Page 54 of Married to the Beasts
When you love the one who’s right
thenthose stars will shine all night
Bron and I are right there with him, suggesting new lines and adding guitar and drum riffs. I swear we’ve never played so well.
A line Conal adds about no regrets triggers a thought about Celeste. I wonder how she got through the gate to reach the house. And why.
I was down when she left me, but I can only be grateful now. If I was still with Celeste, I wouldn’t have been open to getting to know Hazel, and she’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever been with.
We lay down tracks until noon, when we break for lunch.
“We might have enough for a double album,” Bron says as we head out the door.
Conal nods once. “We’ll see. If the songs are good enough.”
As soon as I see Hazel, I decide all at once that I’m done acting like she only belongs to my brother. I pull her close and greet her with a kiss, taking my time to let her know how much I’ve missed her since this morning.
She stiffens for only a split second before she kisses me back, and she’s grinning when I pull away. Weget a couple of curious looks from the crew, but Hazel doesn’t seem to mind.
She’s made a giant stir-fry with chicken and vegetables, and it smells delicious. We all help ourselves, and before long, it’s all gone. I eat more than I usually would, but I figure I’m still making up for calories spent in the bedroom, and fueling myself for another workout tonight.
Hazel’s smiling as she carries the empty serving bowl to the sink, and I get a warm feeling at how she seems to enjoy taking care of us.
With mixed feelings—excited about the work, but already missing Hazel again—we return to the studio and put in a few more hours before knocking off for the day.
Even though I’m certain my brothers are as eager as I am to get Hazel back in the bedroom, we decide to take her out to dinner and a show. I don’t want her to think our relationship is just about sex, because it’s not, even though the sex is incredible.
The driver takes us straight down the Strip, and Hazel takes in the scenery as we go. I wonder if she’s wishing she brought her camera.
“There's a restaurant in the tower, isn’t there?” She’s pointing to the Paris Las Vegas resort. “Maybe wecan eat there sometime. It’d be almost like being in Paris, eating real French cuisine.”
“I’ve heard it’s good,” Bron says.
We see a classic Vegas variety show, which she seems to enjoy, but it’s not so compelling that we don’t do a lot of hand holding, touching, and kissing throughout. It’s the weekend, so there’s extra hassle getting to the show with a mob of fans trying to reach us, and we forgo gambling after the show for the same reason.
Years ago, our fan base grew little by little, so we had time to ease into the chaos of it all. I can’t imagine what it must be like for Hazel to have gone from anonymity to a tabloid target overnight, but she handles it with grace.
Celeste always seemed to be charmed by the attention, and eager for it, but Hazel does a good job of tuning out the world around us.
HAZEL
When we get back to the house, there’s a car parked right in front of the entrance, and the energy in the limo turns ice cold.
“Who is it?” I ask.
Conal looks too pissed off to speak, but Rafe tells me, “It’s Alan.”
Concerned and confused, I search the men’s faces, but receive no clues. “What’s wrong?”
Conal opens the door and gets out, muttering something I can’t hear as he strides toward the house.
“If he’s so unhappy with Alan, why doesn’t he hire someone else instead?” I ask Rafe and Bron.
“There’s a contract. It’s not that simple.”
The three of us follow Conal in. Alan’s already inside, looking irritated and impatient in the sitting room that’s off of the foyer.
“Why don’t you wait for us upstairs?” Bron suggests.
