Sitting in the ‘green room,’ waiting as the makeup people do last-minute adjustments to Carsen’s wardrobe and makeup next door, I’m struck by last-second indecision. “Keith, are you sure about this? I mean, I know it’s my idea, but it’s your decision. Nothing has been done that we can’t undo. We can stop this train if you’re uncertain.”

Keith glances out the door at Carsen, who looks like she’s having the time of her life as a makeup artist and hair stylist give her the full celeb treatment, then he shakes his head. Crossing the room, he grabs my waist, pulling me to him. “No, I’m not sure, but this is what we’re doing. My manager agreed with the plan too. And though you’re right, as much as I wish I could turn back time and not have to disrupt Carsen’s life, that would mean not having you. And this, us . . . I’ve got to believe it’ll be worth it in the end.”

I bite my lip, trying to stop the words I’ve already said so many times from spilling out again, but I can’t help it. I might be forced to say it another ten thousand times, but I mean each one. “I really am sorry, Keith. I never meant for any of this to happen. I can’t believe Donnie is such an asshole, and if I could take it all back, I would. Except for you, of course.”

Keith’s hands move down to cup my ass in a firm grip that gets my attention, and I’m glad the green room is only us for the moment. “Stop apologizing. I think we’ve both apologized enough. We haven’t done anything wrong. It’s Donnie and he’s forced my hand. He expected me to roll over and give in, but he’s threatening my family, and I’m more of a bite than bark kind of guy.”

I feel a warmth spread throughout my body and my nipples tighten in my sensible, professional bra that I’m wearing. “I’ve noticed that . . . the biting, that is. I happen to like it sometimes. Although your bark is pretty loud too.”

I’m intentionally trying to lighten the mood, even if I am starting to get massively turned on. But Keith needs this. He’s been a growling beast of a reluctant man all morning. But I love him for it because I know it comes from a good place. He loves Carsen, and he wants the best for her. This is just one of those situations where the best path forward isn’t the one he planned. But he’s still doing it, and that’s why I love him.

“I just hope the hosts go easy on us,” he says, raising his hands enough that he’s not quite making me want to dry hump his leg in the middle of a TV studio but still making his point. “You know, with Carsen and everything.”

“Really, Keith. I know this is the exact opposite of what you’ve wanted for Carsen, but I think it’ll be for the best,” I reassure him, running my hands over his broad chest. He looks handsome in his button-down shirt. “You won’t have this constant threat hanging over your head. I just hope the fallout isn’t too bad.”

“It’ll be whatever it is, and we’ll handle it,” Keith says, gaining confidence. “I promise.”

Sarah and Carsen come in from make-up, and Carsen looks like she’s actually having fun. She’s not too made up, which I know Keith was worried about.

“Wow. So this is a green room?” Carsen asks, coming over and grabbing a bottle of water. “I thought it’d be green, but the walls are just blah wallpaper. And they said there’d be cookies!”

Her nerves are obvious, even if she is pretty awed by the whole production of a morning television show. Keith walks over and kneels down in front of her.

“Carsen, honey . . . are you sure about this? Of all of us, this mostly impacts you. I’ll happily pay the money and we won’t have to do this. Everything can stay just as is. Say the word, and I’ll make that happen.”

Carsen looks thoughtful for a moment, and I’m glad she’s taking this seriously because this really is going to impact her life in a major way.

“I know, Dad. It’ll be okay. You can’t let this guy bully us around though. It’s not right. But maybe being the daughter of the world's best country music star won’t be so bad. Maybe you can even take me to school every once in a while?”

There’s a knock on the door and a production assistant pokes her head in, looking slightly bored by all of this, as if changing people’s lives is just part of her normal Monday. Then again, I guess it is. “Time, everyone. Follow me, please. We’ll get you over to set.”

Walking across the TV studio, it’s interesting to watch the quiet chaos going on behind the cameras while the two hosts gab on about the latest political scandal getting headlines. We reach the ‘on deck’ spot, and Keith reaches out, holding my hand on one side and Carsen’s on the other. Sarah places a stabilizing hand on his shoulder.

I can feel him take a deep, fortifying breath, knowing he’s about to go to war . . . against Donnie, against the paparazzi, against his own secrets. “Hey.”

“Huh?” he asks, looking over. I give his hand a squeeze and a small smile.

“You’re not doing this alone. We’ve got your back.”

Keith nods and gives my hand a squeeze back. “Thanks. I love you.”

The show kicks to commercial, and a flurry of activity erupts. Keith is herded over to a couch in the middle of a set made up to look like one of those ‘in-your-house’ style living rooms. A quick sound check makes a tech adjust Keith’s microphone, and the host comes over, shaking hands with Keith before sitting down and assuming her perfectly trained chair pose that looks ridiculously uncomfortable.

