Trey stands up from where he’s sitting on the couch and shakes Flynn’s hand. “I get that. Although we tour with my brother’s band all the time, I wanted to make a name for myself. Have people know me as me rather than Dare Mills’ little brother.”
Nodding his head, Flynn replies, “Exactly. Same idea.”
How are they just having a regular conversation together? Does everyone here understand who these guys are standing in front of us? If they did, they wouldn’t be able to just carry on normal conversations. My heart is still racing and all I can do is stare. Hudson is over in the corner, chatting it up with Eric Sticks, while Jude seems to be deep in conversation with Jace Seymour. Everyone seems to have found someone to talk to, including the other girls. I feel like a loner standing over here by the door, but I’m glued to my spot, unable to move.
“Are you going to stand there all night or are you coming in?” I turn around to attach the voice to a face when I gasp. The Brian Sinclair is standing right behind me. I step to the side so he can move into the room and find the courage to say something. “You’re Brian Sinclair.” I totally face-palm it. Of course he knows who he is. I’m totally ruining this moment right now. Fortunately, he laughs it off and says, “That I am. So who are you wanting to meet?”
I cock my head to the side and ask, “What do you mean?”
“I can tell the difference between a groupie dripping with desperation and wanting a quick fuck with a rock star, and the true fans who have a favorite. I can already tell you’re not a groupie. So which one of us is your favorite?”
I’m glad he didn’t peg me as a groupie, but I suddenly feel nervous when I squeak out, “Trey.”
His face breaks out in a big smile and he says, “Good choice.” He walks away from me, and I’m not sure if I should follow him or not. I continue to stay glued to my spot near the door and watch as Brian taps Trey’s shoulder and tells him something. He points over to where I’m standing and they both start walking over. My heart starts racing and those bats start up again. My mouth is incredibly dry, and I flick my tongue out and run it along my bottom lip. I’m suddenly shaking like crazy, and I try to give myself a pep talk to calm myself down, but it does nothing to calm my nerves. I take a deep breath, and suddenly they’re both standing in front of me.
“Trey, this is—” Brian looks at me and then says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”
I put my hand out there and reply, “My name is Chloe,” although my voice cracks a little when I say it. Trey shows off a freakin’ megawatt smile and grabs my hand and turns it to the side. He brings it up to his mouth and kisses the top. I’m pretty sure I melt in a freakin’ puddle right there.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chloe.”
And then I really do melt. Or faint.
The next thing I remember is waking up in the moving limo.
“What the heck happened?”
I look around, and everyone is fighting between relief and laughter. And then it all comes back to me. “Please tell me I did not just faint in front of Trey Mills.” That sets everyone off. The laughter is coming from all directions, and I feel like curling into a ball of embarrassment. Hudson has the decency to look embarrassed for me and says, “Sorry, babe. I can’t tell you that. One minute you’re talking to him, and the next you’re passed out on the floor.”
He swooned the shit out of me, that’s for sure. I’m not sure I could handle that on a daily basis though. I feel sorry for the girl he’s with. Because I would faint every day around that charmer. I lean my head against Hudson’s chest and ask, “What are you going to do with me?”
He chuckles and says, “I’m not sure I can take you anywhere. I’ll just have to lock you high up in a tower.”
I giggle and add, “As long as you include daily visits, I’ll understand.”
He’s quiet and I look up at him. “Always and forever.”
“I love you, Hudson.”
“I love you too, Chloe.”
Epilogue
Hudson
10 Years Later
Leaning over, she wipes her hands down the front of her dress and asks, “Babe, are you sure I look okay? I don’t want to show up tomorrow as worst dressed on Fashion Police.”
She’s asked me for the millionth time tonight, and I appease her again with my reassurances. Tonight is her night, and her anxiety is making my nerves go haywire, but I’ll never let her see that. If there’s one thing she needs, it’s for me to be strong for the both of us. I squeeze Chloe’s hand as she sits right beside me. I’m not sure who is more nervous tonight: her or me. She’s worked so hard for this and I know she’s got this.
I just know it.
We exit the limo after waiting forever in this damn line of cars and hit the dreaded red carpet. She fits perfectly in this crowd. Even after all this time, I still feel out of place. As a band, we’ve been to a million of these things, but not one as prestigious as this. I always dreamed of coming to this one in particular, for Chloe, but I never actually thought I would be here. Knowing that the woman sitting right beside me is the reason I’m here right now makes my heart soar. Chloe has come so far from the broken girl I first fell in love with.
“Chloe. Chloe. Can you answer a few questions for us?”
Smiling at the reporters, she saunters over and eagerly fulfills their wishes. “Of course.”
Beaming up at her, the reporter’s cheeks flush and she fumbles with a small notebook in her hands. “Thank you so much for coming over to talk with me.” Chloe continues smiling, waiting for the first question. “Okay, so obviously everyone wants to know, who designed the stunning gown you’re wearing?”
