Tory stepped forward and leaned into Kellan’s side. Pulling back his headphones, she heatedly told him something. I couldn’t tell what she was saying, but I had a feeling it was a warning to shut the hell up. Kellan shook his head and snapped, “No! I won’t be quiet. I’m done with this.” I thought he might shove her away, but instead, he just turned back to the DJs and ignored her. Tory was livid. Pulling out her phone, she darted from the room. I figured Nick would be calling us in about thirty seconds.
As Kellan grit his jaw, I was handed a microphone. The room filled with tension and anticipation as I tried to ignore the many cameras around us. Palms sweaty, I grabbed Kellan’s hand. When he glanced at me and our eyes met, I instantly flashed back to the first time I’d really looked into his eyes. His intense gaze framed in that perfect face had been so intimidating back then, but now it was a source of peace. I drank him in as the world waited for us to speak.
Still looking at me, Kellan lifted the microphone to his mouth. “I’d like to formally introduce you to this beautiful girl at my side, Miss Kiera Michelle Allen.” He turned back to the DJs. “My wife.”
I didn’t think it was possible to simultaneously floor so many people, but everyone looked stunned. Timidly bringing the microphone to my lips, I murmured, “Hi.” Everyone’s eyes flashed to our hands. I’d been wearing my wedding ring the entire time, but in an attempt to avoid speculation, I had asked Kellan not to wear his. He was proudly wearing it now, and the matching bands sparkled in the studio lights.
The female DJ recovered first. “Oh, well . . . congratulations. Is this . . . recent?”
Smiling ear to ear, like a huge weight had been lifted from him, Kellan told them, “No. We actually got married last June, before any of this craziness started.”
Knowing he was leaving something out, I clarified. “Well, we aren’t technically married yet. We had a small ceremony . . . sort of, but we haven’t legally gone through the proceedings.” My throat felt so tight I was sure I sounded like a frog.
Kellan shrugged. “I married you in that bar. That’s all that matters to me.”
The scruffy-looking DJ was all over that news. “You got married in a bar? Nice. That’s my dream wedding location. Not that I’m ever getting married.”
A nerve-releasing titter escaped me, and I felt my throat relaxing. Feeling more confident, I kissed the back of Kellan’s hand. “We married in June, but we’ve been together . . . well, it will be two years now in March.”
Brows knitted, the woman asked Kellan, “If you’ve been engaged this whole time, why has nobody heard about Kiera before now?” She gave me playful smile. “Where have you been hiding?”
Laughing a little, I told her, “I was hiding right by his side. We’ve been almost inseparable this entire time. I was even in the room during interviews when Kellan mentioned he was ‘in a relationship.’”
The DJ looked back at him. “Why didn’t you just point her out? Say, that’s my girl, right there?”
I meekly raised my hand. “That would be because of me. I’m not . . . comfortable being the center of attention. Kellan was trying to keep me out of the spotlight.” I indicated the room with my finger. “All of this makes me want to either vomit, pee my pants, or some horrible combination of the two.” While the room laughed, I resisted the urge to slap my hand over my eyes. Did I really just say that out loud to thousands and thousands of people? Oh well.
Giving me a wide smile, the brunette grabbed her microphone and leaned in like she was telling me a secret. “It’s okay. This makes me want to pee too.”
Kellan laughed, then added, “Once all the hype over Sienna and me started, I couldn’t keep quiet about it. I told whoever would listen that I was in a relationship, but everyone twisted it around to mean that I was talking about Sienna. I couldn’t give them specifics about Kiera, because she didn’t want that, and I wasn’t about to throw my wife to the wolves against her wishes.” He kissed the back of my hand, and I swear someone in the room sighed.
Eyes apologetic, Kellan locked gazes with me. “I was as vague as I could be about you. Maybe I was too vague. I should have at least said I was engaged.”
I shook my head. “You did what you knew I was comfortable with, you don’t have to feel bad about that.” Laughing, I added, “And you know Sienna just would have started wearing an engagement ring anyway.”
Kellan smirked as he shook her head. “Yeah, I can see her doing that.”
The DJs picked up on what we were insinuating instantly. Leaning in, the female asked, “Are you saying that Sienna Sexton orchestrated the Kell-Sex phenomenon?”
Kellan slowly looked back at the DJ. This was hard for him. Regardless of how Sienna had manipulated us, she’d given the D-Bags their start. She’d put them on the map; they sort of owed her for that. And she wasn’t all bad. I’d seen glimpses of her generosity, like her arranging a car to get my sister to the hospital, and her showering Anna with things for Gibson. There was a soul inside of Sienna . . . buried deep under her incessant need to be on top. I wondered how much of that drive had to do with her pressure-filled childhood.