“Ten seconds!” a producer calls, and Keith gives us a thumbs-up, but I can see him forcing his emotions in check and prepping mentally for what he’s about to say.

“Three . . . two . . . one!”

The overly perky morning host immediately starts up, grinning nearly orgasmically. “Welcome back to Good Morning! We have a special surprise guest for you, an exclusive you’ll only see here on KTSR-TV this morning. I have to tell you, this was a surprise for me too. When I got the call from my friend, I said she had to be pulling my leg . . . but I’ve known her for years, so I was able to convince my producers to give this a shot. You see, we don’t even know why this guest is visiting today, it’s all top-secret, hush-hush. But I can tell you he’s one of my favorites, so forgive any fan-girling I might do in the next five minutes.”

I think the host’s actually telling the truth and is a fan. The professional side of me knows that definitely works in our favor, although the personal side of me will want to rip her extensions out if she starts eye-fucking my man.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I watch as she gestures to the side. “Please welcome one of the hottest country music artists today . . . Keith Perkins!”

There’s a bit of silence, and I guess that in the production booth, they’re mixing in a few clips of Keith performing as the host starts up again. “Breaking onto the charts five years ago with his first big hit, Gonna Do It The Country Way, Keith Perkins has, over the past three records, consistently been one of the top ten artists in country today. With enough party to draw in new listeners and enough roots to have even old-schoolers impressed, Keith’s star just keeps rising. Keith, welcome.”

The host reaches over and shakes Keith’s hand for the cameras, eyes starry as she looks at Keith, and I have to giggle a little bit. I’m pretty sure that’s what I look like too, but I’m the lucky girl going home with him tonight. Not her, so she can suck it.

“So, Keith, we’re thrilled to have you with us this morning. According to what I was told yesterday, you have some type of announcement you’d like to make? Are we talking your usual summer tour already? If so, put me down for two VIP tickets!”

“I’ll remember that when tickets go on sale,” Keith says on stage, “but unfortunately, tour info isn’t why I’m here this morning.”

“Okay, what brought you here this morning then?”

“Well, if you’re a fan, you know I’m pretty quiet about my personal life. I always have been, just keeping that line between my professional life and my day-to-day stuff, you know? And recently, there were reports speculating that I may have a woman in my life.”

Even from here, I can see the host’s eyes light up, and you can virtually see her salivating for the story even though she must be reading between the lines since Carsen’s already made up and in the wings just off camera behind Keith.

“Are you saying there is someone in your life? You’re gonna break some hearts if that’s the case!”

Keith nods, his smile widening before dimming by half. “Well, yes . . . but there’s more to it. You see, when that story broke, I did have a young woman in my life, but not the way everyone thought. I’m not much for dating. It’s kind of hard to do when you’re . . . a single father.”

The host plays it well. She can’t have been that stupid to not see the similarity between Keith and Carsen, but to anyone at home, you’d think she’d just been kicked in the gut she’s so shocked. Her mouth gapes open and closed a few times like a fish before she speaks. “A father? Oh, my.”

Keith nods, his voice gaining strength as he gets into his tale. “You see, for a long time, my daughter, Carsen, and I have been a team, along with my sister, who’s the biggest help ever. Carsen has been my number-one priority, and part of that responsibility was keeping her safe. I felt that the best way to do that was to keep her out of the public eye. She’s a twelve-year-old girl. She deserves to have a normal childhood, and that’s what I’ve worked damn hard to give her.”

The host nods supportively, her eyes cutting to Carsen as I see a production assistant tap Carsen on the elbow. “So your daughter, Carsen. Is that the young lady I see off-set here? Carsen, would you like to join us?”

Keith nods, turning to look at us, and Carsen bravely walks to Keith, sitting down next to him on the couch as the host looks on with a smile.

“Wow, so very nice to meet you, Carsen! It must be awesome to have the one and only Keith Perkins as your dad.”

Carsen smiles, looking at Keith and taking his hand. “I guess. To me, he’s just Dad though. He makes me do my homework, clean up my room, all that stuff.”

The host laughs, turning her attention to Keith. “So, you’ve kept Carsen a secret for all these years. What’s changed now?”

Keith smiles, but it’s bittersweet. “Well, after that article came out, my record label got the brilliant idea that I should do a series of interviews so a reporter could write an all-access story about me. Maybe you’ve seen them?”

The host nods, totally engrossed in every word of Keith’s story. “Of course I have. Actually, I have printed copies of them backstage in my dressing room. Maybe you can sign them later?”

Keith chuckles. “Sure. I’d be happy to do that for you. So, the interviews were going well, but the real news wasn’t what was in the articles. It was the reporter, Elise Warner. During the process of the interviews, I fell in love with her, and she fell in love with me. We’ve been dating for a little while now. Carsen and she get along well, and we’re just trying to find our way.”

