Before she could climb out, Brooks held her back. "You sure you're feeling okay?"
She rolled her eyes. "You need to stop asking me that."
He just stared at her until she sighed. "Yes," she said, giving him the most reassuring smile she could. "The doctor said to take it easy. He didn't say I had to stay comatose."
Brooks didn't look convinced. She climbed out and Brooks jumped out his own side and came around to join her. No sooner had he put his arm around her waist than there was a shout from someone on the sidewalk. They glanced over and flash bulbs started going off.
Brooks gave them a tight smile and tried to hurry her into the building. But more cameras had joined the first and it took Brooks's driver to help clear the path so they could get in the door.
"Are you okay?" he asked her once they were safely inside.
She took a deep breath. "It's not always like that, is it?"
"No, it's usually not this bad. But then I'm not usually escorting my new bride around town."
She held back a groan. "I hope they get sick of me soon."
"Hey," he said, holding the elevator door open for her. "You married one of the most eligible bachelors in town. That's bound to get a little attention now and then."
"Lucky me," she murmured.
Brooks laughed.
Leah's heart rate had barely returned to normal when they reached the top floor. But then the elevator doors opened, and OMG.
She grabbed Brooks's arm. "Brooks. That's … that's … " She pointed at the man who'd graced posters all over her teenaged self's wall.
Brooks glanced down at her with a slight frown. "I know. You okay down there?"
She would have answered, but the man of her girlhood dreams chose that moment to put down the magazine he'd been reading to stand up and greet them.
"Hey, man," Brooks said, holding out his hand. "Sorry I'm a little late. I think we ran into a couple of your buddies outside."
They all laughed and the men did that guy shoulder-bump thing.
"Naw, you can keep them all," he said with a laugh. "Besides, I'm pretty sure they were here for you. I was just a bonus. I didn't have this lovely lady on my arm," he said with a smile at Leah.
Holy crap. One of the world's biggest stars had just called her a lovely lady and was looking at her like he expected some sort of response. She opened her mouth and nothing but a weird squeak came out. Brooks looked at her like she'd suddenly turned a crazy shade of neon purple. Oh God, she probably had turned a crazy shade of neon purple. But she couldn't help it. She'd had a poster of that Gatsby movie with him in his tux holding out a champagne glass on her wall in college.
The theme song to Titanic started playing in her head, drowning out every other thought.
Her arms may have started rising, mimicking that King-of-the-World scene, because Brooks wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to him, keeping one arm pinned against his side.
"This is Leah," he said. "I'm sure she's very happy to meet you."
Leah nodded, her mind nothing but a jumble of nothingness.
Near … far … wherever you are …
"Well, the pleasure is all mine."
She squeaked again and Brooks stared at her in open astonishment.
Pull it together, woman!
"Hey there, stranger," Kiersten said, coming up to their group, hugging one of People magazine's sexiest men on Earth as if they were old friends.
Then she turned to Leah, her eyes growing wide as she looked at her. Apparently, she did look as bad as she felt. Meaning if she didn't sit down fast, her ass and the floor were going to become very well acquainted. Unfortunately, she didn't think she could blame it on the pregnancy this time. Who would have thought she turned into a starstruck idiot the first time she met a movie star?
"We'll leave you gentlemen to your business," Kiersten said, putting an arm around Leah's waist to lead her into Cole's office.
Brooks watched her walk off, his expression part amusement and part bewilderment. She knew the feeling. She got into Cole's office and collapsed on the couch, sticking her head between her knees.
"I can't believe I made a total ass of myself."
Kiersten laughed. "Are you kidding? You did great. The first time I met him I spilled coffee in his lap."
"You did?" Leah asked, peeking up from behind a curtain of hair.
"Yup. I think these boys forget that we aren't used to palling around with the A-listers of the world. I'm not sure if they just like to see the reaction, or if they honestly don't realize how running into someone like that can affect a newbie."
"How long did it take you to get used to it?"
Kiersten snorted. "I'll let you know when it happens. You should have seen me when I met the Game of Thrones cast."
"You met the whole cast?"
Kiersten nodded and Leah squeaked again. "Oh my God. I'd have died."
"You have no idea. We met them on location. They were all in full costume and everything."
"What happened?"
"A couple of them hugged me and I started crying."
Leah laughed. "You didn't."
"Oh yeah, I did. I'm a massive fan. It was a little overwhelming to be standing in a castle being hugged by the friggin King of the North himself."
"What did Cole do?"
She shrugged. "Pretty much what Brooks just did. Stared at me like I had lost my mind. And then left me at home the next time he went to the set." They both laughed and Kiersten shrugged. "I was also pregnant at the time so I'm sure the hormones didn't help either one of us."
"But you were so calm and collected out there in the lobby."
"Only because I've met him a few times. Trust me, there is a whole list of people I'm not allowed to meet because I'd be a puddle of goo on the floor the moment they walked through the door."
"Good to know," Leah said, putting her head back between her knees. "Get celebrities in here often?" She hoped she wouldn't run into any other Hollywood heartthrob on the way out. She'd had her fill for one day.
"It depends on your definition of often. And celebrity."
"Great."
Kiersten laughed. "Hey, you're a celebrity yourself now, you know."
"What are you talking about?"
"That," Kiersten said, pointing at the magazine on the table.
Leah risked sitting up enough to see the tabletop. There were three or four magazines spread on top, each one sporting some version of the headline Billionaire Takes a Bride, with a grainy photo of her and Brooks coming out of the courthouse.
"You've got to be kidding," she said, her head rapidly clearing. "It's been less than a week."
Kiersten shrugged. "I'm kind of surprised it took that long."
"Why didn't you warn me there would be pictures of me all over the media?"
She shrugged again. "I thought you knew that going in. Brooks isn't exactly a random country boy. And you saw what happened when I married Cole."
Leah sighed. She fit in with this type of life about as well as a cuddly baby panda would fit in with a pack of hyenas. It had never occurred to her that people would be interested in her or her private life because of who she married. Yes, she knew Brooks was a bit of a celebrity. But she was a nobody. Although thinking of it that way, she could see why everyone assumed it would be a story. One magazine proclaimed it the Cinderella story of the year. Another showed a picture of Brooks with a stunningly beautiful woman on his arm with the grainy photo of her from the wedding up in the corner asking who the mystery woman was as if Leah was the shady "other woman."
"Are you okay?" Brooks asked, popping his head in the door.
Leah stuck her thumb up and kept her head down. Brooks came in and slumped down next to her on the couch.
"Sorry. Should have warned you he might be here. We had a meeting set up, but I thought he cancelled it."
He looked her up and down. "I'd say I was jealous you were fainting all over yourself for another man, but I'm pretty sure I was the same way the first time I met him. I won't even tell you what I did when Gal Gadot walked through the door last month."
Her eyebrows rose and she glanced at Kiersten, who nodded. "Yeah. Wonder Woman applies to her in every sense of the word. I'm half in love with her myself."
"Truth," Brooks said, and Leah elbowed him. He chuckled.
Leah sat up slowly. "What on earth is a megastar actor doing in your office?"
"We're helping him develop an app for one of his green living companies."
"Cool," she said. Lamest answer ever, but she couldn't for the life of her think of anything else to say.
"So, what were you ladies discussing?"
"Leah's new celebrity status," Kiersten said, pointing down to all the magazines.
"Well that didn't take long, did it?" Brooks said, picking one up and looking at the picture.
"What didn't take long?" Cole asked, coming in trailed by Harrison and Chris.