Wonderful, page 24
“Who’s an asshole?” she asked, wrapping both her arms around one of mine.
I grinned at hearing her swear, then frowned. Sweeping my hand to indicate the house, I told her, “All of them.” I focused my gaze on Matt and Griffin across the room and raised my voice so they would hear me. “You’re all assholes.”
Matt looked confused by my pronouncement. Griffin started laughing. Then he nodded and flipped me off with both hands. Kiera giggled, and I smiled as I looked down at her. “Do I want to know?” she asked.
I shook my head as I shifted my arm to wrap it around her. “Nope.” I was pretty sure I didn’t even want to know.
When we got to the studio, I thought things might be a little awkward with Sienna, but she was a complete professional and acted like our love scene never happened. I was grateful for that. It made it a lot easier to brush it off and move forward. The rest of the video shoot was a breeze. I joined the guys on the stage set, and we ran through the song a few times. That didn’t even feel like acting, we were simply performing for the crew. And Kiera. She had a huge grin on her face the entire time, and I loved seeing it.
After that, I finished up the bedroom scenes with Sienna. Fully clothed, thank fuck. We sang the more solemn lines staring down at the bed where the previous versions of us making out would be added later. They even brought in a man and woman dressed in head-to-toe green suits and had me stroke the green girl’s arm. In the video it would look like I was touching Sienna while making out with her, and I had to admit, I was a little curious to see that.
Then we got to the angry part of the song, and Sienna and I ignored the bed and sang directly at each other. That was my favorite part. Sienna had a perfect sneer on her face as she practically spat the words at me, and I let all my frustrations out as I snarled the words at her. It was kind of cathartic, especially at the end, when we stalked off the set in opposite directions.
Finally, it was all over, and Diedrich thanked us for our time and effort. I kind of wanted to be a jackass to him for being a part of the machine that had made me do that, but I forced a smile to my face and gave him a polite nod of acknowledgment. While I hated my role in it, I could see the artistry in what he’d done, and I supposed I could be nice about it. Plus, in the end, I was the one who’d said yes.
Nick approached me once we were finished, looking happier than I’d ever seen him. He smacked my shoulder like we were friends. “See, now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what it had been, but he steamrolled right over me. “This video is going to be smoking hot! Scorch everything else out of the water.” He rubbed his hands together like he couldn’t wait.
I wrapped my arm around Kiera’s shoulders, pulling her tight to me. “I’m glad you’re happy with it…because I’m never doing anything like that again.”
Nick’s expression instantly darkened. “Never say never. You’re awfully new to this business.”
True. But if this was what the business was really like, then I’d be just fine without it. I looked down at Kiera, then back up at Nick. “No, I’m never filming anything like that again. I’m done. I made a promise, and I’m keeping it. I’ll help you promote the album in any way I can, because I owe that to my bandmates, but my wife comes first, and you need to accept that.” I stared at him unflinchingly. If he told me he was done with us, then fine, I’d beg the guys to forgive me, and we’d start over. But I was never begging for forgiveness from my wife again.
Nick looked pissed as he stared back at me, but he also looked contemplative, like he was weighing pros and cons in his head, and the pros were winning. “Any way you can?” he finally said.
I nodded. “Within reason…of course. I won’t let you play with my personal life anymore. I prefer to be private, but I’m not staying quiet. If someone asks me about my relationships, I’m going to give them an honest answer.” Leaning in, I lowered my voice. “And I reread my contract. I know what my job entails, and I know what I have to do and don’t have to do for you.”
He smirked at that, and the smug look sent a wash of dread through me. But then he shrugged and smiled, like nothing I’d said bothered him. “Well, it’s good to know where you stand.” He strode over to Sienna after that, and the two of them left the room with bent heads and harsh whispers.
Kiera looped her arms around my waist, squeezing me tight. “I don’t think he liked that,” she told me with a grin.
I shrugged as I smiled down at her. “Oh fucking well. He got what he wanted, now I’m going to get what I want.”
