“It’s been a surprising month for me.” Unable to sit still, Eden stood and paced to the window. She looked out at Boston Harbor, glistening a deep blue beneath the afternoon sun.
“Good surprises?” Paris asked from behind her.
“Yes.”
Then it was Paris’s turn to surprise Eden as she crossed the room and gave her a hug. “I’m glad. You’ve seemed happier since you met Anna. We all noticed it. I assumed it was because you’d found a new friend. I mean, I had no idea you were even into women, but I’m really happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Eden said as she hugged her back. “And for the record, I didn’t know either until very recently.”
“I guess that was another good surprise then,” Paris said. “Well, thank you for telling me. I’ll make sure you two get all the discreet time together that you need.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. You can tell Taylor and Stella, too, but I’d like to keep it there for now.”
“You got it, boss.”
And that was that. Eden was so grateful to have people in her life that made coming out a positive experience. Not everyone was as lucky. She’d chosen the people she surrounded herself with after she cut herself off from her family, and apparently, she’d chosen well.
With that out of the way, Eden could turn her full attention to tonight’s performance ... her first performance with hergirlfriend. Eden grinned. She couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The day had been a whirlwind. Anna had barely seen Eden since their arrival in Boston, other than a few rushed moments during rehearsal. Eden had kept her stage face in place, and Anna hoped that didn’t mean she was having second thoughts. Surely things would be hard for Eden, adjusting to her first relationship with a woman while under such intense scrutiny from everyone around her.
When Anna joined her onstage for their duet, wearing the purple dress—the one she’d worn the night of their first kiss—she caught a brief flash of fire in Eden’s eyes when they settled on Anna. It warmed her from her head to her toes and made her wonder whose hotel room she’d be sleeping in tonight ... hers or Eden’s?
Just as quickly, the look was gone, and Eden was purely professional for the remainder of their duet. They hugged at the end of the song, the way they did every night, and the crowd roared its approval. Anna waved to the crowd and left the stage. She went to her dressing room to change and then hurried to the side of the stage to watch the rest of Eden’s performance.
Eden was so hard to read sometimes. How did she feel about things now that they were back on the road? Anna should have texted her this afternoon to check in. Why hadn’t she?
A hand landed on her shoulder, and Anna turned, surprised to find Paris standing there. Eden’s assistant didn’t usually seek her out. “Hey, Paris.”
Paris gave her a warm smile, then leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I just wanted to say congratulations. I’m really happy for you and Eden.” And just like that, she was gone, leaving Anna with her mouth hanging open in surprise.
How did Paris know about them? Eden had said she planned to tell her team, but Anna had never expected her to do it this quickly. In fact, she’d been prepared for it to take weeks or even months. But here they were, only hours after their return to the road, and Eden had apparently already kept her word.
Anna’s heart leaped. It really did. There was no other explanation for the flutter she felt inside her chest. God, she was so in love with this woman, and there was no use denying it, at least not to herself. How could she be this emotionally invested so soon? She’d meant to take this slow, for both of their sakes.
Anna watched in a lovesick daze as Eden performed the final songs of her set, briefly leaving the stage before returning for the encore in a glittering gold dress. As she wrapped up the final song, Anna moved to the hallway behind the stage, ready to greet her.
Eden came into the hallway, accepting a towel and bottle of water from Paris before she walked straight to Anna and wrapped her arms around her. Anna breathed her in, detecting the faintest hint of Eden’s rose-petal lotion beneath the clashing scents of makeup, hair products, and sweat.
After a moment, Eden pulled back, but she didn’t let her go. She kept one of Anna’s hands in hers as she led the way to her dressing room with Paris at their heels.
“The car will be here in ten,” Paris said, then stepped back and closed the door behind herself.
It latched with a solid click, and Anna immediately twisted the bolt to lock it. She spun Eden, pressing her against the door as she brought their lips together. “Did you tell her about us?” she asked as she lost herself in the pleasure of Eden’s kiss.
“Mm,” Eden responded, hands on Anna’s hips, pulling her closer. “I did.”
“Wow.” Anna nipped hungrily at Eden’s lower lip, making her whimper. Eden’s hips arched forward to press against Anna’s.
“That was okay, right?” Eden asked, pausing their kiss to meet Anna’s eyes.
“God, yes. I just didn’t think you’d do it so quickly. That was a big deal for you, coming out to your staff. I’m really proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Eden exhaled, resting her forehead against Anna’s. “It was a little scary, but mostly, it felt good, and Paris was great. Did she say something to you?”
“She congratulated me.”
