I lift her chin to look at me. Her eyes are puffy and red, and it hurts me that she is so upset.
“That’s not the worst of it. The church called wanting to know about the level of security we were providing and concerned about any negative impact it may have on their congregation with you being a rock star. Then the reception venue, leaked the date to some asshole that acted as our wedding planner. We never had a wedding planner!”
“Shhh, shhh, calm down.”
“I can’t Declan, I wanted this wedding to be perfect. We’ve worked so hard, and I’ve always wanted the whole shebang. Now it’s turned into a freaking nightmare. I don’t want five hundred people there nor do I want security at my church.”
“Then let’s call it off.” Shit, that didn’t come out right. I can tell when more tears fall and the shaking returns.
“You want to call off our wedding?” she wails into my chest.
“No, nothing is stopping me from marrying you.” I’m a bastard, and she is probably going to kill me. I need to be careful here, or I may not get laid for a week. I’ve had this idea since I asked her to marry me again, but I wanted to give her the big wedding she dreamed about.
“You said call it off. That usually means canceling.”
“I should have said let’s change the plans.”
She looks at me curiously and raises her eyebrows.
“Let’s run off with our families and close friends and get married sooner. We can still have a big party in May and invite the insane amount of people, but for our wedding, we could be just us.”
The smile on her face tells me I’m not in trouble.
“Like a destination wedding?”
I nod my head.
“I kinda like the idea but you said sooner, why?”
“Because you already said someone leaked our wedding date. And in order to have a destination wedding we have to have a destination. I’m thinking the best time to travel will be your spring break.”
“SPRING BREAK?!”
“Yes, now we need to figure out where to go.”
“We can’t possibly plan a wedding in seven weeks.”
“We can and we will. Once we pick a place, we’ll rely on their event planners to help us. We can pay people to do this stuff.”
“It’ll cost a fortune. Then the party in May...”
“Raven, I’ve got it covered. We have a decent savings account now. And I opened an account with you on it. The advances MJ gave us, are in there. It’s sizeable, and we are about to tour. Money doesn’t need to be an issue.”
She blinks a few times then jumps around and straddles me. Her hips grind into mine, which make me instantly go hard under her. We are both still in our pajamas, so I have easy access. As I slide my finger inside her panties, she grips my wrist.
“Declan, we need to talk about this some more. Shouldn’t we consult with our parents? This is a big decision.”
“It’s our decision, Sparkle. We’re still giving them a party to celebrate. But now, our day will be about us and not a bunch of people we don’t know. And I think we should cancel the reception venue and use the farm.” I tell her about the call this morning, and I think they’re more likely to watch out for privacy. We’ll have to get a new caterer, but I think that is possible.
“Okay, let’s do it.” She lets my wrist go and wraps her arms around my neck kissing me lightly.
“Oh yeah, I’m ready to ‘do it.’” I say against her lips.
“Later, baby, right now we’ve got work to do.”
“No work, let’s play. I can promise you, it’s more fun.” I buck my hips into her.
“We have a wedding to plan.”
The smile on her face is my reason for living.
Chapter 38
Planning Overload
Raven
“Let me get this straight, you’re getting married in seven weeks?” my mom screeches.
Everyone in the room cringes. I lean into Declan hoping he’ll hold me up if my legs give out. She’s really going to freak out when I tell her the plans. The good news is we don’t have to lift a hand; the hotel and event staff is taking care of everything. The bad news it is very short notice to everyone.
Declan and I invited our families and friends over tonight to tell them our new wedding plans and give them the details. It had taken hours, but I was thrilled with the idea and Declan was equally as happy.
We made a list of destinations ranging from the beach to the mountains. I thought it would be cool to get married at the Biltmore in North Carolina, but Declan wasn’t too keen on the idea. After two hours of searching through places that would be a short flight or drive for our family and friends we came across an advertisement for a resort in Florida called Amelia Island Plantation. I called the wedding and event staff, and Declan looked at flight information.
We put the Event Manager on speaker and told her our story and the reason for the rush. If she knew who Sayge or Declan was, she didn’t let on. She was professional and sent a brochure through email for us to talk through. Basically, since we were having a small group, our options were open. I liked every single idea she presented, and the hotel had open availability for the weekend. She tried to talk us into making it a week-long event full of activities leading up to the celebration, but Declan said no. According to him, our fucking guests could do their own thing, but he was taking me away on a honeymoon.
She emailed us a contract of intent and Declan gave her his credit card information. If we changed our minds, we had forty-eight hours to back out. We made plans to travel there in two weeks and spend the entire day Saturday at the resort making decisions on the ceremony and reception. When we hung up, I danced around the living room with excitement. I hoped our families were on board.
It was hard to keep quiet when we got to The Steamroom, but we agreed to tell everyone together. We asked everyone to come over for pizza. We even invited Mike and Jay.
So now everyone is in our living room looking at us with disbelief after I announced we were getting married on Spring Break.
