32. Grey

Chapter 32

Grey

" I 'm sorry to bother you on a Saturday," I say, allowing myself to drop onto Delilah's couch. The throw beside my head smells like her.

"Can't be helped, son," Stu replies. "The press doesn't run on our schedule."

"Did you read the article?"

"I did indeed, son."

"I want to release a statement against it."

"That we can do." Stu makes it sound so easy. "Do you want me to write something up or—"

"Can you grab a pen and some paper and write up what I say?"

"Give me two seconds. I just need to find a pen."

I hear the shuffle of feet, the opening and closing of a drawer, then the light scratch of a pen to check and see if it has any ink left inside the cartridge.

"Okay, ready when you are, Grey."

"Delilah and I have been dating, exclusively, since the beginning of summer," I say, not even trying to polish up my words. A PR representative on my manager's team will edit it for me before it gets published in the press in the next coming days, so I simply let the truth flow from my tongue.

"Delilah's background, in both her publishing career and her previous relationships, have nothing to do with our private romantic relationship. I won't stand by and allow those false accusations to be published against her. She has never asked once to be put into the public eye, let alone scrutinized beneath it, just because she is in a relationship with me."

"Mhmm…" Stu hums his agreement along the line. "Anything else?"

"There has never been another woman in the picture between Delilah and I. The young blonde woman I took a picture with was simply a fan, who I treated with nothing but respect and kindness when she asked for a photo together.

"Both Delilah and I ask for privacy regarding our relationship and ask that our wishes are respected at this time. Thank you."

"I've got that all down." Stu's sigh crackles through the phone. "You know how these things go, Grey. But I'm sorry we're in this situation once again; having to make a statement so we can clear your name. I'll get this emailed over to the PR team and they should get in touch with the press and have the statement released most likely on Monday morning."

"Monday?" I ask, slouching back into the soft sofa cushions. All of my fight seems to have drained out of me, now I've taken action and gotten exactly what I want to say out of my system. I have no doubt the anger will be back soon, combined with another surge of adrenaline, but in this very moment I feel limp and tired. "Isn't there any way you can get it out any quicker?"

"I'm afraid not, son. Most of the journalists will be out of the office until Monday unless it's breaking news or an emergency. Monday morning will be the earliest we can push the statement out."

"Okay." I scrub at the back of my neck. "Monday, it is."

A click of the front door behind me has me turning sharply.

Delilah.

I watch her walk towards me, tugging at her left earring, her face a tad paler than usual, eyes red. My eyes flick across the rest of her. She's still dressed in the work attire she must have put on this morning while I was still fast asleep – a blouse and a pair of black slacks.

"Stu?" I say, while Delilah sits down beside me, indenting the sofa, pressing her thigh against mine. "I have to go. I'll call you on Monday."

"Okay, son. Don't you worry, we'll get this all blown over for you and then we can talk about you maybe bringing your Delilah over for dinner? The wife and I would love to—"

Delilah strokes her fingertips down my forearm, lacing her fingers through my free hand.

"We'll get something sorted," I hear myself say, but all of my attention is focused on the gorgeous woman sat beside me. She sits up straight, dried eyed, smiling softly at me.

Stu wishes me another goodbye before he clicks off, leaving me in silence.

My heart thumps against my ribcage.

I swallow.

"Delilah—"

"I heard you," she says, eyes bouncing between mine. "I heard what you we're saying on the phone."

"My statement?"

She nods.

"My old manager, Stu, he's going to get it all sorted," I explain. "It'll be printed early Monday morning and go out with that day's newspaper issue. Magazines too, probably."

Delilah nods again.

"Are you–are you okay?"

Delilah opens her mouth, and then pauses.

It feels like the longest pause of my entire life. Even worse than standing on a podium, freezing wet with nothing but a towel around my shoulders to combat the sudden chill, while I waited for my placement in the swimming competition to be announced.

"I'm–I was scared, Grey. Really scared."

I squeeze her hand and gulp back the nausea threatening to rise.

"How did you find out?"

"Aura rang me," she explains. "In the middle of the meeting, so I knew it must be something important. I had no clue what was going on, but I think all of my colleagues had already seen the headline and there was there was a young girl on the tube. She stopped me before I'd even got to work, but I didn't have time to speak to her. I think–I think now she stopped me because she must have recognized me from the pictures the press published."

"I—"

"One of my bosses reassured me it wouldn't affect my job, but then when I was coming out of work to meet Aura – she wanted to check up on me – I was pretty shocked and shaken when she first told me. I was walking out to wait outside and get some fresh air, when a pap barged into the lobby and shoved a flashing camera in my face."

The anger and adrenaline I knew would be back in time, surges beneath the surface of my skin, boiling my blood until I'm burning hot and seeing red. I feel my jaw tick with the pressure of clenching my teeth.

"I'll fucking—"

Delilah pushes me back down into the sofa before I've even known I stood up. "He isn't worth it, Grey."

"He is if he's going out of his way to harm you."

"I wasn't harmed—"

"Yes, you were. He scared you, Delilah. That's harm. And he has no right taking pictures of you without consent, just because we've gone public with our relationship. Just because you're with me, doesn't mean—"

"He got thrown out before he could take any more photographs." Delilah resumes stroking my forearm with her soft fingertips. "I think I heard Aura bitch him out, too, but I wasn't really paying any attention. I was trying to ring you, but it wouldn't connect."

"I was probably on the phone to Stu, trying to get everything sorted."

"I know that now." Delilah grins at me, tears filling her eyes. "You stood up for me."

There's hardly an inch of space between our bodies, but it still feels too much, so I band my arm around Delilah's shoulder, tucking her into my side. She rests her head on my chest like it's the most natural thing in the world.

"Of course I did." I press a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you and I told you how much I was willing to fight for us. I meant every word. When you're scared, I'm here to protect you, Delilah. Whatever it takes. You're my priority."

I allow the worry I had felt the moment Blake had told me our relationship had been outed and we'd been published in the newspaper, the worry Delilah's past experiences would crop up again, and she'd walk out, unable to handle it all no matter how much she loves me, to flow through me, even though it feels uncomfortable and prickly.

Usually, I'd feel the need to be in the water right about now; swimming below the watery surface to ground myself and get my thoughts in order.

But the urge isn't as insistent.

Instead, I stroke up and down Delilah's back, my mind and body relaxing in her presence. Through all of her fear and worry, she's still here, in my arms. Choosing me as much as I'm choosing her.

Choosing us.

"I love you, Grey." Delilah raises her head, kissing me softly. "It means a lot that you stood up for me."

"Always, gorgeous." I kiss her back, feeling the soft texture of her lips move against mine. "I'll always stand up for you, be here for you, be—"

Delilah blinks up at me all brown doe eyes. "Be in love with me?"

"Always. As long as you promise to do the same, gorgeous."

"I promise, Grey Millen."