Absolutely Famous (Famous Series)

by Heather Leigh

  I remain quiet and let him attempt to control the situation. New Sydney wants her boyfriend to be protective and caring, not stifling and annoying. Anything that makes him feel better works just fine by me. I have to admit, that as we pull up to the restaurant and I see the photographers lining the entrance, my newfound courage leaves me and I feel like running far away.

  Drew turns to face me and presses his forehead gently against mine. “Are you ready for this?”

  I smile, knowing I can do anything with him. “Yes, let’s do it.”

  He slides across the seat to the door when a valet opens it and steps out to a barrage of flashbulbs. Reaching back for my hand, he helps me get out of the limo. As he pulls me up to my feet he leans in close. “I love you Syd. Always.”

  I grin and face the paparazzi, holding on to my lifeline the entire time.

  We get through the small line of reporters quickly. Drew stops to chat about his charity and how much this night means to him. A few less legitimate journalists yell out rude questions regarding Kiera and the eavesdropping crimes against the studio. We ignore them and head into the party.

  Once inside, Drew gets mobbed by different patrons who wish to meet him. He attempts to introduce me to everyone and refuses to let go of my hand until I have to threaten him with bodily harm. Miffed, he gives me a dark look and leans in, “Evan and Steve are not to leave your side. Not once Sydney, I mean it.”

  “I know, it’s fine. I told you I’d be good. I want to go find Leah and your family.” Drew turns to Steve and tells him something I can’t quite hear, but I can guess it’s along the lines of ‘don’t let her out of your sight or else’.

  I cross the room with two ridiculously large, tattooed SEALS, one on each side of me, to see my best friend and her boyfriend. Of course, Ryker is getting mobbed by fans too, so Leah and I are left to our own devices. We grab a couple of drinks and head outside on the patio, Evan and Steve just a few feet back.

  “It’s beautiful out tonight,” Leah says, looking out over the river.

  “I know, it really is perfect for outdoor events. Drew said that they shoot the fireworks off from a barge on the river.” I look out from our fourth floor vantage point and watch families and couples walking along the banks of the river trying to find a spot to watch the show.

  “Ladies!” Allie comes through the glass doors and joins us on the patio. We all hug and exchange greetings, complementing each other’s dresses.

  “Where’s Dex?” I ask Allie.

  She turns an interesting shade of crimson and answers me. “He got stuck with Ryker. There’s a pretty big group of Quantum Stranger fans here tonight. I guess it’s just us girls for now.”

  “Is our surprise ready?” I ask Allie.

  Leah whips her head around, “What surprise?”

  Allie lifts an eyebrow and smirks. “You’ll see.”

  “So, I have huge news,” Leah says while trying to suppress her frustration at being left out of the loop.

  “You’re not knocked up are you?” Allie blurts out.

  “No! I’m not, so don’t even go there! I’m selling the Coffee Bar to my cousin and my friend from culinary school.”

  “What!” I say way too loud. “But you love the café, how could you sell it?” I’m stunned. Leah put everything she had into that shop. Every drop of sweat, every spare minute, it all went into turning it into a huge success.

  “Yep. I’m tired of not having a day off for months at a time, getting up at 4am every day to bake. I just need a break. I’ve been contacted about selling the croissants in bakeries around the country. I can do that from my laptop.”

  “Wow. They’re going to keep it open though, right? I can’t lose my morning fix! You know I need it!” I start to panic at the thought of not having my daily cup of coffee at Leah’s place. “In London, everything is tea. It was torture just to get them to brew a decent pot and bring it to my room.”

  “Calm down Sydney! Of course they’re keeping it open. My cousin even hired a couple more people to staff the register so she never has to be there. She’s more like management, not on site like I was. Xavier, the pastry chef I went to school with, will be more hands on.”

  “I may be leaving my job too,” Allie says sadly.

  “Oh no Allie.” I hug her in sympathy.

