Page 36 of She's the Star

“Really?” she asks.

“Doesn’t it seem like it to you?” Maddy has been nothing but happy since we arrived.

“I guess.” She lets out a relieved breath. “I hope so.” She laughs a little and leans closer so she can rub Maddy’s back. Her forearm brushes against my sleeve, and I get a whiff of hair product. It isn’t a sexy smell, but somehow that doesn’t matter. Since we kissed, my body is responding to her proximity like it’s starving.

“I wanted to—” I’m cut off when Brian charges into the room.

“Heads up,” he says, snapping me out of a lusty haze. “We’ve got VIPs on the move. They’ll be here any second.”

Amber rises to her feet, a frown on her face. “We aren’t supposed to have VIPs this weekend.”

He nods apologetically. “I know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t say no to this one.”

Before he can explain further, my father and oldest brother waltz into the room.

I freeze while every conversation I’ve had and haven’t had with my father over the past few weeks flashes through my brain. I shouldn’t have been vague when I told him I took a childcare position that required travel. I should’ve known he’d take the lack of details as a challenge. And I should have anticipated he’d show up unexpectedly once he discovered who I was working for.

He’s never been able to resist meddling.

Mina claps and bounces on her toes. Brian puts his hands together and bows like my father is royalty while Amber extends her hands and moves across the room.

“Russell Gage, what a pleasure,” she says when she reaches him.

He smoothly grasps her hands, and they swap air kisses. He smirks at me as he turns his head and I barely manage to withhold an eye roll. Why is he so ridiculous?

“The pleasure is mine,” he says in his actor voice, which is deeper and raspier than his normal voice. “Allow me to introduce my son, Wyatt.”

Amber smiles and shakes my brother’s hand.

“Thanks for letting us sneak backstage,” Wyatt says. He hasn’t looked in my direction so I don’t think he’s spotted me. “My dad is a huge fan.”

This time I do roll my eyes. There’s only one reason my father is here. And it isn’t because he’s a pop aficionado.

“I didn’t realize you were a fan,” she says. Fortunately, she doesn’t appear annoyed that he talked his way backstage. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s a fan of his or because she’s a professional.

My father doesn’t acknowledge me and I’m fairly certain he won’t unless I acknowledge him first. Unfortunately, it’ll be awkward as hell if I don’t confess my parentage while he’s here and then sometime in the future it’s unveiled. It’s not like it’s a secret that he’s my father. It’s simply that he has too many children for anyone to keep track of all of them.

Resigned to my fate, I rise to my feet, shift Maddy into the crook of my arm, and shuffle across the room as he says, “It’s impossible to hear an Amber Hope song and not become a fan.”

“You’re laying it on a little thick, Dad,” I say, halting a few feet away.

He grins at me like I just made his day while Amber, Mina, and Brian gawk at me like I’ve grown another head. They aren’t subtle in their surprise, and I can’t exactly blame them. I’m sure it’s a shock to discover that I’m related to an insanely successful and notorious actor.

“You should have let me know you were coming,” I add as I reach out and pat my brother on the shoulder. “Wyatt.” He smiles weakly. We aren’t particularly close—not because we don’t get along—but because he’s so much older than I am.

My father spreads his arms wide. “You haven’t had much to say about your new job, so how was I to know you’d be here? I’m just a man with a free evening who enjoys live music.”

He wraps his arms around me, and I return the hug because even though he makes me crazy, he cares. He smells like he always does, a mixture of expensive soap and even more expensive cologne, and I hate that the familiarity is comforting even when I’m annoyed.

“You should have told me,” he whispers so only I can hear.

I sigh because he’s right. I’ve never been able to keep secrets from him. Why do I even try?

He releases me and starts to pull away, but Maddy grabs ahold of his shirt, so he stops and smiles at her. “And who is this darling girl?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Amber stiffen.

We haven’t talked about how to restrict access to Maddy when we’re backstage. Obviously, most people won’t be allowed into the dressing room, but we still need to have a plan. “This is Maddy,” I say hesitantly.

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