Absolutely Famous (29 page)

“Drew would most definitely disagree,” she says sarcastically.

“Yeah, I know.” We share a laugh at my poor boyfriend’s expense.

“He’s changed how he interacts with fans since the incident,” Allie says. “Now, he’s like an angry swarm of bees, ready to attack anyone wh
o gets within ten feet of you. Not that I blame him.”

“I know. I’m working on taming the infamous Forrester temper.”

“Well good luck with that girl, you’re going to need it!”

We clink glasses again and enjoy the rest of the day.

Chapter 31

Slipping into my gown, I’m amazed at the girl in the mirror. The icy blue silk and chiffon beaded gown clings to me like a second skin. The people Drew hired to do my hair and makeup just left the suite and I barely recognize myself. Just like at the
scandalous launch party for Verve in New York, I look exactly like my mother except I have auburn hair where hers is a dark chocolate brown. How I managed to fool people for all of those years baffles me.

I see Drew come up behind me in the mirror and am rewarded with watching his jaw drop. Turning around, I take him in, letting my gaze travel up and down his body. He’s so freaking gorgeous I can barely stand it. Forgoing a regular tuxedo, Drew is wearing a close-fitted
black suit with a crisp white dress shirt and black tie. The waist tucks in and shows his athletic figure to perfection.

“You look stunning,” he says, slowly walking around me in a circle.

“I was about to say the same thing,” I say in a low voice as I watch him check me out. “Like what you see, Mr. Forrester?”

“Oh, you know I do Miss Tan
nen.” He groans in frustration. “Too bad there’s a couple hundred people waiting on us or I’d rip that dress right off of your luscious body.”

“There’s always later.
” I drag a hand across his chest and head out of the bedroom. I hear him curse under his breath and exhale as he follows me to the door.

Jane flew in yesterday to help out with coordinating everything today so it will go smoothly. Drew visibly relaxed when she arrived at the hotel last night and stopped by our suite to go over the schedule for the event. She meets us downstairs in the lobby
as our unusual looking group exits the Four Seasons, drawing tons of stares and quite a few cell phone pictures.

Apparently
, Drew and I require three massive, tuxedoed bodyguards, a driver, and a personal assistant in a fancy gown just to go to a charity ball at a restaurant on the south bank of the Charles River. I want to roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of it all, but it’s pointless to get upset. I’ve resigned myself to doing things Drew’s way, and his way is to go over the top. Every. Single. Time.

Bruce
had the foresight to trade the new SUV for a limo, because there was no way I was getting up into the Suburban in this close-fitting gown. Plus, we would never have all fit.

The ride to The Basin, the restaurant that the charity reserves every year for the Fourth of July fundraiser, is about fifteen minutes. After only five minutes in the car, Drew begins to freak out.

“Steve, did you check the place earlier like I asked you to?” He calls out to Steve, who’s sitting all the way up in the front seat with Bruce.

“Yes, I went. Everything checked out. There’s no way anyone can get in without us knowing
.”

“Good.
” Drew rubs his hands nervously on his thighs.

I put my hand over one of his
. “Drew, nothing is going to happen tonight.” He says nothing, just squeezes my hand in his. He’s already asked Steve about the restaurant two other times.

“Sal, Evan, you both know what to do, right?”
Drew continues to drill them the entire ride to the restaurant. My poor, sweet man. Torn up by guilt even though the attack at his premiere had nothing to do with him. It was a sick, obsessed stalker who had been following me for years before I went into hiding in New York. The fact that I had been pregnant destroyed Drew.

I remain quiet and let him attempt to control the situation. New Sydney wants her boyfriend to
be protective and caring, not stifling and annoying. Anything that makes him feel better works just fine by me. I have to admit, that as we pull up to the restaurant and I see the photographers lining the entrance, my newfound courage leaves me and I feel like running far away.

Drew turns to face me and presses h
is forehead gently against mine. “Are you ready for this?”

I smile, know
ing I can do anything with him. “Yes, let’s do it.”

He slides across the seat to the door when a valet opens it and steps out to a barrage of flashbulbs. Reaching back for my hand, he helps me get out of the limo. As he pulls me
up to my feet he leans in close. “I love you Syd. Always.”

I grin and face the paparazzi, holding on to my lifeline the entire time.

We get through the small line of reporters quickly. Drew stops to chat about his charity and how much this night means to him. A few less legitimate journalists yell out rude questions regarding Kiera and the eavesdropping crimes against the studio. We ignore them and head into the party.

