On the day that I had originally been slated to get married, I was pacing the living room and wondering if Denny was ever going to call me when he finally did. I was so nervous about talking to him, I stepped outside. My parents' yard was covered in snow, and everything outside was muffled and insulated. It was still early in the day, mid-morning, and there wasn't a whole lot of movement in the neighborhood. It made Denny's voice that much clearer in my ear.
"Hey, it's me. I finally read your book."
I sat on a bench on the porch and remembered sitting there with Denny, ages ago. "And . . . ?" I cringed, not sure if I wanted to hear his answer.
He paused. "And I think it's great. I think you should publish it."
Relief washed through me. "Are you sure? It's so . . . personal. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."
Denny sighed, and for once there wasn't any lingering pain in the sound. "I understand too, Kiera. Reading the book . . . I understand so much better what happened. I wish it hadn't happened the way it had, and I know you feel the same, but I'm okay now, and this doesn't bother me. Go. Publish it. Knock the socks off the literary world. You deserve it."
As I leaned back on the bench, I told him, "Thank you. That means a lot to me." Smiling, I added, "I guess I should get started on getting it published. So, Mr. Brilliant, you have any contacts in the publishing industry?"
I could hear Denny's smile when he answered me. "Actually, I know you'd probably considered going with a traditional publisher right away, but what do you think about releasing it yourself first? Garner some attention before you dive into the traditional route? The minute I finished reading, I started looking into it, and I found a ton of articles and websites about self-publishing. If you want, I can help you with the technical side. Then I'll help you market the book. That is my specialty, you know."
"No, I hadn't considered that, but I like the idea." I paused to think it over, and he had a point. A story about cheating might be hard for me to sell to a publisher. Releasing it myself seemed like a great way to prove the story's merits first. Still amazed by Denny, I shook my head. "You'd really do that for me?"
"Like you told me before, Kiera, I'd do anything for you. You and Kellan both."
I didn't even know what to say to that, so in the end I just thanked him. Then I ran into the house and tossed my arms around Kellan's neck as I kissed every square inch of his face. "I'm going to be published!" I squealed.
Lacing his arms around me and gently sitting me beside him on the couch, he murmured, "I know. And you're going to be huge." His lips curled into an adorable pout. "When you're famous and I'm a has-been, you're going to leave me, aren't you?"
Giggling, I threaded my fingers through his hair. "For one, thanks to you, I'm already famous. And secondly"-I tenderly placed my lips against his-"I'm never leaving you." Pulling back, I lost myself in his amazing eyes. "And lastly, you'll never be a has-been. Not to me." Nope, not ever.
Two weeks later, Kellan and I said our goodbyes to our families and traveled back home to Seattle. Kellan was damn near giddy when our plane came to a complete stop. He immediately bounded to his feet and pulled me to mine. I wasn't sure why he was so excited as we exited the first class section, a complimentary upgrade from Nick. I thought maybe Kellan was just happy to be returning to familiar stomping grounds, but after acknowledging a few fans at the airport, gathering our things from baggage claim, and climbing into a taxi, the real reason for his excitement became crystal clear.
Instead of giving the taxi driver our address, Kellan gave him Evan's address. Confused, I looked over at him. "Why are we going to Evan's?"
It wasn't that I didn't want to see the guys. I did. But Kellan and I had been living with family for the last six weeks, and I wanted a little alone time with my husband. We had had some privacy at Gavin's and at my parents', sure. Dad had even let Kellan and I share a room since we were legally married. And even though we'd been warned not to, we'd broken the doctor's orders about restraining from intimacy. We'd actually broken that rule on week three. Kellan is hard to resist, and when he'd told me he felt fine as he was running his tongue along my collarbone . . . well, will power still wasn't my strong point, I guess. But those brief moments hadn't been nearly enough, and I was ready to go home.
Kellan glowed as he answered me. "We're not going to Evan's, we're going to the shop."
I was confused for a minute until I realized what he was talking about-the auto body shop beneath Evan's loft, the shop that was garaging Kellan's Chevelle. I rolled my eyes at him as I laughed. Boys and their toys. When the taxi let us out, Rox, the female mechanic who "knew" Kellan "very well," was there holding his keys. Kellan was so excited, he picked the girl up. I cringed, and not from jealousy. I just didn't want him injuring himself. He'd been given the all clear, but still, he should be careful.
Rox was laughing when Kellan set her down. With grease-stained fingers, she indicated inside the garage, where I could see a huge Chevelle-shaped sheet on the far side of the room. It made me happy that they'd protected the car as well as store it. It made Kellan's eyes shine as he gingerly took the keys from her.
Walking up to his car, he lovingly removed the cover. By the look on his face, I thought maybe I should give him a minute alone with his "baby." His smile wide, his hand slowly ran up the edge of the shiny black vehicle, then caressed the top. And damn if it wasn't erotic to watch; it gave me shivers, and I wanted him to finish fondling his car so he could fondle me.
From beside me, Rox murmured, "He sure loves that car."
I had to laugh as I watched Kellan rest his cheek on the roof. God. Really? "Yeah, that he does."
As I started to walk away, Rox blurted out, "I never believed the rumors . . . just so you know."
By the strange expression on her face, I didn't quite believe her. But I knew she was trying to be nice, so I played along. "Thanks. That's good to hear."
Stepping up to Kellan, I extended my hand, palm up. Lifting his head from the roof, he frowned at my gesture. "What?"
