Perfectly Imperfect(96)
“Look at me,” I command, and he lifts his head slowly. “This will go away. It will eventually fizzle until they become bored or someone else does something to get their attention. But even if it doesn’t, the only thing that should matter here is that your nephew is able to live a life that isn’t started with a scandal. I’m strong enough, you’re strong enough—we are so strong together that we’re unbreakable. That is all that we need in order to move forward and power through. So what if it follows us, Kane? It won’t follow him.” I reach out and place my finger on Mia’s stomach, letting what I’m saying to them sink in.
“God, Willow.” His voice is thick with emotion.
“I don’t care what they say, Kane. I know the truth and the only people who matter are this family. We say nothing. You all have given the world so much of yourselves. Your lives have been open for them to rip apart for far too long. Not this time.”
“Willow, you … you have no idea what you’re offering,” Mia brokenly whispers. She pulls her body up, and my hand drops. “You have no clue.”
I soften my expression and turn to address her, letting her see for herself that I mean what I’m saying. “I understand exactly what I’m offering you. I know because I was in your same position of helpless fear not too long ago. I endured, but only because I wasn’t alone. I found my strength again because I had others who helped remove the pain I was living in until I could become tough enough to hold myself up alone. You aren’t alone, and you never will be.”
Her eyes fill with tears again.
“You’re sure,” Kane questions, his tone more steady than before.
“Positive, Kane. This doesn’t define our relationship. No one but us has that power. This only comes between us if we allow it. You showed me what it was like to live a life free of the anxiety. Anxiety that had held me captive in fear that I had been desperate to break free from. I couldn’t see past what was hurting me at that moment in order to see there was something better out there. I had your help to become free of all the pain I had felt in my life, and I’m now able to be the help someone else needs now. The help Mia needs.”
He searches my face, looking for the tiniest hint that I might not understand what will follow if we allow the media to continue assuming that Mia’s child is his and that I’m the other woman. “So what now, Willow?” he finally asks.
“Now, we make sure that Mia has what she needs and all of us move forward in our lives, but we don’t do it alone. They will speculate and they will want us to give them anything if it means their lies can grow. We don’t hide. Mia doesn’t hide. None of us do. We go on and freely enjoy our lives. As far as I’m concerned, they could turn us into the next sister wives, but no matter what, this baby will never have to deal with the kind of stuff they would say if they knew just how he was created.”
“And Kyle?” Kole asks.
“He needs help,” Kane interjects before I can speak. “And honestly, as far as I’m concerned, he is no brother of mine. I haven’t been able to stand to be in the same room as him since Mia told me what happened. I know you deny that he raped you, Mia, but the bottom line is that he forced himself on you when you weren’t in the right frame of mind to voice your objections. Just because you didn’t say no doesn’t change the fact it wasn’t consensual sex. He didn’t believe Mia when she told him anyway, so as far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t matter.”
“What if he changes his mind and all of this means nothing?” Mia weakly inquires. “What if he wants us … the baby?”
“Do you really think he would do that?”
Kane’s question isn’t meant to hurt her, but she flinches anyway.
“No. He won’t. He hates dealing with the media even more than you do, but puts up with it because of Jessica. And we know that he wouldn’t want Jessica to find out that he had been unfaithful. Not when there isn’t a prenup and she would clean him out. Fuck, he’s drunk constantly anyway, so it’s not like anyone takes him seriously.” Kole’s pissed voice confirms what I thought about Kyle.
“And Mom and Dad?” Kane asks his brother.
Kole looks at him, and I know they both hate the thought of keeping this, their grandson, from their parents.
“I think they should know. They deserve to know,” Mia speaks, and we all look at her. “If you’re serious about not letting this be public knowledge, the next biggest scandal to rock Hollywood, then the only other people who should know are them. But that is my load to carry. I refuse to let you guys do that. By keeping this from your parents, it would only hurt them. By not knowing, they would miss out on knowing their grandson and he would miss out on their love. Regardless of how he came to be, it would be heartless to keep him from them.”
I give her a reassuring hug, feeling so proud that she was able to come to a decision on her own.
“Then it’s settled. No more secrets between us, but the world will never know. This is no one else’s business but the Masters family,” I tell the room and instantly feel like some of the heavy currents that had been filling the room dissolve around us.
This won’t be stress-free to withstand. I’m sure the coming days and months will even be painful at times, but I know without a shadow of doubt that for me, this will be the easiest hardship I could endure. I’m strong enough to handle whatever is gossiped and lied about me and my relationship with Kane. I would be able to stand tall alone, but with Kane at my side, I know there is nothing that could ever be said to tear us apart.