  “Yeah, well, it’s no big deal. I’ll probably volunteer with my mom at the different hospitals. Or maybe I’ll apply at another hospital, Boston has tons of them.” Allie tries to sound indifferent about it, but I know she loves her job. She’s just one more casualty in the long line of people destroyed by fame.

  Before we can say anything profound to lift Allie’s spirits I hear a snarky voice float up behind us. “Sydney, so good to see you again.” Cringing, I turn to see Kiera Radcliff, done up to the nines in a blush colored evening gown. Unfortunately, she looks gorgeous as usual.

  “I can’t say the same Kiera. Thanks for supporting Inpatient to Learn. I’m sure you can see yourself out, have a nice night.” I turn my back to her and attempt to restart my conversation with my friends.

  “Oh no you don’t bitch,” Kiera snarls. She lunges forward and grabs my wrist in an attempt to spin me around to face her.

  “Ma’am, I’ll have to ask you to remove your hand immediately.” Steve has appeared just a few inches from Kiera’s outstretched arm.

  “Whatever.” Kiera attempts a casual tone, but I can tell that she’s pissed. Dropping her hand she continues her tirade against me. “You think you’re so much better than me? You’re not going to win this one. Adam dumped me so he could ask you out, then you turn up with my future co-star and boyfriend? You’re not taking both of them you whore. You’re trying to ruin me by dragging my name into your twisted attempt at gaining sympathy with the press, like anyone would tape record your boring ass!”

  This chick is certifiably crazy. She flies across the country just to threaten me for stealing her boyfriend that I never dated and for stealing my boyfriend that she never dated? Talk about fucked up. There’s no way she didn’t know about the recordings and manipulation of the media.

  What a bitch.

  I’m about to go off on her when Leah steps in for me, unable to listen to Kiera’s lies any longer. “Listen up skank. I know Adam fairly well, and he told me that he dumped your ass after he caught you banging your last costar in your trailer. So save the bullshit story that he dumped you for Sydney. And as for Drew,” Leah gets right up in her face and speaks low and clear. “He fucking hates the sight of you. So why don’t you piss the fuck off!”

  Kiera’s face falls and her previous confidence is gone. She thought she was getting Old Sydney, the easily intimidated one who fled at the first sign of controversy. Instead, New Sydney didn’t even have to move a muscle because my best friend took care of her for me.

  Allie turns to Kiera and in the politest voice you could possibly imagine, concludes telling her off. “My brother may not be able to punch you in the face because you’re a girl and he’s too much of a gentleman for that, but I assure you that my temper is pretty much on par with his, and I have absolutely no problems with knocking you on your flat ass right now. So, why don’t you get the hell out of here and stop interfering in other people’s lives.”

  The three of us take our drinks and leave a stunned Kiera Radcliff standing on the terrace and head inside to find our men. I can hear Evan when he leans in to Kiera and says, “I think it would be in your best interest to leave now. I’ll escort you out.”

  “Listen,” Allie says as the M.C. starts to speak.

  We go back inside and watch the stage along with the other attendees.

  “Drew is going to freak!” Allie says, giddy with excitement.

  “I hope so,” I murmur.

  “He will.”

  We focus on the M.C. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special guest here tonight to entertain you. Please put your hands together for Grammy-award winning artist, Luke Harrison!”

  The
audience goes nuts, clapping and cheering as Luke comes onstage. He has on a headset, so he can sing and dance at the same time. The musicians start playing and Luke begins to sing Hat Trick, the song Drew put on my iPod.

  “Luke Harrison?” Leah asks, gaping at the stage. “You got Luke Harrison to play this event?”

  I smile. “He gave me his card and said if I ever needed anything to call. So I called.”

  “Holy crap!”

  I spot Drew in the crowd and see him smiling, excited to watch Luke perform. He turns and catches me looking at him and winks. He so knows that I did this.

  See Forrester? You’re not the only one who can set up a surprise.

  Chapter 32

  “That was so much fun,” I tell Drew when we get back to the hotel.

