Kellan looked back at me; his face was resigned. “I don’t think this has anything to do with my neighbors.”
While we continued to stare, a couple of those neighbors stormed into their yards and started shouting at the loiterers. I’d already known Kellan was right, but that confirmed it. Somehow, Kellan’s house had become a well-known tourist attraction. And even if we called the cops and had these people removed, it wouldn’t matter. They’d just come back. Idly, I hoped our stuff was okay. The thought of someone breaking in and smelling my underwear, or Kellan’s, instantly flooded my brain. God, I hoped that hadn’t happened.
Sighing, Kellan pulled back into traffic. I understood. We couldn’t go back there. It broke my heart some. I had a lot of memories in that home. Some good, some not so good. But a place was just a place. His heart was my home, and I wasn’t ever leaving it.
Kellan drove us to Matt and Griffin’s house. It was in the comparatively quiet burbs, and no one was around when we pulled up. I doubted the fans knew about this place, so we wouldn’t be disturbed here. And since Griffin had moved into my sister’s apartment, Matt had room for us. Although, not as much room as we’d thought; Rachel had moved in over the holidays. But the pair were quiet and reserved, so I knew living with them would be comfortable—for the time being, at least.
Matt filled us in on what had happened with Kellan’s house. Apparently, Joey had spilled the beans about where he lived in an interview with a skeezy online tabloid. Showing absolutely no ethics, the magazine had actually posted his address, and it had spread like wildfire around the Internet in just a few hours. After Sienna’s confession of manipulating the public, Joey had also finally confessed to the world that she was the real star of the inconclusive sex tape and that Sienna had paid her to keep quiet.
I was both shocked and not shocked by the interview. We’d suspected that Joey had been paid off. It made me wonder if Sienna had also squashed the release of any of the other sex tapes, since no one else had come forward. Or maybe the other girls just had more self-respect than Joey. It didn’t matter too much to me either way now. Let them be released. I knew my husband in a way that no woman watching erotic, self-made porn ever would.
While Kellan and I looked for a new place to live, I published my book as an ebook. Denny helped me prepare the manuscript and put together a classy, romantic cover that would instantly catch people’s eye. Releasing it was scary as hell. I had no idea how people would react. I had no idea what they would say. But I had to do it. This was my dream, my career, my passion. So, with great trepidation and excitement, I uploaded my baby into cyberspace to be judged, hopefully more positively than negatively.
After the ebook went live, a feeling of relief washed over me. I’d done it. I’d created a story, a piece of my soul, and I’d had the courage to share it. Even if it wasn’t universally accepted, I was proud of myself for following through with it. When I made my first sale, another feeling washed through me—excitement! I felt like I was officially an author after that moment.
While the ebook started gathering a fan base, I put my paperback together. It pained me to have to wait to hold the physical book in my hands, and I anxiously checked for my copies to arrive on my doorstep every day. When they finally did, Kellan intercepted the package. I’d been at lunch with Jenny, Kate, and Cheyenne, and when I got back to Matt’s house, a note was taped to the front door. It merely read, Come find me.
Grinning at Kellan’s handwriting, I opened the door. On the ground were rose petals. Each petal had one letter written on it. I was laughing as I followed the trail that spelled out, I can’t wait for you to find me, so hurry up already. The excessive trail of petals led in a loop through the kitchen and into the living room. Oddly enough, the trail ended at the bathroom. I was hesitant to open the closed door, but I was too curious not to.
“Kellan, what exactly are we doing in here?” I murmured as I pushed it open. He wasn’t in there, though. Instead, I found a huge note taped to the toilet. In large letters it screamed at me, We don’t have time for mind-blowing sex in here. Focus, and come find me!
Turning around, I started laughing. “Kellan, where are you?” A sign near the bathroom light switch pointed down the hall, so I figured he was in our bedroom.