I blink at him. I’ll give him points for confidence, but really, couldn’t my sister’s crush be on someone less self-interested? Perhaps someone with a soul?
Cece beams at him. “See? He’s super interesting.”
“That’s one word for it.” I smile as sweetly as I can. “Hey, Thaddeus, can I borrow my sister for a second?”
He shrugs. “Sure. I’m gonna check this place out some more, take some shots for my Insta feed.”
“Thaddeus has got seven thousand followers,” Cece boasts.
“Oh, I bet he does.” I sling my arm around Cece’s shoulders and turn away. We walk together toward the Pop Princesses’ dressing room, which is where I’m supposed to be—not nervously checking out the arena and chatting with my sister and her crush.
“Oh, Cece. Can you believe this is actually happening?”
“I know, right? My friends are freaking out, they’re so jealous of me right now.”
“They’re freaking out? Try being me.”
“You’re gonna be amazing out there, and everyone will love you, and you’ll launch your new career.”
Although I love her unerring faith in me, a fresh rush of nerves slams into me. “Pressure much?”
“Do you know all the songs? You and the marginally less evil spawn have been rehearsing since Britney broke her leg, right?”
“Yup. I keep thinking I know it, then, it’s completely gone out of my head. I don’t want to be out there on that stage, looking like a thief caught in security lights.”
“You’ll do great. But what I want to know is how the heck you swung it.”
“You mean how did I get Sylvia to allow me to take Britney’s place?”
“Yes! She’s got to be desperate, right?”
I nudge her on the arm. “Thanks a lot!”
“You know what I mean. After her broken promise to Dad, all the times you asked her if you could be a part of the band? She said no every time. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
We reach a quiet spot, and I wait for a couple of people to hurry past us. With Mom gone and Dad disappearing off the face of the earth, Cece is my whole family, and I trust her one hundred percent. I want her to understand—and I want her to share in my happiness. “If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it to yourself?”
“Always.”
“I think it was because of Cole.”
Her eyebrows spring up. “Cole?”
I nod. “You know how he got me in front of Rex? Well, from what he said to me earlier, he got Rex on board with the idea of me performing tonight. Without Cole, I don’t think this would be happening for me.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would Rex listen to Cole? No offense to your boyfriend.”
I blush at her use of the term. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sure. And Shawn Mendes asked me to marry him this morning. Why do you think it was Cole?”
I look up the hall and back down again. Satisfied no one is within earshot, in a quiet voice I say, “Cole is Rex’s son.”
“What?!” she screeches.
I instantly try to hush her. “You can’t tell anyone, promise?”
“But, this is huge! No one knows, right?”
“No one. He’s not ready to go public, and you’re the only person I’m telling.”
Cece looks lost in thought. “Now that I think about it, I guess they kinda look alike. Cole’s much cuter, though. Rex is old.”
“Younger than Dad,” I remind her.
“So my sister is dating Rex Randall’s son?”
Happiness spreads through me. “I hadn’t thought about it like that, but I guess I am.”
“Speaking of dating,” she leads.
“I thought you and Thaddeus were just good friends?” I tease.
“I might want something more.” She bites her lip. “What did you think of him?”
“He seems, well, he seems like a fourteen-year-old guy.” I don’t want to tell Cece the first boy she’s introduced me to seems like a total douchebag.
“He’s fifteen. There’s a big difference, you know.”
“Oh, yes. Of course. He’s so much more mature than a fourteen-year-old.”
She misses my sarcasm entirely. “Right? I kinda like him.”
“I figured that. But there’s one thing I need to know: is he really friends with a bunch of transvestites?”
“Probably. I told you; he’s really interesting.”
I’m still not convinced.
“Having a nice chat, you two?” Sylvia says at my side.
Fear grips me. How much of our conversation did she hear? “I was just looking around, getting my head in the right space.”
She twists her mouth as her ice-cold blue eyes bore into me. “Well, I hope you’re done. You and Kylie need to do one last check before you go on.”
