Through the sliding glass door, we could hear the telltale commotion that the band had arrived. Both of us looked up at the same time to see shirtless Jace standing in the doorway wearing board shorts and flip-flops, his long, blond hair blowing in the slight breeze. Mirrored shades covered his eyes, but it was clear he was appreciating Alex in her full bikini glory.
“I need a minute.” Alex got up and wrapped a towel around her waist and headed to the guest cottage.
Jace went back inside and I could see him sit at the breakfast bar through the window. My mom had already gone inside to change, so I got up and padded into the kitchen where Ty and my dad had trays of steaks for the BBQ, a bunch of corn on the cob, and a big bowl of potato salad set out. I waved to Ronni, who was sitting at the counter next to Connor and Jace. Zane was lounging on the couch in the living room talking on the phone.
“If you don’t cover yourself up, I’m liable to embarrass both of us. You’re so fucking hot I want a repeat of this morning.” Ty came up behind me and whispered into my ear.
Swatting him and giggling, I headed back into the bedroom to throw on a white caftan and check myself in the mirror. For the first time since the accident, I looked normal. Earlier in the day I used my mom’s laptop to get caught up on email, but I’d deliberately avoided all social media and gossip sites. Ty’s tablet was on the bed. I picked it up, wondering if it was a good time to see what was happening.
“Put it down, baby.” Ty stood in the doorway before crossing the room toward me.
“You’re right.” I acknowledged.
“You have press training before the interview tomorrow.” Ty’s cheek rested on the top of my head as he cuddled me. “Everything has leveled out. Can we just enjoy everyone in the safety of our house tonight?”
“Yes. we can do that.” I tightened my grip on him as we held each other.
“I’m going to go grill the steaks.” Ty pulled away but kept a grip on my waist. “And then I want to shoo everyone away so we can get a good night’s sleep.”
“Sleep?” I waggled my eyebrows.
“Well, at some point.” Ty laughed and headed out the door.
Everyone stayed to eat, drink, and swim until the early evening. Alex and I hung out with Ronni and getting to know her was fantastic. She shared the funniest stories of her and Ty’s fake romance and all the mischief they would get up to for paparazzi shots. Connor didn’t take his eyes off Ronni and Jace didn’t take his eyes off Alex, but both rockers sat stoically, listening to us giggle and gossip. Ty and Zane were in deep conversation with my folks and Carter, who had arrived just in time to eat.
As I looked around at the group, it felt like a million years since New York. Ty caught my eye and winked at me. In that instant I truly knew that everything was behind us. It didn’t matter what anyone said about us or wrote about us. Together, we were invincible.
Chapter 36
TYSON
Our town car whisked us through Hollywood on our way to the television studio, I played with Zoey’s fingers while she looked out the window. Feeling confident, I was actually looking forward to the interview we had lined up. Zoey looked beautiful in a simple black-and-white, color-blocked jumpsuit with her hair in her trademark beachy waves and black Prada boots. I wore dark jeans, a white T-shirt, and green Valentino sneakers, which Zoey picked out for me during her meeting with Lucy.
“Are you nervous?” I brought her pink-tipped fingers to my lips.
“Yeah, actually. I’m a little out of my element.” She looked over at me, her eyes flickering gold in the sunlight.
“You’re going to be so great, don’t worry about a thing.”
“It’s intimidating.” Zoey leaned her head on my shoulder.
“You’ll be fine, just remember to think through your answer and be authentic. You can’t go wrong.” I snuggled her into my side, not intending on letting her forget that I had her back, ever again.
“Do you know how good you are at this? You’re so unbelievably poised and professional. It’s very sexy.” She purred into my ear, causing my dick to perk up.
“Knock it off, butterfly.” I jokingly swatted at her. “You’re getting me all riled up on purpose.”
“Fine, okay.” She crossed her arms and slumped into the seat, giving me a sly grin from the side. “I think my idea is better than an interview though.”
Once we arrived, after the whirlwind of producers, makeup and lighting, and sound-checks, we were sitting in on a stage on two bar-height director’s chairs facing Diane Kennedy, the network host of the segment. Katherine had ensured this would be a soft-ball interview, to reestablish focus on the foundation.
While I took the lead for most of the interview, Zoey killed it on camera. She looked radiant and serene. Her confidence and passion about the foundation and its mission came through loud and clear. She also easily deflected Diane’s query about the accident and our relationship in a way that was satisfying yet not revealing. When we finished a few hours later, we took some pictures with various staff at the studio and got into the car to head home.
With our media commitments behind us and the negative press mostly turned around, I could finally focus on the holiday show, which was sold out. We’d be playing in front of nearly sixty thousand people. Because it would be the last live show LTZ played before our hiatus, we all wanted it to be extraordinary. Zane and Connor had taken the lead with our lighting and technical team, and when they shared their plans it made me giddy with anticipation.
On the day of the show, the
