by Michele Hauf
“It’s not a theory. I interviewed Cindy right before she turned herself in,” Rusty said. “She knew you never loved any of the other women, but that you loved Kennedy, and she wanted to make sure you and she had no chance of staying together.”
“She was successful in her plan.” Hawk set his bourbon down. “James. I need a tall glass of water. Actually, bring me a gallon.” He cleared his throat. “Has this story broke yet?”
“I’m sure it’s made the news, but I obviously have the exclusive interview that will air the first hour of my show, and I want to bring you and Kennedy on.”
Hawk shook his head. “Kennedy won’t do it.”
“Okay, but I’m still going to ask her. What about you?”
“Nope. I won’t do it either,” Hawk said. “I’ll give you a statement, approved by my attorney, and Kennedy, if I can get her to return my calls, but that’s it.”
“Give me the statement, and I’ll get it to Kennedy,” Rusty said. “You have my word I will only air it if she says it’s fine.”
Hawk nodded. He knew he could trust Rusty. “Usually, Kennedy writes these things for me.”
Rusty slapped Hawk on the back. “I’m going to call Kennedy now. Please get me the statement as soon as possible.”
“Will do. And tell Kennedy to please call me.” Hawk pulled out his cell and set it on the bar.
Still nothing.
“I better call my lawyer. Do you have any copy I can give him on the story?” Hawk asked.
“I already emailed you a link. I’ll be in touch,” Rusty said.
“Thanks, man. You’re a good friend.”
Rusty glanced over his shoulder. “Trust me. Kennedy will come around. Just give her some time and space.”
Hawk wished he believed that were true.
Kennedy flipped open her laptop and pulled up the email from Rusty.
“Read it out loud,” Ethel said.
Taking a sip of coffee, Kennedy cleared her throat. “This whole thing is crazy. I can’t believe Cindy was arrested.”
“I can’t believe she paid someone to spy on you,” Jackie said. “That’s so creepy.”
Among other things.
“She totally ruined your relationship with Hawk.” Ethel snagged a couple of grapes from the tray and popped them in her mouth.
“Don’t you two get that we were lying?” Kennedy asked, tired of her family acting like she hadn’t pulled the wool over their eyes.
“You fibbed about when you started sleeping together, but come on, you’ve got it bad for him, and he for you,” Jackie said with a flip of her hand. “And don’t try to tell us otherwise.”
“Will you please read the statement, so we know if Hawk needs to make any changes? The show airs in an hour, and they need your response,” Ethel asked.
“His attorney helped him, so I’m sure it’s fine.” Kennedy sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. She clicked on the attached document.
“Official statement from Hawk Jefferson. First, let me start by apologizing to the public for lying. It’s never becoming on anyone and not something I am proud of. I could rattle off a plethora of reasons, all valid, but at the end of the day, it’s a betrayal to the American public. That said, Kennedy Monroe does not live her life in the public eye, as I have chosen. And yet, she put herself out there because I asked her for a favor. Unfortunately, Cindy Lockhart decided to take a childish request made by me and turn it into something ugly, making Kennedy look bad. In Cindy’s quest to dig up whatever dirt she could find by any means possible, including illegal ones, she has irrevocable harmed an innocent woman. I realize I played a role in what happened, and I can apologize until I’m blue in the face, but nothing is going to ever change the fact that I screwed up so bad, and now I’ve lost the woman that I love. What started off as fake turned into the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love Kennedy Monroe, and I’d do anything, short of lying again, to win her back. This ends the statement. Kennedy, you should know, Hawk plans on making the statement in person, not me reading. He’ll be here for the first segment.”
Kennedy wiped the tears from her cheeks and closed the laptop. She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut.
She did that three times but couldn’t form any words.
“That can’t be his statement,” she mumbled. “His lawyer wouldn’t have drafted that. It doesn’t really cover the legal part of all this.”
“Oh, my God,” Ethel said. “Who gives a fuck about the legal part. This is the human part. The only part anyone really cares about.”
“Why the hell are you still sitting on that sofa. Get up, run down to that station, and get your man.” Jackie grabbed her by the hands and yanked her off the sofa.
“And your dog.” Ethel raced into the other room. “I’m sure they do hair and makeup.”
“Oh no. I’m not going on live TV.”
“Yes. You. Are.” Jackie shoved her out the front door and into her SUV. “I’ll drive.”
“This is nuts. I can’t go down there.” Mindlessly, Kennedy pulled the seat belt across her chest.
“Do you love him?” Jackie asked.
Kennedy’s heart soared at the reality of her emotions. “How did this happen so fast?” One minute she’d been just his assistant, drooling over him in private, and the next, she’d been waking up in his bed, naked. “Does he really love me?”
“He’s going to go on national television and tell the world. Um, I’d say so,” Ethel said.
“This is crazy.” Kennedy glanced at her sisters. “I love him. Let’s haul ass.” The only question was, did she tell him she was on her way, or did she surprise him.
She decided to go with the latter, but she might need a little help from a good friend.