Kiera twisted to face me, then shifted to lace her fingers around my neck. “Oh, and what do you want?”
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I grinned and said, “You, by my side, in front of the world, consequences be damned.” She smiled for a split-second, then all the blood drained from her face. I frowned at seeing the anxiety in her eyes. “What?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want your fame. And I definitely don’t want your spotlight. Just the thought makes me want to…” She didn’t say it, just grimaced and put a hand to her stomach.
Frowning, I tilted my head. “What do you want me to do then? Because I’m done saying no comment, Kiera. I have comments. Lots of them.”
She laughed a little, then shook her head. “And I want you to say them. Deny the rumor about Sienna, tell everyone you’re in love and off the market, just don’t mention me specifically.”
I lifted an eyebrow at her as I pulled her close. “Are you sure? I don’t think it would be as intrusive as you think. I’m still a nobody, remember?”
Now she lifted an eyebrow at me. “Your single is doing amazing, your album’s release is going to be amazing, and Nick is right about the video—it’s going to get attention. Your days of being a nobody are already gone, Kellan.” I frowned at that, and Kiera smiled as she cupped my cheek. “And honestly…you were never a nobody.” Her thumb stroked my cheek as she gazed at me with love in her eyes. “You’ve always been special, and you will always be special.”
I smiled as I stared at her. “You really make me want to marry you. Do you know that?”
She laughed, then brought her lips to mine. “The feeling is mutual,” she murmured.
We kissed for about five wonderful seconds, and then Tory was there, snipping that we had to get back to the house, grab our things, and get back out on the road to finish the promo tour. And so it continues.
By that evening, we were halfway across the country. The following morning, we were at a radio station to do yet another interview and live performance. Tory yanked on my arm as we walked through the lobby.
I stopped with her, then stared down at where her fingers were digging into my skin. “Do you mind?” I said, ice in my voice.
Apparently, she didn’t, because she didn’t let go of me. Cold blue eyes narrowing, she stared me down. “Nick informed me that you might be a problem. You know what to do up there, right?”
I gave her a small smile as I pulled my arm free. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what to do.”
She analyzed my words for a moment, then nodded and indicated the elevators. “Well, go on then. You’re going to be late.”
Rolling my eyes, I stepped away from her. Kiera approached me, her gaze on Tory, her expression cautious. “What did she want?” she quietly asked.
“To scare me into submission,” I told her. Then I grinned. “Too bad for her that I’m used to that tactic.” And Tory wasn’t nearly as frightening as my father.
Kiera’s eyes softened in compassion; she knew what I meant by that comment. She tenderly held my hand as we stepped into the elevator. Tory came in next, followed by the guys. She narrowed her eyes at Kiera and me, and there was a clear warning being broadcasted in her stare. I ignored her, focusing on the doors instead. We got to the studio, and Kiera stepped away from me to sit on a stool in the corner. I wanted to grab her hand again, have her sit beside me during the interview, but I knew she didn’t want that. She wanted invisibility, and the least I could do was give that to her.
The guys and I were introduced to the DJs, shown where to sit, and given headsets to wear. After a minute of polite small talk, we went live, and the DJs introduced us to their audience. I couldn’t quite keep the smirk off my face as I waited for the question that I knew was coming. As predicted, it was one of the first things they asked me.
Smiling at me with an interested gleam in his eye, one I was all too familiar with, one of the DJs smoothly said, “So, Kellan, tell me…what is it like dating the hottest pop star on the planet?”
Well, I personally wouldn’t call Kiera a pop star, being on a stage might actually kill her, but she is the hottest woman on the planet. And dating her is fantastic, thanks for asking.
Knowing Kiera would kill me if I said that, I replied, “If you mean Sienna, I wouldn’t know because we’re not dating.”
The man smirked like he thought I was feeding him bullshit. “Are you sure? Because it seems like you’re dating.”