I stand tall when I say, “I’ll come to do the last checks with Kylie. But Sylvia? Remember that you’re the one who needs me right now.”
Her mouth forms as thin a line as her over-plumped lips will allow. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” she replies with steel in her voice.
As I breeze past her with Cece beaming at my side, I say, “Oh, I will.”
We make our way back to the dressing room where I run through a few moves with Kylie, we warm our vocal cords up, and the makeup artist does a few touch-ups to my already made-up face.
Then, all too soon, as if in a dream, there’s a knock on our dressing room door and Kylie and I are informed we have a matter of minutes before we’re due to go on.
“What do you do just before you walk out there?” I ask Kylie as we totter on our heels to the stage entrance, trailed by Cece, Thaddeus, and Sylvia. “I’ve heard some performers pray, some do pushups, all kinds of things. I need something to calm me down.”
“We have a routine. I’ll show you before we go on,” Kylie says.
We stop near the curtain, and I can hear the noise of the crowd just meters away. My heart begins to hammer in my chest, and my palms begin to sweat. This is really happening!
“Right, girls. This is the big one. You need to bring your A-game, got it?” Sylvia says as she straightens Kylie’s strap over her shoulder. We’re dressed in similar sequined dresses, not matching, and my sparkly heels that make me feel like a fairy-tale princess.
“Yes, Mom,” Kylie replies automatically.
“Of course,” I echo.
“Good luck,” Cece says, smiling at me.
Thaddeus is taking a selfie.
I feel a hand on my waist and turn to see Cole. He takes my hand in his. “You’re gonna kill it out there, I know you will.”
“Will you be watching?”
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” His eyes drop to my feet. “Are those the shoes?”
I press my lips together and nod.
“They look just how I imagined them.”
“When you’ve finished making moon-eyes with your boyfriend, we’ve got a show to perform,” Kylie says.
“I’ve got to get out there,” I nervously tell Cole. “Good luck for your song. I’ll try to get here for it.”
“Thanks. See you after?” he asks.
“Wild horses, right?”
His gorgeous eyes dance when he replies, “Go get ’em, Kermit.”
“Somehow, an image of Kermit the Frog going to get ’em doesn’t make me feel exactly confident.”
“You’ll do great. Now go,” he replies.
I step over to Kylie. My heart is hammering so hard I fear it could bust a rib or two. She puts her hands on my shoulders and bows her head. “You do the same.”
I follow suit, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and lowering my head, too.
“It’s usually Britney who says it, but I’ll do it for us tonight. Lift your head and look at me.”
I look up into her blue eyes. They’re like her mother’s, but softer somehow. Almost human. She looks nervous but a heck of a lot more compo
sed than I bet I do. Considering I feel like I’m about to jump off The Empire State Building with no parachute, that isn’t saying a whole lot.
“One of the Kardashians in a trailer park, eating a huge bowl of Cheetos, with orange dust all over her face. Your turn.”
Completely confused, I reply, “Excuse me?”
“Think of something silly or funny. Whatever comes to mind.”
“You’ve lost me. How is a Kardashian eating Cheetos in a trailer park funny, exactly?”
“Duh. Because it would never happen.”
“Okay. I get it. How about a cat dressed in a suit, wearing a monocle, and reading the New York Times?”
“That’s kinda funny. We prefer celebrities, though. We’re more people-ists than animal-ists.”
If I wasn’t so pent up, I’d laugh. “Okay. How about an overweight Zac Efron trying to do a sit up and collapsing in a heap on the floor?”
“Better.” She giggles. “That so would never happen, though. Zac’s body is totally bangin’.”
“Or Channing Tatum keeping his shirt on?” I get a laugh from Kylie for that one. “Or, Sylvia wearing clothes from The Gap.”
Kylie’s shoulders shake under my hands. “That would never happen.”
“Right?”
Kylie smiles at me. “You know what?”
“What?”
