grinned. “Are you ready?” She blew out a breath. “As ready as I can be. I know the songs; I know how to sing them. I know where to go onstage but the crowd… Singing in front of the crew is different from thousands of fans.” “ I don’t know what happened between you and Natasha,” he began and saw anger spark in her eyes like lightning, “but I want you to know that no one could replace Natasha better than you.” Gwen grimaced. “I just hope her fans don’t kill me.” “ They won’t,” he said firmly. “I want to show you something.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bus. It was madness in the parking lot. People rushed around, doing last minute checks on all the equipment. Angie was in her element. She had a clipboard and yelled orders at people as they passed. Trey pulled Gwen onto another bus and led her to the back and stopped in the entrance. They were in a recording studio complete with a glass sound booth. “ Oh my God,” she whispered. “ This way you can send demos when we’re on the road and you can write. I really meant it when I said I’d do everything I can to make this work.” She didn’t want to know how much money he spent to get this bus. She knew the room was soundproof and there was a skylight at the top that let in bright light. There was a large couch against the wall and she knew this would be her second sanctuary on the road. She waved her hands in front of her face so she wouldn’t cry. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. Trey laughed and engulfed her in a hug. “I’ll do whatever it takes. This is a new beginning for me. That’s what you’re giving me. This is the least I could do.” She pulled away and took it all in. She was Trey Phoenix’s lead singer on his Freedom tour. Having Trey pull out all the stops for her made her realize how far he’d go to ensure that she was comfortable. It touched her deeply and thanking him didn’t feel like enough. Training with him for two weeks had changed something in her and brought out the singer she buried long ago. “ Thank you, Trey.” He kissed her on the lips, a quick, chaste kiss she was becoming familiar with. Their act onstage was leaking into their private lives and he didn’t seem to notice the difference but she did. “ Get comfortable. The show is tomorrow.” Trey left her alone in the recording studio and she spread her hand over her quivering belly. She sat on the couch, grabbed a notepad nearby and began to write. It was the only way she could cope with the stress.
Chapter Five
Gwen stood on the stage and looked out over more than sixteen thousand seats in the Amway Arena where the kickoff began in Orlando. This was it. She trembled as she looked out over the empty arena. Tonight people would sit in these seats and listen to her sing with Trey. She attended countless concerts in her time over the years but never quite seen things from this view. To think that every single stop on the tour was sold out was insane. “ Gwen!” Grateful for the interruption she blinked in surprise when she saw Trey being followed by Oliver Crum, a twenty one year old breakout star. He had on Ray Ban’s, ripped jeans, a hat on backwards and a huge wad of gum in his mouth. “ This is Gwen. She’s replacing Natasha,” Trey began. “Gwen, this is Oliver. He’s my opening act while we’re on tour.” She sa w Oliver’s brows rise over his sunglasses and gave him a tight smile. Looks aren’t everything, buddy, she thought. Oliver was obviously surprised that Trey couldn’t get someone just as beautiful as Natasha which showed what he valued. Beauty before voice. Trey stepped up to the edge of the stage and surveyed the crew and arena before he turned to Gwen. His eyes were sparkling with excitement and she wished she didn’t have panic and anxiety rocking through her. He thrived on this stuff but then again he had twenty years of experience. Trey came over to her and cupped her