Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

DANIELA

Taking Braden's hand, I led him in the direction all the arrows were pointing, which steered us toward the main screen in the theater. We'd already gotten our pictures taken, so there was no reason for us to go back out there and be subjected to more ridicule.

As we walked inside, I noticed a cordoned-off area in the center of the theater…where Bailey Knight and her husband, Finn Davies from the band Beyond Mercury, were sitting off to one side. A few other random people had found seats closer to the front, but the reserved section was empty other than the two of them.

I froze for a few seconds as it really hit me: I was at a red carpet event. With real-life celebrities. Yes, I knew Braden and Malachi were public figures – and so were Ian and Kyler – but they didn't feel like celebrities to me. Not really. Braden was the man I loved. Malachi was one of my closest friends. And Ian and Kyler were friends now too.

Bailey Knight, though? She was one of my favorite musicians. So was her husband, for that matter. And they were sitting just a few yards away from me.

Just a few months ago, I'd been wondering how the hell I was going to take care of Isaac. Now I was at a movie premiere wearing a three-thousand-dollar dress, on the arm of one of the most recognizable football players in the country. How was this my life?

"You okay, sweetheart?" Braden asked, breaking me from my daze.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm good."

He moved to stand in front of me, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear and kissing my forehead. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?"

"You'll think it's stupid," I mumbled, casting my gaze down to the floor.

"I promise I won't." He tilted my chin back up so I was looking at him again. "What is it?"

Letting out a sigh, I voiced the single thought that kept running through my mind over and over again.

"That's Bailey freaking Knight!" I whisper-shouted.

He chuckled and brushed his lips against mine. "And Finn fucking Davies. It's not stupid to be starstruck. Still happens to me all the time. Do you want to meet them?"

I cocked my head to the side, eyeing him inquisitively. "Is…is that allowed?"

"Of course it is. Contrary to popular belief, musicians are human just like us," he said with an amused smile. "Come on, beautiful."

Braden laced his fingers through mine and escorted me over to the reserved section – where we'd be sitting, since we were here as special guests of Ian and Kyler – and casually sat a few seats down from Bailey and Finn. Bailey lifted her head and timidly smiled at us, a complete contrast from the powerhouse rock star who could command an entire arena, and Finn inclined his head in a silent greeting.

"You're Braden Hicks," she murmured. "Ian and Kyler's best friend, right?"

"On my better days," he chuckled as he held out his hand, which they both shook. "It's nice to meet you both. This is my girlfriend, Dani."

"Hi," I mumbled as I shook their hands. "It's nice to meet you guys. I'm a big fan."

"Aww," Bailey giggled softly. "Thanks. It's nice to meet you too. Would you like to take a picture?"

Eyes wide, I turned to Braden, who grinned and pulled out his phone.

"Selfie with all four of us?" he suggested.

"Absolutely," Finn said in his thick British accent.

The four of us huddled close, with me and Bailey on the inside and the guys on either side of us, and Braden held his phone out in front of us and snapped the picture before we sat down.

"So, Ky won't shut up about how amazing ‘Speak the Truth' is," he said once he put his phone away. "I can't wait to hear it."

"It'll knock you on your arse," Finn said with a grin. "I'm so proud of her. And of Kyler. I know this wasn't an easy subject to tackle."

Braden smiled. "It wasn't. But it's something she's passionate about, and I'm excited to see the finished product. Anyway, how come you're not out there with everyone else?"

Bailey took a deep breath. "I get really bad social anxiety. We took some pictures and I answered a few questions, but I'm here to support the documentary, not for the press. What's your excuse?"

"There was a reporter who started being super rude to Braden," I told her. "I guess they have a history. I told her that if she couldn't show Braden respect, we were done, and I brought him inside."

"Smart." Finn gave me an approving smile. "Tonight's about Kyler, and if the vultures can't respect that, they don't deserve their sound bite."

"Speaking of tonight being about Kyler…" Bailey said quietly. "I asked her if there were any songs she wanted me to sing during my set tonight, and she just said that other than ‘Speak the Truth,' she didn't care what I played. Do you know of any songs that are special to her? If my band and I know them, I'll happily add them to the setlist."