And the reporter is right. Chloe looks absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t tell you anything about the dress she’s wearing, other than it fits her perfectly and makes her body look fantastic. She’s just lucky I didn’t rip it off her the moment I saw her in it.
“Thank you so much. My dear friend Clare from CM Designs made it. I’m happy with how it came out, and I’m shamelessly going to tell everyone to go buy her stuff.”
***
I lean forward slightly in my chair as the clips start playing on the screen. And then we’re waiting. The man at the microphone clears his throat and says, “And the winner for Best Actress in a motion picture is…Chloe Hartley.”
I stand up and pull Chloe with me, wrapping my arms around the woman I am so incredibly proud of. I knew she had it in her, and this right here is proof of that. After kissing her face a million times, I let her go and watch her walk up to that stage and accept her award. Wiping away the tears in her eyes, she starts the speech she practiced a million times prior to this. She told me she knew she wasn’t going to win the award, but in the million to one chance that she did, she wanted to be prepared. I knew she would win, and the odds were never a million to one.
“…Last but most certainly not least, I want to thank my husband. My rock. He’s been there for me every day for the past ten years. Through my darkest days, when my parents suddenly died, to my happiest days, when I started living my life again. I couldn’t have done any of this without him by my side. With his support, I was able to become the actress and woman I am now. I love you so much, Hudson.”
The music starts playing to cut off her speech, but she’s already finished and starts walking backstage to the many interviews I’m sure she will be enduring. If there’s one thing I hate most about my career, it’s the interviews. But Chloe doesn’t seem to mind them. In fact, she thrives in this atmosphere. Chloe was always destined for the spotlight. Somehow, we’ve become one of Hollywood’s elite power couples. None of that means anything to me, but if it makes Chloe happy, I will continually be right by her side throughout all of it.
She called me her rock, but what she doesn’t seem to realize is she’s the same thing for me. I don’t know where my life would be if we hadn’t gotten back together when we did. I can tell you one thing: I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now. Sho
rtly after we got back together, Ashtyn’s mom was able to convince Chloe to start up therapy. She didn’t move back in with me, at least not then. It was a rocky road when she was working through everything, and for a while there I would be woken up to a sobbing Chloe on the other end of my phone.
I think those nights were harder on me than they were on her. I would have given anything to take her pain away, and I hated knowing there was nothing I could do to help her other than just being there in any way she needed me. If I had to give up sleep to help her, then that was what I was going to do. The first night I slept all the way through, I woke up in a panic, searching for my phone and feeling like I had failed her. When I noticed I hadn’t missed any calls, I was so ecstatic I called her up right then and there. It was five in the morning on a Sunday, so she wasn’t too happy about that, but I was just happy knowing she was okay.
After that day, things started getting better and better. It wasn’t easy in the slightest, but she’s the strongest woman I know. With the combination of her continued therapy and stopping drinking, she was able to come to terms with what happened to her parents. The day she finally worked up the courage to say goodbye and spread their ashes was the hardest day of her life, but I was right there by her side. I know how much she wishes her mom was here to celebrate with her today, but she’s still watching, wherever she is.
My pocket starts vibrating with all of the many messages coming in from our friends and family. I ignore most of them but send a quick reply to Jax, Jude, and Flynn. It’s killing Ashtyn that she can’t be here tonight, but she’s eight months pregnant with baby number three, and Flynn gets pretty crazy when she’s pregnant. And I don’t blame him one bit. Especially on a paparazzi-heavy night like tonight. Luckily, with Auntie Ashtyn and Uncle Flynn staying at home, our little ones, Monroe and Katrina, can spend time with their cousins, Conner and Gwen. It was shocking, to say the least, when Chloe found out she was having twins, but we wouldn’t have changed a thing. Neither one of us could imagine our life without those two, and the last four years have been the best of our lives.
Chloe and I had a rocky start, but I would never change anything about the past ten years of our lives. Everything we’ve been through together has truly solidified our relationship and made it possible for us to enjoy our lives. They say the people who support you at your worst are the people you want in your lives when you’re at your best, and I believe that one hundred percent. We’ve been there for each other in the highs and lows of our lives, but the best part about it is we’ve always been there for each other. That’s true love, and I can’t wait to see where the next chapter in our lives takes us.
For now, we’re going to spend the night celebrating her major accomplishment and savor every moment together. My past, present, and future will always be spent with Chloe by my side, and I couldn’t be happier having that knowledge.
