate me?”
Denny let out a long sigh that said it all. “Well, let’s just say that some of them are very . . . passionate. And inventive. Just hope you don’t ever find yourself in any dark alleys with them.” I laughed at that, and Denny sighed again. “I hate to sound like a broken record, mate, but you could always come back home if it gets too rough.” Laughing a little, he added, “Abby even said she’d hide you in our closet if things got too bad.”
I let out an unladylike snort. “Yeah, fleeing back home and hiding out with my ex and his girlfriend—that wouldn’t be awkward at all.” Having heard my comment, Kellan smirked at me.
After a long stretch of silence, Denny quietly told me, “Fiancée. I asked Abby to marry me, and she said yes.”
Even though I’d been expecting it, my stomach dropped. This must have been how he felt when Kellan and I “got married” right in front of him. Swallowing, I pushed down the microscopic amount of hurt in my belly and fully embraced the epic amount of joy I felt for my best friend. “Denny, that’s . . . Congratulations. I’m so happy for you, for the both of you. You deserve a wonderful life, and I know Abby will give it to you.”
He exhaled, relief in his voice. “Thank you. I was . . . nervous to tell you.”
“Don’t be nervous to tell me good news. You and I are past that point in our relationship. I hope we are, anyway.”
“We are,” he agreed.
The second I disconnected with Denny, my phone rang again. I had a feeling I would be fielding a lot of phone calls today. I was really sick and tired of fielding phone calls. I grimaced as I glanced at the screen. Hitting the connect button, I brought the phone to my ear. “Hi, Daddy.”
I kept my voice as carefree as possible, but it didn’t work. My dad’s response was, “You need to come home now!”