He outlined his plan, and the more he explained, the more I knew it was perfect.
We spoke quietly, and the hustle and bustle of the busy BBQ joint around us created the perfect cover for our private conversation. Two hours later, everything was hashed out, and we left the joint both full, and motivated.
It was really interesting, knowing that right there in a small restaurant in Dallas, over ribs and macaroni and cheese, we had planned the absolute downfall of one of the most powerful men in the country.
I tried not to get too far ahead of myself. After all, there was no guarantee this was going to work. And while a part of me really was going to enjoy watching the man’s life be destroyed, I couldn’t help but still think about my unborn sister, who was really the person I was doing this for.
Still, as we fell asleep that night and I listened to Kiegan’s light breathing next to me while I stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep due to nerves, I knew that this was the best chance we had at doing something about a person who absolutely should never be near children again.
*
For my part, I was pretty glad that I had agreed to let Kiegan take the main role in our plan.
Every time I thought about Edward Hunt, I wanted to throw up. I had pushed the memory of what he had done to me so far back in my mind that it almost felt like it was happening again whenever I thought about it.
My nightmares started again, coming more frequently than before. They had never really gone away, but while before Christmas I might have had them about once a month, now they were almost nightly.
I know Kiegan knew, but he was too nice to say anything about it. He would wrap his arms around me and coo me back to sleep whenever I woke him up, and I noticed after a particularly bad night he’d always make sure that he just happened to order an extra coffee for me, or would tell me that I could have the afternoon off for a nap.
In fact, the closer we got to actually going through with our plan, the more time I spent with Kiegan, the more I realized that he was actually a caring, thoughtful man.
Of course, now that Kiegan was a bona fide celebrity in his own right, and one who might have scandal surrounding him, it became harder and harder to avoid the fact that we were a couple.
Whenever we were together – even at work functions – the Paparazzi hounded us. Pictures of us working together showed up all over the internet, all with terrible headlines that showed us as disgusting perverts.
Kiegan told me it would happen. He assured me that the longer this went on, the more likely it was that he was going to get a phone call from his uncle, and we could put the plan into motion.
I knew he was right, but it still didn’t help quell my nerves. Every time Kiegan’s phone rang I looked at it expectantly, hoping against all hope that this was the time, that this was the opportunity to take everything to the next level, to see if we could pull it off.
In the meantime, however, I realized just how terrible I was at handling fame. I had never gone looking for it, but I had inadvertedly landed in the spotlight by being with Kiegan.
Once I went into a cupcake shop to get some treats, and another lady in the shop asked me if they were for Kiegan and I. I told her they were, and she called me a disgusting whore and a sinner. Shocked, I almost found myself crying, just because of this random person’s opinion about me. The lady behind the counter looked at me sympathetically, and I grabbed my cupcakes and left, trying not to let the world’s opinion of me make or break my self esteem.
It was really, really hard though. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth it. After all, could Kiegan really have changed that much? Was he really completely different to the guy that only a few years earlier told me to pretend a shot put was a vegetable? What if things didn’t work out between us? What if in the future we broke up, and all this public humiliation was for nothing?
I went back to the hotel we were staying at with the cupcakes and texted Leanne.
Can you come to our room? Need to talk.
Two minutes later there was a knock on the door.
“Hey, Tina, what’s up?” Leanne asked, her black curls bobbing up and down as she moved over to me and gave me a hug. Did I really look that depressed that I obviously needed one that badly? I supposed I must have.
“I don’t know what to do Tina,” I told her, sighing and handing her a cupcake, red velvet, while I took a carrot one for myself.
“Well what’s the problem?”
“A lady in the cupcake shop called me a sinner and a whore for being with my brother. And it’s not the first time I’ve heard that. But it’s so weird being like recognized in the street and being judged for something like that. And I don’t know if it’s worth it. Like, what if Kiegan and I don’t work out? What if we break up? I’ll have gone through all of this for nothing.”