Kellan had tried his best to squelch the rumors. After the photo shoot, he'd called Sienna on the drive home. It floored me that Kellan had Sienna Sexton's number in his cell phone. Weird. Even weirder, Sienna had Kellan's name in her phone; she instantly knew who he was when he called her.

"Hi, Sienna, this is Kell-" He paused. "Yeah, it's me. Hi." While he laughed, I tried in vain to hear her side of the conversation. All I got was Kellan's, though. "Have you seen that photo of us? Yeah, that one. Have you said anything yet? Made a statement or something?" He frowned as he listened. "People are linking us . . . romantically." His brows drew together. "Well, I think it's a big deal." He splayed his hand like she was in front of him. "Because I'm married, and I don't want this perception out there that you and I are-"

Kellan glanced over at me and shook his head. "No, not officially, but we still consider ourselves husband and-" His frown returning, he swung his eyes back to the road. "Look, can you just say that we're only working together, and our relationship is purely professional?" He smiled. "Okay, thank you."

Once he hung up, he told me, "She said she'd take care of it."

"And you think that she will?"

He looked over at me, his sunglasses hiding his expression. "Of course. Why wouldn't she?"

I didn't want to tell him, but we'd agreed to honesty, so, sighing, I did. "Because I think she's interested in you. Because I think she wants the two of you to be linked. Because I think it creates a stronger buzz for the single if the two of you are together. And because I think she is very good at manipulating public perception to get what she wants."

Kellan was silent after I said that, which made me think he, at least in part, agreed. After a long moment he said, "And you think what she wants . . . is me?"

Leaning my head back on the seat, I closed my eyes. Who wouldn't want you?

Surprising me, Sienna did release a statement shortly after Kellan's phone call, explaining that she was currently single and loving it, and that the man in question was "Merely a close friend who is working on a project with me that the fans are going to love!"

While she'd done what Kellan asked, I wasn't sure if that explanation helped anything or not. No one seemed to believe that "close friend" really meant "close friend." They all assumed it was code for "we don't want to announce our relationship yet." It certainly fueled the hype for the single. I'd known Kellan's first album would be exciting, but I had no idea there'd be so much energy around the release, energy fueled by rumors and speculation about Kellan and Sienna's personal life.

Jenny, Kate, and Cheyenne listened to my concerns with sympathetic ears. My sister told me not to worry about it. When I'd asked her if she'd seen the photo yet, she told me, "That? Oh, yeah, I saw it a week or so after I got back. Kellan looks superhot in that pic, by the way!" She sighed. "Too bad he's not turned more toward the camera. They really should have waited to get an exit shot."

Remembering that Thing 1 had cleared the sidewalk before we left the restaurant, I snapped, "Why didn't you tell me the minute you saw it?"

Anna let out a long, low exhale. "Because I knew you'd freak out, and I knew the picture was nothing."

"They're linking them as a couple, Anna." Lying on my bed, I stared at the chandelier above my head. "That's not nothing."

"Yes, it is. What do you care what the public thinks? You and I both know that he's not with her. Hell, I was there the entire time that she was there, and I know for a fact that nothing happened between them. This isn't a big deal, Kiera."

"It's weird." Seeing a rose petal on Kellan's pillow, I held it up and rubbed the silky petal between my fingers. This one was a coral color, from a fresh bouquet the maid had placed in the hallway yesterday. Kellan had gone for a run earlier, and left the petal in bed for me. He'd written the words Back soon on it.

Anna sighed again, but more compassionately. "It's only weird if you let it be weird. Don't get yourself tied up in knots over one harmless photograph. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

My sister was right, of course. But still, having the world at large hope for your husband to hook up with someone else was a little . . . heartbreaking.

A few weeks before the album dropped, the boys were slated to set off on a whirlwind promotional tour. They were hitting all of the biggest cities in almost every state in the continental U.S. Looking at their schedule was mind-boggling. It was a nonstop jumble of plane rides, radio interviews, and private performances. There were times when they were booked for appearances in three different cities in one day. I was exhausted just staring at the itinerary. If we could get through this, touring should be easy.

Their first stop on the promo tour was a popular radio station in Los Angeles. No, it wasn't just popular-it was the number one station in the city, and they were going to debut the single there while the boys were in the studio. My stomach was a swarm of butterflies. Even though I knew this song release was only going to fuel the flames of Kellan and Sienna's formulated relationship, I couldn't wait to hear Kellan's voice being broadcasted over the airwaves. It was such a surreal thought.

Knowing life was going to get very hectic very soon, Kellan and I savored every moment of quiet togetherness that we could. Kellan gave me a tour of the city, showing me some of the dive bars he and the D-Bags had played at during their time here. I could easily picture a fresh-out-of-high-school Kellan wowing the panties off of wannabe Hollywood starlets. It must have been very easy for him to line up "dates" down here.

Kellan showed me the touristy things too-Disneyland, Seaworld, the Walk of Fame-but my favorite moments were lounging by the pool at the record label's house. Especially when everyone else was gone and it was just the two of us. On a sunny mid-August morning, a few days before the chaotic part of Kellan's career kicked in, we were enjoying a private dip in the pool. I was leaning against the cool white steps that led down into the turquoise water, watching the tiny disruptive waves my legs made as I lightly kicked them in front of me. The smell of chlorine and sunblock filled my senses, and except for some birds squawking in a nearby tree, all was quiet. Knowing this peace wouldn't last, I savored it.