  He gave a wonderful speech, dedicating the night to his friend Matt who died of a brain tumor fifteen years ago. Matt’s brother and parents each said a few words as did a couple of previous students. Kids in remission who were able to go back to school in the same grade as their peers because of the teachers provided by the charity while they were undergoing chemotherapy or other treatments.

  I also got to meet the infamous Trevor Caldwell and his wife Trisha. I can see why Drew worships him, he’s a great person. Funny and charming, he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room when he’s talking to you. He laughed when I told him about Drew’s obsession with his hat.

  “I’m so proud of you, doing all of that for those kids,” I say.

  ‘I’m just the face babe; there are a lot of people who work hard to make it all happen.” So modest, my gorgeous guy.

  “Like your dad said, without you there is no charity so I get to say I’m proud of you and you just have to take it.”

  “I guess I do.” He reaches behind me and unzips my dress with a wicked look in his eyes. “That was pretty cool what you did getting Luke Harrison to perform. He said you met in London. How come you never told me?”

  Heat fills my cheeks. “We weren’t exactly speaking at the time.”

  “He didn’t hit on you did he?” Drew scowls at the thought.

  “Of course not! In fact, he was one of the nicest, most polite people I’ve ever met.” Drew looks like he doesn’t believe me. “That, and he was terrified that you’d jump out of a corner and beat him to death.”

  “Good. Let’s hope he doesn’t forget that.”

  I sigh. “You can be such a caveman sometimes.”

  “Only for you Sydney. Only for you.” He lets go of my dress and it falls to the floor.

  The next morning I wake up to the smell of fresh coffee. Like a zombie, I get up and follow the scent, hoping it leads me to my reward. I find a carafe on the coffee table in the living area with an empty cup next to it. Filling it up, I scan the room and spot Drew out on the balcony, leaning on the brick railing and sipping a cup of his own.

  “Hey you.” I join him in leaning on the railing. “Beautiful day.”

  “Now that you’re up it is.” Drew watches me with those gorgeous green eyes.

  “I don’t normally like compliments, Forrester, but coming from you…” I lean in to kiss him. He presses his lips to mine, careful not to spill his hot coffee.

  “I’ll have to remember that.” He smiles and takes another sip.

  “So, what time are we heading home?” I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave Boston yet. We’ve had such a great time and I love this city. It has more trees and fewer skyscrapers than New York. It’s a metropolis and a suburb in one. The residents aren’t really looking out for celebrities so we can get by unnoticed more often than in New York, and I’ll miss Allie and Drew’s parents.

  “Soon, we don’t want to get home too late.” He turns to look at me and I see that he’s smirking. “Plus I have a surprise planned.”

  “Really! Is it as good as the fabulous dresses?” I ask, smiling while I say it.

  “I think you’ll like this surprise a little bit better, well, I hope.”

  Is Drew Forrester nervous?

  I’m not sure if I’m a surprise kind of girl. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

  A few hours later we’re all packed and loaded up in the Suburban, ready for the four hour drive to the city.

  “What’s this?” I ask as we pull in front of Fenway Park. The street is deserted. “Is there even a game today?”

  “No babe, no game. I just have to get some figures for the charity and I thought you’d like to see the stadium without anyone watching us. The game is tonight, in about nine hours or so. No one should be here except for minimal office staff.”

  Drew jumps out of the car, as does our perpetual shadow, Steve. We walk up to a non-descript green metal door and it opens as we approach. Obviously someone is expecting us. “Hi Ryan,” Drew says as he greets the same young man from the other night.

  “Hi Mr. Forrester, Miss Tannen, come on in.” Ryan steps aside to let us through the door and into the corridor underneath the stadium.

  Ryan tells Drew which direction to go and smiles. He doesn’t follow us through the dusty cement and steel girder-lined passageways that wrap around under the grandstand seats and hold the concession stands and restrooms. Drew takes my hand and turns onto one of the ramps that leads up to the field.

