Chapter 13
SHAW
What the hell is she doing here?
I had a hard time telling myself it was mere coincidence that pulled my attention to the front of the premiere party just as Stella walked in, with a little entourage of her homegirls in tow. It was more like…my protective instinct for Ellie was already kicking back in—if it ever left, honestly.
In any case…I had my eyes open.
Not like I thought Stella would try anything violent—she wasn’t that brave or bold, and it would be stupid to do something like that here.
Still.
It was pretty brash for her to show up here at all, on tonight of all nights, after she’d spent the last few weeks doing her damndest to get under Ellie’s skin, which was…wild.
If there was anybody to have an issue with, it should’ve been me.
But for whatever reason, she didn’t care to have the conversation it was pretty clear we needed to have—she’d ignored all attempts I made to squash this shit, even through our publicity reps.
That was how I knew she was just hellbent on having a problem, period.
Case in point—she and her coven made a beeline for me as soon as I fell into her view.
“Hey, stranger,” she started, getting much closer than she needed to have a conversation with me—putting on for any camera that might get turned our way, I was sure.
“Don’t start the bullshit,” I said simply. “It’s supposed to be a celebration, not…whatever energy this is.”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve to talk about bad energy and bullshit after what you pulled,” one of her homegirls chimed in. “We know your good vibes act is a damn front.”
“That’s the line you’re feeding people?” I asked, directing my attention solely at Stella. “This is the path you want to take?”
“What other path is there, Shaw?”
“I don’t know—maybe the truth ?” I countered. “I was never anything less than upfront with you—the same respect I try to give everybody. When I knew things were changing on my end, I made myself clear, that’s all. I wasn’t mean to you, wasn’t rude, I don’t think I led you on, so…shit.” I huffed. “What more would you have had me do? What was the right answer?”
“ I was the right answer,” she snapped, shaking her head. “What does she have that I don’t?”
“My heart.”
There it was.
I didn’t want her walking around hurt, but that ship had apparently sailed. It was a conversation I’d tried to have privately so many times, in spaces where there weren’t eyes on us from all sides, but she didn’t want to hear it then.
Since she wanted to force the conversation now…there it was.
“You’re an asshole,” she said, quietly, as one of her more level-headed friends grabbed her arm to pull her away.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Stella. Truly.”
“Fuck off!”
Her friends had her dragged away before she could say more, or cause a scene, and… damn.
As much of a mood-killer as that little conversation had been, I was supposed to be “on” right now.
I had a job to do here tonight that required my focus.
I stopped every few feet as I traveled through the crowd of people, accepting congratulations, taking pictures, asking questions, all the usual shit that came along with something like this. It seemed like there was a celebrity everywhere I turned, many of them much, much bigger than me, but I’d trained myself out of most of the typical “fan” reactions.
I had to look “cool.”
And after that little run-in with Stella, that had been witnessed by God knows who…I should probably find Ellie before it got back to her.
Or before Stella got to her with any static.
“Shaw! Let me holler at you for a second.”
Shit.
I turned in the direction Nolan’s voice had come from, trying not to let the frustration show on my face. As polarizing as he was, Nolan was good in my book—I just wanted to get to Ellie before Stella did.
“You good?” he asked, approaching me for a quick hug-and-hand-shake combination before taking a step back. “This is your big day, what’s with the frown?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head, glancing around. “And what you mean, my big day—it’s all of ours, right?”
Nolan smirked. “Not according to Charlotte—she made a point of pulling me aside this morning to remind me that today’s festivities aren’t about me. Or my ego, might I add,” he chuckled. “She really doesn’t like me.”
“I don’t think it’s that ,” I lied. “Well…not necessarily. She’s just passionate. This is her baby, you know?”
“Even babies need a schedule—and a budget,” he added, shrugging. “But of course, no mother wants to hear it, so…”
“Nolan…Shaw should be talking to journalists, mingling with peers—not stuck over here with you.”
A fresh grin spread across Nolan’s face as Charlotte approached from behind us, her pretty face pulled into a scowl directed right at him.
“I don’t think he needs babysitting, Ms. Fox,” Nolan said, unfazed by Charlotte’s clear disdain. “He’s a grown man. He can communicate anything he needs to say just fine, I’m sure—isn’t that right, Shaw?” he asked, and I chuckled.
“Yes, but— I probably should be talking up the show right now,” I said, seeing an opportunity to return to my previous intention. “So…I think I’m gonna follow Charlotte’s lead on that.”
“See?” she spoke up, smug. “ Shaw know this side of the business.”
“And I don’t?” Nolan countered.
“You sure you want me to answer that?”
“I do, as a matter of fact—tell me everything you seem to think you know more than me about this business.”
“I can write a whole thesis for you, if you’d like.”
“You know what? I am so sick of?—”
“ O-kay ,” I mumbled under my breath, slipping away from them without either seeming to notice—they were too wrapped up in what was quickly turning into a half-whispered fight.