Once inside,
Drew gets mobbed by different patrons who wish to meet him. He attempts to introduce me to everyone and refuses to let go of my hand until I have to threaten him with bodily harm. Miffed, he gives me a dark look and leans in, “Evan and Steve are not to leave your side. Not once Sydney, I mean it.”

“I know, it’s fine. I told you I’d be good. I want to go find Leah and your family
.” Drew turns to Steve and tells him something I can’t quite hear, but I can guess it’s along the lines of ‘don’t let her out of your sight or else’.

I cross the room with two ridiculously large
, tattooed SEALS, one on each side of me, to see my best friend and her boyfriend. Of course, Ryker is getting mobbed by fans too, so Leah and I are left to our own devices. We grab a couple of drinks and head outside on the patio, Evan and Steve just a few feet back.

“It’s beautiful out tonight,” Leah says, looking out over the river.

“I know, it really is perfect for outdoor events. Drew said that they shoot the fireworks off from a barge on the river.” I look out from our fourth floor vantage point and watch families and couples walking along the banks of the river trying to find a spot to watch the show.

“Ladies!” Allie comes
through the glass doors and joins us on the patio. We all hug and exchange greetings, complementing each other’s dresses.

“Where’s Dex?” I ask Allie.

She turns an interesting shade of crimson and answers me. “He got stuck with Ryker. There’s a pretty big group of
Quantum Stranger
fans here tonight. I guess it’s just us girls for now.”

“Is our surprise ready?” I ask
Allie.

Leah whips her head around, “What surprise?”

Allie lifts an eyebrow and smirks. “You’ll see.”

“So, I have huge news,
” Leah says while trying to suppress her frustration at being left out of the loop.

“You’re not knocked up are you?” Allie blurts out.

“No! I’m not, so don’t even go there! I’m selling the Coffee Bar to my cousin and my friend from culinary school.”

“What!” I say
way too loud. “But you love the café, how could you sell it?” I’m stunned. Leah put everything she had into that shop. Every drop of sweat, every spare minute, it all went into turning it into a huge success.

“Yep. I’m tired of not having a day off for months at a time, getting up at 4am every day to bake. I just need a break
. I’ve been contacted about selling the croissants in bakeries around the country. I can do that from my laptop.”

“Wow. They’re going to keep it open though, right? I can’t lose my morning fix! You know I need it!” I start to panic at the thought of not having my daily cup of coffee at Leah’s place. “In London, everything is tea. It was torture just to get them to brew a decent pot and bring it to my room.”

“Calm down Sydney! Of course they’re keeping it open. My cousin even hired a couple more people to staff the register so she never has to be there. She’s more like management, not on site like I was. Xavier, the pastry chef I went to school with, will be more hands on.”

“I may be leaving my job too,” Allie says sadly.

“Oh no Allie.” I hug her in sympathy.

“Yeah, well, it’s no big deal. I’ll probably volunteer with my mom at the different hospitals. Or maybe I’ll apply at another hospital, Boston has tons of them.” Allie tries to sound indifferent about it, but I know she loves her job. She’s just one more casualty in the long line of people destroyed by fame.

Before we can say anything profound to lift Allie’s spirits I hear a snarky voice float up behind us. “Sydney, so good to see you again.” Cringing, I turn to see Kiera Radcliff, done up to the nines in a blush colored evening gown. Unfortunately, she looks gorgeous as usual.

“I can’t say the same Kiera. Thanks for
supporting Inpatient to Learn. I’m sure you can see yourself out, have a nice night.” I turn my back to her and attempt to restart my conversation with my friends.

“Oh no you don’t bitch,” Kiera snarls. She lunges forward and grabs my wrist in an attempt to spin me around to face her.

“Ma’am, I’ll have to ask you to remove your hand immediately.” Steve has appeared just a few inches from Kiera’s outstretched arm.

“Whatever.
” Kiera attempts a casual tone, but I can tell that she’s pissed. Dropping her hand she continues her tirade against me. “You think you’re so much better than me? You’re not going to win this one. Adam dumped me so he could ask you out, then you turn up with my future co-star and boyfriend? You’re not taking both of them you whore. You’re trying to ruin me by dragging my name into your twisted attempt at gaining sympathy with the press, like anyone would tape record your boring ass!”

