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HEATH
"Amelia,thisisElaraCarey from LA Influencer Magazine, she will be running the story for us." Elara is a petite blonde in her mid-twenties wearing white slacks and button-up jacket, looking every bit the journalist she is. "Elara, this is my girl and the mother of my son, Amelia."
Amelia smiles back to me. l think she likes the sound of her being my girl, and so do I. It feels normal, like it's the way things should have always been.
Elara looks between the two of us. You can almost see her brain ticking, trying to work out exactly what is going on here. I have come into contact with her quite a few times over the last couple of years since she started working for LA Influencer. Every time she is polite and professional, she makes it obvious she enjoys our music, and there is always a flirtatious edge to the way she looks at me, but I get that a lot. She has always made a point in the past of making sure to check if I'm still single—just so the fans know, she always adds. I wrap my arm around Amelia's waist, pulling her toward me, just to make it obvious what I meant by my girl.
"You’re a lucky girl to have snagged LA's most eligible bachelor," Elara says with an air of confidence that would intimidate most, as she takes Amelia's hand, giving it a firm shake.
"Uh, thanks." Millie looks back to me, even more unsure than she already was. I give her an encouraging smile, knowing we can get through this together. I know Elara can be quite intense; she has conducted many interviews with me and the boys, but she’s harmless.
Amelia takes a seat on the plush leather seating in my formal living room at the front of the house. And I sit next to her, taking her hand in mine, hoping it will make all of this somehow easier to get through. I'm used to being in the spotlight, being judged for the ins and outs of my personal life, but she's not, and I already know this isn't going to be easy for her. We decided to have the interview here at my place so the kids could be close by; they’re in the games room with their Auntie Andy. And we’re at the front of the house. This room is closed off from the rest, so it's a good spot to do it. I don't really like having anyone who's not the band or family in my personal space, but this was the best option for today.
"I'm surprised you make house calls on a Sunday to get a little piece like this," Amelia adds, looking her over like she’s trying to work her out.
Elara sits across from us, crossing one leg over the other slowly. "Oh, Amelia, you have no idea how badly our readers will want to hear this story. As soon as Della called me, I was like, we need to set this meeting up ASAP." She pulls a notepad and her phone from her bag. "It's okay if I record our conversation?"
We both nod in agreement.
She places the phone on the coffee table in between us and presses record. "Heath is huge right now and every woman in the country is going to read this story and fall in love with him all over again." She puts a hand over her chest. "The doting father, how could they not fall in love with you?" she coos.
I'm sure it's meant as a compliment, but it makes me really uncomfortable, and I can feel Millie's hand tense up in mine. The last thing she needs to hear is how other women are going to be falling for me because of this story. She is already insecure enough. I need to take control of this before it gets out of hand. "Elara, I think that's a bit exaggerated. We really just wanted to make sure our story is told correctly. We need to protect our son as much as possible, and I don't want anyone else to get a whiff of it and make up some bullshit. You understand how important this is, and I have known you long enough, I hope I can trust you to look after us."
"You know I'll look after you and your family." She smiles sweetly to us both. "Why don't we get started so you can get back to them?" She looks down at her notes then back to Amelia. "Amelia, how could you keep something like this from Heath for nearly ten years?" she asks like it's a massive shock. And the accusation in her question makes my skin prickle. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
Millie's face says it all. That comment stung. "I didn't," she stutters out. I squeeze her hand for comfort.
"We both only found out recently," I cut in, needing to save her. "After he had a bike accident and blood tests were run. Amelia is a good person and an amazing mother. She informed me as soon as she was able to."
Elara flicks her long hair over her shoulder, the corners of her mouth turning up smugly. "Oh, that makes sense. I thought it was strange, and the readers would too. That's why I had to ask. Hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable, Amelia."
"No, I'm fine," she mutters, anything but.
Elara glances down to her questions again. "How did the two of you know each other all that time ago? You must have been teenagers. I bet this story is fascinating." She leans in, steepling her hands under her chin, ready to hear it.
"We were best friends from the first day I met her when we were eight," I tell her, smiling at Amelia as I remember back then and how close we were. Doing everything together and always in each other's lives in some way.
Elara looks to Amelia. "So, you know the other boys from the 4 Smoking Coyotes?"
"Yes, we were all good friends. We all went to the same school, and I was at every one of their early gigs, until they hit it big and moved here. I couldn't be more proud of all the boys."
"But Heath was your favorite. Don’t worry, he's everyone's. Even mine." She winks at me, and normally her flirtatious behavior wouldn't bother me, but today, after everything Millie and I talked about over this weekend, it makes me uneasy. I don't want her uncomfortable and worrying that this is what all women will be like around me, because they’re not. Just the ones that think they can get away with it.
"She was mine," I answer for her quickly, needing both women in this room to know exactly where I stand. "I was obsessed with her from the moment my mom moved in up the road from her. She was the most beautiful and sweet girl I had ever laid eyes on, and from the first time I met her when she offered me a seat on the school bus, I knew she was someone special. We were pretty much inseparable from that moment until we graduated high school and I left for LA."
"What happened then?"
"I got signed and Amelia was going to be studying fashion design, so we decided it was best to go our separate ways. We planned to keep in touch, but life got busy, I guess, and we lost contact until just recently."
"She let you go so you could follow your dreams? That's so sweet." She holds a hand to her chest again, like she loves the idea.
"Yeah, she did." I smile at Millie, so grateful for how amazing she has always been to me. "But now we have reconnected, and I’ll never let her go again.” Amelia smiles softly back at me. I would tell Elara all of it, that I already know I’m in love with her all over again and I plan on marrying her and having more kids with her, if I didn't think it would freak Amelia out. She has to know what she means to me. But I understand where she’s coming from as well, so for now, I don’t say it all, even though it's on the tip of my tongue.
"You two are adorable," Elara gushes. "Here I was thinking Amelia was some gold digger with a fake story after your money or fame or something. But you’re high school sweethearts with a cute story of love and friendship. Finding your happily ever after even when you have had so many years apart. This is just so swoon-worthy. Seriously, the readers are going to eat it up. I know I'm not supposed to ask anything music-related today, but from a diehard fan, you have to tell me when we can expect the next album from you boys. It's been a while."
"We're currently working on it, no release date yet, but I'd say later in the year. But that is between the three people in this room."
"I look forward to hearing what you come up with. Thanks for your time today. I'll have a copy of the article sent to Della for you to have a look over before it goes out." She stands, slipping the notepad in her bag and turning off the recording.