"Well, if it's not too weird for you to sing one of Daphne DeVille's songs, I know ‘Queen of the Angels' really helped her after her assault," Braden suggested.

"That's not weird at all," she chuckled. "And obviously I know it, since I used to sing backup for Daph."

"And her and Ian's song is ‘Head Over Heels' by Tears for Fears," he added.

"Nice," Finn said. "I'm joining Bails for a few songs, so we can add that one to the set when I'm onstage." Then he turned to his wife. "If that's okay with you, love."

She beamed at him. "Of course."

"Hey! There you two are," came Morgan's voice from my other side, and I turned to find her and Malachi making their way down the aisle behind us. "Where'd you run off to?"

"Away from a bitchy reporter who was jealous that Braden decided to settle down with me and not her," I chuckled. "But it paid off, because talking to these two has been way more fun."

Morgan glanced past us, her eyes going a little wide when she registered who Braden and I were sitting next to. "Nice. Well, you didn't miss much. Other than Ian and Ky's publicist throwing a sports journalist who was asking super rude and invasive questions out."

"Let me guess. Leslie Greer?" Braden groaned quietly.

"How'd you know?" Malachi snickered. "She needs to be demoted to a position that doesn't involve talking to anyone who's even remotely a public figure. Because she has no idea how to conduct herself at an event like this."

"I won't argue with that," Braden sighed. "But I'm not going to give her any more headspace tonight. Tonight's about Ky and no one else."

Kyler's documentary was mind-blowing. The production quality, the interviews – with survivors, law enforcement, and clinical experts – the dramatic reenactments, the music…all of it was absolute perfection. It packed a punch, and some parts of it had been hard to watch, but rather than leaving the viewer feeling depressed about everything they'd just watched, the film ended on a positive note. It showed all of the survivors thriving and living their best lives, proving that there was, in fact, hope after all the darkness.

It sort of felt weird to go to a party after watching such heavy subject matter, but if any occasion called for a celebration, this did. Kyler had worked so hard on this documentary, pouring her whole heart and soul into making sure these survivors' stories were told accurately and respectfully, and the release was a feat to commemorate.

And getting to see Bailey perform? Just the icing on the cake. The song she'd written for the documentary, "Speak the Truth," was hauntingly beautiful, and it was incredible to hear live. She'd also performed some of her biggest hits and "Queen of the Angels," plus "Brave" by Sara Bareilles, which was also featured in the documentary. Kyler had told me that she and Ian had gotten to meet Daphne DeVille right after everything with her assailants came to a head, and that Daphne had dedicated "Brave" to her at the concert that night, so it had held a special place in her heart ever since then.

"So, Miami, I have a little surprise for you tonight," Bailey said into the microphone about forty-five minutes into her set, while a stagehand walked onstage with a second electric guitar and microphone stand. "I'm not here alone! Can you make some noise for my husband, Finn Davies?"

As the crowd of about five hundred people screamed loudly, Finn walked onstage and gave his wife a hug and quick peck on the lips before turning to strap his guitar on and stepping up to the microphone. Without saying a word, he launched into one of Beyond Mercury's biggest hits, "Forgot My Mind." After the song was over, he addressed the audience.

"Is everyone doing alright tonight?" he asked in his thick British accent, to resounding cheers from the crowd. "Let's give it up one more time for the woman of the hour, Miss Kyler Strong!"

Next to me, Kyler turned bright red as the spotlight illuminated her and Ian, who had his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. I could tell that as thrilled as she was that her film was getting such a warm reception, all this attention was making her a little uncomfortable. Not that I blamed her. I'd only been the center of attention for about two minutes earlier today, and that had been more than enough for me.

"Kyler, Breaking My Silence was absolutely incredible," Finn continued. "This cause is one that I'm so passionate about because my sister is a survivor as well, and I cannot wait for her to see this film. I know she's going to love it as much as I did, and she's already so excited about all the work you're doing to spread awareness about this issue. But this is a night for celebration, not for being serious, and a friend who shall remain nameless mentioned that this song is special to you and Ian, so I wanted to play it for you tonight."

