Destined for the Star (Starstruck) (27 page)

”Wow!” Olivia exhaled. ”Are those real diamonds?”

The man holding the tray looked a little offended.

”Of course,” he said in a thick German accent.
 

To appease him, Olivia pulled out her very best high-school German and said in what she hoped was correct, or at least understandable, German:

”It is all very, very beautiful and I feel so honored that you would let me wear any of it. That is so kind of you, thank you.” She continued in English, her German all but exhausted, ”But I have my own necklace that belonged to my mother, and I never take it off.” She smiled apologetically and pointed to the simple and small gold heart resting just above her cleavage. ”And I’d rather not wear anything but my engagement ring besides that. I just got engaged and I want the ring to have center stage.”

The man smiled at her and thanked her in German and then he said in English:

”Perhaps you would consider wearing these sapphire earrings tonight then? They won’t take away from your own jewelry and would look amazing with that dress.”

She turned to Nate and he smiled encouragingly at her.

”I think they would look incredible on you,” he agreed.

”Well, then,” she said, ”I’d love to wear them tonight. Thank you very much,” she smiled at the man.

He looked extremely pleased as he helped her put them on.

”You look like a Greek goddess,” Nate said and turned her around to look at her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall.
 

He was right actually, the woman staring back at her looked divine. But more than that she shone with happiness and a pure joy that shimmered in her eyes and gave her skin a soft flush of color.
 

”I had a lot of help,” she pointed out as she turned around to face the team of experts who had pulled it off. ”Thank you so much, everyone of you, for doing this for me. You’ve made me feel like a princess and I will never forget it. Thank you.”

They started applauding her then and she blushed with embarrassment. Nate smiled lovingly at her and pressed a kiss on her cheek.

”All right, everybody,” she heard Andy call out. ”Sorry to break up this lovely love-fest but this stunning couple needs to get in the car right now.”

Chapter 20

In the car over to the theatre, which was only a couple of minutes drive from the hotel, Olivia checked her cellphone for messages. There was nothing from the boys, which she deduced meant that they were having a ball, playing video games and ordering in junk food.

But there was one text from Sasha.

”Ha, ha! Check this out, Liv! I’m all over Aftonbladet! Going out tonight to enjoy my 15 seconds of fame. Knock ’em dead tonight, girl!”

She had added a picture she’d taken of the front page of the tabloid Aftonbladet.

”Look, Nate, is that Sasha all over the newspaper?” Olivia exclaimed, stunned.

”Yep, sure looks like it,” he concluded after taking a good look at the picture. Then he started chuckling. ”It’s from the café earlier today. Must be a pap-shot. I told you they found me, right? What does the headline say?”

”It says: ’Nathan Montgomery’s new girlfriend’,” she grinned.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
 

”The papers think Sasha is your girlfriend,” she smiled. ”Damn, I wish I’d known that earlier so I could have asked her to step in for me tonight. She’s so much better than me at being in the spotlight.”

”Then I’m very glad you didn’t find out earlier, ’cause I refuse to walk down that carpet with anyone but you by my side,” Nate smiled. Then he thought for a moment before adding,

”I guess, if she insists, Julia can walk beside me on my other side. She is after all the star of the movie,” he joked, incorrigible.

She laughed and looked into his eyes.
 

”Jag älskar dig, Nate,” she whispered in Swedish.

”Does that mean what I hope it means?” he asked softly.

”It means ’I love you’.”

”Good,” he said contentedly. ”And you’ve said it to me once before, haven’t you?”

”You remember?”

”Of course I do,” he said. ”It sounded so beautiful when you said it there in the cabin. I hoped intensely it meant what I dreamt it meant, but then you lied to me and crushed my hopes completely,” he reprimanded her teasingly.

”I’m sorry about that,” she said, not feeling that sorry at all. ”I wanted to say it out loud so badly, but I didn’t want to lose face by saying it first.” She grinned at him. ”Some things I believe the man should be the first to do.”

”I love you, Olivia,” he said then. ”I love you, I love you, I’ll never be able to stop saying it.”

”Good,” she said. ”I’ll never tire of hearing you say it.”

