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Almost three hours later, the lights came back on and the crowd erupted into claps and cheers. The show had been better than I’d expected. I was able to zone out of my troubled life and enjoy the spectacular performance on the stage in front of me. The show had also worked out for Derek, who bumped into a couple of important people in the acting industry on our way out, who then invited him back to the after party. He’d begged me to go with him, but I told him I wouldn’t be much fun drinking water all night, and encouraged him to go anyway. I watched him disappear back into the sea of people before turning around and following Amelie and my brother out of the building.

We were about to leave when a familiar male voice called out my name. I turned to see Hawke standing beside an older man that I’d recognized from a few recent movies.

A huge grin spread across my face as I waved and Hawke ended his conversation with the old man by handshake and made his way over to us. Dear God, he looked dashing in his evening suit.

“Hello there, beautiful ladies,” he sang cheerfully as he approached. When he was close enough, he reached down and picked up both Amelie’s hand and mine, then lightly pressed a kiss on the top of each. I heard Amelie giggle beside me but I was too shy to look Hawke in the eye. My cheeks were burning hot. Why was I reacting this way towards him? Sure he was
undoubtedly
attractive but get a hold of yourself, Evangeline! “Oh, and I suppose you want one, huh?” he added, letting go of our hands to shake Connor’s hand. I heard both boys chuckle but I was too busy staring at the hand Hawke had kissed then allowed his thumb to run slowly over the top of my knuckles. It was still tingling, wishing for him to do it again.

“Fancy running into you, Mr. Hudson. What brings you to New York?” Amelie’s voice snapped me out of my fantasy. I looked up to see her standing there with a wide high-school girl grin on her face. It almost made me laugh knowing that she wasn’t immune to his boyish charms either.

“I had the weekend free so I thought I’d come along and watch my sister and her husband’s new Broadway show.”

“Oh my God!” Amelie gushed. “How could I not realize that Sierra Hudson-Stranburg is your sister? Tell her and that talented husband of hers that we thought the show was absolutely magnificent! I enjoyed every minute of it. The costumes and the set were amazing. And it was a sell out tonight can you believe it? I’m sure it will do every well!”

“Calm down, babe. It was only a show,” Connor teased nudging Amelie softly on the side with his elbow. “Make sure you give them our congratulations,” he added turning back to Hawke.

“I will do. So, what have you guys got planned for the rest of the evening?”

“I’ve got a very early morning flight to Dallas tomorrow morning, sunshine. So I’m heading straight home to bed,” answered Amelie.

“Unfortunately I have a few loose ends to tie up back in the office, otherwise I’d love to have joined you for a few drinks.”

“You two get more and more boring with each year that passes. Well, what about you then, my bearer of good news?”

Everyone went quiet, which I found rather odd.

“
Evangeline?
” Connor’s voice cut into my thoughts.
Huh?

I looked up to see Connor regarding me with a peculiar look, while beside him Amelie was not so subtly using her head to point towards Hawke.
Oh! He’d said something… to me.

I tried to run through their conversation my head. The last thing I’d heard him say was something about me bearing good news…
What?

“What did you call me?” I asked suddenly going shy.

Hawke threw his head back and laughed before throwing me a cheesy grin. “I called you ‘my bearer of good news’. It’s the meaning of your name and I’m hoping it will ring true right this moment.”

I frowned in confusion. “I don’t―”

“Would you like to come and hang out with me tonight? That’s what I was asking and I’m hoping that you will say yes.” Hawke chuckled.

Oh.
God, I felt like an idiot.

“Umm. Sure, why not?” I shrugged, still trying to piece the last few minutes together.

“Do you think that’s a good idea? You know, with your―”

“Oh, honey, she’ll be fine. She’s not made of glass for heaven’s sake,” Amelie butted in laughing, giving Connor a playful slap on the arm.

Connor nodded but threw me a hesitant look. To give him reassurance, I smiled and said, “I’ll be alright, big brother.”

****

“Connor’s very protective isn’t he?” Hawke asked, once we were on our own and heading towards his car.

I smiled at that. Yes, he was, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. “He most certainly is, but it’s not because of you, I promise. He has said a lot of nice things about you, actually.”

A huge grin stretched across his face before he began to speak. “Of course he has, and I get that; the whole protective thing, I mean. It’s the same with my younger sister, if anyone were to―”

“
Evangeline
?”

Hawke and I both came to a halt and turned at the same time to see whom the squealing belonged to.

Before I could do anything to prevent it, a body threw itself against me and squeezed me tight. I managed to pry the arms off me and came face to face with…
Ryan’s sister?

“
Annabelle?
What are you doing here?”

I caught the surprised look on Hawke’s face as the overly excited teenager fixed herself up.

“I just knew it was you! I saw you walk past so I had to come and say, hello.”

I chuckled. “Well, hello to you too. Is anyone else with you?” I scanned the area over her shoulder.
Oh god. Did that mean Ryan was here?
“By the way, you look stunning in that dress,” I added trying to shake the thoughts of him out of my head.

“You really think so
?
Thank you,” she replied, ecstatic. Her eyes were wide and shining, as if my words meant everything to her. “It’s a Celeste design, you know: a favorite from your father’s rather large list of designers.”

