27

Hailey

Three months later…

My arms glistened beneath the spotlights. The cries of the guitar squeezed my heart, and I closed my eyes to prevent the tears. This song still evoked strong emotions all these months after I wrote it.

I brought the microphone to my mouth and the thousands of fans standing in front of me went wild. They recognized the number one single for the past three weeks.

You tried to take it from me.

You thought you could break me.

I see who you are, but I don't hate thee.

You just don't know me.

You don't even know thee.

Next time you see me, I will be free.

I breathed through each raspy word, knowing I was finally free. I was no longer afraid of the haters. I wasn't afraid of losing my career because of something someone said online. I was free to be myself.

I wrote this song for myself, but it signified much more than that. Thanks to Fitz, the song had raised millions for so many in need.

I lowered my microphone and listened to the solo. My guitarist hit the notes so beautifully. This time, I couldn't hold back a tear.

This was my last concert, and while I may miss the energy, love, and support of thousands of people, I knew having it from Christian, the one person I loved the most in the world, meant just as much to me. Maybe even more.

After the first verse, I spotted Kendra backstage and smiled. She had said she wouldn't make it in time, but she did.

The piano played in the background and the crowd turned to one another, wondering what was happening. I hadn't finished the song.

"I have a special surprise for everyone here tonight. A friend just arrived, and I think she's here to help me finish the song we composed together."

I turned backstage, and she nodded.

Raising my arm in the air, I shouted, "Everyone, help me welcome Kendra!"

My friend walked onto the stage as though it were a catwalk, confident and beautiful. She raised her microphone and belted the next verse.

You thought I would cry

You thought I would fall

But I will rise

Despite it all

The stadium erupted with screaming fans, some cried, and others pulled their hair. It was pandemonium, and I shook my head in disbelief. I'd never imagined I would be here on stage like this. My heart hammered in my chest as I clasped my hand with Kendra's.

I won't say goodbye

I won't say farewell

I will rise

And start again

The guitar solo took over one last time, and I pulled Kendra in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around me and in that moment we put an end to the feud and the fraud. Thousands watched two female pop stars supporting one another, not tearing each other down. And they loved it.

Facing the crowd, we held hands and took our final bow.

"Thank you so much, Los Angeles. I love you. Good night!"

Kendra and I waved to the crowd until we reached the back of the stage and someone threw a white towel at us. I wiped my face, neck, and arms.

"That was beautiful, girl. I can't believe this is your last show," said Kendra.

"Thank you."

Frankie stood there with his arms crossed, smiling at me. "You looked great out there, Hailey."

"Thanks, Frankie."

Frankie was looking good himself. He checked out of rehab last month and acted like his old self again. His hair was a little longer, and I liked it better on him.

"That song has been number one for three weeks. You've raised more than three million dollars on this single alone for charity. You sure you want to give this up?"

We all walked back to my dressing room. Kendra took the couch, but Frankie stood with his arms crossed, waiting for my reply.

"I'm not giving up anything I love. I will continue writing and making music. It'll be different, but for me, it'll be better."

Frankie nodded. "All right. You know what makes you happy."

I hugged Frankie and rubbed his back. "Besides, I'm not leaving you empty-handed. I see you've signed the vocalist I suggested."

Frankie shook his head. "I can't believe you met with her. That was freakin' crazy, Hailey."

I shrugged.

"Wait. What's going on?" asked Kendra. "Who did you meet with?"

"Katlin Rouge," I said.

Kendra's brow furrowed, and she tilted her head. "Who's that?"

"She's going to be the next pop star, I know it," I said. "That's not all she is," said Frankie. "She's also Ingrid's sister."

"Ingrid? Your social media manager, Ingrid? The woman who lured you and tried to kill you?"

"Yep," said Frankie.

"Are you insane?" shouted Kendra.

I held up my hands. "She reached out to me a couple of months ago, shortly after she found out what her sister had done. She felt terrible and wrote a very touching letter to me. I wanted to meet her, but of course, Christian argued that wasn't a good idea."

"Well, at least one of you has some good sense," huffed Kendra.

"Anyway," I continued, ignoring her comment. "I insisted on meeting her, and after Christian ran all his checks and agreed to a location that he felt most comfortable securing, I met with her."

"And?"

"And she's one of the sweetest people I've met. She was distraught by what happened and I told her she had nothing to apologize for. We then talked about the singing competition we were both in and sang a few verses of our audition songs. We both laughed at ourselves, but I also realized that she still has an incredible voice, so I suggested Frankie meet with her."

