Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
FORD
As someone who’s never particularly enjoyed red carpet events, the ICON red carpet is the exception to the rule. And as my eyes rake over the exquisite curves of that exception as she poses over her shoulder to masses screaming her name, I’m once again in awe of the trajectory her life has taken.
Of the stratospheric rise of the career she’d only dreamed of once upon a time.
Emmy’s eyes catch and hold mine as Hayley rushes to fix her dress in preparation for another round of paparazzi shots. Not a word is spoken, but a million and one emotions are exchanged within that single look, and for the first time in a long time, I feel something suspiciously like hope rising within my chest.
I continue to watch stoic and silent on the sidelines, my attention split evenly between Emerson and the assembled crowd, searching out any looming threats until our group, comprising Emerson, her two assistants, her stylist, Zane, and myself, reaches the canopy that leads inside The Yardley.
“All clear within the building, Boss Man.”
Thom’s voice comes through the wire attached to my ear, and Zane and I exchange a nod before ushering everyone inside.
The foyer is bustling with A-list celebrities, many of whom swarm us when they catch sight of Emerson.
“Oh dear, you look simply phenomenal.”
“Is that a Hermes you’re wearing?—”
“You simply must sit with us?—”
Emerson answers everyone patiently, a genuine-looking smile on her face that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Where is that handsome boyfriend of yours?—”
“I’m right here!” Lawson appears as though out of the blue, and honestly, I’ve never been so glad to see the asshat. Emerson, too, judging by the shine in her eyes when he pulls her in against his side. “Anywhere my pookie goes, I follow. Now, if you’ll excuse us. We’re needed backstage.”
Lawson successfully escorts Emmy away from the furor with the rest of us on their heels, close enough to hear when she questions him with a popped eyebrow. “ Pookie ? Seriously?”
He looks down at her with a barely suppressed grin. “Would you prefer I revert to sugar tits?”
She snorts a laugh as we get to the edge of the foyer, coming to a stop at a door leading backstage.
“This is where we part ways.” I twist about to the group. “Zane, you’ll escort everyone to their theater seats. I’ll accompany Miss Hart and Mr. Wilde and meet you once they finish their segments. They’re due on stage to present the lifetime achievement award to Mimi Harper in the next—” I check my watch, realizing we’ve lost more time than I thought on the red carpet. “Fifteen minutes? Shit . Let’s go.”
Once Zane ushers everyone toward the theater, I take the lead, using the codes supplied by the event coordinators to gain access to the backstage area with Emmy at my back and Lawson drawing up the rear.
“I need to use the restroom beforehand.”
I glance back, eyes flittering between Lawson and Emmy, before looking around the space. “If memory serves, there’s one just ahead. But you’ll need to be quick.”
We move off again, coming to the restroom thirty seconds later. Once I’ve given it a quick look over, guaranteeing there’s no one else inside, Emmy rushes past me, returning only moments later with a nod. “I’m good. Let’s go.”
We reach the stage managers’ area, and The Yardley staff converses with the two actors as I stand off to the background before they steer them toward the stage.
I move to follow, only to be met with a hand on my chest as a woman half my size looks up at me. “You’ll need to wait here, sir. The stairwell isn’t large enough to accommodate more than three people at a time.”
Emerson glances back, her feet stopping when she sees I haven’t followed. Fear rises in her eyes, making my chest pang with the need to take control of the situation. To keep her in my sight at all times.
“Is it okay if I watch from the side as they present?”
The woman drops her hand with a shrug. “So long as you leave immediately after, I don’t see why not.”
I shoot Emmy a reassuring smile, calling after her. “I’ll be right behind you.” Then I watch with a helpless feeling churning in the pit of my stomach as she steps out of my line of sight for the first time in days.
EMERSON
The audience’s applause is almost deafening as Lawson and I make our way out to the center of the stage. He surreptitiously squeezes my hand between his, shooting me a wink before we reach the designated spot to face us both toward the waiting cameras.
As Lawson reads from the teleprompter, I glance stage right, back in the direction we’d come from, and my nerves instantly settle when I see Ford watching us. And when he raises his hand to tap his tattooed chest, a smile overtakes my entire face, accompanied by a flush of sheer pleasure.