I made it a few steps out into the crowd, still keeping my eyes peeled for Ellie. I spotted Alec chatting it up in a corner with Vanessa, but still no?—
“Mr. Brooks, do you have a moment?”
Shit.
Again?!
I planted a smile on my face and turned in the direction of the voice—good thing, because there was already a camera in my face.
“Hey, how are you?” I greeted the journalist who’d stopped me—she was probably somebody who was at all the events, but I couldn’t place her name.
“I am absolutely on cloud nine, glad to be here,” she gushed. “Can you spare a few minutes for questions?”
I nodded. “Absolutely—I’m sorry though, you’re with…?”
“I’m not with anybody,” she answered, cringing a little. “This is like, my first event, I’m just starting out. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, let’s do it,” I assured, hoping I could ease some of the anxiety she was clearly feeling.
She shared a little squeal with her camera person and then held up a little mic in my direction. “Whew. Let me get it together. Okay. You ready?”
I nodded.
“What’s up, y’all? It’s Dannie with the Stars, coming to you from the Kinfolk premiere party. I’m here with one of the gorgeous stars of the show, Mr. Shaw Brooks—who many of you may know as the unstoppable Shadow Wolf from the hottest movie of the summer! Shaw—tell us, what was that transition like, to go from such an action-packed role to something much quieter for the role of Silas?”
“Relieving,” I answered with a chuckle. “Shadow Wolf was a very, very physically taxing role, from the stunts to the training to the diet, all that, plus scheduling differences between film and TV. It’s a completely different vibe, and I needed that. But, Shadow Wolf is a man— wolf— of much fewer words than Silas, and Silas finds himself behind a mask much less often.” I laughed. “So each role presents a challenge in its own way.”
“Of course.” Dannie nodded. “What’s been your favorite part of this new role?”
“Getting to work with so many friends,” I said. “I love meeting and working with new people as well, but a lot of the cast and crew are people I’ve worked with before, so I already have a certain rapport with them—just this family reunion kind of energy that is unmatched.”
“Awww,” she said. “I love that. Care to drop any names in particular?”
“Obviously, my boy Alec—we’ve grown up in this industry together, especially over the last few years as people really started to know our names. And of course, Ellie,” I said, as the woman herself stepped into my peripheral. I was pretty sure she was too far away to have heard me, but she looked up still, shooting a smile in my direction before she started making her way to where I was.
“ Ellie as in…Elodie Perry?” Dannie asked, eyebrow raised. “What’s up with the cute nickname? You got something you want to share?”
I grinned. “You asked who I was excited to work with again, right?”
“I don’t think I framed it like that, but keep talking,” she urged. “You worked with Elodie a few years ago on the phenomenal One Day Sober —you were love interests in that project too, right?”
I nodded. “That’s right. I think that too might be a little spoiler though.”
“Oh, my bad!” She laughed. “I do have to ask though, and you can tell me to mind my business, but…it’s rumored that you and Ms. Perry may have made a little love connection during filming—fact or cap?”
“During which show?” I asked, smiling at Ellie as she approached, wearing a curious expression.
“Either,” Dannie said.
Instead of answering at first, I looked to Ellie, meeting her gaze to pose a silent question. Her answer was the most subtle shrug—so subtle I could’ve imagined it.
But…I thought back on that conversation we’d had the other night, after we crossed the line we’d really never planned to cross again.
The catalyst for us making what I considered one of the easiest decisions of my life.
Being with Ellie wasn’t about a “second chance,” not really. It was simply…coming back to what had always been right.
I… loved her.
Without question.
And I wasn’t remotely interested in hiding it.
“No comment,” I said, then grabbed Ellie’s hand, pulling her close to me. She broke into giggles as I planted a quick kiss right on her lips in front of everybody.
“Seriously?” she asked, unbothered, and I nodded, moving in for another soft kiss as she grinned.
“ Oh MY GOD, ” Dannie squealed. “That’s gonna go viral, oh my God !”
“Are we done?” I asked her, amused, and she nodded, eyes still wide.
“Yes. Just umm…can you confirm what that was? Like…y’all go together?!”
“Real bad,” Ellie answered, sending a swell of laughter through the crowd that had built around us.
And…there it was.
Just that simple.
Just that… easy.
Dannie rushed off with her camera person, probably excited about the potentially “viral” moment we’d just given her, and lucky for us, it was time for the actual viewing of the show, which quelled the fresh wave of questions swirling around us.
The next minutes were a blur of activity and congratulations from our costars and just…good vibes.
It felt good.
We ended up next to each other in the front row of the audience—probably the work of some production assistant who thought it would make for good buzz, but I certainly didn’t mind. I wasn’t surprised when Ellie leaned over to ask, “Hey…why’d you do that?”
“To avoid the same mistakes of last time,” I answered simply, taking her hand. “No ambiguity this time, no reading between the lines. No questions about where we stand.”
“I don’t know if that was really the problem,” she said.
“Maybe not. But just in case…I’m not taking any chances. This time…the world gets to know. I’m yours, and…”
She grinned. “You’re mine.”