That caught me by surprise. Should I have recognized it? Not that I shopped at any of my father’s stores, or kept up to date with the latest season’s collection. I didn’t view fashion like that. I saw something I liked, I bought it. Simple. “I
love
your dress. Valentino, right? It looks
amazing
on you,” she added.

I chuckled again, glancing over at Hawke and offering him an apologetic smile. Jeez, this girl was a bubble of energy. Hawke looked as though he was fighting to hold back a laugh but when our eyes met his cheesy grin was back. “Yes, you’re right. You have quite the eye for fashion, don’t you?” I added, turning back to face Annabelle.

I thought back to the day I ran into her and Ryan in the foyer of the hotel, the day of my father’s funeral. She was dressed well then also.

“I love it so much! I’m about to start the semester at the Fashion Institute. Then eventually I’ll do a year in Paris. European designs are―”

“Annabelle!
Seriously
?” a frustrated familiar voice boomed. Every part of me froze. “You’re eighteen. Stop running off like― Oh… Hi.” Ryan immediately came to a halt just a few feet behind his sister. “I’ll deal with you later,” he hissed at his sister, who had a mischievous gleam in her eye. Something told me she’d planned this all along.

“Sorry, I need to apologize for her,” he replied, nervously scratching the back of his head.
God, he looked amazing.
I wanted nothing more than to run to him, and then collapse in those strong, firm arms.
No
. I couldn’t think like that. Not after…

“Don’t worry about it. How… how are you?” I managed to say without taking my eyes off his. How could I?

“I’m great. Things are great. Just heading home from the Broadway show that Annabelle insisted I go to.”
Great?
He was great? A spark of anger ignited inside me.

“Yeah? We were just there too. What’d you think?” Hawke asked, stepping up beside me. For a moment there I’d completely forgotten he was standing there. The muscles in Ryan’s jaw tensed as he finally tore his gaze away from me and looked at the man standing awfully close to me.

“I loved it! One of the best yet!” Annabelle answered. “The story was incredible and well told.”

I wanted to agree with her but I couldn’t seem to find my voice. How unfair was it that he was ‘great’? It was only three weeks ago he was begging me not to leave for St Bart’s and now he was ‘great’? Perhaps Connor was right… Maybe he
was
just using me? I hoped he’d sorted things out with Jessica then.

I could hear Annabelle and Hawke discussing highlights of the show, Annabelle even squealed when she figured out the connection between him and the main actress.

As they spoke, Ryan and I stood there staring at one another. I noticed several times he’d open his mouth to say something but then quickly shut it, only to then throw a glare in Hawke’s direction, but Hawke was fully enthralled and laughing at something Annabelle said to even notice.

I was about to reach for Hawke’s arm and ask if we could leave when Ryan quickly took hold of my hand. The skin on my hand burned by his unexpected touch; burned with the same hot desire I had for him before everything began to fall apart. I wondered if he felt it too. “Can I… Can we please talk?”

I blinked a couple of times before tearing my eyes away from the spot he held on to. We’d been standing like idiots for ten minutes and when I finally decided that I’m ready to leave that’s when he wants to talk?

“I don’t―” Before I could finish, Ryan began striding away from the others, pulling me along with him. I looked back over my shoulder at Hawke, who didn’t appear to have noticed Ryan dragging me away.

“Are you two together?” He said in a low growl once we’d stopped a fair distance away from the other two.

It took a moment for me to recollect myself and realize what he’d said. He had no right to ask me something like that!

“That doesn’t concern yo—”

“Just stop! Please…” he interrupted.

I ripped my hand out of his grip and frowned up at him. “Stop what?”

“Stop acting valiant, like this whole situation isn’t really tearing you apart.”

My body tensed at his words. Was it tearing him apart? Or did he just say that because he expected that to be happening to me? “It’s not…” I lied, looking down at the ground to avoid his eyes.

“You’re lying, I can tell. I know you well enough to know that you are. Evie—”

“Stop calling me that!” I spat, shooting a glare at him.

Instead of arguing back like I’d expected him to, Ryan did the complete opposite. Taking a step back, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he re-opened them, they were glassy. Was he going to cry right in front of me? “Evangeline, I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you here, or with another guy for that matter. I shouldn’t have reacted like that…” I eyed him warily, wondering where he was going with the conversation. “I heard you came back because you were sick, and asking if you were okay should have been the first thing to come out of my mouth,” he continued.

Looking suddenly frustrated, he scrubbed his face with his hand and mumbled something inaudible. “Damn it, I had a whole speech planned out for when I ran into you next and I just fucked it up.”

For some reason I found this funny and a small laugh escaped.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked confused about my strange reaction.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I replied biting my lip to stop from smiling. “Did you really have a speech ready?”

He gave me a look as though it was strange of me to even ask such a ridiculous question. “Of course I did. I have so much to say to you that I didn’t want to ruin it and say something impulsive. Which clearly I did…”

I couldn’t help but to laugh again, but I immediately stopped when there was no smile on Ryan’s face. “Jessica admitted the truth. She’s not pregnant, Evangeline. She made it all up,” he suddenly blurted out.

What?!
Before I could ask him anything a large, rough hand took hold of mine. I turned to see Hawke standing really close beside me. “Ready to go, Angel?” Hawke whispered into my ear.