The car came to a halt then, before she could get her lipstick smudged again.
 

Her stomach lurched up into her mouth. This was it. She looked up at Nate, panicking a little.

”You’ll be fine, baby. I’m right here the whole time, and I’m not letting go of you, not even for a second,” he promised, her face in his hands. He kissed the tip of her nose. ”Stay right here, I’ll come around and get you,” he said and stepped out of the car.

There was a deafening roar the moment he set foot outside the car. She saw him raise his hand in greeting to the fans before he walked to the back of the limo. A second later her door was opened and he stood there looking at her with his hand stretched out to her, his eyes spilling over with love and tenderness and encouragement.

She took a deep breath and put her hand in his as she stepped out, careful not to trip on the hem of her dress. Nate drew her into his side protectively and walked her over to where Julia was standing.

”Hi Jules! You look stunning as always,” Nate said and bent to give her a peck on the cheek.
 

”So do you, Nate,” Julia smiled up at him.
 

She was tiny in person and Olivia felt huge next to her, both in height and in size, her insecurities rearing their ugly heads again. But Nate’s voice was so full of pride and happiness when he started speaking again, that her insecurities melted away in an instance.

”Julia, this is my fiancé, Olivia. Olivia, love, this is Julia.”

Julia stepped closer and took hold of Olivia’s hands. She smiled warmly at her.

”I can see why Nate would risk his whole career for you,” she said. ”Seeing the two of you together is a joy. The love between you is so beautiful to see. I wish you a long and happy life together,” she added and reached up to peck Olivia on the cheek.
 

”But if you ever grow tired of him and decide to give the other team a try, give me a call, ’cause I want first dibs on you in that case,” she said and winked at Olivia.

Olivia stared at her for a moment, and then she burst out laughing.

”That’s the best compliment I’ve ever had from a woman,” she grinned and drew Julia in for a hug. ”Thank you,” she added sincerely.
 

”My pleasure,” Julia grinned back and turned to Nate. ”She even smells like a goddess, you lucky bastard!”

Nate grinned at her.

”Please, don’t try and seduce her, Jules, I could never compete with you.”

”All right, for your sake, Nate, I’ll keep my hands off Olivia. But remember, darling,” she added, turning to Olivia again, ”if ever he bores you, give me a call.”

”I’ll keep that in mind,” Olivia smiled, ”although, I can’t imagine that happening anytime soon,” she said, caught in Nate’s glorious gaze once more.

Nate broke away as a man tapped his shoulder and said something in his ear. The roar from the crowds was a surreal experience and made it hard to hear what people said unless you leaned in close.
 

”It’s time for the photo call, sweetheart. Are you ready?” Nate said in her ear.

She took a deep breath, and with her hand firmly clasped in Nate’s, his thumb stroking her skin reassuringly, she went to stand in front of the photographers. Julia stood at Nate’s other side. He let go of Olivia’s hand only to wrap it around her waist, drawing her securely into his side. He had his right arm around Julia’s waist.
 

”I’m the luckiest man alive, sandwiched between the two most beautiful women in the world,” he stated and grinned at them both.
 

Olivia was taken by surprise by the blinding intensity of the camera flashes, and the constant calls from the photographers to look this way or that. She felt herself tremble a little and Nate started rubbing his thumb against the side of her torso soothingly.

”You’re doing great, Olivia,” he murmured into her ear. ”I’m so proud of you, baby. Thank you for doing this for me. I know how frightening this can be and I’m so grateful you’re here with me despite that.”
 

She looked up into his eyes and drew strength from the love they held for her. She smiled at him and he bent down to press a kiss on her forehead. That brought an excited roar from the fans.
 

”Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he murmured in her ear.
 

”I’m not sorry,” she answered and smiled happily at him.
 

”Nathan, who’s the girl?” one of the photographers called out.

Nate smiled down at her, and then he called back.

”My fiancé,” the pride apparent in his voice. ”Her name is Olivia,” he added.

”Olivia, look here!”

”Olivia, over here!”

”To your right, Olivia!”

