“We?”
“Yes, Ava,we. Because I’ve got your back. I’m not going to lie to you. When Silas directly threatened you, my reputation, and my business, a part of me was tempted to do as he suggested—get you to back off.” He scoffed. “I spent half the night agonizing about whether your ambition was worth all the trouble. When everything comes out, that bastard might use our past business dealings to make me look guilty, too.”
“I know,” I said miserably. “That’s why I’m thinking about forgetting the whole thing.”
“And what kind of jerk would I be to allow that, Montgomery?” he shot back.
I frowned at him.
He straightened. “Like I said, I weighed the situation, my options, the threats, the possible outcomes. You know what I decided?”
“What?”
“That I’d be just like Silas and Vauxhall for trying to silence you. What you’re doing is the right thing. They deserve to be exposed. You might make things a lot safer for others like Nyla. You’re strong and courageous. If I cower at a few threats, then I wouldn’t deserve a woman like you, Ava. And Goddammit, I’m the man for you. I won’t stop until you see that.”
My heart soared. The weight I’d been carrying—the fear, the guilt, the doubt—lifted all at once. Before I could think twice, I crossed the space between us and threw myself into Lincoln’s arms.
He caught me without hesitation, wrapping me up in an embrace that made me feel as if I’d come home. His arms were strong and steady. My anchor.
“Iknowyou’re the man for me,” I whispered against his chest.
“We’ll deal with whatever comes,” he murmured into my hair. “Together. Keep going, Ava. I believe in you.”
I sniffed, fighting back tears. But they were tears of gratitude and overwhelming love. “Thank you.” I pulled back to look at him. “I’m so sorry I ruined your proposal.”
He wiped his thumb across my cheek, dashing away the tear that had escaped. “You didn’t ruin anything. You just postponed it.”
Laughing softly, I wound my arms around his shoulders and kissed him. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have him.
33
LINCOLN
Ava’s exposé hit the media hard.
In a great way for her. Not for Rourke, Vauxhall, and everyone else complicit in the wrongdoings. She dropped it on her new independent site. With the help of me and my influential friends, buzz picked up around it very fast, until it was national news.
Currently, the men involved were busy fighting for their lives in the media and wading through a storm of legal battles. Once everything came out, other music artists, actors, and athletes came forward. Apparently, Nyla wasn’t the only one being held under their thumbs by blackmail.
There was a slight hurdle in the beginning, which we expected. Of course, Silas had made good on his threat. His PR machine spun, dragging my name into the mud with old business dealings, photos taken at charity events we’d both attended, and a vague quote from a disgruntled former client. It was all smoke and mirrors, but it was enough to make headlines.
I’d been guilty by association for about a week. The media buzzed with speculation. Commentators dissected my career, my client list, and my silence. Sponsors called… It was hassling,but I endured it because my woman was smart and feisty. She was ten steps ahead.
We had anticipated this move. She had enlisted Alex weeks ago, and together they’d built a counterstrike for Silas’s smear campaign. After his accusations hit the press, Ava’s follow-up article dropped—complete with timestamps, financial records, and a timeline that proved I’d never been involved in anything remotely criminal.
My reputation took a hit, but it was surface-level. My clients stood behind me, unwavering. Jaden especially. That kid went to bat for me in every interview, every post-game presser. He was adamant that I was the reason he was clean, focused, and successful.
He said in one interview, “Anyone trying to drag Lincoln Ford down is scared of what he stands for. Integrity.”
I admit that one clip almost made me tear up.
As for Derek, the ex-fiancé from hell… With no more payments from the big bad Silas, Derek had retreated to his hole like the rat he was. I’d keep an eye out for him, in case he got it in his screwed-up mind to target Ava again. Everything had settled down, so we could focus on ourselves.
Ava’s cell shrilled in the silence and pulled my thoughts away from the past few weeks and back to the present.
“Aren’t you going to get that?” I asked. “It could be Nyla.”
“It’s not,” Ava said. “The rehab center she’s in doesn’t allow calls this early. Right now, she should be in a group therapy session. They do it every afternoon.”
