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If there was any doubt, I was going to have to work a lot harder to prove it to her.
32
Zeke
We finished the album in almost record time. Despite a little drinking, Carter was healthy and on time every day, Kellan and Didi weren’t fighting as much as usual, Kingston was banging some supermodel that was going to star in the first video for this album, and I was happier than I’d been in years. Tommy always went with the flow, doing whatever had to be done no matter what, so we were set for post-production.
To celebrate, we were attending a red-carpet movie premiere tonight. We’d written a song for the film, so it was a big deal. We’d rented a limo and it would be here to pick us up in a few minutes. My house was the last stop, so they were running a little late, but that was probably a good thing because Presley was a nervous wreck.
She looked stunning in a form-fitting red dress I’d bought her from a designer Dorian had recommended. It was long with a slit up one thigh and low-cut in the back. It had spaghetti straps that showed off plenty of skin and cleavage, so I’d bought her a ruby necklace that matched the dress and shoes. She’d had her hair and makeup professionally done, and as far as I was concerned, she was going to be the most beautiful woman in attendance tonight.
“You sure this is okay?” she asked for the tenth time.
“Woman, would you relax?” I asked, pulling her against me. She finally put her heels on after Kingston had texted that they were ten minutes out, but that had been about eight minutes ago. “They’ll be here any minute.”
“Ugh. I don’t think I can do this.”
“I’ll be by your side all night,” I promised. “Everything is going to be fine.”
This was our first real public outing as a couple, so there would undoubtedly be some questions from the press, but I wasn’t worried about it. My personal life had never been of much interest to anyone, so I didn’t think about attending these types of events. Of course, it had been years since I’d had a steady girlfriend, and they would be digging into every detail of Presley’s life. I hadn’t told her that, of course, because she was nervous enough, but I’d given Dorian a head’s up. She would be there tonight as well, so she would be close by if I needed her to run interference.
I probably should have mentioned it to Presley, but she was a worrier, and it wouldn’t serve any purpose for her to be stressed about something we couldn’t control. If we were going to be together, she’d have to get used to the scrutiny. I’d protect her as much as I could, but there were limits. I was in the public eye, and she would be too whenever we were out in public. Hopefully, they’d get bored with us once we’d been together for a while, but for now it was new enough to garner interest.
We walked down the stairs hand in hand and found my parents playing cards with Aunt Meg. Jeremy was already in bed, and they were deep into a game of gin rummy. Aunt Meg paused when we came down the stairs, a bright smile on her face.
“I have to say, you guys are two of the most beautiful people I know,” she said.
“That dress is stunning, Presley,” Mom said. “Red is your color.”
“Thank you.” She blushed, though there was a big smile on her face.
“I think your limo is here,” Dad called out.
“Have a wonderful time,” Aunt Meg said. “Take pictures!”
Presley held my hand tightly as we walked out to the limo and the driver got out to open the door for us. Presley got in first and I followed, startled to see Aurora in the car. I was going to kill someone, and I shot Kingston a dirty look.
“Over here, Z,” Aurora said in a sugary voice. She patted the space beside her, and I quickly glanced around.
Presley was sitting next to Tommy, who hadn’t brought a date, and I gave him a hard stare. “Go sit with Aurora so I can sit next to Presley,” I told him.
He hesitated but then nodded, moving over and letting me sit in his place.
Presley wasn’t stupid, so she knew something was up, but I’d never mentioned the fact that Aurora and I had been fuck buddies on and off over the years, which now seemed like a mistake. One I would have to rectify sooner rather than later.
“Presley, I love your dress!” Didi said, smiling. They’d met a few times now and seemed to get along, which I was grateful for.
“Thank you. Yours is pretty too. I love pink.”
“It’s my favorite.”
“You look like a piece of bubblegum,” Aurora said to Didi, scowling.
Didi was nonplussed. She and Kellan had been dating on and off for something like four years, so she could hold her own. “Bubblegum is fun,” she responded. “Better than boring old black.”
Aurora, of course, was wearing black.
“Color is good at an event like this.” Cheyenne Wilder, Kingston’s date, spoke with a light Australian accent. “You’ll stand out, Didi.”