Playlist
“Closer to the Edge” 30 Seconds to Mars
“Pain” Three Days Grace
“Hail to the King” Avenged Sevenfold
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” Guns N’ Roses
“Last Resort” Papa Roach
“Riot Girl” Good Charlotte
“Pour Some Sugar on Me” Def Leppard
“Right Where We Belong” Boymeetsworld
“Goodbye Agony” Black Veil Brides
“Lithium” Nirvana
“Medicine” Sunset Sons
“Kids in the Dark” All Time Low
“Don’t You Go” All Time Low
“Lips of an Angel” Hinder
“Mr. Brightside” The Killers
“Fighter” Christina Aguilera
“I Will Buy You a New Life” Everclear
“Ecstasy” Late Nite Reading
“Shots” by Lil Jon and LMFAO
“Follow You Down” Gin Blossoms
“Truly Madly Deeply” Savage Garden
“Iris” The Goo Goo Dolls
Acknowledgements
These are always so hard to write. I don’t want to forget to thank someone really important and then feel like an asshole for leaving that person out. But there’s not much that can be done about that so here we go!
To my husband Ben. You continually stick by my side through all of the ups and downs of this crazy journey. I’m so grateful for your never-ending support.
My Family has been so supportive through this process. From telling random co-workers about my books to just downright telling me that they’re proud. This is a very hard industry to work in and I’m extremely grateful for all of the support that I receive. I wouldn’t be able to do it without all of you.
CM Foss, thank you for being my amazing beta reader and just all around go-to person. You’re stuck with me now! #soulmates
Heather Hildenbrand, until I was introduced to you I was completely lost in this huge book world. All of your knowledge and coaching has helped me tremendously in setting goals and plans for myself as an author.
Murphy Rae, I’m not sure what I do without you. Your name is all over this book. You helped me take a messy manuscript and a couple of pictures and turned them into something I’m proud to have my name on.
Megan, yet again you produced an amazing photo for my book cover. It’s so much fun to continue working with you each and every time and you always know exactly what I’m wanting. I can’t wait to see what else we create together in the future.
Natalie and Brian, thank you so much for agreeing to be on my cover. I had so much fun with the photo shoot and you both embodied the characters of Chloe and Hudson perfectly.
Olivia Cunning, thank you so much for giving me permission to borrow your guys. Backstage Pass was the first rock star book I ever read and the entire Sinners series will always be my number one favorite. I’m very appreciative that you gave us a yummy guy like Trey Mills who would cause any girl to faint in his presence. ;)
I can’t list you all but I have a special thank you to all of my friends in our little indie author group. I can’t thank you enough for all of the knowledge you are willing to pass on. This community should be about supporting one another and not competing. I’ve been fortunate to meet so many amazing people that believe in that whole-heartedly.
To anyone reading this book, thank you so much for taking a chance on a newbie. This is my second book but I still feel very new to the industry and I love that you helped getting my name out there by reading my book. I truly appreciate it.
Last but again certainly not least, I want to thank the guys from All Time Low. Their music continually inspires me with my own writing. Since I released Finding Flynn, I actually got to meet the band but sadly playing Cards Against Humanity with them is still on my bucket list. I’ll cross that off someday!
About the Author
Born in a small southern island in Alaska, Alexandria moved to southern Oregon early on in her life. Where she still resides with her young daughter, husband, and fur baby.
She’s insanely obsessed with fashion and used to dream of becoming a fashion designer, creating new outfits for her Barbie’s with her childhood best friend. For now she’s loving writing and fulfilling her fashion addiction with shopping.
Along with fashion, Alexandria is a big lover of music. She’s always listening to something while writing and creates a playlist to go along with each book she writes. She’s always on the hunt for new music and loves getting suggestions from her readers.
Alexandria spends way too much time on social media and would love for you to say hi!
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Other Books by Alexandria Bishop
Marlowe Series
Finding Flynn
Falling for Hudson
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Coming Spring 2016
Free
ing Jude
The Marlowe series continues with
Jude’s story.
Preview of The Road that Leads to Us
By Micalea Smeltzer
Released October 27, 2015
Things are about to get rocky for Dean Wentworth and Willow Wade.
Willow Wade is used to living in the spotlight, with her father a famous drummer in the band Willow Creek—her namesake—it’s been a lot to live up to and oftentimes she doesn’t feel she’s enough. But there has always been one person she could turn to.
Dean Wentworth knows a thing or two about how crippling a name can be. His family is worth billions after all. But Dean’s always been content to do his own thing. Play his guitar. Work on cars. And geek out to his various “nerdoms”.
But when Willow turns up unexpectedly, he realizes maybe there is more in life he wants.
Her.
One trip will change their lives forever.
1
Willow
Those bitches were gonna die.
That was a horrible thing to say about my so-called ‘friends’—and I used the word friends loosely, because true friends wouldn’t ditch you the day of your scheduled road trip because they’d rather be sunbathing in the Hamptons.
The fucking Hamptons.
Ew.
I mean, how clichéd could you get?
This was why I hated rich people.
It also sucked that I was one of those rich people.
Well, I wasn’t, but my dad was.
So by extension so was I.
Falling for Hudson (Marlowe series Book 2) Page 22