This chick is certifiably crazy. She flies across the country just to threaten me for stealing her boyfriend that I never dated and for stealing my boyfriend that she never d
ated? Talk about fucked up. There’s no way she didn’t know about the recordings and manipulation of the media.

What a bitch.

I’m about to go off on her when Leah steps in for me, unable to listen to Kiera’s lies any longer. “Listen up skank. I know Adam fairly well, and he told me that he dumped your ass after he caught you banging your last costar in your trailer. So save the bullshit story that he dumped you for Sydney. And as for Drew,” Leah gets right up in her face and speaks low and clear. “He fucking hates the sight of you. So why don’t you piss the fuck off!”

Kiera’s face falls and her previous confidence is gone. She thought she was getting Old Sydney, the easily intimidated one who fled at the first sign of controversy. Instead, New Sydney didn’t even have to move a muscle because my best friend took care of her for me.

Allie turns to Kiera and in the politest voice you could possibly imagine, concludes telling her off. “My brother may not be able to punch you in the face because you’re a girl and he’s too much of a gentleman for that, but I assure you that my temper is pretty much on par with his, and I have absolutely no problems with knocking you on your flat ass right now. So, why don’t you get the hell out of here and stop interfering in other people’s lives.”

The three of us take our drinks and leave a stunned Kiera Radcliff standing on the terrace and head inside to find our men. I can hear Evan when he leans in to Kiera and says, “I think it would be in your best interest to leave now. I’ll escort you out.”

“Listen,” Allie says as the M.C. starts to speak.

We go back inside and watch the stage along with the other attendees.

“Drew is going to freak!” Allie says, giddy with excitement.

“I hope so,” I murmur.

“He will.”

We focus on the M.C. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special guest here tonight to entertain you. Please put your hands together for Grammy-award winning artist, Luke Harrison!”

The audience goes nuts, clapping and cheering as Luke comes onstage. He has on a headset, so he can sing and dance at the same time. The musicians start playing and Luke begins to sing Hat Trick, the song Drew put on my iPod.

“Luke Harrison?” Leah asks, gaping at the stage. “You got Luke Harrison to play this event?”

I smile. “He gave me his card and said if I ever needed anything to call. So I called.”

“Holy crap
!”

I spot Drew in the crowd and see him smiling, excited to watch Luke perform. He turns and catches me looking at him and winks. He
so knows that I did this.

See Forrester? You’re not the only one who can set up a surprise.

Chapter 32

“That was so much fun,” I tell Drew when we get back to the hotel.

He gave a wonderful speech, dedicating the night to his friend Matt who died of a brain tumor fifteen years ago. Matt’s brother and parents each said a few words as did a couple of previous students. Kids in remission who were able to go back to school in the same grade as their peers because of the teachers provided by the charity while they were undergoing chemotherapy or other treatments.

I also got to meet the infamous Trevor Caldwell and his wife Trisha. I can see why Drew worships him, he’s a great person. Funny and charming
, he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room when he’s talking to you. He laughed when I told him about Drew’s obsession with his hat.

“I’m so proud of you, doing all of that for those kids,” I say.

‘I’m just the face babe; there are a lot of people who work hard to make it all happen.” So modest, my gorgeous guy.

“Like your dad said, without you there is no charity so I get to say I’m proud of you and you just have to take it.”

“I guess I do.” He reaches behind me and unzips my dress with a wicked look in his eyes. “That was pretty cool what you did getting Luke Harrison to perform. He said you met in London. How come you never told me?”

Heat fills my cheeks.
“We weren’t exactly speaking at the time.”

“He didn’t hit on you did he?” Drew
scowls at the thought.

“Of course not! In fact, he was one of the nicest, most polite people I’ve ever met.” Drew looks like he doesn’t believe me. “That
, and he was terrified that you’d jump out of a corner and beat him to death.”

“Good
. Let’s hope he doesn’t forget that.”

I sigh.
“You can be such a caveman sometimes.”

“Only for you Sydney. Only for you.”
He lets go of my dress and it falls to the floor.

The next morning I wake up to the smell of fresh coffee. Like a zombie, I get up and follow the scent, hoping it leads me to my reward. I find a carafe on the coffee table in the living area with an empty cup next to it. Filling it up, I
scan the room and spot Drew out on the balcony, leaning on the brick railing and sipping a cup of his own.

“Hey you
.” I join him in leaning on the railing. “Beautiful day.”

“Now that you’re up it is
.” Drew watches me with those gorgeous green eyes.