“Mama, we talked about it yesterday when I hung up with you. We put together a whole plan. I freaked out at having that many people and security at my wedding. I knew we would have to have some of that to an extent, but it pissed me off. So we decided to do a destination wedding. We talked to the staff, and they’re going to do everything. Declan and I are flying down in two weeks to solidify all the details and then all we have to do is show up.”
“Flying down where? Where is it you’ll be going?”
“Amelia Island Plantation...in Florida.”
The room is silent for about five seconds then there’s cheering. Even my mom grins.
Declan squeezes my waist urging me to continue.
“Quiet down, there’s a whole lot more.” I yell to get everyone’s attention again. “I know this is sudden for everyone and there’s a certain expense involved. The good news is that there is a direct flight into Jacksonville on Southwest Airlines that is very cheap right now. Amelia Island is about a forty-five minute drive from the airport, and the hotel provides transportation. Instead of hotel rooms, we want to rent condos on the beach, which will be more fun. The Plantation knows our situation and has assured us that security won’t be a problem. We want you all there and understand the costs may be extreme so we are going to cover as much as we can.”
“Raven, I’ve got it covered. I think this is an excellent idea.” my dad surprises me. “I wasn’t happy at all about the news leaking about your wedding. Your mom and I already discussed the security measures I was going to put in place. This new idea will allow you two to have the wedding you deserve.”
“I’ve got my family covered too. I still want to have a rehearsal dinner. Do you think you could check out restaurants while you’re there?” David asks.
“I agree with James. Your wedding was quickly turning into a nightmare. Between the calls to the office, your identity leak, and Sayge’s popularity, I w
as beginning to get concerned. You guys have been through a lot and a destination wedding will give you a little break from the craziness.” Mike announces.
“Hell yeah! Beaches, bikini’s, and booze. This is going to be epic!” Nate shouts.
“RJ, do we still have to wear the monkey suits?” Cooper yells at me.
“Just because I may be getting married on the beach doesn’t mean everything has changed. It’s still going to be somewhat formal.”
There’s a few grunts, but there’s also a lot of excitement. I make a mental note to call Ember and tell her to put a rush on the tuxes.
After a few more questions, the guys turn on the TV, and the girls gather in the kitchen. I show them the online brochure and my mom goes into planning overload.
“Babe, Mike got a call from Amber that some local wedding magazine wants to do an exclusive on us.” Declan shouts to me.
“No, not interested.”
“Me neither but wanted to ask.”
I order the pizzas and my mom continues to take notes on all that needs to be done. We go over a preliminary guest list, and David tells us a few people he would like to invite. If everyone accepts, there will be around forty people.
When most of our guests leave and it’s just Declan and the band hanging out, I crawl in bed with my eReader. I laugh at the fact that, in the end, Declan got his wish. We are getting married before I graduate.
Chapter 39
AT 40
When I get to class on Monday, people already in the room, stop what they are doing and stare at me. Kyle has saved me a seat again, and when I sit, Brent sits on my other side. Classmates I’ve never spoken to come over and try to talk to me. I don’t want to be a bitch, but it makes me uncomfortable when they ask personal details about Declan or the wedding planning. One girl even tells me her and her friends set up a fan site for Sayge and she would like me to do an interview. I politely decline, and tell her I can’t legally speak about the band and I can pass her information along to their representative. It’s a lie but, I don’t want to be involved with any other media presence.
Some people think they are being sly, but I hear the clicks of the camera phones going off around me. I guess my days of sweat pants and messy buns are over. It sucks, but there’s no way I want pictures circulating of me looking like I just popped out of bed.
I sigh with relief when the professor comes in and starts class. At the end of the lecture, she calls me out and asks me to stay behind. Brent, Kyle, and Mari give me worried looks.
“Miss Hayes, I am aware of your situation and wanted you to know about our policies at Vanderbilt. Your education and safety are important to us. We protect both equally. If you ever in any way feel threatened or harassed, it is your responsibility to tell an administrator. We will take the appropriate measures.”
“Yes, ma’am.” My dad was right.
“Very good that is all I wanted to tell you. Congratulations.” She smiles at me and grabs her bag.
I leave the room trying to remember if she’s ever spoken personally to me. I’m not watching where I’m going when I run into someone. Trying to catch myself before I fall, I brace on his arms.
“Whoa there. You’re going to have to stop trying to run me over.” Brent laughs at me.
“Sorry, I was preoccupied.”
“Everything okay?”
I nod and tell him what our professor told me. Someone takes a picture of us, and I realize he is still holding me. I send Declan a quick text to explain in case the picture gets uploaded to the internet.
In each of my classes, people ask about Sayge. I try to be polite but vague with my answers. Everyone that talks to me complements the band and their success.
This goes on for a week before things go back to normal. I still have people talking to me but generally, it’s in greeting or reference to school. I haven’t felt threatened in any way. Even when Declan drops me off or picks me up, people respect our privacy.
