“Thank you! Good night!” Laurel shouted in the direction of the microphone.
He tugged on my hand, and I followed him out of the spotlight in a daze.
“Tonight was an absolute triumph, Laurel. How do you feel?” one reporter asked.
We were seated on a sectional sofa in one of the backstage rooms in the arena while a throng of podcasters and other media folks crouched awkwardly in front of us. This interview was the last thing on tonight’s schedule before we could head back to the hotel.
“Fantastic. It was a great crowd. I loved every minute.”
“They loved you,” another reporter said, and Laurel offered one of his perfectly professional smiles.
I could bet these people wouldn’t be able to tell how exhausted he was, but I saw. The weeks after the album’s official release and the series of concerts had been absolutely bonkers, stuffed with events, interviews, and show appearances. We’d been with Laurel through everything. We had to hire people back in Beauville to take care of the pub and B&B, and I was on job-related calls almost every day, but we made it work. Noneof us were ready to be apart, and while I didn’t enjoy having so many eyes on me, it was exciting to witness Laurel in superstar mode. Jordy was having the time of his life, the bastard. The cameras loved him.
“What’s the plan now?” asked someone from the back of the room. The reporters looked at all three of us.
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Jordy said.
“Are you headed back to the mountains?”
Laurel shrugged. “Eventually. We might travel for a bit first.”
That was a lie. We were going back to Beauville first thing in the morning. Laurel wanted to hole up at the chalet until fall, but nobody needed to know that.
Last winter, a group of fans and paparazzi invaded Beauville after Laurel disclosed his relationship status, but the weather solved the problem for us. Nobody was stupid enough to hang around town during snowstorms, especially since the locals refused to offer accommodation or serve food to anyone they considered suspicious. As the weather got better in the spring, we had a few incidents with so-called journalists climbing trees around the chalet with zoom lenses and whatnot, but after a few unpleasant wildlife encounters, they gave up. The property was now gated, and Laurel’s security had good control of the perimeter. Laurel also hired a couple of young shifters from Beauville for extra protection when he stayed there.
I must have zoned out for a bit. Jordy shifted, making the sofa cushions move under my ass, and I jerked back to life.
“This question is for you, Montgomery and Orson. How does it feel to listen to Laurel perform? And I’m talking especially about the last song of the evening.”
Three microphones appeared right in front of my mouth, and I couldn’t help but glance at the big-ass camera lens to the left. I gulped around the lump in my throat.
The good people of Beauville were having a blast making fun of me because the whole fucking world thoughtIwas the quiet one. I just never knew what to say when I was being recorded.
“In love,” I managed to stammer out. God, I was a mess.
Laurel kissed my cheek, which was met with ridiculously soppy grins andawws.
Then they turned to Jordy.
“And you, Orson?”
“I’ll whisper the answer into Laurel’s ear later tonight,” Jordy rasped in his deepest bedroom voice, running his hand up and down Laurel’s thigh.
The reporter closest to us smiled like he’d won something. I imagined Jordy’s comment would go viral in a few hours. Again.
Laurel’s assistant, Sam, glared at Jordy, but his lips twitched. Then he clapped loudly.
“Thank you so much, everyone. We’re going to let Laurel get some sleep now.”
“You just can’t help it, can you?” Sam didn’t hold back now that we were alone. Only a couple of guards were trailing us as we walked down a long hallway toward the garages.
“It’s part of my persona, isn’t it? I’m the cocky bad boy.” Jordy loved throwing the media training bullshit back into Sam’s face whenever he could.
“We agreed on nothing explicit,” Sam said stiffly.
“And I haven’t said anything explicit,” Jordy replied.
“He’s right,” Laurel pointed out.
