Liddy's POV
"Shelley, are you sure my makeup looks okay? What about my gown? Is it too much?" I ask nervously.
"Lid, calm down. You look absolutely beautiful. Everything is perfect, from your hair, to your make up, to your gown, to your shoes. You have nothing to worry about."
I take a deep breath and release it slowly. "I wish I could calm down, but once Hunter's fans see a photo of us together we're going to be all over Twitter and Instagram. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that? I thought I was. I told Hunter I was, but now I just don't know."
"Come talk to me, please." She says as she pats the cushion next to her.
I do as she requests and sit next to her on the couch. "Shell, what am I going to do if they don't like me? I'm so afraid that their opinions of Hunter and I will affect his career? I don't think I could live with myself if I was responsible for hurting Hunter's popularity with his fans."
"Hey, dating Hunter is not going to be easy. He has millions of girls who love him and dream about having a life with him. So you will encounter, unfortunately a lot of his fans that won't like you for no other reason than you are his girlfriend and not them. They're going to pick on the color of your hair, your voice, what you wear, how you smile, any silly thing they can think of to try and justify their jealousy."
"But what you have to keep telling yourself is that they don't know you! They don't know that you make him smile brighter than the sun. They don't know that you watch out for him and try to keep him from pushing himself too hard. They don't know the real relationship you have with Hunter because they don't want to know, because if they do then they will have to admit that their dream of being his girlfriend is futile."
"I know what you are saying is true. Hunter has said similar things to me already. I guess his fans were horrible to Renee when they were dating. But no matter how hard I try to ignore their comments, I know I won't be able too. Eventually, I'll read some of them and it's going to hurt."
"It will at times and when it does, you need to find the faithful fans that will be supporting you and Hunter, which there will be millions. Look to them for the love and support that you and I know you deserve. They will defend you. They'll have your back for no other reason than Hunter is happier because of you."
"You make it sound so easy."
"Trust me. I know it will be anything but easy. You will just have to CONSTANTLY keep reminding yourself of the things Hunter and Harper say. They really are the only two opinions in your life that should matter."
"You're right. I can't let comments from people I don't know, hurt me. As long as I know that I'm making Hunter happy then they can think what ever they want."
"Exactly."
"Thanks Shell." I say as I lean over to give her a hug. "You are such a good friend."
"Well, you're a great friend, too and a really awesome matchmaker."
"Are you blushing? Oh my god you are! See I told you that you and Ryan would hit it off."
"He is too good to be true! I find myself wanting to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Liddy, he opens doors for me. Helps me with my chair and actually makes me feel like he is interested in what I have to say!"
I laugh. "It looks like someone is smitten."
"You could say that. He asked me to be his date tonight, but I told him, no."
"What! Why would you do that?"
"I want to sit near you. I know how nervous you are going to be the whole evening."
"You stop. I'm going to be fine. Hunter will be there with me, most of the time. So I want you to text or call Ryan right now and tell him you will be his date."
"Are you sure? I flew here to go with you to the Grammy's not him."
"Well, I used the Grammy's as an excuse to get you here so you could meet Ryan. Hunter and I have been praying that you guys would hit it off, so we never really counted on you sitting with us."
She looks shocked. "You sneaky little person."
"Hey no short jokes." I say before we both start laughing. "You know, Ryan might even have seats near us."
"Wouldn't that be awesome if he did?"
"Yes, it would be." I say as I look at the clock. "Oh my god Shelly, we need to hurry or we're going to be late!"
_____________
Hunter's POV
"Hey Ryan are you ready to go see if the girls are ready to leave?"
"Ah sure." He says while fiddling with his tie.
"You look nervous. Don't worry, you'll do fine tonight when you present. Just remember to try not to look at the teleprompter for long periods of time."
"Thanks for the advice, but that's not what I'm anxious about."
"You're not? Well, good for you. I remember being scared to death my first time on the Grammy's"
"Don't get me wrong, I'm a little on edge about presenting, but right now the reason my hands are shaking has nothing to do with the Grammy's and everything to do with Shelley."
"Ohhhhhh" I chuckle, now I understand. "So you must really like her then."
His face turns pink. "Yeah I do. She makes me laugh. She's so easy to talk to and God, she's gorgeous."
"Well, Liddy will be happy to hear you're enamored with her friend. She's said all along that you two are perfect for each other."
Before I can say anything else, Harper comes running into the room followed closely by Mrs. Clarkson. "Daddy, I want to see Lids in her dress. Peez."
"I'm sorry Mr. Hayes. She just got this idea and she started running."
"It's fine, Mrs. Clarkson. I know how fast she can be, especially when she wants something." I laugh then bend down to look at Harper who is standing before me.
"Hey, daddy's a little disappointed that you aren't listening to your babysitter very well."
