Two years later

I’ve been dating Dax for two years now, although we have never gone public. But the silence ends today. Tonight is the night everything comes out into the open, the night all my dreams come true. I’m about to experience my own personal fairytale.

I cannot believe I’m at the Black Opal film awards, not only as the woman in Dax Pierce’s life, but also because I have the right to be here on my own merit. After all the hard work, I have finally made it in Hollywood, faster than most actresses.

Tonight, on June 16th, 2015, I have been nominated for a Black Opal award for best actress in a supporting role, not in the movie I had acted with Dax, even though that had been a success, but for Midnight Scent, a romantic thriller I had auditioned for and gotten without Dax’s help. Instead of being too dependent on him, I had found myself an agent to represent me. Actually, Curtis Richerson—a well-known agent in Hollywood—had approached me himself. He promised to make me the star I was born to be. And he did.

Finally, I am one of the actresses to watch out for. It doesn’t even matter if I don’t get the award tonight. The fact that I have been recognized is huge in itself.

“Ready?” Dax’s eyes are hooded, giving me delicious chills as usual. My body still remembers being filled with him only minutes ago in the back of his limousine. It’s always hard for us to keep our hands off each other. I am so ready to announce to the world that he’s all mine.

I take a deep breath, glance out the window at the other expensive cars queuing around the circular driveway. “I think so.”

“Good, let’s do it.” He presses a kiss into the palm of my hand. Then he pops a gum into his mouth. For seven months now, he has replaced his smoking habit with chewing gum.

We are a power couple, Dax and I. We are both nominees tonight. He had been nominated for several awards.

Even though he has not written a new book since his breakout novel, his acting career has taken off. I’m pretty sure he’s going to take home a lot of awards tonight. I cannot wait to celebrate our success.

I close my eyes for a second, trying to ignore the nervous butterflies in my belly. I understand my excitement, but why does it come hand in hand with nervousness? This is the moment I’d been waiting for.

I guess deep down inside I still feel like a small-town girl, a girl with big dreams that will never come true, a girl who has to settle for a life she is not satisfied with. But I’m not her anymore. All my dreams are being served to me on a silver platter. But still I can’t help feeling as though my life is all pretend, that this good feeling won’t last.

I open my eyes again as Dax’s driver opens the door for me. As I slide out of the limo, my designer, crystal-encrusted rose-gold evening gown spills from the vehicle like a waterfall. My silver sandal touches the ground. As soon as I fully exit the limo, fear attacks me. I don’t let it show.

Within seconds, Dax is at my side, taking my arm in his, his hand warm against my skin. I feel safe and secure in his shadow. My smile becomes less forced.

The crowd cheers and cameras flash as our limousine moves away and we step onto the red carpet. I blink several times to get my eyes to adjust to the flashing lights and the limelight, then I keep moving, ignoring the weakness in my knees.

“You okay?” Dax asks, but his words are broken by the many questions thrown at us from all directions, questions about our relationship. We are bombarded with so many that it’s hard to make out which of the reporters they are coming from.

“Yes,” I whisper even though I know he won’t be able to hear my response.

He turns to wave at the crowds lining the red carpet. His fan base has grown drastically over the years.

“Emma, wait.” One reporter, a stunning brunette with slanted eyes shoves a microphone close to my face. “So the rumors are true? You two are really dating?”

I’m about to confirm the rumors when Dax brings his head closer to the microphone. “Actually, we were dating, but now we’re engaged.” He glances at me with a smile.

“Wow. That’s amazing. Congratulations!” The reporter’s eyes are dancing. She must be ecstatic to be the first person to hear the big news.

“It certainly is.” Dax pulls me closer. “We will be married soon.” With that, he pulls me away.

My throat aches with annoyance, even though I should be honored that he shared with the world that he wants me to be his wife. Except I’m surprised that he didn’t honor our promise to keep the engagement to ourselves. He told the world without consulting me. We didn’t even discuss when we would be getting married. I feel suddenly uncomfortable, my nerves returning in full force. The bust of my gown feels a little too tight and the touch of the bobby pins in my hair scratch my scalp.

As we weave our way around other celebrities, who are smiling, waving, and giving autographs, I lean into him. “Why did you tell her?” I paste a smile on my face so no one sees I’m upset “We planned to keep the engagement to ourselves for a while.”

He shakes another actor’s hand and turns to me with a tight smile. “Sweetheart, sometimes plans change.”

I press my teeth together in what’s both a smile and a sneer. “But you made a decision without running it by me.”

“I did.” His jaw tenses visibly as he answers. “Trust me to make the right decisions for our relationship.” He tightens his grip on my arm and moves us forward.