“You’re not so bad. You know, for a stepmonster.”
My eyes get wide. “You call me ‘stepmonster?’” I ask, shocked she uses the exact term Cece and I use for Sylvia. “Huh. I never knew.”
Kylie shrugs. “We are who we are, babe. Now, you ready to get out there?”
My nerves clang loudly in my ears. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Then let’s do this.”
As we step out onto the darkened stage to uproarious applause from the packed arena, the atmosphere crackles around us, and my nerves begin to evaporate.
We take our positions for the opening track. The lights flash bright and I’m blind to the masses of people around us. As the familiar music begins to play, a sense of destiny washes over me.
I’m exactly where I was born to be.
Chapter 20
Cole
I watch as the darkness is instantly illuminated on the stage, and the packed-to-the-rafters arena erupts into deafening applause.
A beat kicks in with a familiar melody, and Kylie and Gabby begin to dance, moving in near-perfect synchronicity with one another, striking poses, looking like a couple of Taylor Swifts out there. They look every bit as though they’ve been performing together forever. Professional, choreographed, totally slick.
Gabby lifts her microphone and sings the first line from a song I recognize from the radio, and I can feel the tension seep from me. I’m giddy with relief for her as she takes control of the song and makes it hers, harmonizing with Kylie, moving with confidence. She’s a total natural out there, and I’m hit by a swell of pride for the woman I love.
“She’s awesome, isn’t she?” Cece stands on the tips of her toes and shouts into my ear.
I nod as a grin spreads across my face. “Totally awesome.”
“I think she’s even better than Britney. But whatever you do, don’t tell Britney I said that. She’s already Queen Bitch as it is.”
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
We stand in silence for the rest of the song and watch Gabby, in total awe.
“Gabby’s wanted this big break forever, you know,” Cece says as the audience applauds.
“Yeah, she told me.”
“Dad let her down, and so did Sylvia. She told me without you, she wouldn’t be out there right now, living her dream.” Her face, bright with happiness, makes me happy.
Then, a little niggle in my side worms its way across my chest. It’s a niggle that’s been there all afternoon, quietly grumbling in the background.
I don’t want it to be there, but it is. No matter how hard I try to shake it off, it’s stuck there in my brain, superglued to my neurons, making me question Gabby’s motives.
Cece tugs on my T-shirt and I look down at her once more. “Thank you so much for this. For everything you’ve done for Gabby.” Her voice is so earnest and heartfelt.
“Happy I could help.”
“She’s been trying to find an ‘in’ ever since she got let down. It’s so cool you helped her out.”
“Yeah. Right.” I look back up at the Pop Princesses. As I watch Gabby move on the stage, I can’t stop Cece’s words from ringing in my ears.
She’s been looking for an “in.”
Am I that “in?” Am I nothing more than an easy way to charm her way into the spotlight?
No matter how much I try to deny it, that small voice in the back of my head, the one telling me to take care, the one warning me to keep from getting in too deep, gets louder.
She’s using you to get what she wants.
Dammit. Rex has me second-guessing Gabby, now her sister has, too? The tension builds in my neck, and I automatically lift my hand to rub it. My brain and heart are engaged in some sort of prize fight, duking it out over Gabby’s true feelings.
Gabby and Kylie finish their song and the crowd breaks into loud cheers and applause once more. Cece is whooping and cheering beside me. I join in absentmindedly, my thoughts still scattered.
Shit. What am I thinking? Why am I trying to wreck this before it’s even really begun? Gabby loves me, she said so herself. I’ve got to stop letting other people in my head.
I need to focus on her and me.
I watch the next handful of songs. My pride in Gabby returns as I push my doubts away.
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Nashville. “What is it, man?”
“Rex wants you to do some warm-ups with him. He’s in his dressing room.”
“Sure. I just wanna see Gabby at the end of this set.” I feel a twist of nervousness as I imagine myself out on stage in front of this huge crowd.