“I don’t normally like compliments, Forrester, but coming from you…” I lean
in to kiss him. He presses his lips to mine, careful not to spill his hot coffee.

“I’ll have to remember that.
” He smiles and takes another sip.

“So, what time are we heading home?” I’m
not sure if I’m ready to leave Boston yet. We’ve had such a great time and I love this city. It has more trees and fewer skyscrapers than New York. It’s a metropolis and a suburb in one. The residents aren’t really looking out for celebrities so we can get by unnoticed more often than in New York, and I’ll miss Allie and Drew’s parents.

“Soon, we don’t want to get home too late.” He turns to look at
me and I see that he’s smirking. “Plus I have a surprise planned.”

“
Really! Is it as good as the fabulous dresses?” I ask, smiling while I say it.

“I think you’ll like this surprise a little bit better
, well, I hope.”

Is Drew Forrester nervous?

I’m not sure if I’m a surprise kind of girl. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

A few hours later we’
re all packed and loaded up in the Suburban, ready for the four hour drive to the city.

“What’s this?” I ask as we pull in front of Fenway Park. The street is deserted. “Is there even a game today?”

“No babe, no game. I just have to get some figures for the charity and I thought you’d like to see the stadium without anyone watching us. The game is tonight, in about nine hours or so. No one should be here except for minimal office staff.”

Drew jumps out of the car, as does our perpetual shadow, Steve. We walk up to a non-descript green metal door
and it opens as we approach. Obviously someone is expecting us. “Hi Ryan,” Drew says as he greets the same young man from the other night.

“Hi Mr. Forrester, Miss Tannen, come on in.” Ryan steps aside to let us through the door and into the corridor underneath the stadium.

Ryan tells Drew which direction to go and smiles. He doesn’t follow us through the dusty cement and steel girder-lined passageways that wrap around under the grandstand seats and hold the concession stands and restrooms. Drew takes my hand and turns onto one of the ramps that leads up to the field.

It’s eerie being here when the park is empty. Our footsteps echo along the vacant passage as we walk out into the bright July morning. The park is just as vacant as the hallways below. There’s not even a groundskeeper anywhere on the perfectly maintained outfield.

“I thought you just needed to get something?” I ask as Drew pulls me down the same aisle that we used the other night and opens the hidden door in the green barrier next to home plate.

He turns and gives me a mischievous look, holding the door and allowing me to step out onto the dirt track around the field. As I pass by him I see something flash across his face, it’s brief, maybe a half a second, but I swear I see nervousness behind the playful façade.

“I will, I just wanted to take advantage of the field since there’s no one here to tell us no. Come on, how often will you get to stand on home plate at the greatest stadium on Earth?” Drew takes my hands and walks backwards, leading me toward the gleaming white base. “Isn’t this spectacular?” He holds his hands out and looks around. “God, when I was a kid I never thought in a million years that I’d be standing here with you today.”

“Please, like you never dreamt of playing baseball for the Sox when you were a kid
.”

He looks at me and smiles.
“Of course I did. I was going to be the starting catcher. Mike was going to pitch, and Matt was going to play first base.”

“But you just said you never thought you’d be here,” I
spin around slowly and take in the incredible sight.

“I said I never thought I’d be standing here with
you
, not playing here, and definitely not here like this.”

I turn back to see what he’s talking about and time freezes. The breath is sucked from my lungs and
my legs almost buckle beneath me. It takes a minute for the spots to fade from my vision and my heart rate to slow down enough to focus on Drew.

Drew is wearing his repulsive hat, having produced it from somewhere and is down on one knee. “Sydney
, I think I’ve loved you since you said I looked repellant.” I smile at him as tears roll down my face. “We’ve been through hell and back, I’ve lived without you, and I don’t want to feel that way again.”

I kneel down
on home plate with Drew, so I can see his expressive eyes. He takes my hands in his and kisses them. “I know that being with me makes your life more difficult sometimes, but being with you makes my life real. I can’t imagine facing reality without you. Sydney, will you marry me?”

Then he
looks at me with that face that I adore. The honest and sincere Drew who always says exactly what he means. In that moment I know that I’m meant to be with him. He’s mine and I’m his, forever. “Yes. Yes of course I’ll marry you.”

He smiles, turns his hideous hat around backwards, and grabs my face, crushing his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around his waist and respond to his touch, opening up and
letting him in. Our mouths move together passionately, sharing the moment as one. Drew pulls back and uses his thumbs to wipe away my tears of joy. “I’m so happy babe. My girl in my hometown at my favorite place, I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

His wife, holy shit!

