Page 55 of She's the Star

A full smile appears. “I want that too. The last couple of weeks…plus tonight…have been remarkable.” He hesitates. “We should probably be careful though. We don’t want?—”

“People talking about us?” I finish.

He nods and I can’t help but agree. I have no desire to invite a media storm in the middle of my tour. Nor do I want to subject him to the kind of scrutiny I receive. “We’ll keep everything else the same between us except for when we’re alone. Will that work for you?”

“It will.” He pulls me against him and holds me tight.

I sigh and snuggle into him, glad that we’re on the same page.

The next morning, I wake to an empty bed. The pillow that Nolan used is cold, but the slight indent from his head reminds me that he spent the night.

Giddiness surges.

He likes me.

I can’t help wishing he were still here, but if he’s following his normal routine, he got up as soon as he heard Maddy. I swing my legs over the side and check the monitor to confirm she isn’t in her bed. Then I slip into the ensuite bathroom and brush my teeth. When I leave the bedroom., I find Nolan and Maddy sitting on the floor in front of the windows. I should probably restrain myself, but after last night, I’m so damn happy that I can’t stop myself from asking, “Want to go on a date?”

“What? When?” Nolan’s eyes widen. “And what about keeping this to ourselves?”

I’m probably jumping in too quickly, but I want to prove to him and to myself that this thing between us is serious. “Tonight.” I sink onto the rug next to them. Maddy glances at me briefly and goes back to chewing on a wide ring, completely unimpressed by my presence. “Did you know there wasn’t a single photo of me taken by the paparazzi for over four months after Maddy was born? Not one.”

“You stayed home for four months straight?”

Maddy hands me the ring she was chewing on and then takes it back. “Nope. I know how to move about undetected when I need to.”

“Like a spy?” He sounds skeptical.

I chuckle. “Not exactly. More like a woman with an unlimited budget and a staff that can work miracles.”

“And you think we can leave here without anyone seeing us and then go somewhere without anyone recognizing you?”

“Yep. You only have to say yes, and I’ll make it happen.”

He frowns slightly, but still says, “Yes.”

I squeal. “I’m going to wow you. Just wait and see.”

“What about Maddy?” he asks.

“Don’t worry about Maddy. I’ll handle everything.” I might be overselling my ability to plan a wow-worthy date. It isn’t as if I’ve ever even tried before, and the options certainly aren’t endless, but I’m reasonably sure that we can enjoy a private dinner out of the hotel.

Almost like a regular couple.

I stretch out on the floor and dial Mina.

“Hello, favorite assistant,” I say when she answers.

“I’m oddly terrified by that greeting. What do you need?”

“Nolan and I want to go on a date.”

“Shut the front door,” she shouts so loudly I have to pull the phone away from my ear. “Did he finally make a move? Or was it you? Wait a second.”

She hangs up and about thirty seconds later the outer door of the suite flies open. Her silky shorts and blue crop top are clearly sleepwear but that doesn’t stop her from charging across the room and giving me a high five. She turns and gives Nolan one, too.

“It’s about time.” Her eyes dance. “It was the cookie, wasn’t it?”

“Absolutely not,” I tell her even though I might have used the cookie as an excuse to lure Nolan out of his room.

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