Nick left with Sienna soon afterwards; both of them seemed a little pissy as they hastened off the lot. I felt great. Even when Taskmaster Tory returned and shuffled us off to the airport so the D-Bags could finish promoting their upcoming album, I was pleased. Kellan had put his foot down, he wasn’t staying quiet anymore. I asked him to not mention me specifically, because I did not want that level of attention, but he told everyone who asked that Sienna was no more than a colleague he worked with and he was “in a relationship.” Tory really didn’t like that he was answering a question that Nick had given him specific instructions not to answer, but Kellan didn’t care what she thought, or what Nick thought, and only smiled at her when she berated him after every single interview.
While the frantic pace of shuffling from one city to the next was chaotic and exhausting, no longer having the strain of filming a provocative music video hovering over our heads was refreshing. It was like a weight had been lifted, and Kellan and I both felt lighter. And since Sienna was starting her own cross-country tour, we probably wouldn’t even see her for a very long time. Eventually the rumors would die off, and I wouldn’t have to hear about how great a couple she and Kellan were. I was looking forward to that day.
At the end of the promo tour, the band had a bit of a break before their tour with Justin and Avoiding Redemption started, so we all flew home to Seattle. The last several weeks had been draining, and we all needed to rest and recharge. Being in my own bed had never felt so good; I slept for twelve hours straight the first night back, and Kellan slept even longer.
As Nick predicted, their single with Sienna skyrocketed to number one right before the D-Bags’ album dropped—the album debuted at number nineteen. Even though Kellan had talked a big game with Nick, he was a little shocked by the album’s success. I wasn’t. I knew he’d be big once the world knew about him.
We all decided to go out to celebrate the band’s success, and when we were in Seattle, there was only one place to go to celebrate—the place that had started it all: Pete’s Bar.
Kellan and I held hands as we stared up at the bar sign glowing in the windows. It was almost hard to believe that it was just a little over two years ago that I’d first lain eyes on Kellan here. He’d seemed like such a player, and I suppose he was back then, but there was a surprising amount of depth to this ex-player.
As I was reminiscing, Kellan bumped my shoulder. “Did I ever tell you that I noticed you the second you walked into Pete’s with Denny?”
I looked up at him, surprised. “Really? While you were playing? With all of those people in the bar?”
Walking backwards, Kellan pulled me toward the double doors to the large, rectangular building. “Yep. It was like an electric current zipped around the room when you stepped through the doors. Like I knew I’d never be the same from that moment forward.”
He gave me a crooked grin. I rolled my eyes. “That did not happen. You noticed Denny. I seriously doubt you noticed me.”
Kellan stopped walking, and I stepped into his chest. Being here, in the parking lot of Pete’s with him, felt just as much like home to me as our cozy little love nest up the road. He said, “I could barely pull my eyes away from you. Just glancing at you made my head feel lighter, made my stomach . . . tingle. Watching you was life-changing.”
I couldn’t help but be moved by his words. Then I remembered his very suggestive performance. I gave him a sly grin. “And yet, you still managed to mentally undress every female in your audience.”
Kellan laughed as he resumed walking. “Yeah, okay, I’ll give you that one.” He cocked a brow at me. “I did notice you, though. How could I not?”
As I mulled over his question, Griffin stormed in front of us. With as much dramatic flair as he could muster, he burst through the front doors. As I was usually on the inside of the room when Griffin made his grand appearance, it was a little strange for me to walk in after the egomaniac. Kellan let out an amused laugh as he grabbed the swinging door and held it open for me. I kissed him on the cheek as I walked through.
The bar erupted into a chaotic melee of cheers, shouts, and whistles. The volume made me cringe. Rachel too, as she walked in with Matt. Within seconds, the boys were surrounded by a cluster of new fans and old regulars. Kate and Jenny gave Rachel and me a warm greeting while the boys were swarmed. Standing away from the guys, by the bar with the girls, I marveled at how familiar and different Pete’s was. This used to be a quiet place of solace for Kellan, but his newfound fame had followed him here, disturbing that peace some. Amid the noise circulating around the front doors, I heard whispers of Sienna’s name while people gave me strange, confused glances. Guess she had followed us here too.
I caught up with Rachel, Kate, and Jenny until the hullaballoo around the boys started to dissipate. Then Jenny went over to wrap her arms around Evan. The gentle giant scooped the tiny woman up into a huge hug, holding her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist. I heard Evan call her his “Jujube,” and smiled at whatever their private joke was.