“Nothing. Why hasn’t she responded?” Hawk paced in the green room at the station.
“I don’t know.” Rusty sat in a chair in the corner of the room, drinking his coffee. “I can push this to the end of the first hour.”
“You know she opened the email, right?” Hawk asked. Fuck. If she read it and didn’t love him back, then no way in hell would she approve. Which was fine. “We should have sent her both statements.”
“I’ll shoot an email over now, stating we can go with a different statement if she’s not comfortable with that,” Rusty said. “I’m sorry, man, I really thought she’d respond. I know she loves you.”
Hawk shook his head. “I think it’s obvious that she doesn’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“If she did, she would have replied.” Hawk stopped pacing and topped off his mug. The bitter liquid soured his stomach even more. “In the end, this is all my fault.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Even if you hadn’t told me she was your girlfriend that night, she would have ended up at that bar because of the Heather story.”
Hawk forgot about that, and Rusty was right. Hawk would have asked her to meet him there to figure it out. Or at his house. The pictures might have been taken anyway, and the story would have been spun. But it could have been worse had Rusty not been able to give him the heads-up. Cindy could have twisted that story a million different ways, and he and Kennedy would have never gotten ahead of it.
And maybe they would have never found out how much they really cared for each other.
He pulled out his cell.
Hawk: Please. Call me. Or at least email Rusty back.
Bubbles popped up, but then disappeared.
Fuck.
Could he blame her? Not really. And who told someone they loved them in an official statement? For a man who was almost forty, he certainly acted like a child. He was clueless about how to be in a real relationship or how to treat the woman he loved.
He started pacing again.
“I’ve got to get to the set. I’ll have my producer put you on at the very end of the hour.”
Hawk waved and nodded. He followed Rusty out of the green room. He figured watching the show would keep his m
ind off things. He stood in the background, leaning against a large chair. Rusty opened the show by talking about Cindy leaving the show and her subsequent arrest. Damn, the man was good. He handled the entire story with kindness and respect. Even Cindy couldn’t be mad at what he said about her, since almost everything was positive. Of course, what she did was pretty gross, but his words weren’t cruel.
In between segments Rusty leaped from his stool and raced over to where Hawk stood. “I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?”
Hawk tilted his head and arched a brow. “You heard from Kennedy. She wants to go with option two.”
“Sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“She sent me a statement to read to follow up yours.”
“Which statement?” Hawk asked.
“She said she’s fine with you reading a combination of both. She wants you to address the legal issues and the personal aspect. She doesn’t want you to leave anything out. She said to think like she would if she were helping you with the statement.”
Hawk laughed. “That’s harder to do than it sounds.”
“She gave me some guiding questions. I’m sure it will be all good.”
“What does her statement say?” Hawk’s heart did a deep dive into his gut. Tears actually burned the corners of his eyes. He’d finally gone and done the one thing he swore to his parents was impossible.
He’d fallen in love.
And he wanted to get married and have kids.
He wanted it all with Kennedy.
But he wasn’t so sure she wanted all that with him.
“She asked me not to say anything to you about it until I read it on air.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Hawk said. But Kennedy wouldn’t blindside him, so whatever it was, it couldn’t be worse than what he was going through right now.
“Are you ready to do this?” Rusty asked.
“Might as well get it over with.” Hawk let some woman fix his hair and put a mic on his shirt while he got comfortable on a sofa.
Rusty took his spot on the big chair with his tablet on his lap.
The producer counted down using his fingers.
Hawk stiffened his spine. In all his life, he’d never been so nervous before.
“Welcome back to The Morning Dose. I’m here with Hawk Jefferson.” Rusty swiveled his chair. “Thanks for being here today. Mind if we dive right into the topic at hand?”
“Please. I want to set the record straight.”
“Let’s start with the legal parts. You are aware that Cindy Lockhart was arrested, and some of her alleged crimes include hiring someone to invade your home and take pictures and even install cameras. Two others were named as accomplices in her attempts to attack your character, as well as Kennedy Monroe’s. Will you or Miss Monroe be filing a civil suit?”
“First, we are working close with the police department to help them build their case. We are also turning over what we can to my legal team. In all honesty, I haven’t had a chance to hash this out with Kennedy, but I don’t want to drag this out, nor do I want or need anything, except an apology from Cindy or anyone else involved. So, my answer is, no, we don’t plan to file a civil lawsuit at this time. We have, however, filed restraining orders.”
“It’s unfortunate what happened. We here at The Morning Dose are very sad and confused over the turn of events when it comes to our co-worker, and we are sorry for what she’s done to you and Kennedy.”
“Thank you,” Hawk said. Time to take ownership of his role. “However, some of this could have been prevented if I hadn’t asked Kennedy to act as if she were my girlfriend. It was a childish thing to do in order to get my parents—”
“I think what you meant to say is that you and Kennedy acted as a couple before you became a couple, because isn’t it true that you are in a romantic relationship with Kennedy Monroe?”
