“Handled how?”
He scraped a hand along his jaw. “Vanessa isn’t going to be a problem anymore.”
I folded my arms over my chest, more to keep my hands from shaking than anything. “Just like that?”
“She lost everything that’s important to her today.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel as he explained that she had been fired and disinherited. Vanessa had tried to destroy me twice, but watching someone’s entire world collapse wasn’t something I’d ever wished for.
“And Rupert made it very clear that if she ever wants a relationship with him again, she needs to make things right for you. The influencer who posted that garbage already took it down. A retraction is coming any minute.” He loosened the collar of his shirt, exhaling. “Vanessa will also be doing her own post to make it clear you had nothing to do with the end of our marriage.”
That was beyond anything I could’ve hoped for, and Gage had managed to arrange it all in one afternoon. He hadn’t taken the easy way out. He fought for me.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I whispered.
“You don’t have to say anything.” His eyes softened. “I just wanted you to know this will be fixed.”
My phone chimed on the counter behind me, and we both turned toward it. “Do you think…?”
He jerked his chin toward the kitchen. “There’s only one way to know for sure.”
There was another notification ding as I crossed into the kitchen.
Gage stopped beside me, watching my face instead of the device. “Check it.”
My fingers trembled as I reached for the phone. Two new notifications from the same account lit up the lock screen, from the influencer who’d made the first post.
If Gage hadn’t told me what to expect, I would’ve been too afraid to look. But everything he’d set in motion gave me the courage to open the video I’d been tagged in—both on the caption and comments.
The influencer sat stiffly in front of her ring light, her makeup flawless but her expression devastated. “I owe my followers—and especially Tessa from Hale & Honey—an apology. The information I posted earlier today was wrong. My source lied, and I ran with the information before confirming anything. Tessa had nothing to do with Gage Langford’s marriage ending. I take full responsibility and will do better.”
My knees almost buckled in relief as I watched the number of views climb in real time. It was working. My lungs expanded fully for what felt like the first time all afternoon.
She ended her statement by encouraging people to support my bakery, emphasizing that I accepted online orders for her followers who weren't in Connecticut.
I looked up at him, unable to disguise the disbelief in my voice. “That was so fast.”
He stepped closer. “Vanessa’s post will be next.”
“On the heels of this video, the internet is going to eat that up.” I tried to wrap my head around how quickly the tides had turned in my favor. “The ex-wife defending the woman who was blamed for the end of her marriage is the kind of narrative that rockets to the top of every feed. Hale & Honey will be a trending topic tonight.”
“At least some good will come from this mess.”
I set my phone down on the counter and lifted my gaze to Gage. An overwhelming mixture of relief, gratitude, and the love I’d tried so hard to bury surged at once. Before I could even think better of it, I stepped toward him and threw my arms around his waist.
He caught me instantly, and his breath brushed the top of my head as he murmured, “I told you I’d take care of it.”
I tipped my head back, just enough to see his face. There was no missing the depth of emotion in his eyes.
We were so close, our breaths mingled. I should’ve stepped back. But I didn’t.
Instead, my fingers slid up the front of his shirt, and I went up on my toes. Then his lips were on mine.
The kiss deepened in an instant, hungry and familiar. Years of longing condensed into the touch of our mouths.
His hands framed my hips, anchoring me against him as if he was afraid I’d disappear. “Are you sure?”
A month ago, I would’ve sworn I’d never speak to him again. But I wanted him now, and I refused to second-guess my decision. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