  It’s eerie being here when the park is empty. Our footsteps echo along the vacant passage as we walk out into the bright July morning. The park is just as vacant as the hallways below. There’s not even a groundskeeper anywhere on the perfectly maintained outfield.

  “I thought you just needed to get something?” I ask as Drew pulls me down the same aisle that we used the other night and opens the hidden door in the green barrier next to home plate.

  He turns and gives me a mischievous look, holding the door and allowing me to step out onto the dirt track around the field. As I pass by him I see something flash across his face, it’s brief, maybe a half a second, but I swear I see nervousness behind the playful façade.

  “I will, I just wanted to take advantage of the field since there’s no one here to tell us no. Come on, how often will you get to stand on home plate at the greatest stadium on Earth?” Drew takes my hands and walks backwards, leading me toward the gleaming white base. “Isn’t this spectacular?” He holds his hands out and looks around. “God, when I was a kid I never thought in a million years that I’d be standing here with you today.”

  “Please, like you never dreamt of playing baseball for the Sox when you were a kid.”

  He looks at me and smiles. “Of course I did. I was going to be the starting catcher. Mike was going to pitch, and Matt was going to play first base.”

  “But you just said you never thought you’d be here,” I spin around slowly and take in the incredible sight.

  “I said I never thought I’d be standing here with you, not playing here, and definitely not here like this.”

  I turn back to see what he’s talking about and time freezes. The breath is sucked from my lungs and my legs almost buckle beneath me. It takes a minute for the spots to fade from my vision and my heart rate to slow down enough to focus on Drew.

  Drew is wearing his repulsive hat, having produced it from somewhere and is down on one knee. “Sydney, I think I’ve loved you since you said I looked repellant.” I smile at him as tears roll down my face. “We’ve been through hell and back, I’ve lived without you, and I don’t want to feel that way again.”

  I kneel down on home plate with Drew, so I can see his expressive eyes. He takes my hands in his and kisses them. “I know that being with me makes your life more difficult sometimes, but being with you makes my life real. I can’t imagine facing reality without you. Sydney, will you marry me?”

  Then he looks at me with that face that I adore. The honest and sincere Drew who always says exactly what he means. In that moment I know that I’m meant to be with him. He’s mine and I’m his, forever. “Yes. Yes of course I’ll marry you.”

  He smiles, turns his hideous hat around
backwards, and grabs my face, crushing his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around his waist and respond to his touch, opening up and letting him in. Our mouths move together passionately, sharing the moment as one. Drew pulls back and uses his thumbs to wipe away my tears of joy. “I’m so happy babe. My girl in my hometown at my favorite place, I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

  His wife, holy shit!

  Drew reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small navy box with a silver HW on it. Harry Winston oh my God, I think I’m going to pass out. He hands it to me, but I’m shaking too much to open it. Smiling, he takes it back and lifts the lid. Removing the ring he takes my left hand and slides it onto my third finger.

  Jeez it’s enormous!

  It’s a huge princess cut diamond, at least four carats possibly more, on a platinum band. Simple, elegant and perfect, just like Drew. “It’s unbelievable,” I whisper, unable to say anything else.

  Drew stands up and helps me to my feet, giving me one final kiss before leading me off of the field.

  “When did you plan all of this?” I ask as we head back into the tunnel.

  “This? Probably when I was five years old.” I give him a stern look before I burst out laughing. “Honestly? After you agreed to come with me to Boston. But I was serious when I told you I loved you from the first moment we met. If I hadn’t thought it would scare you off I would have asked you to marry me that first night when we ate sushi at your place.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious.”

  Wow.

  Ryan is waiting by the metal door that we used to enter the stadium. “Bye. I hope you got what you came for,” he says as we step out onto the sidewalk.

  “Oh, I did.” Drew turns and winks at me before helping me into the Suburban.

  Sitting next to him on the very back seat, I’m overwhelmed with emotions from his proposal. It was just so very Drew to do it on home plate at Fenway Park.