Hawk blinked. What the fuck was Rusty up to? This wasn’t in either statement. “No. Not anymore anyway. We broke up.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. When?”
“Saturday morning when the story hit. Kennedy’s not used to being in the spotlight and while much of what Cindy reported on was taken out of context, some of it wasn’t. Kennedy just had enough. I honestly don’t blame her. It’s a lot for anyone to take.”
“So, it wasn’t a fake relationship then? You were dating Kennedy Monroe,” Rusty said.
Hawk nodded.
“You are in love with Kennedy, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I am. I love her very much, but she and I aren’t in the cards.”
“Then you’re playing with the wrong deck,” Kennedy said.
Hawk whipped his head around, craning his neck. “What the heck? When did you get here?”
A woman with a headset stood next to Kennedy, putting a microphone on her blouse.
“Isn’t this a pleasant surprise.” Rusty stood with an outstretched hand. “It’s good to see you.”
“Thanks for having me back.” Kennedy stepped in front of Hawk and gave Rusty a hug. She sat on the sofa and put her hand on Hawk’s thigh.
He rubbed his eyes a couple of times. He glanced to the ceiling, wondering if maybe one of those big lights fell and landed on his head, knocking him out.
“I think Hawk is still in shock,” Rusty said with a slight chuckle. “I almost feel bad doing this to him.”
“Me too,” Kennedy said with a bright smile.
Hawk tried to take a deep breath, but his lungs burned. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I changed my mind after I read your official statement,” she said.
“Which one?”
She laughed. “The first one. Did you really think I was going to let you go on national television and declare your love for me and not be in the room?”
“No. I thought you were going to make me go with statement number two,” Hawk said as he laced his fingers through hers. Her skin felt silky smooth against his calloused hands. “Just the dry legal stuff.”
“That would be boring,” she said. “Besides, we might have started this by pretending, but there is nothing fake about the fact that I love you.”
“And you heard that first on The Morning Dose,” Rusty said.
“That was live?” Hawk shook his head. “You are full of surprises.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, not caring the entire world was watching. “I love you, too.”
“I think this is a good lesson for those of us in the media that we can use the power we have to make things right again. My wife and I had the good fortune of spending what I think Kennedy and Hawk would consider their first official date together. That night, when my wife and I were getting ready for bed, my wife told me that she’d never seen a couple so madly in love with one another and yet they didn’t know it yet. I had to agree.”
“You were an old sap in college, and you’re still an old sap.” Hawk rested his arm around Kennedy’s waist.
“Welcome to my world,” Rusty said, turning toward the camera. “I think we can put to bed all the rumors surrounding Hawk and Kennedy’s relationship status and start discussing and whispering about when the wedding might be.”
Epilogue
Two months later
Kennedy blinked open her eyes. Marvin and Hawk were outside playing fetch, the ocean rolling into the shore behind them. God, she loved waking up and watching them together. She’d been hesitant to move in because of what happened the last time she tried to move in with a man, but also because they’d only been together for a short time.
However, it seemed like they’d been together forever.
Their love came easy. It was filled with passion and respect.
The best part is the media finally had started to leave them alone. They’d become an old boring couple. Sure, they still had their picture taken and ended up on the cover of rag magazines, but most of the stories were positive.
They were the golden power couple,
and she was the girl that tamed Hawk.
That always made her laugh.
“Morning, babe,” Hawk said as he stepped into the master bedroom. “To your bed.” He commanded. “What is up with this dog? Why is he all of a sudden climbing into bed with us again?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t like sleeping alone?”
“Well, he’s too big. He takes up half the bed. Worse, he has to be between us, and he growls at me in the middle of the night if I get too close to you.”
“Then kick him out when he sneaks in.”
Marvin sat at the edge of the bed, whining. He scraped his paw at the comforter.
She shrugged and patted the bed.
Marvin didn’t hesitate. He made a circle three times before finding the perfect spot, in the middle of the bed, and rested his head on Kennedy’s stomach.
“I tried kicking him out last night. He climbed back up on your side. It seemed to have started last week when you got sick.”
The nausea gripped her gut, twisting and turning at the memory. But at least now she knew why she woke up feeling like shit every day. She just didn’t know how Hawk was going to take the news. He knew about the lapse in birth control, and they did use a condom, once.
He hated that.
So Russian roulette it was, but they never really discussed the consequences. At least not in depth. It was something they agreed that maybe, in a year or two. And that was the end of that.
Hell, they barely talked about marriage, other than her family would kill her if she ran off and eloped. She’d have to do the church wedding. He groaned at that every time.
Hawk reached out and rubbed Marvin’s head.
Marvin didn’t move. Just kept his snot on Kennedy’s tummy. The vet told her that some dogs were very sensitive to pregnancy. Made sense for Marvin. The dog was sensitive about everything.
Hawk dropped his hand to the bed.
Marvin nudged it up to her stomach and then dropped his nose over Hawk’s hand.
“You are the strangest dog ever,” Hawk said.