Page 19 of From Us, Forever

“That’s unexpected.” I frowned. “He didn’t seem like a man who would commit suicide.” But who was I to know anything about what was going on inside someone’s head?

The tension around the room was still charged andheavy as they all exchanged weary glances.

It was sad news; I get they were upset about finding out that someone they had worked with for years was now lost forever. But the boys didn’t hold any love or respect toward that man, so I still didn’t understand what was going on with them.

“And?” I prodded further.

Mikey clenched his fist until they turned deadly white. “And they are blaming us for it.”

“What?” Shock filled my blood. “Why?”

Mikey let out an exhale. “It’s the media. It’s what they do. One minute, he’s the enemy leeching off artists, breaking the law, and the next, he’s a great man betrayed by everyone around him so he committed suicide. To make it worse,his bitch of a daughter is suing us,” he scoffed. “For all I know, she was the one who killed him.”

“Suing you for what?” My brows furrowed. What could the boys possibly have to do with his death?

Mikey waved an exasperated hand. “For emotional distress, defamation, and slander. And whatever else she could add to her pretty list. All that bitch wants is money.”

“But wasn’t the IRS already compiling a case on him? You guys were just another artist on his label. Why is she suing you? Is it going to be a bad one?” The questions just burst out of me as a tick of panic sliced through me.

Jay’s eyes reached mine as he grasped my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. “The case won’t hold in court. She is doingthis todrag us into the mud and let the media play a frenzy on us. But our team will handle it, and it’ll die down.”

“I agree. Katy is in talks with PR, and legal will handle the rest,” Matt said as he rose to his feet and walked over to the windows. “We shouldn’t fret. It will eventually be replaced with another headline.”

I sighed. I didn’t realize my week would take this turn. Only days ago, I was happy to be done withherpresence in our life, but it looked like that wasn’t the case. I get the boys were used to handling something like this, but the looks on their faces told me they weren’t expecting this either. It wasn’t long before the boys bid us goodbyes, hoping things would take a better turn as they left.

A quiet moment passed between Jay and me as we stared at their disappearing backs down the hallway.

“I told you this is why I don’t like Monday mornings,” I added, trying to break the tension in the air.

And just like that, my dry humor made him chuckle as he gathered me in his lap.

“Really? Tell me more?” His previous empty eyes were now filled with nothing but love as they peered at me.

The look that he only had for me. His blues held a softness when he looked at me like that. The specks of dark azure lining his eyes felt like a blanket of the midnight sky carrying the stars. It warmed my heart.

“Do you know that we had our first fight on a Monday? Or at least it all started on a Monday?” I asked, playfully tapping my pointer finger on my palm like I was some history teacher.

“Fuck me, how could I not know this precious information?” he asked, wide-eyed and going along with me.These kinds of fun and lighthearted moments with him made me giddy like a fool.

“I’m disappointed. You deserve punishment for not knowing that important fact,” I admonished, shaking my head.

His lips curved in a lopsided grin. “Do I get to spank your ass?”

I gasped, holding my palm to my mouth. “I think it’s the other way around, sir.” But we couldn’t contain the act anymore and burst out laughing.

I sighed, rolling my head on his shoulder. My fingers kneaded the back of his neck. “Are you alright?”

He shrugged. “It bothers me more than it should for some reason. I thought we had gotten rid of her and the label for good.” He heaved out a breath. “I don’t want to deal with this shit anymore.”

“I know,” I said quietly.

He tilted my chin to meet his smoldering blues. “But this time, she won’t come between us. I won’t let her. You are mine now, sweetheart.” He leaned in, his lips brushing across mine. “I won’t let her take you away from me again. I promise.” He sealed it with a searing kiss, so full of promise and so full of love.

“Yes, Jo. I’ll get that done,” I said, smiling as the beautiful blonde disappeared from my laptop screen.

Jo was my supervisor at work, and we’d been discussing the agenda for this week. Loran House was a small publishing company that outsourced clients from big-name publishinghouses, and Jo was their senior blog writer. I helped her write articles or anything publishing-related she wanted help with. She was patient, kind, honest, and, most importantly, a gifted writer. Even though I had only started working with her a month ago, I’d already learned plenty about the world of publishing.

The job was something I looked forward to instead of my previous ones, where I chased after heiresses of Manhattan who were anything but kind or nice.

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