Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“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.
HAZEL
I’d packed my best outfits for this trip to Vegas, but they seem woefully inadequate for my surroundings.
“Does this look okay?” Turning again in front of the mirror, I assess the length of my short black skirt and smooth down the front of my silky green top.
“You look great, and before you ask again, your hair looks perfect. And so does your makeup.”
I’m not usually insecure, but I’ve never been married to a rock star before.
When I check my phone, there’s a message from Ember in all caps. “CALL MOM.”
Oh shit! I should have done that sooner. I’ll bet she’s worried, and I’m not sure Ember would have offered her much reassurance after her visit.
“I need to call my mom before I do anything else,” I tell Bliss as we leave the luxurious bathroom.
“Want some privacy?”
“No, that’s okay.” There are a sofa and chair in the bedroom, so we settle in there. But before I can call my mom, my phone rings. I don’t recognize the number, but so much has changed in my life so quickly that I don’t think too much about it before I take the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Hazel?” a man’s voice asks.
I frown. “Who is this?”
“This is Joshua Smith from the Las Vegas Chronicle. Congratulations on your marriage! How are you finding your new life? Where did you and Conal meet?”
I frantically stab the End button. “Reporter,” I say to Bliss.
“Oh, yeah, everyone’s going to want to talk to you. Maybe you should take advantage of that.”
“No,” I say firmly, and tap my mom’s contact. As the phone rings, I brace myself. Up until last night, I’ve done my best not to add stress to her life.
“Hazel! How are you?”
“Mom, I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. It’s been a hectic morning.”
“Is that right? Looks like it was a busy night, too.”
“I’m sorry. I would’ve wanted to tell you first. I didn’t realize news would get out so quickly.” I’m grateful when she doesn’t ask why I didn’t call her last night. Drunk dialing my mom would surely have been worse than not calling her at all.
“And you just met this man last night?”
“I know it seems wild, and not like me at all.” Not like sober me, anyway. “Maybe we got carried away in the moment, but Conal’s a good man. He’s been very kind, and he’s a perfect gentleman.”
“Really?” Her skeptical tone tells me she’s been researching him, too.
“Yes, absolutely, and we’re staying in the most beautiful suite at The Golden Star.” She’s not impressed by fancy things, but I hope this detail provides some reassurance. “Would you like to see it?” I ask on impulse, and instantly regret it, since the focal point of the room I’m in is the giant bed with rumpled sheets.
Thinking it would look even worse to backtrack on my offer, I switch the call over to video and carefully curate her view, showing her my smiling face first, then Bliss’s, then a look out the window, much as it pains me to face the bright light. I wonder if it’s too soon to take more aspirin.
“Very nice,” Mom says evenly.
My little sister Coral’s face pops up behind her. “Let me see! Hi, Hazel! Is your husband there?”
A moment later, the man in question appears in the bedroom doorway. “Want me to say hello?” he asks in a whisper. It’s brave of him to offer after the encounter with my sister and her men.
I’m about to wave him away, thinking we can do this some other time, but he starts toward me, and I’m mesmerized by the charming grin that curls his lips.