Dana loved him.
Screw the rest of the world.
***
“I still think you should sue that bastard,” Dana declared, as they left her condo unit. “Patterson published confidential information, information given to you in confidence by a doctor. Surely, that goes against some code of ethics, even for the paparazzi.”
“I’m not sure they have a code of ethics.” Alex chuckled.
He was relaxed today. Too relaxed.
It made Dana nervous, considering they were about to visit a memorial.
Patterson’s attempt at destroying Alex’s reputation had backfired, and in spectacular fashion. The paparazzo had expected Alex’s dominion to implode once the news got out about the baby, but in truth, Alex had received nothing but messages of support from the community. He’d been inundated by words of sympathy on Twitter and Facebook. Since the day the headline broke, tourists and residents of Las Vegas had been leaving little bundles of flowers and teddy bears outside the Vice doors. Now, four days later, there was a sizable pile. Every evening, the TV news channels showed footage of new people paying their respects outside the casino.
Even the other reporters had left. On the day of the story, the press had inundated Vice, looking for comments from Alex. According to Trevor, even the reporters had given up and gone elsewhere.
The story was basically dead.
Alex and Dana had spent those four days at her condo, quietly working from home and spending time together. They’d grieved each other’s situations, talking about feelings they’d never shared with any other. Dana felt stronger each day, and Alex seemed to as well. More importantly, they both felt accepted and loved.
This morning, she awoke to find him sitting up in bed, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
“I’m ready,” he’d said.
Dana was pleased for him, even if she wasn’t quite ready to take the high road with the paparazzo. “Maybe just a little lawsuit? Something to make him sweat?”
“I just want to let it go. Patterson wanted to get a rise out of me. He didn’t get it. That’s got to be eating him up. Every last detail surrounding Shannon’s death is out there now. There’s nothing more to tell. His huge scoop blew up in his face. I’m good with that.”
In fact, the backlash against the reporter had been so intense, he’d had to go into hiding himself. That was after the police visited him and issued a stern warning about harassing Dana.
She locked her unit door. “You’re better than I am, Alex. If I ever see that scum again…”
He grasped her by the waist and spun her around, claiming her lips. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you’re acting badass?”
She extended her fingers like cat claws. “Does this look like acting?”
“Rawr.” Purring like a great cat, he nuzzled her neck, tickling her until she broke down and laughed.
When their laughter subsided, she stroked his face. “Are you sure about going back to Vice to see the memorial? You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do. People were kind enough to leave flowers. It’s the least I can do.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“When everything has blown over, I want to do something to give back to the community. For so many years, I’ve been putting all my energy into my clubs. I want to do something more, something worthwhile.”
“I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. I’ve always been defined by my career, and lately I’ve been letting my lack of choices define me. I need something more in my life, an activity that will still give me fulfillment, even if I change careers one day.” Dana lowered her eyes as she contemplated the idea that had taken root in recent days. “I was thinking of putting together a benefit event, something to do with infertility awareness. I’m sure so many people struggling with it feel alone and misunderstood. I’d like to help those people.”
He grasped her hands. “Angel, I think that’s amazing.”
“Amazing enough that you might want to lend me a hand?”
“I’d like nothing more.”
