Page 84 of The Publicity Stunt

"What?" he asks and laughs.

"You look bigger. Like, really bigger. We noticed it at the cleanup, but in a suit... did you have to have that custom made?"

Victor laughs loudly, and Kace leans back. "No, it's not a custom ordered suit."

"Hey, it's not a bad thing," she says and shrugs. "How bad do I look? I didn't wear a lot of makeup anticipating the breakdown."

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

Kace takes Bri's hand, and to his surprise, she doesn't pull away. Instead, she leans against his side, and he notices how cold she is. Or maybe the emotional demands of the day make her shiver. Either way, he releases her hand and wraps his arm around her, pulling her against his side.

The doors of the church open, and they look outside to see the pallbearers carrying the casket to the hearse. Her hand grips his lapel, and the tears start again. He can't handle it anymore, and he pulls her into his lap and cradles her as she cries.

"I know it sucks right now, but it'll get easier. The pain dulls a little as time goes on."

"I don't know how you did this at seven," she sobs into his jacket. "It feels like the world should have ended when he died."

"It'll feel that way for a long time. And sometimes, you'll have those days sneak up on you and knock the wind out of you, but you'll get through them. I promise," Victor says.

The rest of the crowd filters outside, and she looks up at Kace with watery blue eyes. "I don't know if I have the right to ask or not, but would you come to the cemetery with me?"

"You have the right to ask, and we'll be right there. Whatever you need," he says before his lips find her temple. "I'm still here for you. Always will be."

Her body shivers under his breath, and he takes a moment to remember how it feels to have her in his arms again. His chest aches for her pain, but he loves the fact she didn't tell him where to shove it and suffer in solace. It’s a small hope for him.

They drive to the cemetery, and she holds his hand as they walk to the plot. The pastor speaks, and everyone lays a flower on the casket before walking away from the site.

"I'll be in the car," Victor says. "You take as long as you need, sweetheart."

Bri's security team stands close by, and Tessa and her parents walk over to them. Bri never releases his hand. Instead, she holds it with a death grip, and he tries to anticipate what she needs.

"How are you holding up, babe?" Tessa asks.

"I'm not doing that great," Bri says, her voice barely a whisper. "I can't believe this is real. It didn't feel like real life until right now."

Tessa's parents each take turns hugging her, and Kace dislikes losing her hand in his as she hugs them back. They've known her as long as Tessa has, so he can't be too jealous of their need to comfort her.

"Let us know if you need anything, Bri," Tessa's father says.

"Thank you," she says and gives him a watery smile.

Her mother hugs Bri again. "After being the best friend possible to Tessa, we owe you everything. Anything you need, sweetheart, just tell us."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chambers, but I get more out of our friendship than she does," Bri says. "You guys can take off. Kace and his father are here."

Tessa nods to them. "I'll see you at home."

"You can go with them, Tee."

"Babe, they're about to lower the casket into the ground. You need us. You need your family."

"He was my family," she whispers.

Kace turns to Bobby and signals for him and the others to walk over. He does without hesitation, and the casket begins to lower into the hole. Bri's knees buckle, and he reaches out to hold onto her. She hunches forward, sobs and cries of anguish coming from her. Kace hates this for her, but he appreciates how her entire team, her family, circles around her to support her. This is her final goodbye to Mr. Hanks, and he knows all too well how painful this is.

No one says a word, but it's unmistakable they're there for whatever she needs. Oscar, the man who normally has a permanent scowl on his face, tears up a little. Something tells him the man has personal experience with loss like this, and Kace has a new appreciation for these men.

---