“You caught me off guard. That’s all. How do you think your team will react?”
“They’ll be shocked, probably,” Eden said, looking thoughtful. “I mean,Ihad no idea I was gay, so how could they?”
How was she so nonchalant about this? Anna hugged her knees tighter against her chest. “Do they do this for you a lot?” she blurted, realizing the source of her discomfort as she said the words. “Like ... they’re used to covering for your lovers? Helping you sneak them into your room?”
Eden gave her an incredulous look before her expression shuttered the way it did when she was speaking to the press. “Is that a serious question?”
“No.” Anna shook her head. “You’re right. It’s none of my business.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Eden looked toward the window. “More like ... how many lovers do you think I’ve had? Honestly?”
Anna waved her hands in front of her face. “I feel like I’ve stumbled into a trick question.”
“Three,” Eden said quietly. “There have been three before you, and one of them was my husband. So no, I haven’t asked my team to help me sneak someone into my room on tour since I was first dating Zach almost ten years ago. When I said they kept my dirty secrets, I was thinking about how they covered for me during my divorce ... and how long it had been before that since my husband shared my bed.”
Anna didn’t know how to respond to that, and now she felt like an ass for her own insecurities. “I’m sorry. My mind spiraled for a minute. I don’t even know where that came from.”
Eden scoffed. “Trust me when I say you have nothing to feel insecure about when it comes to our sex life. I thought I was clear about all the ways you’d blown my mind on that front.”
“You were.” Anna leaned in for a kiss.
Eden slid her hands around Anna’s waist and peered deeply into her eyes. “So, are you okay with telling our teams so they can help us sneak into each other’s rooms?”
“Yeah, I am.”
They arrived in Boston at noon on Saturday, where they were whisked to their respective rooms by their respective entourages. Because they’d been away for a week, they would both be expected at the arena by early afternoon to do a full run-through of the show before doors opened to the public.
Eden sat in the living room of her suite as Paris went over the agenda for the afternoon. Everything felt the same as it had for the last two months of the tour—business as usual—except it wasn’t the same.Shewasn’t the same.
Usually, her thoughts would be consumed with the upcoming show. She would be impatient to get to the arena, anticipating the thrill of stepping onstage. She’d always felt more comfortable onstage than she did anywhere else. But, while nothing would ever dampen her love of performing, she’d found that same sense of belonging in Anna’s arms.
Was that love? Her heart saidyes.
“... don’t you think?” Paris’s voice filtered through her thoughts.
Eden had totally zoned out on their conversation. She focused on her assistant. “Sorry. What was that?”
“Lunch before yourBoston Globeinterview tomorrow?” Paris gave her a funny look. “The reporter will be here at one.”
Eden nodded. “Yes, lunch before sounds good.”
“Okay.” Paris typed rapidly on her tablet, then leaned back in her chair. “So how was Vermont?”
“Wonderful.” Eden could feel the dreamy smile on her face.
“I saw some photos of you and Anna out and about together. That was a surprise.”
“She convinces me to do a lot of surprising things.”
“Are you—”
“Yes,” Eden blurted. She didn’t even know what Paris had been about to ask, but she couldn’t hold this news inside herself for another moment. “We’re together.”
“Oh.” Paris gaped at her. “Wow. I didn’t ... I mean, Ididwonder, but ...”
Eden felt herself blushing like crazy. Coming out to her assistant was both easier and harder than she’d expected. She’d been desperate to get it off her chest, but now she felt oddly vulnerable. She cleared her throat, looking down at her hands. “Obviously, we aren’t sharing our relationship publicly yet, but I wanted you to know, since you’ll probably see Anna hanging around my suite a lot.” Her cheeks were about to catch fire at this point.
“Well, you are full of surprises today.”
