Clearly not understanding why I would turn down her help, she murmured, "All right then. Well, if you change your mind . . ."
"I know where to find you," I finished for her.
Still clearly mystified, she said, "Good luck, Kiera."
"Yeah, you too."
She said her goodbye to Kellan, then he disconnected the call. Smiling at me, Kellan murmured, "Look at you, turning down an offer from one of the biggest stars on the planet."
My stomach felt so tight I was sure I'd never be able to eat again. "Crap, did I just make a huge mistake?" I looked between the two men whose opinions I valued the most.
They both glanced at each other, then simultaneously said, "No."
Kellan laughed once then sucked in a quick, pained breath and bit his lip. Denny gave him a sympathetic smile, then turned to me. "You'll get there your own way, Kiera, and you'll feel great about how you did it. I may not have read your story yet, but I've read your papers, and you're brilliant. I know you'll get there."
I gave him a soft smile. I'd need to let Denny read it before I did anything with it. It was too personal for both of us to not get his permission before I published it. But just having his support meant the world. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
When the room quieted, a sense of expectancy filled the air. Kellan and I looked at each other, then looked over at Denny. He'd wanted to say something before Sienna's interruption, and by the look on his face, I was pretty sure he still wanted to say it.
Releasing Abby's hand, he leaned forward on his knees and clasped his palms together. For a second, he reminded me of how Nick looked when he'd made us an "offer of a lifetime." Unlike that moment, though, I had no qualms or terrors in my stomach. Not when it came to Denny. Aside from Kellan, he was the one person I wholeheartedly trusted.
Denny's dark brown eyes took in Kellan and me sitting very closely together on the bed. "Abby and I have been discussing something recently. We've been discussing it a lot actually."
Brows knitted, I tried to read Denny's expression for some clue as to what he was thinking about. I had no idea. I couldn't read him anymore. "Discussing what?" Kellan asked.
Denny smiled and looked over at Abby. Not missing a beat, she pointed at Kellan. "You, mate."
Kellan looked bewildered by that, and Denny laughed. "You and your band," he clarified. His amusement faded away and seriousness darkened his features. "Abby and I both feel that you are being poorly represented. The band isn't being looked out for. The people who are supposed to be protecting you aren't." He gave Kellan's hospital bed a pointed glance. "That much is clear."
Indicating himself and his fiancee, he continued. "We both have a lot experience in marketing things, people, brands, creating positive PR." Pausing, he leaned back in his chair. "If you're interested, we would like to manage you. We would speak for you, be your voice to the world. We would protect you." He jerked his thumb behind him at the large window showcasing the dark world outside. "And crap like what happened with Sienna wouldn't ever happen again. Not to that extent, at any rate."
Kellan looked like Denny had just confessed that he was actually his biological father. I understood the reaction; I was pretty shocked myself. "You want to be the band's . . . agents? You would do that for us?"
Denny's lips curved up into a warm smile. "Yes, of course we would."
I shook my head at them, amazed. "But, your jobs . . ."
He shook his head. "The D-Bags would be my only clients, and I don't anticipate you needing my help full time." He indicated Abby with his head. "As long as we're able to, we would continue with our jobs on some level." Leaning forward again, Denny set his hand on Kellan's arm. "But you would be my top priority, and if you needed me, I would be there for you. I would be honored to be the one standing up for you."
Kellan feebly nodded his head. "Yeah, okay. I mean, I'll need to run it by the guys, but . . . yeah, let's do it. I'd be honored to have you guys represent me." He stuck out his hand and Denny shook it, then Abby did. Everyone was all smiles. It warmed my heart. "And we'll pay you, of course."
Denny laughed. "We'll talk about that part later." He indicated the IV dripping fluid into Kellan's body. "Maybe when you're not on drugs."
We all laughed, and I marveled at how far we'd all come. We were so different from the people we were when we'd all started living together-stronger, more confident, more secure in ourselves. And yet, we were still exactly the same. We cared about each other. We supported each other. We looked out for each other. And now that the sting of betrayal and guilt was only a dull ache in the background, the three of us were what I'd always hoped we would be-the best of friends.
Chapter 30: Success
When Kellan was released from the hospital, he was put in a wheelchair and instructed to take it easy for the next six weeks. He looked irritated that he couldn't walk out of the place on his own two feet. He was walking around much better now, and probably could handle the journey downstairs just fine, but I made him suck it up and keep his ass in the wheelchair. His internal organs were sewn up, and rest was what he needed, not some macho display of invulnerability.
Much to the delight of Griffin and the other D-Bags, Kellan frowned the entire time I pushed him down the hall. Because I couldn't help myself, I patted his head like he was an obedient puppy. He pursed his lips at me, not amused. I thought he'd try and bolt for the door once he saw freedom, but he surprisingly stayed in his chair and let me continue to take care of him. A couple of nurses trailed after us with carts full of get-well flowers and gifts. I had no idea what we were going to do with all the stuff the fans had sent him.
As I rolled Kellan outside, where a sleek black stretch limo was waiting for us courtesy of the groveling-for-his-job Nick, I considered just having Kellan sign the gifts and pass them out to his admirers. They were everywhere outside. Holding signs, candles . . . each other . . . they cheered in wailing shrieks when they finally got to see their recovering rock star.
