39. Monroe
39
MONROE
I twist my hands over in my lap before grabbing my glass of champagne. I tip it back over my lips. The pale pink silk fabric of my dress will show any drop of liquid, so I drink carefully to avoid spills. The full-length designer gown is backless with a string of pearls trailing down to the top of my butt. My hair is twisted up in a mass of blonde curls on my head, and more than one person has told me I look like a reincarnated Marilyn Monroe.
All I can think about is Ember and Zade sleeping together behind my back. My shock has turned to a rage similar to molten, bubbling lava flowing through my veins. I fake smiles for the cameras when needed, but the urge to scream that my ex-boyfriend is a lying bastard and my ex-best friend is a backstabbing bitch is making it difficult to enjoy the evening.
So much for being friends as close as sisters.
I chose not to confront her right before the CMAs. Partly because my mother is here, clutching my hand and oohing and aahing over every A-list celebrity who walks by, but also because I need time to process my emotions before that conversation.
Cash is still at the forefront of my mind. I want to reach out to him to talk more than anything. He suddenly feels like the only person in the world I can trust and depend on. He and his family are the only people I feel like wouldn’t spread this juicy gossip all over the place.
The announcer onstage is presenting an award, and I really need to pay attention. I rise to my feet, clapping as the winner is announced. She’s an up-and-coming artist who deserves it with her soulful voice and rising popularity.
After her award speech, the next award is announced. I look around, trying to see where Zade might be. I know he’s supposed to be presenting the Entertainer of the Year award, but I haven’t seen him at all tonight.
As I’m peering around the room at various familiar faces, a deep, sexy voice I’d recognize anywhere filters through the speakers and sends a shiver up my exposed skin.
“I hope you folks don’t mind me as a last-minute replacement to present the Entertainer of the Year award.”
My breathing slows as I turn to face the stage. There’s a tall, broad-shouldered cowboy standing in front of the mic in all black with a cowboy hat on. I blink to make sure I’m not dreaming.
He flashes a devilish grin at the crowd. “No one seems to be able to find the guy who was supposed to do this, so they just gave it to me and told me to wing it.” He holds up the award.
The crowd chuckles as whispers flow through the room.
“The nominees for tonight’s award are Taylor Maroon, Chance Brooms, Jesse Ryder, and Monroe Blue.”
The crowd claps at the names. I see a cameraman inching closer to me, and I know my face is one of the four blasted for millions of viewers watching at home. I school my features into a neutral expression, attempting to mask the level of shock and confusion I’m feeling.
What is he doing here? Where is Zade?
A million questions fly through my brain. My heart hurts as I look up at him. I want him to come to me, to hold me close and tell me he wants to be with me forever because he’s desperately in love with me.
As if reading my mind, he clears his throat and lifts the mic. “Before I open this envelope, I’ve got something important I need to say to one of the nominees.”
He looks up, staring directly at me. My heart is in my throat as his words wash over me.
“You already know how I feel about you. But what you don’t know is what I want to give you. I’ve traveled all over the planet as your bodyguard, and as much as I really don’t like being in the spotlight or speaking in front of millions of people, I’m standing here tonight for one reason.
“I need you to know that this isn’t even a fraction of how far I’m willing to go to be everything you need and want. I’ve seen you at your worst, and I’ve witnessed you at your best. I want them both. I want the hidden side of you that this crowd will never see. There isn’t a corner on this planet that I wouldn’t go for you. And as much as I love my little slice of Texas that I’ve always called home … it feels as empty as a fallen, hollow tree without you there. If you’ll have me, Miss Mo nroe Blue, I’d very much like to take you out on a real date sometime, not as your bodyguard, but as your boyfriend.”
The crowd lets out a satisfied sigh, followed by a few exclamations of approval. My body is frozen in place like an ice sculpture. Heat spreads over me with the intensity of his gaze on my face.
“And I love you. I love you so fucking much.” He sighs, shaking his head.
It’s so quiet that you could hear a fly buzzing in the auditorium.
“And you look like a damn vision of heaven in that dress. Doesn’t she?”
The silence erupts into applause and cheers as people stare at me, grinning from ear to ear and leaning in close to whisper to each other. My heart is racing like a herd of wild horses. My pulse jumps against my throat.
“And without further delay, the winner of tonight’s Entertainer of the Year award goes to …” He pulls a paper out of the envelope. “Miss Monroe Blue.”
