I’m helped into my shoes, and I walk out to where Kolton is waiting for me. His eyes devour my every curve, and his eyes sparkle into mine. He shakes his head, and gives me the side smirk.
Walking closer, he takes my elbow, pulling me toward him. He smells like sandalwood and sin as he whispers, “You’re lucky we’re not alone, or I’d pull that dress up over your hips, and take you right there on that couch.” His words travel up and down my spine. My eyes dart to the yellow velvet couch—images of me with my dress hiked up and his pants undone rocking his hips into mine have me breathing in quickly. I close my eyes and feel his lips make contact with my neck. “You’re beautiful with sex on your mind.”
Just then, Jessie comes out, looking tall and thin. Her blonde hair shiny and healthy. “I’ve had some jewelry sent over from Tiffany,” he says. “We’re borrowing.”
When we leave, I’m wearing a necklace with three oblong tiers of yellow diamonds surrounded by pristine white diamonds and matching earrings. Jessie is wearing a tight white diamond necklace with small white diamond earrings and a ring.
“Is your uncle going to be there?” I ask and he nods. I can only guess that means Vivien will be there, too.
And here I thought our worries were over.
* * *
“Mia!”
“Kolton!”
“Put your arm around her!”
“Kiss!”
These words are shouted as we stop on the red carpet for photos. Gina DeYoung is here, and has ushered us toward several interviews that would be in our best interest. Once on the other side of the maze of photographers and entertainment journalists, I’m ready to take a break. When we walk into the building at the Staples Center, she hands me my script. Jessie and I are presenting for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
I read my lines, which allude to a little fake competition before opening the envelope and revealing the winner. When I look up, Kolton is greeting his uncle Tedd, and then Vivien leans in and whispers something up into his ear. I instantly see red. He turns toward me, leaving her behind without a word. He mouths the words, “I’m sorry,” before taking my arm in his like he’s Cary Grant.
“This night is about you, Kolton,” I say. “Don’t let her ruin anything.”
“She’s not worth it,” he says, smiling.
We’re seated without them in the front row. They’re directly behind us and I can feel her glaring at the back of my head until I’m called backstage with Jessie to present. “This is kinda scary,” Jessie confesses. I wrap my arm over her shoulder.
“Let’s shake it off,” I say. So she and I both shake our shoulders back and forth. She cracks me up. I like her better now that we’re not competing with each other.
“Here to present the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the winner of The Stage, Jessie Law, and the runner-up, Mia Phoenix.” There’s applause as we walk toward the mic. Then our lines cross the teleprompter, a clear glass on each side of the stage.
After our little joke about who should get to open the envelope, Jessie shows herself to be the bigger person. She lets me read it with her after she opens the envelope.
“And the winner is…”
“Lacie Bree!” we say in unison.
After her speech, I walk forward. “And now,” I say into the lights and cameras, “Here to perform his favorite single, ‘Born in Fire,’ from the not-yet-released album More Than Skin Deep, is Kolton Royce.”
On the stage left of us, the lights turn on and Kolton’s voice comes through. Jessie and I walk off stage. Someone starts to usher us back to our seats, but I decline. “I’m watching. Can I stay?” I ask, and don’t wait for a response.
“Out of the ashes she rose.
Fire tried to take her voice—
Strong like lightening, soft like silk.
Bright like the light from the sun.”
As I experience his emotional performance, I think about all we’ve been through. How much he’s changed, but also how much he’s changed me. I want us to start really living. I don’t want to wait. I want to sign with him. I want to tour with him.
I’ve made up my mind.
As the lights turn off on the stage, and they shoot us to commercial, I run back stage toward the other side, trying to find him. Trying to tell him I’ve made up my mind. An arm grabs me, “Miss Phoenix. We need you in your seat for the next award. Kolton’s up,” says the tall young man with the headset from the production crew.
“Oh, crap. Okay,” I say, out of breath.
“Through here,” he motions, and I find myself out in the audience and walking toward my seat. But Kolton’s not there.