Suddenly the photographers were calling her name also. She felt herself turn a shade of red and wishing she could escape somewhere she pressed herself further into Nate’s side, placing her left hand on the front of his shirt. Without realizing it, she displayed her engagement ring and the photographers went mad. She sensed their heightened energy, but didn’t understand why, and it just made her more frightened. Nate must have sensed that.

”All right, that’s enough,” he said.

He turned to Julia.

”Jules, you mind taking a few by yourself?”

”Of course not,” she smiled.

”Thanks,” he mouthed at her. And then he turned around and, holding Olivia tightly to him, he walked them over to the stage that had been built in front of the theatre. He took them behind it were they were protected from view, in a small walkway. People milled about - she guessed they were different crew for the event. Andy and Dan were waiting there too.

”Take a breather,” Dan said. ”In a few minutes you’re due on stage, and then it’s meet and greet with the fans, if you’re up for it?”

”Of course,” Nate said. Then he turned to Olivia and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She let out a sigh of relief and inhaled his delicious smell, closing her eyes and imagining them back at the hotel and away from all the loud, crazed energy of the fans.

”Are you okay, baby?” Nate asked after a little while.

She turned her head up to look at him.

”I am now,” she smiled. ”Don’t worry about me, Nate, as long as I’m with you, everything in my world is perfect.”

He bent down to kiss her gently on the lips, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

”I love you, Olivia. You mean the world to me,” he said. ”In a moment we’ll go on stage with Julia and I’ll be interviewed by the host.” He caressed her cheek as he spoke. ”And after that we’ll go down the carpet to meet the fans. We’ll have several bodyguards with us that whole time, but it’s just a precaution. More for the fans than us. If a girl gets too excited, for example, and needs to be lifted out of the line.”

”Okay,” she said and smiled at him.
 

”And then we’ll go inside the cinema and I’ll go on stage with the others to introduce the movie. As soon as they start the film, we’ll get out of there,” he grinned at her and held her face in his hands, as if she was a piece of exquisite china.

”Sounds good, especially that last part,” she grinned back.
 

”I know,” he agreed. He bent his head and whispered in her ear. ”I’m aching for you, Olivia. I can’t wait until I have you all to myself again.”

She pressed herself against him and felt the physical proof of his confession.

”Nate,” she smiled, ”you can’t do this to me right now, you’re making me so wet,” she whispered in his ear.

He groaned and put his hands on her butt and pressed her into him.

”Olivia, you naughty girl, are you trying to drive me insane or can’t you help it?”

”Maybe a little of both,” she grinned at him, very pleased that she affected him the same way he did her.
 

They were interrupted by the stage manager.

”Time to go on stage now,” he called through the noise.

Nate nodded. He looked down at Olivia.

”Ready, love?”

Olivia inhaled and snuck her hand into his big, warm one and then she nodded.

As she walked close behind him onto the stage where Julia was already waiting, standing next to the host, she felt her heart beat violently in her chest. This was so not her thing, to stand in the spotlight like this. But she reminded herself to not be so self-conscious. After all, these people weren’t here to see her, she was just a bystander at this event, luckily. She took comfort in that fact and in the utter sense of security and peace she felt so close to Nate. She couldn’t really hear what the host was saying but after a while of answering questions from him, Nate appeared to ask for the microphone. As he was given it, he turned to face the crowd with Olivia securely tucked into his left side, his thumb soothingly rubbing the side of her waist.

”Guten Abend, everyone!” The crowd roared with delight. He waited for the noise to settle down a little before he continued. ”I just want to thank all of you for coming tonight. It makes all of us who have worked so hard on this final installment of the Time-traveler-series so very happy and proud to see. I’m coming down shortly to see you, (another deafening roar erupted from the fans) but I have a favor to ask of you first.” He looked down at Olivia and smiled.

”You see, I’m bringing Olivia here, with me, and she’s not used to all this yet, so I would really appreciate it if you all try and take it down a notch or two when we’re down there with you. I don’t want this experience to be any more unsettling for her than it has to be. Thank you, guys, you’re the best fans in the world,” he smiled and handed the microphone back to the host.