Page 126 of Cougar

“Oh no you don’t.” Cam hooks his arm around me from behind and pulls me back against his chest as Bass quickly moves to stand in front of Jay. “Here.” Cam tosses Jay’s phone to Bass. “You guys head to the airport. We’ll meet you on the plane.”

Bass shoots me a look that says “I told you so.” I roll my eyes before he turns and guides a mumbling Jay out of the room, but not before I hear her say something about never talking to Cam again.

And that hurts my feelings for Cam.

This isn’t his fault. It’s mine.

Like every other secret I’ve kept from her. And now, because of my selfishness, I have to delay telling her about Alex.

“You okay?” Cam asks softly before letting me go.

Turning around, I wrap my arms around his waist and drop my head to his chest. “No.” I burst into tears.

“Were you really going to hit her?”

Was I?

Tilting my head back, I look up at him. “Yes,” I admit. “And then I would’ve spent the rest of my life regretting it.” With the backs of my hands, I swipe the tears from my face. “I know she’s hurting, but I am, too. I won’t tolerate her disrespecting either of us.”

A small smile pulls at the corner of his lips.

“What?”

“You told her you love me.”

That wasn’t exactly how I planned to tell him.

“Yes.” I smile. “I do love you, Cam.” I place my hands on his chest. “I’m in love with you. I don’t know how I got so lucky to find love twice in my life. I won’t try to understand it. I’m just grateful for it.” I slide my hands up his chest and circle my arms around his neck. “Thank you for being patient with me and giving me the space I needed to work out my feelings.”

“If she hadn’t walked in on us, would you have admitted it?”

“Yes.”

“Does this mean you’re mine? We can finally tell Liam and the rest of our families?”

“Yes.”

“That includes my sister.”

I drop my head to his chest. “Fuck my life.”

* * *

“What’s taking so long?” I bark into my Bluetooth. Cam and I have been sitting on the plane for thirty minutes while I scroll through all the bullshit articles and pictures posted online.

I flip through picture after picture of Jay coming out of our attorney’s office with Tyge Reynold’s arm draped across her shoulders. My heart free-falls into my stomach when I see the terrified expression on her face. I’m suddenly anxious and gearing for a fight. Ever since I started working in public relations, the media never bothered me. But now they’re messing with my baby. Eighteen years we’ve protected her, and this is what they do to her the moment she steps out in public for the first time.

“There was a situation,” Bass tells me. “We got it handled for now, but you’re gonna have to do some damage control.”

“What happened?”

“I gotta go. Be there in ten.”

My phone beeps with a Google alert.

Supermodel Evangeline Skye and Jayla King exchange verbal blows in the middle of LAX with celebrity blogger Kelly Cunninger. Looks like America’s sweetheart has a bit of a temper.

“Damnit!” I shout.

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