"Hailey's not wrong. Her voice is unique, and with the right training, I think she can hit those high notes. So, I agreed to take her on. But I'm keeping an eye on her."

"That's fine. But people are not replicas of their families. She's her own person and should not be judged by the actions of her sister."

"You're a lot more forgiving than I am, Hailey. That's for sure. I would have called security. Speaking of which," Kendra looked around, "where's your fine boyfriend?"

I sighed and slipped a silk wrapper over my sparkling red dress. Now that the spotlights were gone and the adrenaline rush was waning, I felt chilled. "He's in New York, getting his place ready for me. I told him I didn't need much, but he wanted it to be perfect."

"And he left you unprotected?"

I snorted. "Are you kidding me? He hired two bodyguards to watch over me and an entire team for this last show. There are two outside of this dressing room right now."

Kendra lifted her long black hair from her shoulders and sighed. "I need to find a man like that. Someone who cares enough to hire a team of people to look after me."

"Kendra, you can afford to hire your own team," chuckled Frankie.

"That's not the point," both Kendra and I responded, and we laughed.

"The point is, I want someone who puts me first and thinks of my needs and wants. I don't mind putting in the work if he's putting in the effort. You understand? So many men I meet these days don't want to put in any effort."

I nodded, thinking of Trey and how he'd only thought of himself throughout our relationship. I knew I was lucky to have met Christian and I couldn't wait to see him again.

"Well, I don't mean to rush you out, but I'm going to hop in the shower and get ready for my flight to New York."

"Which airline are you taking at this hour?"

I smirked. "He has his own private jet."

"What? Girl, does he have a brother?"

"He sort of does. They're all married… except for one."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I'll put in a good word," I said while opening my dressing room door.

She nodded and lifted herself off my couch. "See you later, baby," she said and kissed my cheek.

Frankie gave me one last hug, and I shut the door.

Inhaling deeply, I looked around the room. I thought I would be more nostalgic about my last show. I thought I might even tear up standing here alone. But I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. I couldn't wait to see him soon. I couldn't wait to make love. And I couldn't wait to write again. A new song already played in my head.

***

The plane touched down in New York at seven o'clock in the morning Los Angeles time, but I guess that made it ten o'clock New York time. I probably would be doing the math in my head for a few days, I imagined.

A black car with tinted windows waited on the tarmac.

One of the crew members opened the aircraft door and I stepped out wearing my blue jeans and a white sweater.

As I looked down, I saw Christian standing at the bottom of the stairs, climbing up towards me. He was also dressed casually in jeans, only he wore a black cashmere sweater. It clung to his chest and arms and I bit my bottom lip.

"I missed you," he said and kissed me at the top of the stairs. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his lips against mine and the taste of peppermint.

"I missed you, too," I uttered between breaths as Christian hadn't stopped kissing me. "I—"

I gave up trying to talk and wrapped my arms around his neck. We stood on those stairs until someone cleared their throats below.

I chuckled at their less-than-subtle interruption. "I think they want us to get down from here."

"I don't care. I haven't kissed you in three days and I need to make up for lost time." He pressed his lips against mine and resumed his kiss at a leisurely pace.

When he finally pulled away, my lips felt warm and tingly. As well as other parts of my body. "Let's go home," I said, and he smiled.

"I love the sound of those words."

After settling into the backseat of the black car, Christian held my hand, and we set off to his place. Well, I guess it was now my place, too. I wondered how long it would take until it felt like home. A month? Two months? I wasn't sure, but I wasn't in any rush. We had all the time in the world.

The car drove into the city and we approached Park Avenue. I'd been to New York several times throughout my career. I think I even took a carriage ride in Central Park once, but I don't think I ever spent more than three days here.

The car stopped in front of the doors of a building next to Central Park.

"We're here," said Christian, and I craned my neck to look up.

"Wow, that's pretty tall."

"I live on the top floor."

"Of course you do."

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"I guess we'll find out."

My stomach tightened as we entered the foyer. The marble floors reflected the bright spotlights above and a crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room. It was elegant and beautiful, but it felt like a hotel more than a home. I was surprised by my reaction.

I followed Christian down a narrow hallway.

"There's a separate elevator from the garage downstairs. That's usually where I enter from, but I thought I'd take you inside from the front of the building for the first time."

I nodded and absorbed all the details around me. From the brass doors to the crystal knobs, no expense was spared for this building. I spent time in some fine hotels, but this was quite impressive.

