Page 29 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

I nodded and pulled the notecards out of my purse before getting up. My hand felt empty without Jonas’s, but I knew what it was like to walk alone. I was enough, all by myself.

I stepped up to the podium, took a deep breath and began talking, reading directly from the cards Charlotte and I had worked on together.

“I’ve dreamed of becoming a writer since I was five years old. See, I didn’t have the greatest home life, and a lot of times the only place I could escape to was my imagination. Over the years, writing has become so much more to me. It’s sharing happy moments with friends, letting those closest to me know how much I love them, and showing women that they are worthy of everything they desire in life, regardless of what anyone thinks. Even me.” I smiled slightly. “The truth is, it’s hard for me to believe in love because of how my parents lived their life, but I’m learning every day that real love, happy families heading toward happily ever after, exist. My boyfriend, Jonas, has been showing me just how true that is.” I smiled toward him where he sat in the folding chair, and he gave me an encouraging nod. “We met when our friends began dating, and the two of us have been together for just shy of three months. I didn’t want to go on live television and act like he’s my forever, because frankly, it scares the hell out of me.”

The audience chuckled politely.

“But Jonas is an incredible man. Kind, giving, selfless, and you should see the way he treats his mom.” More laughter as I smiled back at Jonas. “I’m lucky to have him by my side today. Now, if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

A man I hadn’t seen in fifteen years stood up, his dull brown eyes boring into mine. “Would you be willing to answer a question from your father?”

11

Jonas

As soon as that man stood up, I knew I needed to be at Mara’s side. Her shoulders tensed, her jaw shut tight, and she seemed to close in on herself, making herself as small as she could possibly get.

It was horrifying, painful to watch, and completely wrong. I’d only ever been on the periphery of her life up until now, but I’d never seen Mara be anything but confident, funny, and kind. This man, who claimed to be her father, deserved nothing but the title of scum.

Mara’s silence did nothing to deter him. He stood there, waiting for her answer.

Mara’s breath was jagged, so I spoke for her. “I assume you know there’s a reason she hasn’t spoken to you for more than a decade.”

His jaw clenched, and a ruddy red color filled his cheeks.

“Perhaps it’s because you’re abusive,” I continued. “Or perhaps it’s because of the fact you’d show up to an important press conference for her career and attempt to derail it with family drama.” I scanned the room, looking for Charlotte, who was already speaking quickly into her phone. “Security is on the way, and unless you’d like to make a very publicly recorded scene, I suggest you leave.”

I could see his meaty fists clenching at his sides, and if he was acting this way in public, I could only imagine the way he’d acted behind closed doors when Mara was a much younger and less powerful woman.

He walked out of the room, pausing in the doorway to give Mara a lingering look, and then left. Murmurs broke out amongst the people in attendance. I turned to Mara, seeing she was pale, shaking.

I took her face in my hands if only to warm her up. Her skin felt so cold. “Are you okay?”

She let out a strangled sound somewhere between a laugh and a cry. “Family reunions don’t always go the way you think they will, do they?”

I shook my head and brushed my thumb over her cheek to clear away a tear. “He showed his true colors. And you showed yours. There’s nothing to worry about.”

She nodded quickly, turning tearfully back to the audience. “Sorry about that. Now you know where the inspiration for my villains comes from.”

They gave her a polite chuckle, maybe as thankful for the drop in tension as I was.

One of the reporters stood and said, “What did you think of Jonas when you first met him?”

Mara smiled at me for a moment. “I thought he was just a boring accountant.”

“Hey,” I said chuckling.

Her smile grew wider. “And I was right.”

The entire audience was laughing with her, and okay, maybe I was too.

“But he’s boring in the best possible way,” she said. “He’s dependable, kind, and his family knows they can always count on him for whatever they need. Any girl would be lucky to have a guy like that.”

Her words were doing strange things to my heart, tying my stomach in knots. I knew it was all for show, and maybe that’s what had me out of sorts. I wanted it to be real—I wanted a woman who would look at me and appreciate me the way Mara just had—for real.

Another reporter stood and said, “This question is for Jonas. Do you ever help Mara with bookresearch?”

My neck got hot, and I quickly pulled out a line Charlotte had written in bold on my list of talking points. “No comment.”

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