The Price of Fame - KJ1 (45 page)

A lone tear slid down Kate’s face at hearing her own feelings expressed so succinctly.

The lovers stood there for a time, simply enjoying the feeling of being in each other’s arms.

“Kate?”

“Hmm?”

“What were you doing when I walked up?”

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Lynn Ames

“I was asking for guidance.”

“Did you get any?”

“Mmm-hmm. In fact,” she squeezed a little tighter, “I had just decided that I needed to come home to you right away and beg you to take me back when you showed up.”

Jay looked deeply into the eyes of the woman she loved more than anything in the world, trying to convey with her expression all that she couldn’t say. Nudging Kate back into a sitting position, she knelt between her legs. “You know, I was so focused on how bad it felt to be without you after spending every minute together when we were away, all I could think about was how unfair it was and how mad I was at the uncertainty of it all; I felt cheated, Kate.

“I didn’t stop to consider how you must have been feeling and what you were going through and why. My God, love, you gave up so much for me.” Jay shook her head in wonder. “I will learn to get past these trust issues, I swear to you with all that I am. I will,” she said determinedly, her voice breaking. “And I need you to know, by the way, that my career means nothing without you in my life.”

“It’s okay, love, your career should mean a lot to you—” She was stopped by a hand on her knee.

“You are everything to me, Katherine Kyle; everything. I told Trish this morning that I was the other woman in the pictures. I told her I was madly in love with you and that we were going to be married...” She paused, looking up hopefully into the face she knew so well, seeking reassurance. What she got was a brilliant smile. “She said she would stand behind me no matter what, and that our relationship and any resulting publicity didn’t matter to her in the least. She encouraged me to follow my life and my love.” More quietly she added, “And I have.”

“Oh, Jay, you shouldn’t have put everything on the line like that...”

Green eyes flashed. “Oh I shouldn’t, but you should? No double standards here, sweetheart; I won’t have it. This is a partnership, remember?”

“Yes, but you could’ve lost your career, your future.”

“You don’t get it, love, do you? Losing my job wouldn’t have mattered to me as long as I had you by my side. You’re all I care about, Kate; everything else pales in comparison.” Tears coursed down Jay’s cheeks. “Please, please come home and marry me.”

The watery emerald eyes locked onto beloved cobalt blue, the plea evident there, as Jay reached into her backpack and pulled out a small velvet box, holding it out in front of her in supplication. “This signifies my commitment to you. I will always love you, Kate, always, and I can’t wait to start our life together.” There was a slight question in the air.

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Kate looked down at the box nestled in her hand and opened the lid.

Inside was a gorgeous ring, fourteen-karat gold, set with a three-quarter-carat oval natural blue sapphire accented with eighteen small circular-cut diamonds and ten tapered baguette diamonds. The inscription on the inside said one word:
Eternity.

She had trouble talking around the lump in her throat. “Jay, this is magnificent. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

“I have—you. I want everyone,” Jay’s eyes glistened as she gazed lovingly at her partner, “especially you, to know that you’re mine for now and eternity.”

“That I am, love, and I always will be; I give you my word.” Leaning forward, she planted a gentle, tentative kiss on waiting lips. “I love you, Jay, with all my heart and soul. There is no one else in my life, and there never will be. You’re all I want and all I’ll ever need. I can’t wait to be married to you.”

Jay wiped a tear from her lover’s eye. “I believe you,” she said, tracing the chiseled cheekbones with loving fingers, and she meant it.

“Just promise me you’ll never leave me again.”

“I promise, love.”

“May I?” Jay asked, indicating the ring.

“Please.”

The ring fit perfectly, which was a good thing, since Kate’s jeweler had promised her it would the night that Jay had dragged Peter there before they went to dinner. She leaned forward, kissing Kate with deliberate slowness and smoldering passion. The contact felt so, so sweet. When they parted after breathless moments, she murmured,

“Perhaps we should head down now and continue this somewhere more comfortable?”

“Mmm,” Kate hummed against her lips. “Lead on.”

Both women knew there were deep wounds that needed mending and that only time and togetherness would take care of that, but for the moment they had each other, and that was a balm to both of their wounded souls.

At the same time, in a hotel suite thousands of miles away in Albany, three men in sharp-looking business suits were meeting in secret.

“You’re too hot, we’ve got to move you out for a little bit.”

“Yeah, it’s causing too much of a stir. We’ll create a new position in another agency, get you away from the media, and put you there for six months until this all dies down. Then we’ll bring you back.”

“What are you going to do with my position? It’s not as if you can leave it vacant.”

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“I have the perfect solution for that, and the big guy will love it: Katherine Kyle.”

