Page 108 of Tangled Up In You

The readout said it was James, and as Colette trailed her fingertips over his chest and down his abdomen, he again let it go to voicemail. But within a few minutes the phone rang again.

“Fuck’s sake,” he groaned.

“Ignore it,” Colette said, kissing his neck.

This time it was Shay. And now he began to worry. He answered the call.

“What’s up, Shay?”

“Turn on the tele. Wherever you are, find a tele and watch MTV or CNN,” Shay said quickly.

“Tell me what the fuck it is,” Conor said as he gestured to Colette to turn on the television.

Her expression quickly changed to one of concern and she scrambled to turn on the TV before handing him the remote control.

“Gavin’s talking to the press about his mother,” Shay said.

The screen came to life, showing the surreal vision of Gavin standing in front of his home surrounded by a dozen photographers and journalists.

“Fuck me,” Conor said softly.

“From what I can tell,” Shay said, “all this started ’cause there’s an article coming out in Vanity Fair this week about his Ma. Christ, look at Sophie there.”

Conor focused on Sophie. She was standing next to Gavin with an expression that clearly showed her heart breaking for her husband.

“I can’t believe the madness of this,” Conor said.

“I guess Gav didn’t really intend on doing this, but MTV says all these reporters have been at their house since early this morning trying to get a response.”

“What’s going on?” Colette asked.

“Watch,” Conor said.

He stayed on the phone with Shay while his eyes were fixed on the screen.

The camera had a dead-on angle, focusing on a tight shot of Gavin as he ran his hand through his hair and prepared to speak.

“I’ll just say a few words,” Gavin said, and the reporters suddenly hushed while the camera clicks intensified. “You’re all here because there’s been a terrible intrusion into my family’s privacy,” he continued. “An article is due out concerning my mother, the premise being that I have lied to the press and misled fans for the past few years regarding whether she is alive or dead. The article rightly says she is alive.” Here he paused and looked down for a long moment before returning his hard stare at the cameras. “At least to the best of my knowledge she is. I have been one hundred percent honest in the past when I’ve said anything at all about her. I never claimed she was dead, only that I had lost her. I would like to now ask for my privacy back. This is no one’s concern but my own family’s. Please do as we have done and let her live the life of her choosing.”

With that said, he then stepped back from the mass of microphones that had been thrust toward him. He looked exhausted, and as Sophie took his hand he leaned into her slightly.

The station stayed with the scene as the reporters shouted questions at Gavin.

“Why did she abandon her family?”

“Have you ever heard from her?”

“Was she being abused—is that it?”

“What would you like to say to her?”

Conor winced as he imagined the turmoil Gavin was going through. And then he smiled when he could clearly read Gavin’s lips as he muttered “fuck off” in response.

“I can’t get out of here until tomorrow,” Shay said.

“I’ll leave today,” Conor told him.

“Good of you. Then I’ll see you back in Dublin in a few days.”

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