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EPILOGUE
JADE
‘You want me to announce her? Live on air?’
‘Is that a problem?’ a blond man with the news station asks. ‘Someone said you were her manager.’ He glances at an iPad in his hand. ‘River Matthews, right?’
‘Yeah,’ River says with a nod. His eyes dart to me, excitement dancing in them like confetti. ‘Let’s go over it over here,’ he says, leading the man away from me with a coy smile.
This wasn’t a part of the setup. River assumed his role would be getting his mother and her band here and ready to perform. Which, believe me, was a task. I know, as I’ve helped him a few times now and wowsers, Penny Candy is a very high-maintenance band. Now they want River to announce her big comeback, and they’re doing a short interview with him and Penny after the show to discuss the upcoming documentary. He’s nervous but excited. I’ve watched his documentary, and it is so so good. Anyone who enjoys Penny Candy will fall in love with it.
He may have thought he was a ‘nobody’ in the film business before, but he’s finally getting the attention he deserves. I’m so proud of him.
We’ve been dating for a few months now, and I have to say, I’ve got no regrets. Not one. It’s like we were made for one another. People tell me that’s hard to find. He’s my best friend.
‘When’s this gig starting?’ Laney asks for the fifteenth time. This time she’s got a bag of mint green cotton candy in her hand.
‘It starts at eleven fifty-five. You know, close to midnight, when it will officially be the New Year.’
‘Oh yeah,’ she laughs. ‘I almost forgot what day it is.’ She pulls a cloud of cotton candy from the bag and stuffs it into her mouth.
‘Where did you get that?’ I ask, pulling a piece for myself. ‘It’s not mint flavored, is it?’
‘Ew, no. Pretty sure any flavor besides pure sugar is against the law in cotton candy land. I got it outside. There’s a vendor guy.’
She’s right; it’s sweet and makes me pucker a little.
River returns, smiling as he pecks a kiss on my puckered lips, smacking me on the ass as he walks by, busy as a bee directing both this shoot and his mom’s live performance.
‘You two are so stinking cute,’ Hollyn says.
‘We are cute, aren’t we?’
We’re all crammed into the Crystal Ballroom. River’s friends and family got to be VIPs, so we feel important. Laney forced her way into the VIP section by threatening to cut off River’s hair in his sleep. How could he say no to something as charming as that? I don’t think she’d ever do it, but that’s their relationship.
‘I’ve never seen River so smitten with anyone. How are things going?’ Hollyn asks.
‘Absolutely perfect. I’ve never been so…’ I hesitate with my words, only because River and I haven’t even said them to one another yet. After my disaster of a relationship before, we decided slow and steady wins the race.
‘So what?’ Laney pries.
But I can see Hollyn has already figured it out with her wide-eyed grin. ‘Oh my God, you love him! Do you love him? Please tell me you love him.’
I laugh to myself. ‘Ssshhhh, I plan to say it for the first time at midnight. If he’s not too busy, that is, then I’ll do it later.’
River walks by us again. ‘Hey!’ Laney yells, causing him to stop in his tracks.
‘What?’ he snaps.
‘Did you find him?’ she asks, glancing around the room. ‘I just want to touch him. I promise I’ll go easy even though he seems like the dirty type.’
He rolls his eyes. ‘You can’t meet or touch Eminem because he’s not here, and I don’t know him.’
‘But your mom is a pop star. Whatever happened to the six degrees of separation thing? Someone you know has to know him.’
River looks at me with wide eyes, shaking his head. ‘Ten minutes!’ he yells, ignoring Laney completely.
He stops by my side, leaning into me. ‘Holy fuck, ten minutes,’ he repeats in my ear. ‘I can’t do this. I can barely think, and now they want me to get up there and introduce her and the tour. What if I swear? What if I freak out? I’m going to be on the freaking news, babe.’