Really? One random shot of us walking together, a few photos of Sienna kissing me against my will, and multiple “no comments” during interviews is somehow proof we’re dating?
I didn’t want to argue with the man, so I didn’t say that either. I could see Tory in my peripheral. She was making a cut gesture across her throat and giving me stick-to-your-lines eyes. The frustration on her face made my lip curl up, and I told the DJ, “Sienna is a colleague that I collaborated with on a song, nothing more. I’m in a relationship, but not with her.”
The DJ looked both intrigued and skeptical. “Oh, and who is this lucky person?”
“Ahhh…” I made a casual glance around the room, my gaze momentarily pausing on Kiera in the corner. She frowned at me, narrowing her eyes, and I could practically hear her yelling, Don’t you dare. With a laugh, I glanced over at Evan before looking back at the DJ. “I’d rather not say, but did you know, Evan here is only dating someone because of me? He’d still be silently pining for her if I hadn’t interfered.”
Evan’s dark eyes snapped to me. “That is categorically untrue.”
I tilted my head at him. “Is it, though? Really?”
He started laughing. “Yes.”
As I was hoping, the DJ latched on to our mild argument and forgot all about my love life. “This sounds interesting,” he said. “What really happened then?”
Since Tory didn’t care if the guys talked about their relationships—apparently, that restriction was just for me—Evan dove into the story of how he’d gotten together with Jenny, completely omitting how I’d nudged him along with threats of Griffin’s sweaty spandex, of course.
As the conversation shifted to Matt and Griffin, I could feel Tory’s stare burning a hole in me. I met eyes with her, and I could tell she was really pissed. I smiled at her, and her expression darkened even more. She practically attacked me when the interview was over, and we were back in the car. “That will not happen again, do you understand me?”
“What, messing with Evan? It’s all in good fun, I doubt he’s mad.” I twisted to Evan. “You’re not mad, are you?”
He flipped me off. “No, not at all,” he said with a smile.
I turned back to Tory. “See? It’s all good.”
She was glaring at me so hard that I thought she might burst a blood vessel. Then she proceeded to rip me a new one for denying a relationship with Sienna. Since arguing with her was pointless—I would never change her mind, and she would never change mine—I simply smiled at her as I held Kiera’s hand.
And then, when we got to the next interview, I did the exact same thing. I did it over and over and over. Tory yelled at me every time, but it didn’t change my actions. I wasn’t staying quiet anymore, and unless she was going to duct tape my mouth shut, there wasn’t a damn thing Tory could do about it.
Chapter 15
BACK AT PETE’S
Finally, the album was done, the promo tour was done, and we all got to go home and recover before the actual tour began. I almost cried when Kiera and I stepped inside our house, and that was a weird feeling for me since I’d never had any true attachment to my parents’ home before. Living here with Kiera had changed things for me, in more ways than one.
I did cry when we picked up the Chevelle. God, I’d missed my car.
Kiera and I crashed the minute we got back. Okay, we showered, made love, then crashed. We spent most of the next day in bed either sleeping or taking advantage of our privacy. We were in between those two things when my cell phone rang. I frowned as I grabbed it from the nightstand and glanced at the screen. Looking over at Kiera beside me, naked under the sheets, I debated letting it go to voicemail and giving her my full attention.
She smiled like she knew it. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
I shrugged. “It’s just Matt. I’ve spent enough time with Matt, but I’m still not satisfied with the amount of time I’ve spent with you.”
She laughed lightly, then indicated my phone. “You should get it. If it wasn’t important, he would just text you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know Matt.” I sighed. “If this is about us getting together to rehearse, I might do him bodily harm.” Kiera rolled into her pillow as she started giggling. I grinned at her, then answered my phone. “You realize we’ve spent the last several months practically in each other’s laps, right? I know you love me, Matt, but I was—”
“So, Griffin and I were talking to Evan,” he said, cutting me off, “and we’re all gonna go to Pete’s tonight, to celebrate the album’s release. Wanna come?”