The crowd loses its mind. People start hugging me as I stand, still in a daze.
My mom wraps her arms around me, whispering in my ear, “I’m so proud of you! Go get that man.”
My legs feel wooden as I make my way to the stage. Someone grabs my arm and leads me up the stairs. I nearly trip forward, and when I look down I see that the buckle from my heel has come loose and nearly slipped off. Cash is waiting with an outstretched hand at the top of the stairs, but when he sees me pause he comes down the remaining steps to meet me. Without a word, he drops down to one knee beside me. The entire auditorium is as silent as a church, watching our interaction. His calloused fingers grasp my ankle, and he lifts my foot to rest on his thigh. He tenderly fixes the buckle, every eye focused on us and subtle gasps start to filter through the crowd. I watch him with parted lips, my pulse jumping in my throat.
Once he’s finished, he gently places my foot back on the step and stands to his full height.
My fingers grasp his warm, rough hand, and my entire body seems to exhale in relief. He leads me to the center of the stage before handing me the trophy.
He leans in, his warm lips brushing my ear. “I peeked to make sure you were the winner before ruining someone else’s night with that speech.”
I laugh, feeling the tears wet my cheeks as the raw emotions roll over me.
He really loves me. He’d do anything to be with me, even this.
He starts to back away to give me access to the mic for my acceptance speech, but I grab his hand and pull him up to it with me.
“I don’t have much to say right now because I feel like I’m floating outside of my body and watching some other girl get everything she’s ever dreamed of.” I stare down at the trophy before looking up at Cash. “But I do want to say, for the record, this wouldn’t have happened without you. Without you, I might not even be here tonight.” My throat constricts, and I fight to hold back the desire to burst into tears of joy. “And I love you too.”
He tugs me into him, wrapping his strong, capable arms around my body. The roar of the applause is deafening. I pull back just enough to wrap my arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his lips. A hundred cameras flash around us.
He deepens the kiss, as if we aren’t in front of millions of viewers right now. His tongue swipes over my lips, and he groans into me. I pull back with a laugh.
“We are in public.”
He releases me, keeping one arm around my waist as we exit the stage. “I know, and I just need them all to get a good look and remember how very mine you are.”
Later that night, we’re cuddled up in my hotel suite on the king-sized bed. We’ve made passionate love twice already, but we’re taking a much-needed break to rehydrate and snuggle.
“If I wasn’t the winner, what was your plan?”
“I considered lying and burning the envelope.”
I swat his chest.
“No, actually, I didn’t get that far. I just tore it open before walking out in hopes you were the one written on it. It would’ve been awkward to take over the entire presentation like I did if someone else was on there.”
“I can’t believe Zade just dipped out like that. He lives for being the center of attention.”
He stiffens, lifting his arm to scrape a hand over his hair. “Ah, he might not have voluntarily forfeited. ”
I sit up, gaping at him. He grins, trailing his fingers down my exposed chest and circling one of my nipples.
“What did you do?”
“I found out what he and Ember did, and … after some persuasion, he told me that he was the one feeding Tony Ziggler insider information.”
He watches me closely as I absorb what he said. I open my mouth to respond, but words don’t come.
“I know.” He rubs a hand over my arm, chasing the goose bumps away. “You don’t have to worry about it anymore. He and Ember were in some twisted-up organization together that found call girls who looked like celebrities. I’m really sorry, baby. I took care of it. He won’t be a problem, but Ember …”
“She’s got to go.” I nod, a chill passing over me.
My best friend’s betrayal feels deeper now, somehow colder.
“I don’t get it. I don’t get why this happened. How did they benefit?”
He shakes his head. “For her, I think it was deep-rooted jealousy. She wanted what you had, even if it was just a piece of it. It started with just the satisfaction of knowing your man wanted her. She got in too deep and had to go further and further. He had ahold of her, manipulating her to think she’d get her own chance at fame instead of staying in the shadows as your assistant. He was just using her, but he convinced her they would be together, giving her the chance to make her own name. For him, it was all his reputation. Ziggler threatened to expose his involvement in the escort business. Zade thanked me for taking care of the problem for him. That’s how I found out.”
“He knows you took care of Ziggler? What if he tells someone and exposes you?” My eyes widen in fear.
If anything happened to Cash, I couldn’t bear it.