Attendees from the hospital hurried to push them back and rush us to the idling car. Kellan held up his hand when a burly guy grabbed his chair away from me. "Wait, I want to talk to them."
The hospital staff seemed surprised that he would want to address "the little people," but I wasn't. Kellan had watched these fans hold a vigil for him night after chilly night. Thanking them for their endless dedication was the least he could do. Knowing Kellan, he probably wanted to give each person a warm hug and a personalized message of gratitude. There were a lot of them, though, and Kellan and I did have a plane to catch. Since Kellan was in no shape to continue the tour right now, we were going to take Gavin up on his offer and spend a few weeks recouping in Pennsylvania before visiting my parents in Ohio. It was a break I was really looking forward to taking-Kellan too.
Taking back the wheelchair handles, I steered Kellan toward a large cluster of people hovering near the corner; the other D-Bags respectfully stayed by the car, giving Kellan a moment alone with his fans. Well, most of them were respectful. Matt had to shove Griffin into the limo to keep him from trying to steal the spotlight.
The screams from the crowd were earsplitting, and I hoped nobody on this side of the hospital was trying to sleep. When Kellan was close enough, he reached back and put his fingers over mine in a silent thank-you. Holding up his other hand, he silenced the crowd.
"I can't thank you enough for your devotion and your prayers." He shook his head, and some of the girls directly in front of him sighed. "I saw you. Every night I saw you standing out here in the cold . . . for me. You don't know how much that means to me, how much each and every one of you means to me." His eyes scanned the crowd, a crowd that was struggling to act mature and not squeal like little girls. "I will never forget this." He squeezed my hand, and I knew he didn't just mean the fans. This place, this moment in time would live on forever for us. We were married here.
Kellan thanked the crowd, and I started to turn him away. A brave girl off to our side shouted, "Congratulations on your marriage!"
Kellan looked back at her with an achingly sexy half-smile on his lips. "Thank you." The poor girl looked like she might pass out, so I quickly wheeled him away.
Amid the screams of his leaving, I leaned down and whispered, "You just can't help it, can you?"
His expression innocent, he asked, "Help what?"
Smiling, I kissed his cheek. "Being ridiculously attractive."
He was shaking his head as I helped him into the limo. "I'm pretty sure you're the only ridiculous one here," he murmured, grunting in pain as he transferred his weight.
I rolled my eyes as I got into the car behind him. Nice try, but Kellan knew he was attractive. He may have doubted that anyone actually cared about him, but his looks had never escaped him. Being openly ogled everywhere you go will do that to you, I guess.
Everyone's bags were inside the limo as we headed straight for the airport; even Kellan's guitar was there. The D-Bags were parting ways, and that thought made me sad. I was going to miss my extended family. But the tour was over for them. By the time Kellan was healed enough to return, only a few weeks of Sienna's tour would be left. Instead of rejoining Sienna for the last leg, the boys had decided that they would take a break and work on songs for their second album. Well, that wasn't entirely true. It hadn't entirely been the boys' decision.
Sienna had made her public apology the day after our wedding. Showing up on a popular morning show, she'd tearfully confessed to her fans that she'd helped fabricate and prolong her relationship with Kellan. She told her fans that she "got swept up in the game, and let money and success override common decency." She apologized to all of the fans for misleading them, and begged for their forgiveness. She'd ended her speech by telling the world that she would be completing the remainder of her tour without the D-Bags, so Kellan had ample time to rest and relax with his wife.
The fans were naturally quite upset with her, and from what I'd heard, tickets sales for the remainder of the tour had dropped considerably.
Even though it seemed too small a gesture, I sent her a thank-you card.
Nick immediately started planning a new tour for the boys-a tour that, just as Justin had predicted, they were going to headline. He called Kellan while we were enjoying a peaceful evening together with Gavin, Riley, and Hailey. In as polite a way as he could, Kellan told Nick that any and all arrangements for the band would need to be made through their new agent, Denny Harris. When he hung up with Nick, he had a huge smile on his face. "That was fun."
As the official go-to person for the D-Bags, Denny negotiated all details of the tour. When he called Kellan a couple weeks later with the information, I knew without a doubt that Denny was the absolute right person for the job. He understood the band, and he understood their desires. He fought to keep the venues on the smaller side-larger than Justin's last tour, but smaller than Sienna's-so the experience could be more personal for the fans and the bands. That meant less money for all parties-but Kellan didn't care about the money, and Denny knew that. And money wasn't really an issue anymore anyway. After the accident, the D-Bags' album shot right past Sienna's to land in the number one spot. And it stayed there. Financially, the D-Bags were going to be fine for quite a while.
Denny also helped me out with my career. Four weeks after the accident, when Kellan and I were in Ohio with my parents for Christmas, I finally let Denny read my book. I was a wreck when I e-mailed it to him. It was so much worse than letting Kellan read it. What I did to Denny in the book, in real life, was inexcusable. I didn't see how he could possibly be okay reading it. When I didn't hear back from him for three days, I thought my chest was going to explode from the anxiety. Kellan repeatedly told me it was going to be fine. My mother told me I was going to give myself unnecessary worry lines. I couldn't help it, though. The book was so personal; a piece of my soul. Not getting a reaction to it right away was killing me. But maybe I deserved that.