Drew reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small navy box with a silver HW on it.
Harry Winston oh my God
, I think I’m going to pass out. He hands it to me, but I’m shaking too much to open it. Smiling, he takes it back and lifts the lid. Removing the ring he takes my left hand and slides it onto my third finger.

Jeez it’s enormous!

It’s a huge princess cut diamond, at least four carats possibly more, on a platinum band. Simple, elegant and perfect, just like Drew. “It’s unbelievable,” I whisper, unable to say anything else.

Drew stands up and helps me to my feet, giving me one final kiss before leading me off of the field.

“When did you plan all of this?” I ask as we head back into the tunnel.

“This? Probably when I was five years old
.” I give him a stern look before I burst out laughing. “Honestly? After you agreed to come with me to Boston. But I was serious when I told you I loved you from the first moment we met. If I hadn’t thought it would scare you off I would have asked you to marry me that first night when we ate sushi at your place.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

Wow.

Ryan is waiting by the metal door that we used to enter the stadium. “Bye. I hope you got what you came for,” he says as we step out onto the sidewalk.

“O
h, I did.” Drew turns and winks at me before helping me into the Suburban.

Sitting next to him on the very back seat, I’m overwhelmed with emotions from his proposal. It was just so very Drew to do it on home plate at Fenway Park.

“Hey,” I say to him quietly so the other guys won’t overhear. “Why the hat?” I reach up and tug lightly on the brim.

He gives me his full blown, dimple-showing, panty melting grin. “For good luck
.”

Shivering, I turn to him.
“You never needed luck with me.”

“It never hurts to bring a little luck Syd.”

We pull onto the Mass Turnpike and I let my mind wander to all of the things that would need to be done for a wedding.

Shit.
A wedding. To
‘Sexiest Man Alive’
Andrew Forrester. It’s going to be a giant clusterfuck of paparazzi and helicopters and front page tabloid articles.

New Sydney isn’t supposed to freak out, but she is. I can feel the panic rising in my chest. My instinct to run far far away is warring with my love for Drew. My skin turns clammy and I face the window so he won’t notice the expression on my face. He always knows when I’m upset because I suck at hiding my feelings.

“Syd, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I choke out. I can’t manage anything else.
New Sydney is fleeing, leaving Old, insecure Sydney in her place.

“I know there’s something wrong, what is it?”

Crap, now he sounds upset.

I turn
back to him and take a deep breath. “I’m thinking about the … the attention that all of this will bring.”

“Oh.”

Oh? What the hell does ‘oh’ mean?

“Maybe we can, you know, keep this to ourse
lves until we figure it out?” I’m afraid that Drew’s feelings will be hurt because I don’t want to tell people.

“Okay babe, if that’s what you need. I think it’s a good idea. I don’t want all that shit to rain down on us anyway.”

“Y-you’re okay with it?”

“Sydney, it’s just like I said about the other tabloid crap. As long as we know what’s real between us, I don’t care about anyone else
. We could get married tomorrow and not tell a single person and I’d still be ecstatic. I just want you.” He takes my hand and squeezes it gently. He frowns and hesitates before speaking. “I did tell one person though. Well, besides Jane, she picked up the ring for me and brought it here.”

“Really? Who?”

“I sort of called your dad and asked if I could marry you,” he says sheepishly.

“What?” I yell, causing the three big men in the SUV to tur
n and look at me. “Sorry,” I say, embarrassed by my outburst. “You called my dad?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m kind of a traditional guy and he gave me his number when you were, you know, in the hospital. It felt like something I should do
.” He looks afraid of my reaction.

I sigh.

“Are you mad?”

“No. I think it’s kind of sweet. I just … I’ve been putting off calling him because I’m scared. I guess this is the push I need to reach out.” I
snuggle up to Drew.

“I’ll be there for you however you need me. If you want me to fly out with you or hold your hand when you call him. Whatever you need, Syd
.”

Holy crap.

A blowup with Kiera Radcliff, a lunatic in jail for trying to kill me, a studio trying to break up my relationship, a wiretapping scandal with a tabloid, a secret proposal, a wedding to plan, a father to reunite with and a new life in the public eye to get adjusted to….

A motherfucking F5 tornado of shit? Nah, just another day in the crazy life of Sydney Tannen.