“What? Sorry I was thinking about the press event tomorrow night,” Paisley lied.
Sean gave her a look as if to ask if she was okay and she nodded slightly.
“I was just saying that Delaney has some games planned and one of them is paired-up karaoke,” Olive explained.
“Oh, bring it on! We should do good because Sean’s got a great voice,” Paisley bragged.
“Yeah, you should,” Olive agreed.
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Dante said.
“You’re actually the best,” Olive crooned, turning toward him. “I love your voice. Sean’s going to have to work hard to beat you.”
“When did this become a competition between us?” Sean mused. “Dante, I think we should pair up against the ladies...”
“If you think you can beat us. Paisley and I can bring it,” Olive warned the men.
“Only after several shots of tequila,” Paisley joked.
“Challenge accepted,” Dante said.
Paisley laughed and knew that this night was going to be a lot of fun. But a part of her wished there could be a clear sign that Sean was really going to stay. That he’d be the partner she wanted and needed him to be to help raise her baby.
The next two weeks flew by and Sean found himself starting to believe that his relationship with Paisley might last beyond the holidays. They’d spent their time with her friends, and his assistant and his girlfriend flew out for a weekend as a surprise and were planning to return on the 23rd. They’d done the press events that Paisley had outlined for them. Tonight was the premiere of the Christmas movie and he was looking forward to it. In the film, he played a prince in disguise who falls in love with a girl he meets at the airport.
Not so different from his real-life chance meeting with Paisley in the coffee shop.
Sean dressed carefully in his custom tuxedo for the event, because unlike the big romantic date he’d arranged for Paisley the night the paparazzi had ambushed him, this was going to be the real thing. He knew now that he’d been playacting when it came to himself and Paisley. Though he believed he’d genuinely cared for her, his emotions hadn’t been fully realized and it was only over these last few weeks, when they’d truly gotten to know each other, that he’d come to understand that.
He made a few plans for the evening but knew that those plans could change depending on Paisley. He’d asked her to let him gift her a dress for the evening and she’d agreed. He’d called his designer friend and sent some photos of Paisley, and Dimitri had sent the outfit directly to her along with shoes and wrap.
Sean couldn’t wait to see the dress on her when he went to pick her up. They’d spent equal amounts of time at his rented house on Lake Michigan and at her apartment. She’d insisted on decorating a tree at his house and this time they’d gone with a color scheme. All red, green and gold ornaments. He glanced over at it as he checked his tie one last time before he left.
This rented house had a dozen touches that were all Paisley. The key tray by the front door. A framed photo of the two of them in their matching sweaters at Olive’s party, along with a picture of himself, Nolan and Dante holding a tacky gold microphone that Olive had made into a trophy when they’d won the karaoke contest.
For the first time in memory, this place felt like home, and it was because of Paisley.
Tonight he wanted to take some time with her. Do a gut check and make sure he was really falling for her and then...well, ask her to make this permanent. He didn’t know what that looked like. He hadn’t been raised in a traditional family, but he had slowly let himself start thinking of having one. It had been a long time coming, but now he could finally admit to himself he did want a wife and maybe kids someday with Paisley. She was everything he needed and yet something he hadn’t known he wanted.
Until now.
The doorbell pinged and he pulled on his topcoat before stepping out to find the car and driver the studio had sent awaiting him.
“Evening, sir. I hope I’m not too early.”
“You’re right on time. We might have to wait when we get to Ms. Campbell’s place,” Sean said, knowing that in spite of her good intentions, Paisley was always running behind.
“You’re the star. I think they’ll wait for you,” the driver assured him.
Sean sat in the back of the car with the privacy window up just because he was too much in his own head. He wanted this date to be perfect, and thought of the ring he had in his pocket and what it meant to him.
Had he misread her? For the first time, the gift he’d always taken for granted—his ability to read another person—felt hazy. He wondered if it was his own feelings interfering.
Whatever it was, he’d never been this nervous before a date...or a premiere. He knew he wasn’t worried about the film. Early screening audiences and reviews had been positive. So these jitters must be stemming from his feelings toward Paisley.
She’d changed him. Helped him finally figure out how to be himself in the real world. With people who weren’t industry insiders or on a film set. He was being just Sean and felt truly accepted for the first time in his life.
That was a gift that he didn’t truly appreciated. It was something that he knew he wasn’t totally comfortable with but he was getting much closer to that.