When the elevator doors opened, I was pleased to see the aesthetic on this floor was a little different. The hallway carpet was lighter and so were the doors. Fresh white paint lined the walls, along with white and gold sconces.

"This is me," Christian said when we reached the last door. He pressed his thumb to the monitor next to the doorframe and a red light scanned his retina.

"Wow, that's quite the security feature," I said.

He shrugged. "It was Jager's idea."

Upon opening the door, I inhaled sharply as I took in the large space. Custom cabinets lined the front entrance and Christian opened one to hang my jacket. As expected, it was neatly organized by season and color.

Next, we walked through a foyer with a round marble table in the middle topped with a beautiful arrangement of white orchids.

Turning into the family room, I blinked at the light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was a large blue velvet couch in front of the windows and several armchairs, too. The white rug underneath was shaggy and luxurious.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"Do you like it?"

"I do."

I circled in the spot and realized how much I liked it. It was stunning, but cozy. The colors and the textures were to my taste. I wouldn't have changed a thing in his apartment, but I'm glad that I didn't want to.

"I haven't shown you the best part," he said, grinning.

I arched my brow. "The best part? What's that? The bedroom?"

He smirked. "Yes, but that's for later."

My stomach growled, and he smiled. "Oh, you mean the kitchen."

"That has an awesome six-burner stove, but no, it's not the kitchen."

He crossed his arms and smirked. He was very excited that I hadn't guessed the best part yet.

"I give up. What's the best part?"

He grabbed my hand and led me down another hallway, this on the opposite side of the penthouse. I caught a glimpse of the green and brown cabinets in the kitchen and smiled. I loved how eclectic his taste was. So much like my own. "Your style is so adventurous," I told him. "I wouldn't be surprised if you have a leopard skin rug in your bedroom."

He stopped and stared at me. "Did I send you pics?"

My eyes popped in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"No. But I like the idea. We should go shopping tomorrow. Buy a few things to make it truly feel like home for you."

I nodded, liking the idea very much.

He stopped abruptly in front of a closed door. "This is it."

I smiled and waited, but he didn't move.

"What's going on? What's through that door? It's not some strange bondage room or anything?"

He shook his head. "I didn't think I would be nervous about this, but I am. I really hope you like it."

"I like your taste so far. I'm sure it'll be great."

He nodded and opened the door while I smiled in anticipation.

My smile fell immediately.

I cupped my mouth with both hands and cried, "Oh my god."

"I wanted to surprise you, but I asked Tessa for her advice, and I followed her instructions carefully."

I walked over to the controls and ran my fingers across the knobs and switches. He had recreated my L.A. recording studio exactly to the neon pink paint color on the walls.

"I wanted you to have a piece of home here in New York and a place where you can take Tessa when she visits and create your music. Fuck, you're crying. Did I mess this up? Did you want to find a studio nearby? I thought this was more convenie—"

I placed my finger over his lips and then wrapped my arms around his neck. "It's perfect," I said.

He watched my face. His furrowed brow told me he was unconvinced. "But you're crying."

I nodded. "Yes."

"I'm confused, Hailey. Are you happy?"

I laughed and wiped my face. "Yes. I'm happy."

I looked around the room, the same black leather couches, and tall black stool where I sat and composed with my guitar in L.A. "I just can't believe you did all this. When did you find the time?"

He shrugged. "I started three months ago as soon as you agreed to move to New York for half of the year. I hired a crew and my brothers checked in on the construction for me. Tessa bought all the furniture and equipment online and then I flew her down here last week to set it all up."

"She did all that for me?"

"Of course, Hailey. She loves you. We all do. And I want you to be happy here."

"I am happy, baby. The happiest I've ever been. No one has ever done something just for me. I don't know what to say."

"Do you think you can make this home?"

"Honestly, I wasn't sure when I first walked into the building. But when I stepped into the apartment and I saw your things and you standing by the windows looking at me with love in your eyes, I realized home is wherever you are."

My heart swelled looking around at the studio. It was the most beautiful gift he could have given me. "Home is where I am the happiest."

I kissed him gently on the lips.

"Home is in your arms where I plan to be every day, regardless of the zip code."

"I'll keep you safe and promise to love you. No matter where life takes us. I'll be home if I'm with you."

He pulled me into his arms and carried me to his bedroom. I barely registered the minimalist furniture or white drapes. But I did spot, in the corner of my eye—in the middle of kissing his lips and running my tongue along his jaw—the perfect place for a leopard print rug.

***