"Are you going to share with us who's been cast for the role?" Penelope asked.
"We're going to save that information and keep today all about Kendall," Ted replied. "The first episode of Glitzy & Fabulous will be airing in a few months, but in the meantime, we want to make sure the viewers give Kendall some time to heal."
Charlize shook my hand in the air, like it was a gavel.
"As a woman who values her privacy, my heart breaks for her," Penelope said. "I can't imagine how she must be feeling. I know I certainly wouldn't want any of my private moments to be released without my knowledge or approval."
"I have to agree," Niko said. "If I were in her situation, I know I wouldn't want to be on the show anymore either."
"There must be something we can do," Penelope offered.
"I think the best thing would be to show her some support," Ted suggested.
"Excellent idea, Ted." Penelope took out her phone, and the camera zoomed in to show her clicking the Follow button on my Instagram account. "I'm going to show her some love right now." She began to type and stopped, looking at the camera to say, "In fact, why don't all of our viewers take out their phones and show that girl some much-needed support?"
"Headed there right now," Niko said, his phone also in his hands.
Charlize's grip tightened, my stomach doing the same thing.
Penelope eventually set her phone down and said, "Ted, thank you for stopping by the studio and giving us the cold, hard truth behind these rumors. We know it's not easy to take responsibility for something like this."
"Thank you again for having me," Ted said, and the show switched to a commercial break.
I pulled the phone away from my face, the screen now exploding with notifications.
"To all things holy," Charlize said, showing me my Instagram account, which was doubling in followers every time he refreshed. "The comments under your photos are blowing up, girlfriend. Everyone is telling you how much they love you. They're red-hearting every damn thing on your page."
"I …" My voice faded as I tried to process what had just happened.
Dominick hadn't told me the final details of the settlement, aside from the amount they were giving me. He'd asked me to trust him, and I'd signed my name across the bottom of the agreement.
This was what I hadn't seen.
I was positive of that fact because there was no way the CEO of a studio would have gone on national TV to apologize to me, making sure everyone knew who was at fault, without Dominick having something to do with it.
My lawyer had negotiated the best possible deal.
But my boyfriend had known this would make me feel better than any dollar deposited into my bank account.
"Dominick," I whispered, placing the phone back against my ear.
"How do you feel, baby?"
I cleared my throat, moving some of the emotion away so I could speak. "I honestly don't think I have words right now."
"Making you speechless is exactly what I wanted."
Tears were stinging my eyes.
My lips wouldn't stop quivering.
My breath was long gone, my chest far too tight to take a breath. "You made it right." I swallowed, my spit so thick. "You made it better."
"I told you I would."
Charlize's hand was on my shoulder, the biggest smile on his face as he showed me the comment Kylie Jenner had just left, sending me her love.
"Dominick …" A tear dripped, hitting my lip. "I love you."
"I love you more," he replied, a growl then erupting as he said, "Now, get over to my office. I have something planned for that mouth."
EPILOGUE
DOMINICK
M
y girl never stopped smiling. Even during the darkest moments when she was hurting more than she was letting on, I could still find a grin on her lips. She was tough. Far tougher than her sister, who wouldn't have survived a second of that media shitstorm.
Since Kendall had been released from the studio, from shooting every day, and from sharing her life with the whole goddamn world, her personality was really shining. She wasn't weighed down by all these false narratives being spread about her, her tears were at bay, and she was no longer trying to hide from the public eye.
She was even posting again on social media, sharing her art and quotes about life-things that were important to her.
I could never take away the scandalous photos-they would live online forever. But I could make the situation better, and that was what I'd done.
And I was making sure she enjoyed every moment of that emotional freedom.
Once I wrapped up a few important meetings and was able to clear my schedule, I planned a surprise trip. The morning of, I told her to pack a suitcase for a warm, sunny climate. That was the only hint I gave her, and a few hours later, we boarded my company's private jet. I even made sure all the monitors inside the plane were covered, so she couldn't see the destination or the route.
The moment the plane landed, I moved her over to the stairs, where two women were waiting for us at the bottom, leis in their hands.
"Aloha," they sang.
Kendall turned toward me, her lips in that grin that I loved so fucking much. "Hawaii? Are you serious?" She threw her arms around my neck, making me the happiest motherfucker. "Tell me this is a dream."
"We're here for two weeks, baby, and we're going to island hop." I leaned back, my thumb tugging at her lips. "You're going to be dreaming later when you see the sunset from Kailua Beach." I pressed my lips to hers, tasting the heat from her mouth and the tropical scent on her skin that smelled so much like the breeze. My hands dipped to her ass, gently slapping it. "Go get your lei, so I can see you in that bikini I brought you."
"A bikini, huh?"
I'd known about this trip for over a week, so I'd had time to prepare.
And this one was a thong that only I'd get to appreciate since I'd rented us a private house on Oahu.