She lowers her eyes to the floor. "I sorry.... I just want to see Lids."
"Okay, let's make a deal. Why don't you start watching a movie with Mrs. C while Ryan and I go meet Liddy and Shelley at her apartment. Then just before we leave we'll stop back here so you can see both of them in their gowns."
"Yeah!" She cheers as she dances around in a circle.
"Alright then, Ryan and I are going to go get them. So you need to show Mrs. Clarkson where the movies are. Okay?"
"Hotay."
I smile then wrap her in a hug. "I love you. Be good for Mrs. C. We'll be back before you know it." Then I stand up and look at Ryan. "Ready to go?"
"As ready as I can be, I guess."
I chuckle. "If it makes you feel any better, my stomach is doing somersaults right now. I'm so excited, nervous or whatever you call it and it's because of Liddy. So trust me. I know exactly how you're feeling."
_______________
Liddy's POV
When I hear the knock at the door, my heart stops for a split second. I know it's Hunter and Ryan. I take one last look at myself in the mirror, before heading to the living room to let them in.
"Is my makeup alright?" Shelley asks me on my way to the door.
"It's exactly right. You look beautiful. Trust me, Ryan won't know what hit him, when he sees you."
She smiles as I reach for the knob and slowly pull the door open. When I see Hunter standing there in a black suit with no tie and the top button of his white tuxedo shirt left unbuttoned, I bite my bottom lip. He looks so incredibly handsome.
"Wow, you look absolutely amazing!" He says as he wraps me in his arms and kisses my lips.
"You look really hot yourself." I say breathlessly.
"You think so?"
I bit my lip and shake my head, yes. I can hear him moan from deep in his throat as he leans over to whisper in my ear.
"Are you trying to kill me? Please stop biting your lower lip. I told you what it does to me. Remember I'm performing tonight."
I stand back and mouth the words "I'm sorry". Then I turn to look at Ryan and Shelley. They are so cute standing there holding hands gazing into each other's eyes. I motion for Hunter to look. When he does, he just grins. "I bet we look the same way."
"I bet your right." I say with a smirk.
"Well, if you two lovely ladies are ready, we should get going. I hope you don't mind, but I promised Harper we would drop by to let her see your dresses before we finally head out."
"I don't mind at all. "
"Me either." Shelley chimes in. "Let me grab our wraps and we can leave."
A few minutes later we walk into Hunter's home and find Harper quietly watching 'Cinderella' with her babysitter. "Hey there sweetie, your daddy said you wanted to see my dress before we left for the Grammy's."
The look on her face is priceless. Her eyes are huge and she is grinning from ear to ear. "Lids! So pretty!" she squeals. "So pretty!"
"I think she likes your gown." Hunter chuckles.
I smile. "Come here and give me a hug."
She wiggles her way off the couch and runs straight into my arms. "You look like a princess."
"Awe, thank you." I say as I kiss the tip of her nose. "Isn't Shelley's dress beautiful, too?"
She shakes her head, yes. "You look like Cindella."
"Who, me or Shelley?" I ask.
"Boff of you."
I smile and give her a quick hug. "Wow. I'm flattered. Cinderella is very beautiful."
"You prettier." She smiles.
"Hey there Punkin, We need to leave. Remember I told you, Daddy has to sing tonight." Hunter says.
"I member."
"Okay, then. Be extra good for Mrs. Clarkson and promise me you will go right to bed after your movie."
"I will, Daddy."
"That's my girl." He says before picking her up and giving her a big hug. "I love you."
"I sluv you, too."
I lean over and kiss her on the cheek before Hunter places her on the floor. "You have sweet dream, Harps."
She starts walking towards the living room, but then she changes her mind and turns back to look at Hunter and me. "Peez, get married. I really want a little broffer or sisser."
I'm shocked by Harper's confession. When I dare glance at Hunter, he's nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "We can talk about that later, baby girl. You go with Mrs. Clarkson, okay."
Then he gently pulls me towards the door. I can see Ryan and Shelley whispering as we walk by them. "Ah, Shelley is going to ride with me. Meet you guys at the red carpet." Ryan says.
We both nod our heads as we quietly walk towards his car. Once we are inside, I can't take the awkward silence that's developed between us any longer. "So has Harper talked about us getting married before?"
"Yeah, she has. A few times actually."
"Why didn't you mention it to me?"
"Because...." Right then his phone rings. He looks at the caller ID. "It's Betsy, I need to take it. Can we discuss what Harper said, later?"
"Ah, yeah......Sure." While Hunter chats with Betsy I try to figure out what's making me more nervous, letting Hunter's fans know about us or talking with him later about Harper's comment.
__________________________
Please keep voting and COMMENTING!
Thanks for reading Huddy's story!