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He clenched his jaw so tight that his teeth began to ache. Much more of that and he’d pop them right out of his head. He wouldn’t make a very pretty groom then, would he?
Avalynn reached up and stroked her fingertip over the corner of his mouth. She searched his gaze before stepping back from him.
He whirled to watch her go with Heidi and Clay. His boss shot him a raised brow before the trio disappeared out of sight.
Julius raked his fingers through his hair. Dammit, this felt wrong. He didn’t like being separated from his ward.
His fiancée.
She was his responsibility, even if the sentiment behind putting that ring on her finger was fake. He’d vowed to play his part and he would damn well see it through to the end.
He just prayed that during the wild ride, he and Avalynn could both hang on to their hearts.
Then it hit him—what this emotion was.
He was already dangerously close to losing his in this deal.
ChapterTen
Avalynn took a seat to loud applause from the group of people gathered to talk to her.
She clasped her hands in front of her and made sure to meet several people’s gazes and retain a serene expression for all the photos being snapped.
“Avalynn! How do you feel about heading to Vegas?”
She managed not to let her smile slip. “I’m so excited to perform for my fans in Vegas!”
“Is your fiancé with you, Avalynn?” another reporter fired at her.
Heidi began to answer on her behalf, but she gave her manager a nod to stop her. Then in a poised manner, she responded to the question.
“He is traveling with me.”
“Your new album you’re about to record, did you write any of the songs for him?”
The question brought a brittle smile to her face. She had to make this look real, didn’t she?
“Now if I tell you that, it will be giving away too much!” she said to several laughs.
She’d started writing songs for the album before Julius came into her life. He’d been on that bus with her for at least the last three songs she’d written. While she picked at chords on the acoustic guitar and sang notes and scribbled lyrics on a notepad, he had heard and seen it all.
He didn’t comment on her process, and his stalwart presence faded into the background then.
Now he was in the spotlight, standing right beside her.
Only he wasn’t here right now, and she wished he were.
“Avalynn!” another person called out. “When did you know he was the one?”
Her stomach fluttered. What to tell them? She racked her brain for reasons that a woman might fall in love.
She touched her tongue to her eye tooth in thought. An idea came to her, bringing a genuine smile with it.
“Well, he gets me drinks.”
A collective laugh filled the room.
“Usually tea.”
