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Her voice came out thick. “I’m so sorry. This isn’t how I pictured getting engaged.”
He held her stare. “You do know that we have to goallthe way on this marriage. People can search the documents. We need that authentic wedding license.”
She huffed out a breath. “That just upped the stakes.”
“Yeah…”
“It’s just… I wasn’t going to be like other famous people who marry and divorce all the time. I want to do itonce. Now my dream is ruined. And it’s ruined for you too.” Her eyes shone brighter with tears. “I’msosorry for everything, Julius.”
He brushed his thumbs over hers again. “There’s no need for that, Avalynn. We’re going to make the best of the situation that we can. Andwe’re going to be the best fake married couple in the world.”
Ten minutes later, the jeweler packed up his entire case of diamond rings and left disappointed. Lark rushed Avalynn off to an interview downstairs in the hotel. And Clay cornered Julius.
“What are you going to do? This is important. That ring was an important step of the plan. The PR team is losing their minds.”
All at once, a total calm settled over Julius. “I know exactly what to do. I need a minute alone.”
He went into his room and shut the door. Then he took out his phone and dialed his mother.
As soon as she answered, he didn’t let her get a word in to ask what he’d been up to or give him hell for not calling her sooner.
“Mom. Send me Gramma’s ring.”
The call was short and succinct. He didn’t have much time to waste because the next call would take a bit longer.
He dialed Dove, Quaide’s wife. “I’m going to say this as quick as possible, Dove, so be ready to take notes. I know you’re not an event planner, but I need you to throw together an engagement for me. In the desert. Flowers. A picnic. Wine. Plenty of wine—we’ll need it. And I need the best photographer too. Someone who can change the timestamps on the photos to make it look like it happened before that sex tape was released.”
* * * * *
Avalynn never experienced stage fright. As a child her natural ability to stand up in front of an audience at church or school and belt out a tune had gained a lot of praise from her momma. Her choir teacher placed her front and center in every program because she was the one kid up there who wasn’t fidgeting.
But tonight she hadmorethan a little hesitation about getting out there. How big was the crowd? She only hoped the lights blinded her so she couldn’t see all those empty seats. On the first night in this city, she’d performed to a half-empty stadium.
Plus, the added security from Julius’s team gave her the jitters. She didn’t want to knowwhythey felt the need to raise security. What she didn’t know couldn’t drive her crazy.
On top of all that, shereallydidn’t want to think about that disastrous ring shopping experience.
Although Julius…her bodyguard…herfiancé…was super sweet about it all, she wasn’t sure he understood. After all, she was a woman sitting in front of about a hundred diamond engagement rings. She should be thrilled, right?
But none of the rings were right. This whole thing was off. Of course she couldn’t expect perfection, but having her engagement orchestrated as a publicity stunt left her feeling like a note sung off-key.
She shuffled her feet around on the side of the stage, testing them out. In high-heeled boots, she always made sure that she could strut back and forth in front of the audience without falling on her face.
The sequined skirt she wore caught the lights from backstage and sent sparkles over the black floor. She shook out her hands to rid herself of any nerves lingering in her system, causing the fringe on her top to shimmy.
Julius stood feet away from her, his solid presence the only thing holding her feet in place.
Her heels tapped as she walked to center stage. Drawing a deep breath, she curled her fingers around the mic and peered into the pitch-black darkness.
Behind her, the drummer in her band counted out the beats, and right on time, Avalynn started to sing.
The crowd screamed. The lights came up. Stars of light blinded her so she couldn’t see the front few rows of the crowd. Were they empty? She couldn’t tell. The crowd didn’t sound as strong as it usually did when she played to a packed stadium, but it was okay.
This was okay.
She just needed to get out of her head.
The first song of the evening was about the boy next door and how friendship blossomed into love. She’d written it on the tour bus while traveling to the next venue, and it had poured out of her in the purest of forms that later got enhanced, with more instruments added in studio. But onstage, she liked to keep it simple with only the drums, an acoustic guitar and her voice.
