Page 110 of Love is a Harmony
And that her dad was right. She hadn’t thought herself capable of loving anyone other than her dad, not anymore. But she knew without a doubt she loved Stella.
* * *
As Melanie stepped up to the microphone, she couldn’t get Stella’s words out of her head.
I love you anyway.
No matter what Melanie did, how much she’d hurt Noah, Stella still wanted her. At what point did adults stop seeing the world in such a way?
A kid could forgive easily, they could forget. It didn’t affect how they saw someone. But adults… there was no forgetting.
Devlin cleared his throat nearby, and Melanie met his gaze. He was a young publicist, younger than Noah himself. It wasn’t his fault he’d been given a client he couldn’t handle, one with secrets and scandals. A good publicist learned to walk the balance between getting their client publicity and getting them therightpublicity.
He would learn that in time.
He’d become a secret keeper of the famous, and it would make him cynical. There was something sad about the way they were forced to see the world. On a daily basis, almost everyone Melanie talked to wanted something from her, from one of her clients.
And here the media stood in the courtyard of the label’s offices, called together to get the statement they wanted, a statement Melanie’s father decided couldn’t just be in writing. He trusted Melanie to steer the conversation, to shape her answers in a way that benefited the label.
But what about benefiting Noah?
The label wanted to sweep this entire mess under the rug—even though it was their doing.
And all Noah had wanted was her. He hadn’t cared that the entire world found out about his marriage. Melanie’s first thought had been for his reputation and hers… but now, as she stood ready to save both, it didn’t feel right.
I love you anyway.
It’s too late.
We need you.
Stella and Noah’s voices swirled in her head. Sweat dotted across her brow as her dad raised a hand and said something that had the paparazzi laughing. Cameras flashed, capturing the moment when Melanie realized how wrong all of this really was.
She cleared her throat, and all eyes snapped to her, eager for every word they wanted her to say. She could imagine what they hoped to hear.
Noah Clarke caught in another scandal.
Noah Clarke leaves his wife to return to his bad boy ways.
Noah Clarke is the man they’ve always made him out to be.
Words clogged in her throat. Melanie had never gotten stage fright. She always knew what to say, how to smile for the cameras and make her voice ring loud and clear.
And yet, this time was different.
“Over the last week, our office has received more media requests for Noah Clarke than ever before. He’s popular, it seems.”
They laughed like it was all a big joke. To them, she supposed it was.
“You’ve read the reports of Noah’s marriage, that our favorite British rocker is settling down.”
“Please tell us it’s not true,” a man in the back yelled.
Melanie shielded her eyes to see who it was. Jack Carver, lead writer for the top music blog in the city. She knew him well. “I know your readers prefer their rock stars unattached, Jack, but not everything is about them.”
“Can I quote you on that?”
It was a formality because anything she said in these press conferences was quotable. Her father shot her a stern look.
