“Just a headache—they come and go.” He nudged me. “Smile and wave.”
I followed his lead and all the nerves, the worry, it evaporated the instant Hayden was at my side. In an instant we were back as a force, handling the obstacles ahead of us. But these weren’t the same, awful ones as before. No, these were promising and bright and I soaked them in like the sun.
28
Heaven
The afterparty was held on the rooftop of a local hotel. Twinkly lights and lanterns were strung in the air while a DJ played loud music—most from the soundtrack of the show, which spotlighted rising artists. Hayden stuck by my side all night, allowing me a chance to let him enter my world for a moment. He met my co-workers, the actors on the show, my bosses. They were all instantly intrigued by my relationship with Hayden Pierce. Why shouldn’t they be? He was famous, more so than some of the actors on the show. How did this costume and makeup director meet him?
I’d started the night off in the corner, pushing panic attacks aside. I finished it in the middle of the action; suddenly a person of interest.
Now, with the clock approaching midnight and enough time passed for me to enjoy myself, I leaned against the edge of the rooftop, sipping my drink. Hayden sat next to me, taking the weight off his foot.
“You okay?” I asked, knowing it’d been a long night.
“Fine,” he said. “What about you? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Like what?”
He shrugged. “Carefree. Happy.”
I frowned. “I’ve definitely been happy before, H.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a sly look. “Not like this. It’s different.”
“Care to explain?”
“You seem content…the anxiety and cloud that hovered over you for so long has lifted. You’re confident. Secure.” His eyes skimmed over me, head-to-toe. “You’ve grown up, Heaven Reeves, and it suits you.”
My cheeks heated and I averted my eyes, watching my co-workers and friends still celebrating. “I don’t always feel grown up. I almost had a panic attack before you showed up tonight.”
“But you didn’t.” His eyebrow raised and god, he was so handsome.
“No,” I acknowledged, “I didn’t.”
“Do you think this would have happened for you if we’d stayed together?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “Not being in a relationship allowed me to focus on my career. While my personal life was falling apart, the timing was perfect for my job. The governor instituted the tax breaks and show after show started picking Allendale for their shoots. Makeup artists specializing in FX wasn’t a common skill.” I glanced at him. “What about you? Do you think you would have made it to Atlanta United?”
He leaned back on his hands. “I may have made it to the team but everything else? I don’t think I would have had the endorsements or sponsor deals.”
“Why not?”
“Exposure and celebrity is a game of politics. It’s competitive and ruthless at times.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“It’s not but I wanted the position, I worked hard for it and the rest was a sacrifice I was willing to make.”
“What kind of sacrifices?”
“The tabloids, being seen out with Sabine. Showing up at events like this—” I opened my mouth to speak but he held up his hand. “Not this one. I wanted to be here, but there were a million others I didn’t.”
I believed him.
“We all learned the lesson a long time age about what it was like to be in the public eye. This position with Atlanta United is a million times that. People say a ton of nasty things about me on Twitter and the sports blogs. They discuss me on the radio, on TV at night, and if Sabine and I go somewhere public, the cameras follow.”
He looked over the edge of the building where a crowd of paparazzi waited below.