"How did George react?"
Adrian chuckled. "Nothing fazes George. He has three sisters, so he was relieved to have some male company." It had been a huge adjustment for both him and Daniel to be part of a normal family. A family who may have teased, argued and shouted at each other on occasion but who always loved each other. He'd been constantly tense, waiting for the laughter to turn to anger and for the beating to follow. But eventually he'd realized it wasn't going to happen.
George had thought Adrian weird at first but he soon understood Adrian hadn't had the same kind of experiences as he had. It was George who had taught him how to swim, how to ride a bike and how to climb a tree.
As a child he'd worshipped George and Daniel for saving him.
Libby rested her hand on his thigh. "No wonder you and George are so close."
"He's my other brother." He closed his eyes at the familiar chest pain he got when he thought about Daniel's death. If it hadn't been for Daniel there was no telling where he would have ended up.
"Do you ever see your father now?"
Adrian pursed his lips. "No." Was she going to judge him?
Libby seemed pleased. "Does Kate know about him?"
"Daniel told her he wasn't sure where her grandmother was and that her grandfather was ill." It really was amazing that his father was still alive. George kept tabs on him, in case he realized who Kent really was and caused them trouble, but so far his father remained oblivious.
"You're amazing." Libby turned his head and kissed him on the lips. "To have survived and come out on top takes a great deal of strength."
She didn't get it. "It was all Daniel and George. They kept pushing me. I would have given up without them. I couldn't stand on stage without crippling panic attacks when I first started. I kept expecting someone to tell me I was a fraud."
"Why did you want to sing?"
Adrian shrugged. "It was the only thing I was good at." It was the only thing that freed him from his life and allowed him to pretend, for a few minutes, he was someone else.
He shifted on the sofa. He was uncomfortable with the way Libby was gazing at him, as if he was some kind of superhero. He wasn't. He was a product of having a brother and best friend who cared for him. He could have just as easily turned out to be like his father.
That was the main reason he didn't touch alcohol. What if one sip undid all the work Daniel and George had done? What if once he started he couldn't stop? What would happen to Kate? He couldn't risk it.
He stood and took both mugs off the coffee table. "Do you want another drink?" He walked over to the kitchenette, giving himself the distance he needed.
"No."
He filled the kettle anyway and put it on, just to have something to do. He'd never told anyone about his past and didn't know what to do now.
The silence stretched out as he made another cup of tea.
Finally Libby spoke. "Adrian, do you really believe you have nothing to do with your success?"
Why wouldn't she let it go? He knew he could sing, but so could thousands of other people. It was George's drive as his manager that had got him where he was. She wouldn't accept it, though. "I don't want to talk about it." His tone was gruffer than he'd meant it to be.
She jerked back as if he'd slammed a door in her face.
He couldn't deal with this now. He was too drained and too raw after reliving his childhood. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm tired. Can we talk about this later?" He hadn't meant for it to be an invitation to leave, but Libby stood and collected her things.
"Of course."
He wanted to ask her to stay but there was no point. He'd offended her.
"I'll see you tomorrow evening." She kissed his cheek, ran a hand down his arm and left the suite.
Adrian sunk down on a chair and put his head in his hands.
Had she used his tone as an excuse to leave?
Was she horrified by his background?
Had he driven her away?
Chapter 14
Libby had spent the night tossing and turning after Adrian had told her about his childhood. Her heart ached for the young boy he had been and for the man who still felt so much pain.
It meant so much to her that he'd trusted her with the truth. When he'd shut down, it had stung, until she realized she had to give him space. His defensiveness was a coping mechanism. She couldn't blame him.
She wanted to show him he wasn't defined by his past, that he'd achieved so much and he was nothing like the father he'd described – but first he needed time.
The next morning she sent a quick email to Kate wishing her and Adrian a good day. Libby was going to work on her manuscript while they went to the movies. Libby would head to their room in the afternoon to be with them.
While she was online, she did a search on her name. She liked to keep track of what was being said about her and her books. Reviewing the results, she noticed a link to a popular gossip magazine. That was unusual. She clicked on the link and waited the few seconds for the site to load.
Her stomach plummeted. She shook her head as if she could deny what she was seeing.
On the screen was a picture of her holding hands with Adrian on the docks. The caption read, "Bookish Author Hooks Rock Star." The story below identified the man in the photo as Kent Downer. Further down was a second photo, with the four of them: George, Kate, Libby and Adrian. Adrian had an arm around Kate. The article questioned who Kate was and whether she was Kent's daughter or Libby's.
Nausea swirled around Libby's stomach. This couldn't be happening. Not only was Adrian's privacy blown but so was Kate's. Adrian had been extremely careful Kate wasn't associated with him because of the potential danger. He'd mentioned his fans could get pretty wild. The only positive was they hadn't mentioned Adrian's real name.
Libby snatched up the hotel phone and called the suite, hoping they would still be there. It rang and rang before finally she hung up. She picked up her cell and called George, annoyed she didn't have Adrian's number. George answered on the second ring.
"Have you seen the article about Adrian online?" Libby asked.
George laughed. "Which one? The one where he's spent the night clubbing in King's Cross or the one that puts him at a meditation retreat?"
"The one of Adrian out of costume which also has a photo of Kate."
George swore.
"I'll send you the link." Libby copied the address and emailed it to George.
"Give me a second." There was silence while George read through the article and then he swore some more.
"I can't get hold of Adrian to tell him," Libby said. "They've already left for the day."
"I'll call you back." George hung up.
***
Adrian hadn't slept well. He couldn't stop thinking about Libby and whether he'd ruined their relationship.
The last thing he wanted to do was go out for breakfast and a movie, but he'd promised Kate.
"Come on, Uncle Ade. I'm starved." Kate bounced around the room with exuberance.
Adrian took a couple of deep breaths to find his enthusiasm. "You got everything you need?"
"Yep."
"Let's go." Adrian followed her out of the suite, his gaze drawn toward Libby's room, but she didn't appear. By the time he reached the elevator, Kate had already pushed the button.
"We're going to the pancake place first, aren't we?" Kate asked as they rode down.
"Of course." Not even Kate's eagerness was working today. He just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep.
When they reached the lobby, Adrian noticed a number of reporters waiting outside the hotel. It was unusual for them to be there so early, so he assumed some other celebrity was arriving.
"I wonder who they're waiting for," Kate said.
Adrian didn't care as long as he and Kate got through without being recognized. He'd relaxed somewhat over the years but it didn't mean that a reporter wouldn't realize who he was this time around. He headed for one of the side doors, away from the main entrance, and they stepped out into the fresh Sydney morning air and set off down the street.
"There he is!" a voice yelled.
Adrian kept moving, hoping it was just coincidence that the celebrity had arrived as he stepped out of the hotel.
"Kent! What's your relationship with Libby Myles?"
Adrian froze mid-step and shot his gaze toward the reporters. They stormed forward en masse.
Kate grabbed his hand and moved close.
His heart thudded hard. How the hell had they recognized him?
Before he could react, the reporters reached him, each shoving their microphones into his face.