Rock Prodigy

Chapter 34

Mac let out a long breath and shrugged his shoulders a bit, releasing the tension there before looking down at me with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You ready for this?”

“I think I am,” I said softly, meaning it. Losing Olivia had been shattering but I’d gained so much since then and I knew there were people standing behind me that I could lean on if I needed to. We moved towards coat check together, not touching each other but standing close enough that our hands brushed every once in a while.

I vaguely registered a few flashes going off around us, realizing that the press had made an appearance and not caring. I ignored any reporters who called my name, focused only on getting to the ballroom without throwing up.

I let out a long breath when we made it to coat check where Sheldon was standing talking to Dan and Troy who had arrived in a cab just before us. Troy and Dan gave me hesitant smiles, obviously not sure how to act around me, afraid that I was going to fall apart at any moment.

I smiled back at them and something in the gesture must have put them at ease because their smiles softened and they moved a step closer to me.

“Let me take your coat,” Dan, Mac, and Sheldon said at the same time.

“I’ll get it,” Mac growled, glaring at the other two boys as he reached up and eased my long jacket off my bare shoulders, revealing the strapless dress that shimmered in the dim lighting. Jenna had managed to pick out the perfect size and the colour complimented my pale skin. I’d gotten my hair done because I was hopeless at doing my own. The stylist curled it and pinned some of it up, leaving the majority of it to fall down my back in loose curls that brushed against my skin. She’d done my make-up too, lightly lining and shading my eyes to bring out the golden colour and make them appear larger.

“Wow,” Troy said after a moment of silence, his eyes wide as he took in my outfit. “Rose, you look amazing,” he said, closing the distance between us and giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek.

I let out a long breath and gave him an appreciative smile. “Thank you and so do you.” I looked him up and down, admiring the suit he was wearing that actually fit his broad shoulders and bulging arms. His long blond hair was brushed back off his face and he was even wearing a tie, making him look more like a businessman than a surfer.  

“Rose,” Dan said, moving to stand next to Troy, giving him a little shove that did nothing to move the much more solid boy. “You look beautiful.” Dan stepped in front of Troy and rested his hand on my upper arm before planting a kiss on my cheek, lingering a bit longer than Troy had.

“Thanks,” I said quietly, sucking in a deep breath as I watched a few people move past us, dressed formally and heading inside the ballroom, obviously attending the same party we were. “I’m so glad you guys are here,” I said, starting to feel panicked at the thought of seeing Jocelyn, Riley and Patrick Reese but knowing that the feeling would’ve been much worse if I had been there alone.

“Could I get a quick picture of Burn to Shine before you head inside?”

I blinked over at the reporter who’d stepped close to us and realized that I recognized her as Bonnie Jenkins, the woman who’d accused me of playing the piano without emotion in the past. Her frizzy red hair was in a high bun and she was wearing a blazer and a skirt. Her eyes were lit with excitement and her mouth was tilted into the same smug smile that it had been last time.

“No,” Mac said, scowling at the woman and taking a half step in front of me.

“It’s okay,” I said, not taking my eyes off the woman as I shifted so that I was facing her squarely, somehow unbothered by her presence. “One picture won’t hurt.”