Under the water, a dark shape approached me. Hands ran up my legs, stilling them, as the submerged body swam right over mine. Stopping at my waist, Kellan lifted his head out of the water and crooked a grin at me. "Hey."

"Hey," I muttered, biting my lip. His hair was slicked back from his face, and beads of water rolled down his cheeks. The sunlight sparkled in his eyes, lightening the deep blue color. He was glorious, and for this one moment in time, he was all mine.

Sighing, I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck; my legs automatically tightened around his waist. He sank to his knees, holding me in his arms in the shallow water. If contentment could be felt as a physical thing, like the warmth from the sun or a cool breeze on a hot day, then surely I was feeling it wrap around me right now as I laid my head on his shoulder and let myself be consumed by his presence.

Just as Kellan pulled back to look at me, the tranquility on his face matching mine, Griffin stepped out of the house. He walked over to the steps, frowned, and scratched his head, like he was trying to puzzle out how to do something. Then he shrugged and knocked on the railing that divided the steps.

Struggling to keep his face straight, Kellan peeked up at him. "Yes?"

"That dude from the record is here. Wants to talk to you."

Setting me down beside him, Kellan stood from the water. Rivulets ran down the lines and curves of his body. Beads of moisture were left in their wake; they clung to his skin like they were reluctant to leave him. I completely understood the feeling.

"Which dude?" Kellan asked.

Griffin shrugged, indiscretely checking me out. "I don't know. The uppity one in a suit."

Kellan stepped slightly in front of me. "Nick? The vice president of the label?"

Griffin raised his gaze to Kellan. "I don't know. Sure."

Kellan glanced back at me. The last time the VP of the label showed up, it had been to offer Kellan a major opportunity. I had a feeling that whatever he wanted now would be just as big. For some reason, though, my stomach dropped.

Quickly toweling off, Kellan threw on a shirt and I threw on some shorts. I'd prefer to meet with a bigwig fully clothed and fully dry, but my tankini top and wet hair would have to do for now. Best not to keep the man who controlled my husband's destiny waiting.

Griffin led us upstairs, to where we'd met with Nick and Sienna last time. As I was about to follow Kellan into the room, Griffin grabbed my elbow. I instantly tensed as I looked up at his face. A frown on his lips, he said, "Anna tells me you don't like me. That true? I thought we were cool."

Wondering why on earth Griffin wanted to talk about this now, I gently pulled my arm from his grasp. "We're . . . cool. Sure." Stay out of my bedroom, don't touch me again, and quit fooling around on my sister, and we're great.

His pale eyes hardened as he tucked some hair behind his ears. "You just totally lied." He folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not sleeping with you, so I don't really give a shit what you think about me, but I would like to know why you hate me, since I've been nothing but nice to you."

Nice? Is that what he's been to me? Stifling an eye roll, I glanced over Griffin's shoulder; I could see Kellan shaking hands with the "uppity one in a suit," Nick. I really wanted to hear what was going on in there, not engage Griffin in a pointless conversation. As I avoided answering Griffin's question, he added, "Is it because I said I wanted to get laid? Because I was totally kidding."

My eyes involuntarily narrowed into slits as I looked back up at him. "No, you weren't kidding. You're crude, obnoxious, and you're a bigger man whore than Kellan ever was!"

Griffin gave me a "yeah, right" face, which I forcefully made myself ignore. "You represent everything I hate about rock stars. The partying, the women, the sex. You're everything that I'm afraid Kellan will become!"

Griffin poked me in the shoulder. "So your problem isn't really with me. You're afraid of what Kell might do when you're not around, so your problem is you." He spread his hands out. "Anna's never asked me to not dick around. We've never been exclusive. She doesn't care who I have sex with . . . so why should you?" Raising his chin, he added, "And I'll have you know, I've only f**ked about five people this year, and nobody since Anna told me she was knocked up. So, yeah, I do f**king care about her. I think I may even f**king love her."

He spun around and stormed into the room after that, and I could only stare at him in shock. Did I just get schooled by Griffin? That had to be one of the signs of the apocalypse. But . . . he did have a point. I mainly disliked him because I didn't want Kellan to be like him. And Kellan wasn't like him. They were night-and-day different. Griffin was just so crass. But so was my sister, and I loved her to pieces. Well, crap. Now I had to make an actual attempt to like Griffin. And, wow, he just said he loved Anna. That blew my mind.

I finally walked into the room, thinking that nothing Nick told me could shock me more than what Griffin had just said. Kellan was sitting on one of the couches across from Nick. Evan and Matt were sitting next to him, but there was just enough room for me. Feeling like I was completely disrupting the conversation, I walked in front of Matt and Evan to sit by Kellan. Griffin threw his weight down in a chair opposite us.

Nick paused in his pleasantries to wait for me to settle myself into Kellan's side. My cheeks heated as the blond, blue-eyed man tapped his thumb on his crossed leg. Even though it had to be ninety degrees outside, Nick was in a full suit. And an expensive one at that-Armani probably. His tie was bright red, a power color. He seemed pretty young to be a VP, mid-thirties at best, so I figured he was confident and driven, a man who was used to getting his way.

When I was situated, Nick gave me a brief smile. His calculating eyes took in my appearance, and he said, "Making good use of the home's amenities, I see." His eyes shifted to Kellan. "That's good. You'll need your rest now to get you through the launch."