I’m not about to let anything get in the way of my success tonight, so I swallow my annoyance and flash a bigger smile.

The red carpet journey takes us into a massive ballroom with glittering chandeliers and luxurious carpets. The air inside is wrapped in the gentle scents of floral centerpieces that adorn the damask-covered tables, next to burning candles. Many people are already seated. The sound of conversations buzz in my ears.

Dax leads me to our table, close to the stage on which the awards will be presented.

He pulls out a chair for me. “You look stunning tonight.”

I simply nod and sit, blinking away the film of tears. I don’t even understand why I want to cry, whether I’m holding back tears of happiness or pain.

“Is something the matter?” He lowers himself into his own chair next to mine.

“No.” I wave a dismissive hand. “Of course not. I’m just happy.”

“That’s great,” he says and gets up again to greet another famous actor that he had been in a movie with.

Finally everyone is seated, the classical music is lowered, and the award ceremony begins. The woman on stage welcomes everyone. Her name is Camilla Winters, an actress from Strangers, a popular reality TV show.

Dax takes my hand underneath the table and squeezes. Then he leans in and whispers to me, “Tonight is your night,” he says. “You deserve this moment.”

“Thank you,” I say, forgiving him about earlier. He was just excited about being my fiancé. It would be silly for me to be upset by that.

Several actors and actresses receive their awards and then, finally, we get to the one I am nominated for. As Camilla reads out the names, my heart feels like it had stopped beating inside my chest. It doesn’t matter if I get the award because I already feel like a winner, but if I do, it would change my life.

“And the winner for best actress in a supporting role is,” Camilla opens a small golden envelope and pulls out a note card, “Emma Stanton in Midnight Scent.”

At first I’m not sure whether she really said my name or if I’m imagining it. But Dax nudges me with a smile. “You did it.” He kisses me and applause rings out.

As I look around at all the people watching me, tears flood my eyes. Oh my God. Oh my God. This is really happening. I try to get to my feet, but sink back into my chair when my knees refuse to support me. Dax helps me up again and I make the journey to the top of my career. Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.

I finally reach the stage. Camilla gives me a hug and kisses the air on both sides of my cheeks. Her silky hair smells of roses.

“Apparently this belongs to you.” She hands me the award, a shiny, black gem on a bed of gold. “Congratulations, Emma.”

The award is heavier than I thought it would be. So far I’ve only seen them displayed on Dax’s award shelf, but he doesn’t allow anyone to touch them, except the housekeeper who is required to polish them every week.

My speech comes easy to me. I had rehearsed it so many times before tonight. “This award means everything to me. It marks the beginning of an exciting and fulfilling journey.” I pause for effect. “But even without it, I feel like a winner. It was an honor for me to be a part of a movie that touched me so deeply.” My gaze moves to Dax, who is watching me from our table below. “This award is not only mine. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Dax Pierce, a man who believed in me before I believed in myself, a man who showed me the path to my dream.” I wipe away a tear. “Dax, you are my inspiration, and I can’t wait to call you my husband . . .” the rest of my words are drowned out by a loud applause and cheers from all directions. I have just told the world from a stage that he is mine. Dax seems to be enjoying the attention as the people closest to our table congratulate him.

When he looks back up at me, I continue to thank all the other people who helped me along the way to my dreams. I thank the producers, the cast, and my agent, Curtis, who is sitting a few tables away from ours. He’s just as handsome as most of the dashing movie stars around him, if not more. His steely blue bedroom eyes are hard to miss in a room full of people, and the touch of humor he always carries around his mouth draws people to him. At thirty-five, he’s much closer to me in age than Dax is.

He gives me a small wave and a smile, then looks away to talk to the person next to him.

Finally, I give a shout out to Christa—who couldn’t attend—and end the speech. Holding the award above my head, my eyes lock with Dax’s. “Thank you for being the reason I get to do what I love.”

Camilla gives me another hug before I descend the stairs to return to my table.

The rest of the ceremony is almost a blur as I stare at my Black Opal, fascinated by its beauty. The only times I look up are when Dax gets his own awards. He has managed to get three out of the four awards he was nominated for. When someone else gets the award for best actor in a leading role, Dax visibly tenses.

When I reach for his hand to comfort him, he pulls away and stares straight ahead at his competition, who is giving his speech on stage. I don’t get why he’s so upset. He’s still walking away a winner.

“It’s okay, baby,” I whisper. “Forget the one that got away. You’re still the biggest winner tonight.” I take his hand again. This time he lets me hold it but doesn’t curl his fingers around mine.

“Stop, Emma.” He removes his hand from mine, leaving me feeling cold. “Don’t patronize me.”