He shakes his head. “Trust me, I scared the shit out of him. He’d be a lunatic to come after me. Right now, he’s got nothing to worry about. If he tries to get revenge, he’ll have to deal with the entire Redford family. I explained to him just how foolish that would be. Not to mention, I’d tell them about his little business venture. He’d lose too much.”
I shiver, snuggling deeper into Cash’s warmth. “Who knows what would have happened to me if I hadn’t hired you? He would’ve let that man just …” I shake my head, not wanting to finish the sentence.
The way I once trusted Zade brings on a wave of nausea.
He holds me closer, nuzzling my ear. “You are safe now. You’re safer with me than you’ve ever been before. And I’m not going anywhere, Princess.”
The last order of business I have to take care of is dealing with my assistant. Confronting Ember is something I’d rather not deal with at all, but it must be done. She has access to so much of my life right now, and I can no longer trust her.
Fidel shakes his head. “You really think this is the right decision? She’s been with you for years, mija. What if it was just a mistake?”
I clench my jaw. “She didn’t fall onto his dick. She didn’t unwittingly sell intimate pictures of me to the tabloids. She didn’t share all my hotel numbers and help that psycho get close to me by accident. She tried to ruin me, to scare me into the shadows so that I was too terrified to keep performing. That was her goal here, and unless she has some logical explanation for it all and one hell of an apology, I’m done .”
A knock sounds on the door to Fidel’s office in LA. I straighten.
“Come in,” he calls.
The door swings open, revealing Ember.
Her eyes widen at the sight of me. “Monroe, I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
I cross my arms over my chest, leaning back against the leather chair. “You know why I’m here.”
She tilts her head to the side, frowning. “I don’t actually. You should be in rehearsals.”
I roll my eyes. “I need you to start explaining things and see if you can give me a good reason for me to believe you.”
She shrugs, taking a step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Fidel leans forward. “Ember, have you been seeing Zade?”
She shakes her head. “If he told you that, I can explain. He came on to me one night on the tour, okay? I turned him down, but he said that he would tell you we hooked up if I told you about it. I just didn’t want to put you in that position with everything you had going on with the stalker. ”
Her eyes are round, pleading with me. My heart squeezes at the look on her face. I wish I had let Cash be in here now. I wanted to prove I could do this on my own, but now, I’m craving his quiet strength.
“You should have told someone back when it happened. If he was going around doing that, we should’ve known so we could get rid of him.” Fidel shakes his head.
“I wanted to tell you!” She rushes forward. “I just truly thought you shouldn’t have to deal with that mess. You needed to focus.”
Another knock sounds on the door behind her.
“Come in,” I call out.
Brooks strides through the door, looking from me to Ember. His face is solemn. She shrinks back, sighing.
“I need you to tell me what you saw on her phone, the messages between her and Zade.”
He sighs, folding his arms over his chest. “They were sexting. Talking about when they’d be able to sneak off together again.”
She scoffs. “Of course he would say that! I rejected him, and now, he’s making this up. Monroe, you have to believe me. I’ve worked for you so faithfully!”
“I have screenshots,” he says simply.
She shuts up, turning her head away.
“What is your sister’s name?” I ask her.
She blinks at me. “My sister? Hannah?”
I nod. “Doesn’t she bake or something? You told me about it one time.”
She shrugs. “She makes bread. I fail to see the relevance here. ”
“Does Hannah makes sourdough ring any bells?” I ask, raising a brow.
Her eyes widen, but she schools her expression quickly. “I’m being set up! If you can’t see that, you’re clearly just not trying to. My sister having a cooking channel means what exactly?”
“The photo of Cash and me in the outdoor shower at the ranch was sold to someone with the email hannah makes sourdough at yahoo dot com . Seems like quite the string of coincidences, doesn’t it? Look, if you’d just confess and apologize and maybe admit what your part was with my stalker, then?—”
She gasps. “You think I was putting your life in danger? Really?! Now, I know you’ve really lost it. I had nothing to do with that, and I even told him—” She stops herself before going further, biting down on her lip. Her eyes fill with tears. “Look, I’m not perfect, but I really didn’t do any of this. Please believe me.”
My heart shatters inside my chest. “I wish I could”—I suck in a ragged breath—“but I don’t.”
I turn away, unable to watch her sitting there, crying crocodile tears and denying the clear evidence. Fidel tells her she’s fired and to turn in her iPad. I don’t give her another look as she exits the room before I burst into tears.