Keeping a straight face, I told him, "Seeing as how you're still recovering from a serious operation, I don't think you should drive."
Kellan's jaw dropped, and his fingers possessively curled around the keys. "I'm fine, and you know I'm fine. Sex takes way more energy than driving, and we've been doing that for weeks." A playful gleam in his eyes, he added, "And it didn't hurt at all when you rode me this morning. It felt pretty amazing actually."
Widening my eyes, I slapped my hand over his mouth. Rox was laughing, so I knew she'd heard him over the din of the noisy shop. I could feel Kellan laughing under my fingers. I considered punching him in the gut, just to see if that hurt, but I'd vowed never to hit anyone again so I contained myself. I did make him unlock the door and get inside as quickly as possible, though. He was laughing when I climbed in the other side. "What?" he asked, starting the car. "Am I wrong?"
Giving him a sly grin, I shook my head. No, he wasn't wrong. This morning had been pretty amazing. Kellan's stamina was right back where it used to be. In fact, you wouldn't even know he'd been in such a scary accident by the looks of him. The only visible mark on him was a slightly pink scar running down the middle of his abdomen from where the doctor had cut him open to save his spleen. But he'd been stitched together very well, and given enough time, the slight mark would be nearly invisible. I didn't care if the scar remained visible for the rest of his life. Inadvertently, the scar had saved his life. And, in a way that couldn't fully be explained, it was kind of sexy.
Really wanting to be alone now, Kellan and I headed for home. When we drove up to our street, a sad fact quickly became apparent to us. Sometimes, you can't go back home. Kellan's narrow, car-packed street was now so full of vehicles and people, we couldn't pull into it. Stopping alongside the main road, we looked down the street where tons of people were milling about. I could just make out our two story home, and I was horrified to see people taking pictures of it.
"Please tell me your neighbors are having a block party," I whispered.
Kellan looked back at me; his face was resigned. "I don't think this has anything to do with my neighbors."
While we continued to stare, a couple of those neighbors stormed into their yards and started shouting at the loiterers. I'd already known Kellan was right, but that confirmed it. Somehow, Kellan's house had become a well-known tourist attraction. And even if we called the cops and had these people removed, it wouldn't matter. They'd just come back. Idly, I hoped our stuff was okay. The thought of someone breaking in and smelling my underwear, or Kellan's, instantly flooded my brain. God, I hoped that hadn't happened.
Sighing, Kellan pulled back into traffic. I understood. We couldn't go back there. It broke my heart some. I had a lot of memories in that home. Some good, some not so good. But a place was just a place. His heart was my home, and I wasn't ever leaving it.
Kellan drove us to Matt and Griffin's house. It was in the comparatively quiet burbs, and no one was around when we pulled up. I doubted the fans knew about this place, so we wouldn't be disturbed here. And since Griffin had moved into my sister's apartment, Matt had room for us. Although, not as much room as we'd thought; Rachel had moved in over the holidays. But the pair were quiet and reserved, so I knew living with them would be comfortable-for the time being, at least.
Matt filled us in on what had happened with Kellan's house. Apparently, Joey had spilled the beans about where he lived in an interview with a skeezy online tabloid. Showing absolutely no ethics, the magazine had actually posted his address, and it had spread like wildfire around the Internet in just a few hours. After Sienna's confession of manipulating the public, Joey had also finally confessed to the world that she was the real star of the inconclusive sex tape and that Sienna had paid her to keep quiet.
I was both shocked and not shocked by the interview. We'd suspected that Joey had been paid off. It made me wonder if Sienna had also squashed the release of any of the other sex tapes, since no one else had come forward. Or maybe the other girls just had more self-respect than Joey. It didn't matter too much to me either way now. Let them be released. I knew my husband in a way that no woman watching erotic, self-made p*rn ever would.
While Kellan and I looked for a new place to live, I published my book as an ebook. Denny helped me prepare the manuscript and put together a classy, romantic cover that would instantly catch people's eye. Releasing it was scary as hell. I had no idea how people would react. I had no idea what they would say. But I had to do it. This was my dream, my career, my passion. So, with great trepidation and excitement, I uploaded my baby into cyberspace to be judged, hopefully more positively than negatively.
After the ebook went live, a feeling of relief washed over me. I'd done it. I'd created a story, a piece of my soul, and I'd had the courage to share it. Even if it wasn't universally accepted, I was proud of myself for following through with it. When I made my first sale, another feeling washed through me-excitement! I felt like I was officially an author after that moment.
While the ebook started gathering a fan base, I put my paperback together. It pained me to have to wait to hold the physical book in my hands, and I anxiously checked for my copies to arrive on my doorstep every day. When they finally did, Kellan intercepted the package. I'd been at lunch with Jenny, Kate, and Cheyenne, and when I got back to Matt's house, a note was taped to the front door. It merely read, Come find me.
Grinning at Kellan's handwriting, I opened the door. On the ground were rose petals. Each petal had one letter written on it. I was laughing as I followed the trail that spelled out, I can't wait for you to find me, so hurry up already. The excessive trail of petals led in a loop through the kitchen and into the living room. Oddly enough, the trail ended at the bathroom. I was hesitant to open the closed door, but I was too curious not to.
"Kellan, what exactly are we doing in here?" I murmured as I pushed it open. He wasn't in there, though. Instead, I found a huge note taped to the toilet. In large letters it screamed at me, We don't have time for mind-blowing sex in here. Focus, and come find me!