“You look all Hollywood again,” Kitt said instead of answering Austin.
The answer was so clear inside Kitt. His heart sang because nothing was as bad as Austin leaving him. He’d let the world run over him as long as Austin gave him the time of day. Austin followed him, stepping up onto the coffee table and over it to move closer as Kitt backed away. Austin wisely stayed a foot away from Kitt backing him toward the bedroom.
“It’s because I hit the circuit again. I thought if I got it out there before the sleazy tabloids, I could spin it in the right direction. My PR firm says the focus groups are thirty-two to one in our favor. I couldn’t stop the pictures, Kitt. I tried to file injunctions, but I didn’t have time. All I knew to do was to bring it out. Tell the world I love you.” Austin voice cracked a little at that. Kitt stopped, staying very still. Austin gave him room to digest it all.
“You said that on Late Show?” Kitt asked. He crossed his arms over his chest trying to hold his heart together.
“And Good Morning America. Haven’t you seen the television today? It’s being played over and over.” Austin took a small step toward Kitt, but right before they touched, he pivoted on his heels, stalking out the front door. He was back in a minute, laptop in hand. Kitt still hadn’t moved.
“I have it on my laptop. Please sit down. Watch what I did. Please.” Austin sat the laptop on the kitchen table and pulled up a file. Kitt could hear Donnie Cliff’s voice announce Austin, and the cheers erupted from the audience. Austin shoved out a chair and Kitt came forward to take it. He watched the screen closely, his arms still crossed securely over his chest so they wouldn’t reach out to Austin.
It was an emotional experience to see the man he loved beyond reason turn back into his actor mode. Austin looked so handsome up on that stage, and stayed calm, cool, and collected during the entire interview. Even when he took questions from the audience, something Kitt had never seen on Late Show before.
The last question from the audience to Austin was ‘What made you finally come out?’ Austin didn’t hesitate, he never looked away, he just stared at the woman and answered easily. “When you find the person you know you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with, things that mattered before him just don’t matter anymore. I’ve been gay my whole life, Kitt makes me okay with it. Actually, he makes me proud to be gay because I get to spend the rest of my life with a man as good as he is.”
Kitt let himself reach his hand over and take Austin’s who stood beside him as the video played. It took a moment longer for him to look up at Austin because tears were swimming in his eyes. “Did you mean it, or was that the actor talkin’?” Kitt asked.
“I meant every single word.” Austin gripped Kitt’s hand tighter and dropped down to his knee to be closer to Kitt’s level. “Tell me I didn’t ruin it between us. Tell me we’re gonna be okay. I can handle any of this if I didn’t lose you.”
“No more pictures,” Kitt said.
“No more pictures.” Austin nodded.
“I love you like that, too.” Kitt looked deep in Austin’s eyes. Austin reached in to kiss Kitt’s parted lips.
“I don’t ever want to lose you. I was so afraid.” Austin’s voice broke again as he pulled Kitt to him.
Chapter 28
A horde of people descended on Austin’s farm. Publicists, public relations people, attorneys, managers, and Austin’s agent were all there ready to strategize. This was too big a story and too important of an outcome not to guide as best as they could. Kitt sat through hours of meetings during which he generally stayed quiet. The team also met with his stepmom and sisters who were stuck in the house going over well rehearsed statements about Kitt and their knowledge of Austin once it was safe to go out in public again.
No part of their small community was left untouched. Reporters were everywhere. The public high school was bombarded with photographers, interviewing anyone and everyone they could get their hands on. Old teachers of Austin’s in high school, Kitt’s college professors were all interviewed. It didn’t matter what they said, hell, most people’s story stayed the same: Kitt was a good man and the entire town was in shock; they’d had no idea. It wasn’t until yesterday that anyone mentioned Kitt’s dad. It was an off-handed comment by the local restaurant owner that had his dad now headlining the news. It went from Kitt being the love of Austin’s life to Kitt being abused as a child. Stories Kitt had completely forgotten were surfacing. Speculations grew to a frenzy, having analyst’s on split screen piecing together exact moments in Kitt’s life when he could have turned gay.
As Kitt sat through about the seventh hour of meetings, he was lost to it all. He stared out Austin’s back window, into the pasture, thinking over the last few days. He’d lost three of his ten full time ranch hands. Two more were showing signs of abandoning ship. Jose was solid. He stood by Kitt’s side, giving them all a firm talking to. It was business as usual for Jose, and he’d run the farm pretty much by himself since this all fell down on their heads. With Austin’s security still posing as ranch hands, and Mike helping out, they were able to make do without the three men he’d lost. But, it was double the work watching both farms and taking care of every animal on them.
Austin came to sit beside Kitt. They held hands openly. It was something Austin pushed on him from almost the beginning. It gave Kitt strength so he didn’t fight it. Austin handed him a beer with a smile. That smile always seemed to ease Kitt’s heart. As he sat, Austin intertwined their fingers back together, but Kitt moved his eyes back to the window. Micah’s pick-up truck pulled up to the barn, and both he and Jimmy got out.