Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

AMBER

I 'm giddy when I walk out of the conference room with Nolan's arm protectively around my shoulders. The giddiness continues when we stop in front of the elevator, and he drops a light kiss on my lips.

"We'll see you at the arena in a couple of hours," he says.

I rub my nose against his. "Thank you."

His eyebrow quirks. "For?"

"Being you." With so many unfamiliar feelings rippling through me, I can't help acting mushy. Every sappy love song I've ever sung makes sense now.

Nolan Byrne loves me.

He wants me. Not because I'm famous. Not because I can advance his career. And not because I look good on his arm.

"You don't have to thank me. It's safe to say I feel like the luckiest man alive."

Cheesy. The giddiness surges again.

I kiss him one more time, and then while he gets on the elevator to return to Maddy, I sneak down the hall to the freight elevator, and follow the hallway to the loading dock so we can climb into the back of a black SUV. Brian gets in behind me and pulls the door closed.

We wait and about five minutes later, Mina joins us. She was watching Maddy and now she's doing something on her phone, so she only acknowledges us with a glance and a quiet, "Hey. How'd it go?"

"Nolan loves me," I confess, unable to stop myself.

I kind of can't believe I told him. I didn't intend to, but he seemed so distraught it slipped out. The fact that he feels the same makes me feel like a superhero.

Mina snorts. "Not news." She drops her phone in her lap. "Wait. Did he tell you during the interview?"

"Of course not. I told him during a break, and he said it back ." I'm not sure which shocks me more—that I told him or that he feels the same.

"You're surprised?" She squints at me. "The fact that he was there proves how he feels about you. He wouldn't have allowed himself to be interviewed otherwise."

Her words deflate my joy a little. They're a reminder that I'm going to have to make sure that he doesn't regret choosing to go public with me.

"The interview went well," Brian says when I don't respond. "The public will love it. Nolan was just awkward enough to be likeable. Annabelle's producer is going to send the edited footage tonight. We can review it on the way back to the hotel after the show."

I nod absently.

Nolan loves me.

But he doesn't love my fame, so I can't let it come between us.

Brian doesn't press me to keep talking. Normally, he'd have a million things to go over, but as if he can sense I need a minute, he lapses into silence, and the ride to the arena passes quickly. We're still a couple of blocks away when we slow to a crawl.

"What's going on?" I peer out the window, straining to see if there's traffic.

Mina reaches out and lowers the privacy shield so we can see out the front.

There are hundreds of people spilling off the sidewalk and into the road making it difficult for cars to get through. Even from a distance, sparkly, bejeweled signs that proclaim love for me are clearly visible.

It's still hours before show time, but my fans are already gathering.

It's the first time we've seen mob-sized crowds on this tour, and it doesn't appear that there is any sort of crowd control happening. Brian immediately gets on his phone to the arena, while Jason, the security guard who's sitting in the front seat, tells the driver to make a left and then starts murmuring into his phone, too.

We make the turn and weave through the side streets in a sort of zigzag pattern. It isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened, so I settle back into my seat. Brian taps Jason on the shoulder. "They're requesting police support. ETA unknown."

Jason nods but stays on the phone. When he hangs up, he pulls down the sun visor and flips up the mirror cover so we can see his grim expression. "We don't have the manpower for any sort of interaction right now. You cannot exit the vehicle. There aren't any barriers, and the crowd seems to be growing steadily, so we won't be able to keep you safe."

When I was younger, I probably would have argued, but I'm not looking to take unnecessary risks. I won't greet the crowds, sign autographs, and take selfies if things might get out of control. "Okay. How are we getting inside without encountering the fans?"

"We aren't. The only entrance that'll allow you to exit without being mobbed requires us to drive past where they're gathering. We'll stay in the car and make our way underground as quickly as possible."

"We can arrive from the opposite direction if we circle around," the driver says. "Then we can avoid passing the main entrance entirely."

Jason nods. "Do it." He returns his attention to me. "They're probably going to guess you're in here."

"Can I put the window down and wave?" It's something I've done before. It isn't what the fans want, but it's better than nothing.

"Not sure yet. We'll have to see when we get there. Even that might be too much."

My security team knows what they're doing, and Jason has been with me for years, so I trust his advice, but the people who are outside the arena are there to see me and I hate not giving them what they want. I start tapping my fingers on my knee, but it does nothing to release the tension in the car.

It's about ten minutes before we ease into the traffic that is heading for the arena from the opposite direction. It's moving smoother, mostly because the crowd is on the other side of the road. Mina switches seats with me so I'm ready to smile and wave if Jason gives the okay.

Unfortunately, the entrance to the underground garage is completely overrun and Jason tersely tells me to keep the windows closed, then shuts the privacy screen so no one can peer through the windshield. The back windows are dark, so there's no way for anyone to know I'm in the car, but who else would be arriving in a luxury black SUV with a driver and security personnel?

The crowd surges into the sides of the vehicle as we ease slowly forward.

The doors are locked, and we're secure. Brian, Mina, and I are utterly silent. We've done this before, but it's been a while, and it's a bit unnerving. I wouldn't say I'm scared, but my calm has definitely deteriorated. The noise from outside is muffled, and even though we can't hear anything clearly, it's obvious they want to see me.

We keep creeping forward slowly, until suddenly there are less people, and we start moving quicker. The security guards at the bottom of the ramp let us through the barrier, and somehow they manage to keep everyone else out, so we accelerate around a bend and the noise fades. We collectively let out a sigh of relief as the privacy shield slides back open.

"We'll have more staff on duty for arrivals going forward," Jason assures me.

I smile slightly. "Thank you." And then it hits me. "Nolan is supposed to bring Maddy in a few hours. Should they stay in the hotel?"

Brian and Jason exchange a look before Brian says, "Let's monitor the crowds during sound check and then reconvene."

Jason agrees, and we come to a stop. I climb out slowly. Even though the area is empty, I'm on guard as if someone is going to jump out and storm the car.

Thankfully no one does, and by the time I arrive at the dressing room, I've relaxed a little. The high of sharing my feelings with Nolan has faded, and I can't help wishing he and Maddy were with me. At the same time, I'm glad they're safe in the hotel, and they didn't have to experience the unruly crowd.