I lean over my seat and ask Uncle Tedd, “Do you know where he is? He’s up next!”
“No, they should bring him back to his seat in time for the presentation. He’s up next,” he says, looking at the schedule he must be privy to since he’s a producer on Kolton’s song.
I sit down, with all this nervous energy jumping around inside me, making me crazy. I feel her presence too near to me, and the she says, “So, Mia. I hear you’re signing with Ceol.”
“Who’s signing with Ceol?” Kolton asks, suddenly standing up next to his seat.
“Well, I’m not signing with them,” I clarify, as he sits down.
“That’s not what I heard, hon. It looked like you were in signed negotiations.”
“Looks like?” I question. She sits back in her seat, swipes her phone and shows me the contract I signed. The only thing is, my signature is on the front instead of on the back with the note I’d written.
Kolton looks at it, frowning. “You signed this?” he asks.
“No,” I say taking my phone out of the clutch I’m borrowing from some designer. As I’m swiping through the pictures to find the one of the contract, I’m shaking my head. Then it hits me.
“You had a part in this, didn’t you?” I ask Vivien. I mean, why else would there be a doctored photo on her phone from some other record company?
“Oh, hon, don’t be paranoid,” she quips. I feel the anger as it boils up inside of me.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up,” I blurt, and see the shock on his uncle’s face. I turn promptly and put my face in my hand.
The lights turn up on stage causing me to look up, and the host introduces the presenters. There’s a camera woman coming to stand in front of us to get the shot of Kolton waiting to see who wins.
I find the picture of the contract and my note and pull on Kolton’s arm. “Look,” I whisper as the presenters are reading their parts. He looks down at my phone. “That’s what I signed,” I say swiping from the front to the back of the contract. He looks at it with a frown, and then he catches my eyes with his. It’s like he realizes what Vivien has done.
Now’s not the time to tell him, but I feel like I have to. “I want to sign with you,” I confirm. You’d think I’d just agreed to marry him from the smile that spreads from his mouth to his whole face and his eyes.
“You do?” he affirms. “When did you decide?” he asks. In the background, I hear the song excerpts being played for one of the other contestants.
“Kolton Royce,” says the presenter, and he looks at the camera.
“I saw the contract on the plane,” I explain, as Kolton’s song is played on screen. “But I’ve known for a long time, I was just too scared to…” I look up and see a live shot on the screen, all four nominees are smiling and waiting to find out the winner—but Kolton is looking at me instead.
“I trust you, Kole,” I whisper. “I know you won’t steer me wrong. I know you’ll respect my ideas, and you’ll see me as equal.” He turns toward me looking at me like the whole world isn’t watching and kisses me sweet and firm. This is such a momentous moment in our life, in our careers. I would have told him later. But she made me have to tell him now.
“And the winner is…” I look up and realize Rania Steele is up there with last year’s winner, Eloi Martin. I’ve been so caugh
t up in what just transpired between us and Vivien, I hadn’t noticed.
“Kolton Royce!” Eloi says, announcing him as the winner. Kolton breaks into a huge surprised smile, reaches his hand toward me and touches my cheek so gently, like we’re alone, and kisses me. He jumps up and I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Congratulations, Kole!” I say, over the applause. He reaches over the seat, and shakes his uncle’s hand—but ignores Vivien—before walking up the stairs and being handed his award.
He turns and stands at the podium.
“Thank you so much for this honor,” he says. “There are so many people who I’d like to thank—and you know who you are—but I will be thanking them privately at the after-party and during the weeks to come,” he says. “Except, I’d like to thank my fans.” The top tier of the Staples Center erupts. “I love you, too,” he says, waving to them. “I’d also like to thank my uncle, Tedd Royce,” he says, making eye contact with me, “Mia,” he starts—but the fans scream. I look up at the top tier, and wave. They’re waving and screaming, for me. What a turn around. I felt like they all hated me after our relationship came out. I turn to Kolton, and he nods, acknowledging the realization I’m having. His fans don’t all hate me. We’ve come a long way since that thing at the mall.
