7. Hazel
HAZEL
When I was looking for a place to hide earlier, I should have come to this bathroom that adjoins the bedroom, because I could happily live in here for the rest of my life.
Today it’s too bright, but on any regular day, I’d be dazzled—in a good way—by the view of the city through the bathroom’s large windows.
There are marble floors, plush rugs, two sinks, seemingly endless counter space, a dressing table, multiple arrangements of fresh flowers, a massive walk-in shower, and a deep tub, in which I’m currently relaxing.
Though the bathroom is another reminder of the different world I’ve landed in, it also somehow makes it possible for me to escape for a few minutes and forget the fact that my life’s been turned upside down.
In fact, as I soak in the warm, bubbly water and sip my tea, I can only think of the positives.
Three hot rock stars who want to rock my world—when I’m ready? If I am dreaming, I definitely don’t want to wake up.
It has to be too good to be true, but maybe it’s real. I breathe in the scent of lavender and close my eyes, and it’s all perfectly peaceful until my friend’s laughter breaks the silence.
There’s a knock at the door a moment later, and a giggling Bliss asks if she can come in. I catch a glimpse of Conal standing behind her as she enters, and my cheeks flame. Luckily, I can blame the bath.
Bliss closes the door behind her and scurries over. “Those are the Black Pythons out there!” she squeals. When I laugh and shake my head, she says, “That’s your husband out there!”
“I know.”
“He’s so fucking hot, Hazel. Sorry, I’ll try to stop looking at him that way, now that he’s a married man.
” She sets down my overnight bag, slides the dressing table stool over and sits down next to the tub, lowering her voice, even though we’re alone.
“How are Rafe and Bron acting? Last night, I was sure they liked you too, and I almost expected a fight to break out when Conal proposed. ”
I sink lower in the water. Even though my sister’s in a relationship with three men, it’s not something I ever expected for myself. “Apparently, they all want to share me.”
Bliss is no longer whispering; quite the opposite, actually, her excitement echoing around the big space. “I knew it! I knew it! All three of them were so into you right from the start. Rafe hung back a bit, but his eyes did a lot of talking. Do you remember?”
I nod slowly as I replay a few memories that make my skin tingle, even in the hot, bubbly water. Rafe’s looks were intense, and so was the way he took my hand …
“You were dancing with all of them at one point,” Bliss recalls, “and I was thinking how the rumors about the three of them must be true, but then Conal went off with you, and the next thing I knew, you told me you were getting married.”
“Last night, it just seemed like fun and flirtation. I don’t remember how it turned into something so serious.”
“Did you find out if you’ve slept with them yet?”
I shake my head. “Conal says nothing happened. ”
She nods. “From the size of their big pythons, if something happened, I’m sure you’d know.”
I think about the long, thick shape I saw beneath the sheets this morning, but I’m not going to say a word about that.
“I bet it won’t be long. There’s definitely something electric between you and all three of those men, you lucky girl. Oh, here. Here’s the video.” She takes out her phone, turns it on its side, and presses play on a video that starts abruptly mid-ceremony.
“Sorry about that,” Bliss says. “It didn’t occur to me until partway through to pass my phone off to one of the security guys. There was a professional videographer there, though, and I’m sure they got the whole thing.”
I barely hear her, because I’m fascinated watching myself in a setting I don’t recognize.
White drapery frames the scene, and behind us, there’s pretty pink and red stained glass artwork covering the wall.
Conal and I are front and center, holding hands, and both of his brothers are right next to him, while Bliss is standing off to the side.
All three guys look different from how I remember them last night. They’re still wearing jeans, like they were when I met them, but they’ve added suit jackets, and that detail takes me by surprise. The bad boys of rock look surprisingly upstanding in this video.
The officiant, a sincere-looking older woman, is talking about love, and the word starts to flash in my head like a neon sign. Love is the reason people get married. Does Conal think he loves me? Did I fall in love with him last night?
As I watch, I notice that I didn’t seem able to stand still. I’m practically bouncing on my toes, even wearing the white satin pumps that I’ve never seen before.
When it comes time to exchange vows, I’m looking at Conal like he’s the sun and the moon, and he’s looking back at me like I’m all the stars in the sky.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say we appear to be two people in love.
He slides the ring on my finger, and my smile is so big, I’m surprised my cheeks don’t hurt today.
When the woman pronounces us married, I let out a whoop and wrap my arms around my new husband, as if I’m clinging to him for dear life. He laughs as he hugs me back. Bliss hands me the bouquet, and I swing it high in the air, triumphant.
“That image is all over the internet.” Bliss taps her screen a couple of times and the headline, “Conal Curran Says 'I Do' - Heartbreaker Ties the Knot in Vegas!” appears in big bold type above a similar still shot.
I’d forgotten that the world knows about our marriage, and this also reminds me of my poor mom, who apparently had to find out from a random news source.
“How did this get out so fast?” I have the urge to scroll down and read the article, but my hands are wet.
“I don’t know,” Bliss says. “Maybe someone at the chapel leaked pictures. Maybe the photographer sold them. Could be anybody. It’s probably best if you just ignore anything that’s out there.”
She slides her phone back into her bag with a haste that makes me suspicious. “Are they saying bad things?” I ask.
“Not about you. People think you’re beautiful, even though I’m sure there are unkind comments from plenty of jealous people.”
“What, then?”
“You’d better get out of the tub soon. You’re going to look like a prune.”
“Don’t change the subject, Bliss.” She has a point, though. When she wanders over to a window, pointedly turning her back to give me privacy, I start to wash off.
“It’s just the heartbreaker thing,” she says. “Of course, people are shocked by the sudden marriage.”
She’s trying to be diplomatic, but this is something that’s been poking at the edges of my mind since I first saw the ring on my finger.
I know how Conal made me feel last night, and in that regard, the marriage makes some sense to me, even though it’s still a shock.
But if you’d have asked me two days ago whether The Conal Curran would ever settle down, I’d have laughed at the idea.
Nothing about his reputation suggests that the word commitment is even part of his vocabulary.
“Why do you think he proposed?” I say aloud, partly to myself, partly to Bliss.
“He likes you, Hazel. There’s no doubt about that.”
“But I’m no one special.”
My friend whirls back around to face me. “You obviously are, and you were even before a rock star made you his wife. Don’t talk like that.”
“That’s something a friend would say, and I love you for it, but let’s be honest. Conal’s gone out with probably hundreds of beautiful women, none of them more than once from the looks of things.
Why would he meet me and decide to commit that same night?
I mean, this is the band that famously partied on a boat for a whole week with a dozen groupies. ”
She shrugs before turning back around as I reach to open the drain plug. “The heart wants what the heart wants. He saw something in you that he didn’t want to live without. Maybe it’s not often he and his brothers all find one woman they mutually agree upon.”
I mull that over as I dry off, and Bron’s words echo in my head. The three of us can make you feel real good. Going from virgin to the companion of three rock gods must be like learning to ride a tricycle, then suddenly driving a sports car down a five-lane highway.