When Bailey's keyboard player started to play the iconic opening notes of "Head Over Heels," Kyler's jaw dropped as she turned to face me and Braden.

"Guilty," Braden chuckled before she could say a word.

Ian grinned at him, then gently turned Kyler halfway so he could steal a kiss, and my smile got just a little bit wider. It was so evident how much these two loved each other, and after everything Kyler had been through – which I now knew about in heart-wrenching detail thanks to the documentary – it warmed my heart to know that they were getting their happy ending now. I could definitely see why Braden had bent over backward to be there for their engagement.

As "Head Over Heels" came to an end, Finn spoke again.

"So, because Kyler can have absolutely anything she wants tonight, there's one more song I want to play for you before I turn it back over to my lovely wife. This one goes out from her and Ian to their brother from another mother, the one and only Braden Hicks!"

As he started to play "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne, I broke out in a fit of giggles while Braden let out a loud groan. I loved that we'd literally been talking to Bailey and Finn before the film had started – even going so far as to suggest songs for them to play that Kyler would like – and they'd managed to keep completely straight faces the entire time.

And Ian, Kyler, and Melissa? They all started cracking up as they high-fived each other, clearly proud that they'd managed to pull this prank off without Braden suspecting a thing.

"I am going to kill them," Braden grumbled into my ear as he wound his arms around me from behind. "Dead. Buried."

I laughed some more as I turned to face him. "Oh, come on. Who doesn't love this song?"

He snorted. "Me. I don't. Not after five fucking years of this shit."

"Aww, is someone butthurt?" Ian teased, releasing Kyler with one arm to throw a playful punch into Braden's shoulder.

"Don't worry, B. You'll like the next song a lot better," Kyler chuckled as she hugged his arm, even though it was still wrapped around me. "I just couldn't resist, and Bailey and Finn thought it was hilarious once I told them the story."

"You're lucky I love you, Ky," he muttered. "And just because this is a big night for you, you get a pass. This once."

"So generous of you," Melissa snickered. "Hey, did you know that Stacy's mom is Jessie's girl?"

Braden groaned again. "Yep, and her name's Jenny and her number is 867-5309."

"Thanks so much for letting me crash the party, Miami!" Finn said as the song ended, taking his guitar off and putting it back on its stand. "I'm going to turn it back over to my much better half for a few more songs. Congratulations again, Kyler! Cheers!"

Loud cheers erupted from the crowd as Finn walked offstage, and Bailey approached the microphone again.

"Sorry, Braden!" she chuckled, to resounding laughter. "You don't know how hard it was to keep my mouth shut when we were talking earlier."

Suddenly, a bright light blinded me as the spotlight illuminated me and Braden, and he pulled me a little closer, almost like he was trying to ground himself.

"I get an asshole off your back five years ago and this is the thanks I get, Ky?" he laughed while letting go of me and wrapping an arm around her.

"Hey, what's family for?" she giggled. "You'll still be hearing about that when you have gray hair."

Everyone laughed again as the spotlight mercifully left us and returned to Bailey.

"So, Kyler did ask me to play another cover song tonight – again, not for herself, but for two people she loves. And it happens to be one of my favorite feel-good songs, so I was more than happy to oblige. Please sing with me if you know it!"

She started to play Jessie J's "Domino," and I swore my heart stopped beating for a second as the memory of our first date flooded my mind. How confused and pained I'd felt after that little whisper of a kiss, and how I'd just lost myself in this song when it came on the radio so I didn't have to deal with all the emotions that had been threatening to drown me.

Did Kyler know about that night? Was this song for us?

No, she couldn't have.

Could she?

When I turned to look at Braden, he was grinning from ear to ear, and he dipped his head down for a kiss as he tightened his arms around me.

"Yes, it's for us," he said into my ear so I could hear him over the music. "That night, watching you sing along to this song while I was driving you back home, that was when I knew. That was when I fell in love with you, even though I didn't know how to label my feelings yet."