“Thank you for coming into my life,” he says, as the crowd dies down. “For trusting me with your heart. I don’t deserve you. Every day you teach me, and model for me, how to be the type of person who does deserve to be with you. I love you.”
I mouth the words, ‘I love you, too,’ and he winks, making the women scream and wave.
“Thank you so much,” he says, again, bowing to the audience before he turns to the presenters, and they escort him back stage.
Now alone with Tedd and Vivien, I’m having trouble keeping up with the pace of my heart and the shortness of breath after my outburst. I shouldn’t have said that to her in front of Tedd, but she’s a sneaky bitch. And a child molester. As I imagine all the things I’d like to say to her, someone taps on my shoulder.
When I snap my head around, Tedd says, “We’re going to need to speak about what you said to Vivien.”
I turn around and look her in the eye. “Yes. There are a lot of things we need to speak about.”
She shifts in her seat. I look her in the eye and tell her with my expression I know all her secrets. I see her moment of realization. Her face drops, and she leans toward him, excusing herself. But instead of walking toward the restrooms, she’s walking back stage.
I want to run after her, slap her across the face. Scream and chant ‘child molester’ with a pitchfork in my hand, but instead I shrink in my seat like an un-watered flower. I have to let him take care of himself. I don’t want to call any more attention to this situation.
When Kolton comes back, he’s flushed, and his hair is messed up like he’s run his hands through it. “What happened?” I ask. He just shakes his head and puts his arm over my shoulder.
When Vivien comes back, she looks like she’s seen a ghost. And maybe she has. The ghost of what she’s done hangs in the air above us. She won’t look at me and I know he’s told her that I know what she did to him. And I’m proud of him. Not just for winning the award tonight, but for standing up to his abuser. For not letting her control me, or control his life anymore.
All I can hope is that he’ll tell his uncle the truth. Because when he does, she’ll be gone for good.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
A New Day
“Where are we going?” I ask as we slide into the limo with Tedd and Vivien. Jessie hops in after, and she’s got Elio, last year’s winner, with her. And then Manny hops into the front seat with Devon. They leave the partition down.
“Every year we host a Bad Heart Productions after party,” Uncle Tedd clarifies. “Tonight we celebrate another win!” Raising a bottle of champagne, he then pours several glasses and hands one to Jessie and Elio, then one to Vivien—whose eyes are downcast, and then one to Kolton.
“Mia isn’t twenty-one,” Kolton says, as Tedd serves me last.
“Nonsense,” he laughs. “One little glass won’t hurt her.”
“It’s Cristal,” I whisper to him. His eyebrows furrow as he watches me take a sip. It’s crisp and tastes like money. “That’s all I wanted, just a sip.” He takes my glass, reaches over and sets it down on the bar area. Some things never change. He’s so concerned with me drinking when I’m old enough. I guess because some things were rushed in his life; things happened to him before he was old enough to even comprehend them. I glare at Vivien as she smears lipstick on her champagne flute. She’s pale and her chest is rising up and down faster than someone with a clear conscience.
I look up, and notice Tedd is watching me watch her. He’s going to want to talk to me about my attitude. And when I sign with Bad Heart, I’m signing with Tedd Royce, too.
Luckily, we pull up to the 1 Oak club. The black sign out front reminds me a little of Kolton Royce’s family crest tattoo that covers his back.
Once inside, I’m awestruck. There are celebrities everywhere. This must be an exclusive party. I feel like a magnet is drawing me toward the wall so I can become a flower, but Kolton grabs my hand and pulls me out to the dance floor. When the DJ sees that he’s here, they stop the song that’s playing and start playing a remix of his winning song.
He’s smiling so real, it makes me jump up and down like a three-year old at the park. He takes my hands, and pulls me toward him to dance. He can move. I mean, I knew it, but he’s like sex on legs. Every move is natural to him, and breathtaking.