I’m on my way to the library to meet our group because we have to come up with a business plan tonight. After we create the outline and assign areas of research, we pack up to leave. I notice a few girls crowded in a corner watching us. Brent and Kyle notice too and insist on walking Mari and me to our cars. When I leave the parking garage, there is a black SUV close behind me.
The whole way home the SUV follows me, and I get an uneasy feeling. Then I recognize one of the girls from the library in the passenger seat. I don’t want then to know where I live, so I call Robbie and go to his place. He meets me at the door wearing nothing but running shorts and a worried expression.
When I get to his door, the SUV passes by but very slowly. Camera’s flash at us and I groan. This should be interesting.
“RJ, what the fuck was that about?”
“I had a feeling they were following me home.” I tell him about seeing them in the library and then tailing me. His face goes tight, but he doesn’t say anything.
I call Declan when we get inside, but his phone goes to voicemail. Robbie goes to shower, and I take out my laptop to work. The first thing I do is look to see if there are any new pictures on the social media sites. I’m not surprised to find a picture of me walking into Robbie’s house with him half dressed. The caption is unflattering, and I flag it for inappropriate content. Not sure how long or if will be removed, but it’s worth a shot.
A text comes through, and I’m surprised to see it’s from Ember.
E: Isn’t that Robbie? Don’t these people have a life??
Me: Yep, I came over after I figured out I was being followed. I actually thought things were back to normal.
E: let me know if there’s anything I can do.
Me: Thanks, I will.
Robbie comes back in and rolls his eyes at the picture. He offers to make dinner while I finish a paper. After we eat and clean up, I pack my stuff to leave. Robbie is going to follow me home on his way out. We’re about ready to go when there’s a pounding at the door.
Robbie opens it, and Declan is standing on the porch fuming.
“Declan, what’s wrong?”
Robbie moves out of his way, and he comes straight to me. He takes my bags out of my hands and picks me up in a tight embrace. “Why didn’t you answer your phone? I’ve been calling for an hour.”
I pull my phone out of my pockets and realize it’s off. “I must have turned it off accidentally. I left you a message earlier, so you knew I was okay.”
“Yeah, you left me a message that you were okay, but left out the part where you were followed home from school. Some shit was going around on twitter and Cooper had to tell me. I was in a meeting and couldn’t get to you. It was driving me crazy.”
“Baby, I was fine. As soon as I realized they were following me, I came straight here. I didn’t want to lead them to our house.”
He nods his head but still hasn’t let me go. Robbie offers him a drink, and he goes to the kitchen.
“Dec, if you were so worried, why didn’t you call Robbie?”
“I did, he didn’t answer either.”
“Sorry, man, my phone’s charging. I’d just gotten back from a run when Raven called. I plugged it in and forgot.” Robbie hands us both a beer.
“I didn’t have a meeting on your calendar today, when did that come up?” I ask trying to lighten his mood.
“Jay called us in. It’s actually a big deal. We got great news. Actually, it’s career altering news.”
My heart beat races and butterflies form in my stomach. This could be about the rumors of a summer tour. I’ve been hoping for this news for weeks.
“I wish I had more notice because I could have used you there Rave, but apparently “Surviving” hit national attention at the beginning of the month. I don’t know anything about ratings, surveys, or the formula’s used, but it looks like we may hit the American Top 40 this weekend when the weekly ratings are released.”
“What?! That’s incredible!” I shriek and jump spilling beer on us both.<
br />
“Yeah, pretty surreal. I mean it seems like it would be played out since we released it in September, but it wasn’t really played outside of the Southeast until the album dropped.”
“So what do we do now? What does this mean?”
“Now we wait and keep doing what we’re doing. There’s no doubt we will get an invite to tour this summer, we don’t know who with. The AT40 opens doors for us with all sorts of artist. I’d love it if we could go with Knight’s Dream again, but they’re already set for a six month gig. It’s too late for that. So we’ll be with a completely new group.”
“Great news man. Let’s celebrate.” Robbie gets a bottle whiskey from his bar and sets up shots.
After we do a shot, Declan makes me tell him exactly what happened this afternoon. He and Robbie decide to get my dad involved to see what his opinion is. His reaction is calmer than I thought, but he’s calling the Dean of the MBA program tomorrow to discuss security. I tell them I don’t recognize the girls from my program, but the library is open to all students at the University. They could be in any program offered.
My dad comes up with a plan to have Robbie and Will follow me around the next few days and look for anything suspicious. I’ve never felt danger on the campus, but with what happened last year, I agree to let them.
Declan and I leave and take the long way home to make sure no one waited on me. When we pull into the garage, I relax. I didn’t realize how nervous I was.
Declan is on the phone when we walk in and turn off the alarm. His face is flushed, and I see the happiness in his smile. When he hangs up, he stalks to me and lifts me into his arms, spinning us in circles.
“What?”
“That was Cooper, Jay got a call that we will hit the AT40 in the thirties. There is room for that to change, but the numbers are pretty locked in.”
Surviving Page 28