The album…damn. Remembering the moment when we’d found out just how well our album had debuted still floored me. We were nobodies. How in the hell did we debut in the top twenty? “Number nineteen…I still can’t believe it. Are you sure that wasn’t a weird, non-fever, fever dream?” Because that was exactly how it had felt at the time. We’d all screamed and jumped around and hugged everyone nearby, and it just didn’t feel real. Still didn’t.
Matt laughed. “Nope, we did it, man. And we’re celebrating tonight. So get up, get dressed, and come out with us.”
I grinned at my phone. “How do you know I’m not up? Or dressed?”
He snorted. “Because I’m not an idiot. So you comin’?”
I looked over at Kiera, sitting up on her elbow, watching me; the sheet just barely covered her breasts. “I don’t know,” I murmured.
Kiera bunched her brows at my answer. Matt whined. “Come on, man. It’ll be fun!”
“What will be fun?” Kiera asked, overhearing him.
With a shrug, I told her, “The guys want to go to Pete’s tonight to celebrate the album.”
Her eyes lit up at the news. “That will be fun, we should go.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, my gaze dragging down her body.
She sat all the way up, pulling the sheet higher around her. “Yes,” she said with a smile. “We should definitely celebrate, and we should do it while everyone is together. And who knows when we’ll have another chance like this.” She shrugged.
That was true. We were leaving on the official tour soon. We wouldn’t be here in Seattle for long, so missing this opportunity to celebrate with everyone was a real possibility. Nodding at her, I told Matt, “Yeah, okay, we’ll be there.”
“Awesome!” He then told me what time to meet them and warned me not to be late. It made me smile that at least some things hadn’t changed.
Hours later, we were walking into Pete’s with the guys, and as we strolled through the double doors, the strangeness of my life melted away. Things were like they always used to be, and a feeling of home wrapped tightly around me. The feeling didn’t last long. We weren’t in the bar ten seconds before the place exploded with shrieks and whistles. It was like we were about to do a show for a bunch of diehard fans who’d never seen us in person before, but a lot of the people here used to see us all the time, so it was really…weird.
Regulars that I’d known for ages came up to me with awe on their faces, telling me their names like I’d somehow forgotten who they were while we’d been gone. Some of them even asked for my autograph. It was as if we’d never shared beer, played pool, or made fun of Griffin together. It made the whole reunion feel odd, surreal. Is this what they mean by you can never go home again? I hadn’t changed, but everyone around me had.
I met eyes with Matt and Evan as people crowded around us, and my friends had the same bewildered expression on their faces. Griffin looked pleased, like he’d wanted this from the first time he’d stepped in here. Kiera had removed herself from the chaos and was standing beside the bar with Jenny, Kate, and Rachel. She looked amused by the attention we were receiving, but maybe a little sad too. Being at Pete’s was different now, for all of us.
Then I glanced across the bar and met eyes with Rita. She gave me a flirtatious wink that actually relieved me. Some things were the same.
“So, Kellan…Sienna Sexton, huh? Damn. I figured you’d trade up when you hit it big, but I had no idea you’d go right to the fucking top! Nicely done, man.”
I turned to look at the guy on my left who’d said that. He was one of those regulars that I knew by sight, but I hadn’t really spoken to him all that often, and so of course, he was one of the few who hadn’t offered up his name. I was pretty sure it was Peter, though. I seemed to recall him constantly hitting on college girls, even though he looked closer to Rita’s age. He’d pissed off Griffin one night by trying to pick up a girl while Griffin had been talking to her, and Griffin had lovingly given him the nickname Peter Pecker. No, Peter the Peckhead Pecker. That was it.
With a smirk, I shook my head. “Never pictured you as someone who followed the tabloids, Peter. Don’t believe everything you read.”
Peter grinned, pleased that I remembered him. I grinned internally, pleased that I’d gotten his name right. He shook his head. “I’m not talking about the tabloids. I’m talking about that smokin’ hot music video. Magazines lie, but tongues down throats don’t.”
