I know that our world will be full of imperfection, but I’ve found my little slice of flawless love and happiness here in Kane’s arms. His love makes every second yet to come of our perfectly imperfect life something I know will never get old.
Our connection will never fade.
The magnificence that we both see in each other will only intensify the beauty we see in ourselves.
He was right when he said that it took two imperfect souls to form perfection together.
And with a deep sigh, I look up into his sapphire eyes and tell him, “I love you, Kane Masters.”
“And I love you, Willow Tate.” His contentment-filled smile is the last thing I see before he turns our bodies, wraps me tight in his arms, and I feel his words on my lips before he slants his head and takes my mouth in a deep, perfect kiss.
TO SAY THE LAST YEAR and a half had been drama free would be like saying an ice cube took down the Titanic. It wasn’t easy. Sometimes, it was unbelievably hard. But even on the darkest of those days, it was still the unbelievably beautiful. The serenity, even through the rumor mill wringers, couldn’t be beat.
The decision to keep the father of Mia’s son a secret from the world didn’t come without its struggles. Christian and Becca had been devastated. But even though it broke their hearts to know what their eldest son had done, they were over the moon with their first grandchild on the way. I think it helped to soften the blow … and, honestly, it made the following months worth it.
Kyle spiraled.
No, he didn’t just spiral, he hit rock bottom and decided to pick up a shovel and find a way to dig his own grave.
Literally.
Six months after Mia told me about the baby, and two months after Milo Robert Post was born, Kyle decided to get behind the wheel after drinking himself stupid for hours. He lost control of his vehicle on a lonely stretch of coastal twist and turns just two miles from Kane’s home.
At the time of Kyle’s death, his brothers hadn’t spoken to him once since they paid him a visit to let him know that Mia and the baby were none of his concern. Kole shocked us all when he threatened Kyle to ensure his silence. When Kane told me that Kole had said he would publicly claim Milo, making up something so juicy that the media would eat right out of his palms, I had been shocked. Sure, Kyle could have called his bluff, but I think he knew that with Kole’s popularity, everyone would have believed him.
I asked Kole what he would have done or said. Kole just gave me a lopsided smile and shrugged. But later, Kane told me what Kole was planning if it came to where he had to go public.
Kole had never made it a secret that he would never marry or have children. He enjoyed his life and knew that it would be hard to find a woman who could put up with everything that came with his celebrity status. Not to mention, bringing a child into his world would be dangerous since he currently had one crazy stalker. So he just didn’t want it and had always made it known. But, if it came to it, he was prepared to not only claim Milo, but he would fabricate a story so insanely graphic and juicy about his love triangle with his own brother, it would be like a Lifetime movie being played out for the world to see. He was right. The story of Kyle, the brother who was notorious for avoiding the press, cheating on his wife and fathering a love child would never have held a candle to Kole’s rendition.
It was a risk, but just like the day we decided to keep the identity of Milo’s father a secret, we knew the only thing that mattered was making sure he lived as normal of a life as possible and that it began with as little of a scandal as possible.
For months after Kane’s and my relationship went public, it seemed like we were in the news daily. Pictures surfaced of us on dates, on the set of Impenetrable, even some creepy stalker-type pictures from someone who had followed us when we took a little vacation to the mountains. It was insane. But it was actually exhilarating.
When it became clear that not only was Kane very much in love, but that we also both had a great friendship with Mia, they abandoned their attempts at painting our relationship as some sordid triangle. It didn’t come overnight, but it happened, and for the last two months, we’ve had nothing but support for our relationship.
Of course, the biggest reason for that was probably because of me.
Yup. Me.
When Kyle died, regardless of the fact that Kane had made peace with the fact he would never have a relationship with his brother again, it still cut him deep. He sunk into a depression, and I didn’t know how to help. Weeks of chopped conversations, nightmares, and eventually silence. I had no idea how to help him get past that. Until Mia. She decided I needed to help him see the good things in life, or more specifically, give him something that would shock him enough to move on and remember the happier times.
Kane didn’t even notice that I had left him alone for the first time in weeks, but he sure did take notice when I slapped one of the most popular entertainment magazines down in front of him a week later. Mia had reached out to the editor, a friend of hers, and explained that I was interested in doing an interview. Not just an interview, but also a bare all expose of myself—in lingerie of all things. I had just stood there, sputtering my shock, seconds away from passing out in panic … until she explained to the editor that this would be an inspirational piece that would show the struggles with body image, self-hate, and finally overcoming it. Hearing her put it that way—even though I was still absolutely terrified about being photographed in skimpy underwear—the thought of helping just one person who felt the way I used to pushed me to go through with it.
She had been right, God love her. Not only did Kane snap out of it when faced with his very bare girlfriend on the front page of the most popular tabloid magazine around, but also he had been so turned on by my confidence that he didn’t leave the bedroom for two more days. Locking himself away for a whole different reason. And I enjoyed every rough, sweaty, arousing moment of it.
Since that interview, I had gone from the woman who may have broken up the rumored Kane and Mia relationship to a woman who became the face of learning to love your own skin. It was weird, and uncomfortable, at times, but every single letter I got from someone who told me that my story helped them to heal made it worth every second.
It was then that Ivy and Dominic made their final strike. We knew it would probably happen, especially after his attempt to keep the Logan Agency afloat on Kane’s coattails had failed. Ivy had tried to sell a story to some low-rate tabloid that I had never had my so-called body issues. She claimed the true story was that I had been a bully to her making her so insecure that she paid thousands in plastic surgery to ‘correct’ the things I had told her were ugly.