Three songs later, I motion to him that I’m thirsty, so he ushers me to the bar. “She’ll have a water. A Long Island for me,” he says to the bartender.
We sit down at the bar, and I sip water through a tiny black straw, watching him bask in his winner’s afterglow. I see him look up, and then he takes my hand, walking me along the black and white zig zag floor through the crowd and toward a velvet booth near the oversized picture of the boy and the horses. Tedd is there and Vivien is looking perturbed next to him.
“Congratulations, son,” Tedd says. “I ordered us a bottle of Dom.” He motions toward the sweaty bottle with the dark label that says ‘1986’.
“Why that year?” I ask as I slide in next to Kolton.
“That’s the year our winner was born,” Tedd clarifies, a little coldly.
“We have something else to celebrate,” Kolton says. “Mia has agreed to sign with Bad Heart.” Tedd sits back into the velvet seat as if he’s upset.
“We should talk about this another time,” he says, taking a sip.
“Talk about what?” Kolton asks.
“It’s okay,” I say, putting my hand on Kolton’s arm as I grasp that Tedd is upset with me for snapping at his child molester wife.
“No,” he says. “I’ve been waiting for her to make her decision. And I’m celebrating it tonight.” He takes a sip of his drink, and pushes the one Tedd poured for me toward the center of the table.
“Since you’re going to push the issue,” Tedd says. “I’m not so sure I want to work with an individual who was so rude to my wife.” I watch as Kolton’s jaw sets and his eyes close in on Vivien. Something within him snaps.
“Mia ‘was rude to your wife,’” Kolton says, with the air quotes, “for a very good reason.”
“I just said that she was in signed negotiations with Ceol and she snapped at me,” she pouts, trying to perpetuate the lie.
“Well, I think we should start with an apology,” Tedd says. “Mia, you owe Vivien a few words.” My eyes dart to Kolton, and he sits back in his seat, just like his uncle.
I open my mouth to do as he’s asked, even though it hurts and will probably burn my throat when I lie. Kolton taps my hand, and leans forward. “She’s not going to say one fucking word.”
“Kolton, you can’t expect me to work with her after the way she—” Tedd starts, and Kolton puts his hand up, interrupting
him. He takes the champagne created the year he was born and downs it in a few deep swallows.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Uncle Tedd,” he starts. And I look around because I’m worried someone will hear what he’s going to say. “Mia said that because there’s something you don’t know about your wife that Mia does. And it really bothers her.”
“What are you talking about?” And Vivien looks like she’s face-to-face with her worst nightmare. She moves toward the back of the seat, bracing herself.
“Your wife molested me,” he says, looking his uncle in the eye. I watch as Vivien tries to get up and walk away, but Tedd grabs her by the arm and keeps her sitting. “I was twelve years old when it started,” and Tedd’s mouth drops open. He starts shaking his head and looks at Vivien, whose head is hanging heavily by her weak little neck. “She was working in the house then. It happened for years, and I blamed myself for a long time but not anymore. Now, with Mia’s help, I understand what she did to me was her fault. That she is a sick person and needs help. I really hope you get that help for her so she can’t hurt some other kid someday.”
He takes my hand and walks me toward the door where Devon is waiting for us. “Leaving already?” Devon asks.
“Yep,” he says, walking us outside where the air is crisp, where there are no more secrets hovering around the air like apparitions.
I don’t know what to say, so I let him lean on me as he takes his first free breath. As the car pulls up, Devon opens the door for us, and we climb inside. “What do you want to do now?” I ask.
“I want a burger from In-n-Out,” he admits.
“You do?” I laugh.
“I do,” he says, taking my hand between his surprisingly steady ones, and kissing the top of my hand. “You’ve set me free,” he says, making me laugh and cry at the same time. I feel my chin tremble as he pulls me onto his lap and kisses me like a man on fire. “All I have left to worry about is when you’re going to marry me.”
“One big event at a time,” I tease.
The Tour Page 21