When my arms couldn’t hold you, my heart always held you close.
Lawson pointedly pinches my pinkie, and I refocus my entire attention on the teleprompter.
“And who better to share tonight with than my very own Wilde man and co-star, Lawson Wilde.”
The audience applauds their approval as Law picks up where I left off.
“I guess we could say you’ve always been… Wilde at Hart .”
Laughter follows even as I groan internally at the ridiculously lame choice of puns, grateful to get down to the important stuff.
“We are thrilled to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to a lady who I’ve emulated since I was a little girl. Someone I look up to and who has helped shape this industry for women like me. For little girls with big dreams everywhere.”
I pause for dramatic effect, allowing the audience to hang on every beat before announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, the exceptional…Mimi Harper.”
The woman of the hour enters from the opposite side of the stage, her feet making a direct beeline for me to take me into a warm embrace.
“She’d be so proud of you, Emerson, dear.”
Mimi’s words in my ear make tears prick my eyes, and all I can do is hold her tighter for a moment before allowing her to accept her award from Lawson.
As she makes her acceptance speech, my mind dwells on days spent in the theater alongside my mother, basically growing up behind the scenes. And though I can’t fault it or my mother’s love, I can’t help but wonder what my passion might have been had I been allowed to discover it myself.
I could have been a pilot. A teacher. A dance instructor or a cab driver.
I could have farmed a ranch outside of Austin, Texas…
My chest aches at the thought—one that’s only now crossed my mind for the first time, having been so focused on sticking to the plan I’d set for myself so long ago—and I glance stage right again, eyes raking over Ford’s tall, muscular form, clad in a tuxedo that fits obscenely well.
And even though he looks so damn good in the tux, I can’t help remembering him in low-slung denim and a blue checkered shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Dusty boots and leather chaps. The black cowboy hat I bought for his twenty-first birthday…
Raucous applause makes me jump as Lawson and Mimi link my arms on either side and steer me off-stage.
Initially, I’m so caught up in a haze of memories that I follow along blindly, but it isn’t until I begin to descend the steps that I look back, realizing we’ve exited stage left.
“We need to go stage right?—”
I spin to go back, but one of The Yardley employees steps in front of me, shaking his head. “Please continue moving forward.”
“But I need to…my…umm, security is on the other side of the stage.”
“I’m sorry, miss. It’s a one-way system this evening.” At my crest-fallen look, he indicates a long corridor at the foot of the stairs and to the right. “If you hang a right just there, keep going straight until you come to the Green Room. You can use the door on the opposite side to bring you out stage right.”
My face transforms into a bright smile. “Thank you so much!”
The employee’s light brown eyes shine with delight as he replies, “You’re welcome, Miss Hart.”
But I’m already moving before he’s even finished.
Somehow, in the week Ford’s been back in my life, I’ve begun to rely on him in a way I haven’t relied on anyone, probably ever.
So I quickly follow the guy’s directions, and easily make my way to the Green Room until I’m met with no doors besides the one I came in through.
“ Motherfucker !”
“You’re even more beautiful in the flesh, Miss Hart.”
A low voice from behind me sends a shiver down my spine as I pivot to face the employee who directed me here.
His eyes are trained firmly on me, filled to the brim with an almost fanatical zeal that fills me with more fear than I’d have thought humanly possible.
I open my mouth to scream, instantly stopping when he holds up his hands to showcase a small pistol clasped in one. “I really don’t want to use this, okay?”
As terror-fueled adrenaline flows through me, turning my veins into ice, I nod slowly. “What do you want from me?”
“Dave.”
I blink in confusion. “Pardon?”
When he steps closer, it takes everything inside of me to remain rooted to the spot with my entire body screaming to run.
“My name is Dave, Miss Hart. And I’m your biggest fan.”
He says it like it’s a fact. It’s like he’s telling me his age or where he grew up. In his mind, he is my biggest fan.
All I can think to do now is buy some time in the hopes that Ford will find us before things escalate further. I know without a doubt that he’ll tear The Yardley apart when he realizes I’m missing, and the thought bolsters me, making the fear take a backseat.
So, I do what I do best.
“Tell me more about you, Dave. I’d love to hear all about my biggest fan.”
I put on an act.