For the first time, the host looks genuinely shocked, and she looks over at me, her eyes a mix of go, girl! and I hate you, bitch! She looks back at Keith, her grin still mostly professional but at the same time, she’s eating this news scoop right up. “Wow! A daughter and a new love interest! Can Elise come out too?”

I squeeze Sarah’s hand, wishing I could take her with me, but we’d decided that it’d be best for her to stay off-camera. It’s not her style, and besides, it’s good for at least one of us to stay unrecognizable.

With a shiver of nerves, I head over to sit beside Carsen. Keith stands up and gives me a hug, which eases my nerves a little bit. And when we all sit down, he stretches a long arm out along the couch back, marking us both as his.

“Welcome, Elise! I must admit, I’m a bit jealous and I imagine there must be thousands . . . I take that back, millions of women with shattered dreams right now. Tell us, how’d you claim this one?” She smiles as she points at Keith with a thumb.

She laughs a bit, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s right. Keith doesn’t give me a chance, though, leaning forward and shaking his head. “I’m the one who needed to claim her. Elise is a great woman, and I’m lucky she puts up with my grumpy ass.”

Carsen giggles and looks over. “Dad, you can’t say ass on TV!”

We all laugh a little, and the host jumps in. “Don’t worry, we’re on a ten-second delay. So . . . wow! What an announcement! We appreciate your sharing with our viewers this morning. What prompted you to come forward and not stay mum like usual?”

Keith’s smile falls, and his face clouds as he lets a hint of his anger pierce the happy buzz of this morning’s announcements. “Well, that’s the bad side of this business. Most people have been nothing but positive and are happy to read stories about my background and music. I’ve tried when I do go out to perform to give back to them, because I know if it wasn’t for them, I’d be still working honky tonks out in Boise. But there are others out for blood and dirt and any juicy tidbit they can find. Vultures, that’s what I call them. And they take that information and exploit it, looking for a way to make a buck off someone else’s life. I was recently given an ultimatum to either pay three point five million dollars hush money to one of these people, or he would publish a story exposing Carsen’s existence. Total blackmail.”

The host gasps, and I can see the crew members’ shock and disgust. These people might like a little titillation themselves, but they’re legit journalists, not tabloid bottom-feeders. “Oh, my gosh, that’s awful! I’m so sorry.”

One of the camera guys adjusts his angle to get what I assume is a full-frame close-up of Keith as he continues. “This man had his mistress, who is also a reporter, follow us . . . me, Elise, Carsen, and my sister. She took pictures of all of us, both in public and in private, using a telephoto lens, which is illegal and feels like such a personal violation. He was counting on his belief that he had all the power because he knew about my desire to keep Carsen out of the public eye.” Keith pauses, his eyes meeting Carsen’s with an apology obvious in the stress on his face. “So my choices were to pay him off or let him publish the story, which would let him get richer from clicks and sales. I couldn’t let that happen. Schemers like that shouldn’t be rewarded for their misdeeds.”

The host nods. “So, by coming forward on your own, you preemptively cut him off at the knees?”

Keith nods. “I just want the opportunity to tell the truth of my story. I have a daughter, who is an amazing young woman, and I’m in love with Elise Warner, who through some stroke of luck is actually in love with me too. And as much of a bombshell as I know this is, I hope everyone will be respectful in their handling of this news and not overwhelm my family.”

Keith looks at Carsen, then me, and I can feel his gaze like a physical touch, knowing that he’ll protect us no matter what. The host is obviously trying to think of a next question, and when she touches her ear, I know that someone in the booth is feeding her words because she’s so stunned.

Finally, she gets it together. “Wow, Keith. That’s horrifying, and I’m so sorry that’s happened, but I’m glad you came to Good Morning! to dispel any rumors before they got started.” Her voice takes on a more serious tone as she asks, “Can you tell us who attempted to blackmail you?”

There’s a sense of breath-holding suspense as I see more than one person lean forward, eager to see if Keith is going to name names. While all of them show some signs of disgust at the idea of blackmail, they’ve all got the secret shame that they’re just as gossipy as the next person, wanting to feed on someone’s secrets. To some degree, it’s human nature to be nosy, but this is well beyond curiosity.

“Yes, the man who tried to blackmail me is Donnie Jardine, the editor-in-chief at The Daily Spot. The reporter who took the illegal photos and was complicit in his plan is Francesca Knauss, also of the The Daily Spot.”

The host’s eyes snap to me, her eyes widening. “Elise, isn’t that the online magazine you work for? The one who’s published your articles about Keith?”

I nod, knowing this was something we’d have to answer. “Yes, it is. Donnie Jardine is my boss.” I look directly into the camera. “However, effectively immediately, I quit.”