It felt like my whole chest was expanding as I blinked back the tears that were stinging my eyes, wondering how the hell I could have been so blind. How I could ever have thought that this incredibly kind, generous teddy bear of a man was capable of any sort of malice. Because if I was honest, I'd started to fall for him that night too, even when everything in me had fought against it.

"Can we have two songs?" I chuckled as I leaned against him and we swayed in sync with the music. "I think maybe this one belongs to us too."

"Sweetheart, we can have as many songs as we want," he murmured. "Because this kind of love? There aren't enough songs in the world to describe it."

The second the door to our hotel room closed behind us, Braden's mouth was on mine in a hard, hungry kiss. A kiss full of passion, heat, desire, and the kind of love that could move mountains and start wars. The kind of love that defied logic, reason, and explanations. The kind of love that was once in a lifetime – and I liked to think I knew better than most just how rare this kind of bond was.

Backing me against the wall, Braden pressed his hard-on into my stomach as our tongues stroked together, the only sounds in the room our mingled breaths and quiet moans as we explored this connection that was deeper than the ocean and wider than the heavens. One of his hands slid under the slit on my dress, palming my thigh and lifting my leg to wrap around his waist.

"Do you know how damn hard it was to be a gentleman tonight?" he whispered as he shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and his lips moved to my neck and sucked. "How hard it was to look at this dress hugging those perfect curves and not drag you into the nearest broom closet so I could worship them?"

I let out a moan as his hand wandered between my legs and a finger stroked over the thin strip of fabric that was covering my core.

"So fucking wet," he groaned.

"All night," I gasped, then moaned again as his thumb pressed down on my clit and started to rub circles over it. "Ever since…"

"Since what, sweetheart?" he prodded, nipping at my earlobe. "Say it."

"Since this afternoon," I murmured. "Since you taught me how to suck your dick. I've been wet all night thinking about it. Wanting to do it again."

"You can wrap those gorgeous lips around my cock any time you want. I'll never get enough of that mouth of yours. But right now, it's my turn to get on my knees and worship at your altar."

He crashed his mouth to mine again, curling his tongue around mine as he tugged my panties to the side and stroked two fingers down either side of that sensitive bud. Groaning, I dug my fingers into his shoulders as I arched my hips toward him, needing so much more.

When he broke the kiss, he dropped to his knees, pulling the fabric of my dress to the side. And something about seeing this incredibly strong, yet meekly vulnerable man kneeling before me with pure awe and wonder written all over his face took my breath away.

"Keep those pretty eyes on me, beautiful," he rasped. "Watch me love you."

As I lowered my gaze, I found myself gazing into molten lava, those gorgeous brown eyes burning with equal parts carnal desire and soul-deep love. I watched as his fingers curled around the flimsy string of my panties, tearing them from my body with one swift motion and stuffing them into his pocket. He quickly uncuffed his dress shirt and rolled his sleeves up, then carefully lifted one of my legs over his shoulder before locking eyes with me again as he leaned in and swiped his tongue over my clit.

"Oh, God," I whimpered as sparks started to race through me.

"I wish I could fucking live on this taste," he whispered, still staring up at me. "So goddamn sweet."

Then his mouth was covering my core, sucking hard as his tongue swirled and flicked over those sensitive nerve endings, lighting my whole body on fire, while two fingers slipped inside me and started pumping furiously. And I couldn't have torn my eyes from him if I'd tried. The pure love and adoration in his gaze as he focused all his attention on my pleasure, winding me tighter and tighter with every lick and every stroke, was intoxicating. Mesmerizing. So intense and overwhelming that I almost couldn't process it.

"Shit, B!" I cried as he curled his fingers to hit my G-spot. "Fuck, I'm so close."

"Don't hold back, sweetheart," he mumbled, not fully lifting his mouth from me. "Let go. I'm nowhere close to done with you."

He picked up the pace, sucking my clit harder as his fingers worked me faster. Within less than a minute, I was flying off the cliff, tumbling into a blissful freefall, knowing he'd be there to catch me when I came down.