“Ooh, good thinking. He loves her, and she just got fired. She’s probably desperate for a job, since she got canned for being a dyke, and she’s expendable in six months. Nobody will care what happens to her after that.”

“Perfect. She’s got the credentials to do the job, and it shouldn’t be any problem getting her to screw up in six months and having to bring me back to fix the mess. I like it.”

“Okay, I’ll pitch it to him tonight and have him call her personally and offer her the job. He’ll be none the wiser, and she’ll no doubt accept.

That should seal the deal.”

“Right, gentlemen. We’ll keep in touch only when absolutely necessary, and I’ll expect to be updated in three months. Talk to you then. I’ve got a plane to catch.”

Kate and Jay decided to stay the night in Sedona and fly home the next day. Neither one of them was ready to share the other with the public just yet; they needed some time together, alone, before either of them could face that.

The first time they made love that night they both cried, overcome with emotion and the renewed realization of just how precious their love was, and how close they’d come to losing it.

Jay kissed Kate reverently, running her hands gently over the skin and muscles she loved so well. “I’m so, so, sorry, love. Your forgiveness is a gift so far beyond any that I deserve.”

“Shh, baby. That’s all behind us now. From now on, we face every challenge together. We both made mistakes. And it’s likely that we’ll make more in the future, but if we do, we’ll make them together, okay? I promise you.”

They continued to make love well into the morning hours, each feeling the enormous strength of their shared connection, and both feeling whole for the first time since everything began.

They slept like babies on the plane to Albany from Phoenix, and by the time they arrived at the house, the dark circles under their eyes had started to fade and their hearts had begun to heal, nourished by the comfort of each other’s presence. They hadn’t talked about the future any further just yet, both knowing that they needed some time to get reacquainted and settled before dealing with anything that weighty. For the time being it was enough to know that they had each other and that they would face whatever challenges lay ahead together, as one.

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Setting the mail aside, Kate scratched Fred lovingly; he had been waiting for them thanks to Peter, who had dropped him off a couple of hours earlier. The security expert had been ecstatic when she had called him to tell him that she and Jay were coming home, together.

“Hey, Technowiz.”

“Kate, are you okay?”

“I am now.”

“Um, are you alone?”

“No. Jay’s here with me. Everything’s fine. But you and I are going
to have a
long
conversation, got me?”

“C’mon, Kate, what was I supposed to do here? Let you both make
the mistake of a lifetime? You two so clearly belong together, I just
couldn’t sit by and let that happen.”

“Even if you went against my specific wishes?”

“Yes, even at the risk of losing your friendship, Kate, because your
ultimate happiness is worth everything, and that woman brings you more
joy than anything else on this planet.”

“Well, I can’t argue with the truth of that statement,” she said as she
squeezed Jay’s hand a little tighter in hers, “but that doesn’t mean
you’re off the hook.”

“Of course not,” Peter said, laughing. “I can’t wait to see you both,
but I think I’ll lay low and stay out of your space for a little while.”

“You are such a chicken.”

“Ayup. That’d be me. Bye, Kate. Glad to have you back.”

“Not as glad as I am to be back, I assure you. Bye, Technowiz, and
thanks for everything.”

Jay called from the other room, “Sweetheart, there’s a message on the answering machine.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” She jogged in and pushed the play button.

“Hello, Kate, this is Governor Hyland calling. I’m sorry I missed you and I understand you’ve had a bit of a rough time of it lately, but I think I may have the answer: I’d like to offer you a position in my administration serving as chief spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services. Next to my press secretary, no public relations person gets more exposure or is more important to me. It’s the third-largest prison system in the country, so I imagine we can find a way to challenge you. What do you say? I’d love to have you on board. Please give me a call as soon as possible and let me know. I hope to talk to you soon. Bye, Kate.”

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Lynn Ames

“Wow.” That was all Jay could think to say. “Wow, that’s fantastic! I knew I liked that man.” She went to her partner, who was standing in the middle of the room with her mouth open, and squeezed her tightly.

“Um, huh. What do you know?” was all Kate could manage.

“I know I love you and you’ll do a great job, and so does the governor. Smart guy.” Jay slipped her hands under her lover’s shirt, finding warm skin. She ran her palms over the taut abdomen, hooking her fingers into the waistband and popping open the button to Kate’s jeans in one fluid motion.

Within moments they were naked and lost in each other once more, pausing in their lovemaking for just a few seconds, blue eyes meeting green, as they pondered the wonder of the beginning of a new life together. Then all thought became irrelevant, leaving only feeling and sensation in its wake.

Welcome home, indeed.

THE END

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