Jagged Hearts by Lacey Thorn Page B

weren’t?”
    She shook her head. “You opened my eyes to what I was missing with you. But it was my mother and her actions that forced my hand on this. I’ve spent my whole life bowing and catering to her every whim. She said jump and I became the prancing pony. Go here, say this, smile. She was one of the last things Lance and I talked about that day. I was going to put my foot down. And in the aftermath, I gave her more control than ever.”
    “So what’s your plan?”
    “I’m going to show the press just how well I’m doing. They need to see that. No more speculation. No more letting my mother drag this out and parade it every year.”
    “And how are you going to prevent Vivian from doing that?”
    “I’m going to offer them something better, something they can only get from me.”
    “Do you want to do it? Or do you feel forced to do it?” Bare asked.
    “I need to do it,” she answered. “For me and no one else. This may seem soon, as if I’ve just flipped a switch and changed. Maybe, in a lot of ways I did. But I think I needed to flip a switch, up here.” She tapped her head. “Once I did, it was like clearing out all the clutter. I can’t promise you I won’t have days where I fall back into depression or guilt or anger.”
    “Warning me off?”
    Paisley shrugged.
    “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve seen you at your worst. You don’t scare me.”
    She smiled. “You don’t scare me either.”
    “Good, because I have a temper, as well. I’ll yell, cuss, and I’ve been known to go off and sulk for a while. At least, that’s what Gilly says.”
    She chuckled. “We’ll make quite a pair.”
    “As long as we’re a pair,” Bare said. “I know this might seem soon, too.”
    “Stop,” Paisley said. “You and I have been working our way toward this for a long time now, and everyone knows it.”
    “Paisley, I—” Bare began, but she interrupted him.
    “It’s time to head down,” she said. “We’ll have to finish this later.” She took a deep breath and ran her hands over her clothes, straightening her shirt and tugging at the hem of her skirt. “Do I look okay?”
    “Beautiful,” he assured her.
    She gripped his hand, lacing their fingers and wrapping her other hand around his wrist. “You’re going to stay beside me, right?”
    It was the third time she’d asked him, and he nodded, assuring her again he wasn’t leaving her side. It let him know just how nervous she was. He felt her trembling as they headed down the stairs toward the lobby. He heard the rumble of the crowd as they drew closer, and her trembling grew. She might tell him she was ready, that she needed to do this, but he knew her well enough to see the nerves and fear she dealt with.
    He didn’t ask her if she was okay this time. A question wasn’t what she needed. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I’m not sure what you plan to say, but I know you’ll have them eating out of the palm of your hand.”
    They both heard Jamison’s voice boom from outside. Paisley took another breath and blew it out slowly.
    “Showtime,” she whispered.
    “Let’s go get ‘em,” Bare said.
    He kept his hand on the small of her back as they headed out the doors. With the other, he pulled on a pair of aviator sunglasses. He skimmed his gaze around, taking in the crowd and seeing where every man currently on payroll at Knight’s Watch was located. Jamison stood in front of a podium someone had moved out. There were microphones and cameras everywhere. Jesus! There were way too many people here. The crowd of reporters went into an uproar as soon as they saw Paisley.
    “Ms. Ames! Ms. Ames!”
    The cries filled the air as people jostled while they tried to claim her attention. It was a fucking zoo, one Bare hoped they didn’t have to get used to. He was already getting a fucking headache.
    He kept his gaze scanning as they approached Jamison. Bare didn’t pay attention to what his boss said. Then a hush fell