Page 38 of She's the Star

The obvious answer is everyone.

But what if that isn’t the case? What if Amber Hope is lonely? It seems impossible, and yet I can’t help but think she must be.

Someone I don’t know appears to escort my father, and after another hug, he and my brother follow her out of the backstage area.

Mina returns a couple of minutes after my father leaves. She puts her hands on her hips and raises her brow. “Your father is Russell Gage.”

“My father is Russell Gage,” I confirm.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” She purses her lips. “Wait. Let me guess.”

“It isn’t that hard to figure out,” I respond dryly.

“You’re worried you won’t be taken seriously?” She tips her head to the side. “Or you’re worried you’ll be taken too seriously?”

I can’t help laughing. “Both, I guess. I don’t tell people who my father is because of who he is. You don’t go around telling people you work for Amber Hope, do you?”

“I most certainly do.”

I shoot her a look.

“Fine. You’re right.” She pauses. “I mean, I guess I get it. But Russell Gage is a legend and…” She trails off like she doesn’t know how to finish the sentence. “I’m never going to think of you the same way again.”

I grind the heel of my hand into my forehead. That is the reason I don’t tell people.

“Oh,” she says with a wince. “Shit. That sucks. I didn’t mean…I…uhh…don’t worry, I won’t treat you any differently now that I know.”

“It’s fine.” I turn and rifle through Maddy’s bag for a vegetable pouch. I twist off the top and hand it to her.

Mina watches me but instead of asking me a question or making another comment about my father, she sighs. “We should head backstage so we can watch the opening number. There’s nothing like the reaction of the crowd in those first few seconds and you’ll want to see it.”

I grab Maddy’s headphones—we don’t want to damage her hearing before she’s even talking—and follow Mina out of the room.

We only make it a few steps when Mina stops and lays her hand on my arm.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “That was shitty of me. I know everyone probably reacts like I did when they find out, but I should know better.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her.

And it is. Because even though I wouldn’t have told them on my own, I’m glad they know. I’m not ashamed of my father, even if I wish he were less embarrassing.

Mina leads us to a spot that is so dark I can barely see enough to check that Maddy’s headphones are secure over her ears. Either the darkness or the headphones are irritating her because she starts fussing. I shift her in my grasp so she’s facing the stage, hoping that as soon as the show starts she will settle.

The band starts playing and it’s so loud that even with the headphones Maddy stiffens. Amber’s voice pierces the air at the same time the lights turn on and holy hell, she’s stunning. I thought she shimmered when she was backstage, but she’s positively sparkling now. She tosses her head and starts dancing and I want nothing more than to watch her all night.

Two male dancers approach, grab her by the thighs and propel her up over their heads. They hold her steady and she raises her arms up as she hovers in the air. I’ve never seen anything like it and neither has the crowd. They go absolutely wild.

Maddy goes wild too, but not in the same way. She’s crying in earnest now. I try to calm her down by swaying much slower than the music, but she just cries harder. I tap Mina on the shoulder, and gesture at the way we came before retracing our steps.

Maddy isn’t much happier once we’re backstage, but at least she doesn’t have to keep the headphones on. I use the bottle warmer to heat up some formula and after she’s fed, she’s less crabby for about five minutes. After that, she keeps rubbing her eyes but resists falling asleep no matter what I do. When I’ve tried everything I can think of, I pack her stuff up and catch a ride back to the house.

THIRTEEN

AMBER

Nothing compares to thousands of people screaming my name. It’s an adrenaline rush that never gets old and I’m practically shaking in anticipation when I reach my mark under the stage. The space remains dark as the band starts playing. I widen my stance as the platform rises and then open my mouth at the exact moment the spotlight hits the top of my head.

I launch into the opening song and the crowd goes wild. I soak it in as I belt out the first lines of Forever—which was my very first single—and let the music take over. I give everything I have when I’m on stage. It’s impossible not to be swept up in the music and at this point, performing is so natural that it feels like it’s a part of me.

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