Nashville looks out through the curtain at the stage, where Gabby and Kylie are now performing a fast-tempo song with a group of dancers. Looking slick and in control, the new-look Pop Princesses are commanding the stage. “She’s doing well, your girlfriend.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“Meeting you made her life, huh?”
I don’t let Nashville’s words get into my head—not like I let Rex’s, or even Cece’s inadvertent confession. Nashville can think what he wants, and God knows he’s threatened by the fact that I’m Rex’s son.
He has everything to gain by getting in my head.
I shrug. “I’m the lucky one. I mean, look at her.”
Nashville looks briefly at the stage, then back to me. He’s not interested in me being right. I bet he’d love it if my relationship with Gabby imploded.
“Rex’s dressing room in five. Okay?”
I feel like saluting. “Sure.”
He turns to scamper back to Rex’s side as the Pop Princesses finish the final song of the set. I smile as the crowd goes crazy for them, and see the total elation on Gabby’s beautiful face as she takes it all in.
The lights dim for the band to leave the stage. I am excited for the chance to tell Gabby how amazing she was. When she reaches my side, I lift her up and pull her into me. She’s hot and sweaty from working hard. “Gabby, you were amazing!” I kiss her soundly.
“Was I?”
“Hell, yeah.” I give her one more tight embrace before I place her back on her feet.
Kylie is standing next to us, so I add, “You were great, too, Kylie. You both killed it out there.”
“It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I mean, Britney’s always so bossy. Gabby’s, well, Gabby’s more chill,” she says.
Gabby nudges her stepsister on the arm, “I’m not sure that’s saying much, but I’ll take it all the same.” I’m struck by the growing camaraderie between the two.
“How did it feel out there?” I ask Gabby.
&
nbsp; “Incredible!”
I laugh. “You looked like you belonged there.”
“I do belong there.” She’s matter-of-fact, and totally right. This is her place, and now she’s found it, I know she won’t want to let it go.
“You won’t hear me saying this in front of Mom, Gabriella, but Cole’s right: you belong up there on the stage,” Kylie says. “With me, that is,” she adds.
Sylvia struts over to us and air kisses her daughter. “Kylie, darling. Wonderful show, as always.” She looks at Gabby. “You did well, Gabriella.” Sylvia’s tone is superior.
I raise my eyebrows at Gabby. She’s still beaming from ear to ear, and I don’t think anything can dent her happiness, not even her bitch of a stepmom. “Thanks, Sylvia. I thought it went well, too.”
“It went well? Are you crazy?” Cece says as she appears beside me. She pushes past, eager to get to her sister, and launches herself at her. “It was spectacular and you’re a total star!”
Gabby and Kylie are quickly surrounded by well-wishers—and Sylvia.
“Gabby?” I put my hand on her arm and she looks up into my eyes. “I’ve got to go get ready. See you soon?”
She extricates herself from her new adoring fans and hugs me. “Wild horses, remember?”
“I remember.”
“I know you’ll do amazing out there,” she says.
Those nerves return as I make my way through the throngs of people back to Rex’s dressing room, where I join him in some vocal warm-ups. Before we leave the dressing room to face the noise, the people, the buzz of Madison Square Garden, I say, “Thank you for everything, Rex. Meeting me, welcoming me into your life, this concert. All of it. It means a lot.”
Yeah, I’m having what my cousin Avery would call “a schmaltzy moment.” But I’m totally owning it.
Rex looks at me, his expression soft. “You’re a great guy, Cole. I’m proud to call you my son.”
Heat spreads across my chest, and I’m surprised to feel a lump rising in my throat. I swallow it down as best I can. “And I’m proud to call you my dad.”
“Well, I hope you do call me that, someday soon.”
“Maybe I will someday, old man,” I say with a smile.
He pats me on the back. “I’ll look forward to it. Your mom, she knew I wasn’t father material back when you were born. And God bless her, she was right. But now? Now I’m ready, and it means the world to me that you’re here.”
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