InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (13 page)

“Just
picture them all in their underwear, right?” Tia joked, taking a deep breath
and a small sip of the Chardonnay.

“Something
like that,” Tony smiled, reaching over to pat her hand. “Don’t worry about a
thing, really. It won’t be as hard as you think. You’ll be great!”

Tia
had to spend a lot more time in make-up than Dylan, so he and Tony moved to
their shared dressing room to catch up; avoiding the self-important TV execs
and managers that buzzed around the Green Room texting and barking orders into
their cell phones.

“It
really is damn good to see you, Dylan,” Tony said sincerely. “It’s been too
long.”

“You
too, mate,” Dylan replied. “These damn crazy lives we lead don’t leave much
time for some of the things that really matter, do they?”

“You
can say that again,” he agreed. Tony waggled his eyebrows. “So, as long as
we’re on the subject of things that matter, I have to ask…and this is friend to
friend—not for the show.”

“Shoot.”
Dylan raised his eyebrow and tilted his head.

“I
have to tell you, the two of you are really adorable together, and I don’t say
that very often—I mean, I can’t even believe that the word “adorable” just came
out of my mouth. Is this thing between you and Tia pretty serious?”

Dylan
smiled, and decided to let Tony in on the secret. “Serious as a bloody
heart-attack, my friend.  Tomorrow, while the girls are shopping, I’m meeting with
someone from Harry Winston. I’m going to ask her to marry me on New Year’s
Eve.”

“No
shit!” he said, standing and pulling Dylan into an embrace. “Congratulations in
advance! Spectacular man, really, although a lot of hearts are going to be
breaking around the world when that announcement comes out!”

“I’ve
never given a damn about the rest of the world Tony, you know that,” he said
with a grin. “But it is big. It’s going to keep us in the spotlight for longer
than I feel comfortable, that’s for sure. But she’s the one, there’s no doubt
about it, and I don’t want to waste any more time not having her be my wife.”

“I’m
thrilled for you, man, I really am. When do you think you’ll do the deed?”

Dylan
laughed. “I haven’t even asked her yet! But, seeing as she’s already agreed to
move in with me, I’m pretty confident that she’ll say yes.” When Tony looked at
him intently, he shrugged and continued. “As soon as possible, I guess. I know
it takes some time to plan these things, but I’m hoping for Spring. Maybe end
of May, if we can get it together. We met on Memorial Day weekend, so it would
already be an anniversary of sorts.”

Tony’s
face skewed for a moment, and his face twisted up in contemplation. “Give me
just a minute in my own head, will you?” he asked, getting up and pacing the
room without waiting for an answer. Dylan watched his facial expressions shift
as if he were in deep thought. He could almost see Tony’s mind working,
especially when he started texting furiously and jotting notes on a little spiral
pad he pulled from the inside pocket of his jacket. Dylan heard the swooshes
and blips of incoming and outgoing texts, and watched with amusement as Tony
mumbled to himself while scribbling figures on the pad. Finally Tony got one
more text and smiled wide as he sat down across from Dylan. When he spoke, his
face was completely serious.

“Dylan,”
he started. “I have a proposition for you. It may sound crazy at first, but
hear me out, OK?”

Dylan
raised an eyebrow. “OK…” he said, his tone cautious. He had no intention of
getting married on live television, or subjecting their wedding day to hoards
of media, if that was what Tony had in mind. 

“It’s
a win-win situation,” he said. “Actually, you can throw about a dozen more wins
into the mix. Of course it’s up to the two of you to decide, and my feelings
won’t be hurt if you don’t accept…”

“Just
spill it, Tony,” Dylan said suspiciously.

“I
was just thinking about what to give you for a wedding present,” he said. “And
I decided; what better gift could I give you than your wedding?” A slow smile
crept over his face.

“I’m
listening,” Dylan replied.

“Welcome
to a special live edition of
After Dark
,” Tony grinned into the camera.
“I’m really glad you could all join me tonight for what promises to be a very
special show, and I want to take a minute to thank our producers for allowing
me to put all the rumors to rest and answer the questions you’ve all been
asking over the past couple days.” He paused, giving the audience a knowing
wink. “Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, I know
you’ve seen the news, or read
Person to Person
magazine, and you know
that my special guest tonight is none other than Dylan Miller; he’s been named,
“Sexiest Man on Earth,” “Rock’s Most Eligible Bachelor,” and is a huge star of
both stage and screen.

“I
won’t waste a lot of time with introductions—you know that he’s been the
subject of a media frenzy involving a bizarre love triangle…” he held up the
Person
to Person
cover and waited a beat for the cameras to zoom in, “…numerous
criminal activities, and a mystery woman who stole his heart and triggered the
alleged jealous rage of Penelope Valentine, Oscar nominated actress and co-star
of his latest film.” He waited for the applause to die down before continuing. 

“Here
to tell his story in person for the first time, and to announce to the world
whether or not he’s found his mystery lady and can fill in this question mark…”
he pointed to the lower left corner of the magazine cover and waited again for
the extreme close up that filled the monitor, “…is my very good friend. Ladies
and gentlemen, Dylan Miller.”

The
impromptu crowd that had filled the studio rose to their feet and cheered, and
would have, regardless of the little electronic sign that signaled them to do
so. Dylan strolled confidently out onto the stage, shook hands and shared a
man-hug with Tony, and took a seat on the couch at Tony’s right after bowing
and waving to the audience.

“It’s
so great to have you here, Dylan,”

“It’s
great to be here; thanks for having me.” He bowed to the audience and Tony had
to pause as the applause erupted again.

“Well,”
Tony started, “I know it’s a bit of an understatement, but it seems you’ve had
yourself a little excitement recently.”

Dylan
smiled. “Understatement indeed…it’s been a bloody roller coaster, if you want
to know the truth.”

Tony
once again held up the issue of
Person to Person
. “This says that the
article is in your words, but you’ve always been kind of media-shy and very
vocal about avoiding anything that’s considered a tabloid. So, did you actually
write this?”

“Yeah,
I did,” Dylan replied. “I pretty much threw it together on the plane on the way
back to The States.”

“You
mean, when you pretty much abandoned your film contract in New Zealand to come
back and find your lost love? Why the tabloids?”

“I
didn’t have much of a choice, really,” Dylan replied. “It was the medium she
used to fabricate a relationship that didn’t exist, and I had to clear that up.
I had to do it fast, too, and they were more than happy to accommodate me.”

“I
bet they were,” Tony smiled wryly. “There’s some pretty powerful stuff in
here.” Tony summarized the story, throwing in all the requisite “allegedlys” in
order to stay in compliance with the law. “So you’re claiming that Penelope
Valentine knowingly sabotaged your relationship by cutting off all your
communication, so she could have you for herself.”

“I
can’t say exactly what her final intentions were,” Dylan said, “but that about
sums it up based on what I do know. I’m sure there’s a lot more to the story
that I don’t even know about yet.”

“So
all the pictures and the stories that appeared in the previous issues of the
tabloids—you’re saying they were doctored to make it look like you were
romantically involved?”

“I
haven’t seen them all, but I can absolutely tell you that she and I were never
on a tropical beach together and that we never did anything that could be
considered a date. There was never anything romantic about our relationship, so
anything portrayed in that way is complete rubbish.” 

They
chatted for the next fifteen minutes or so about the ordeal, or at least about
what Dylan could legally discuss of it. Tia watched nervously from the monitor
in the dressing room, gratefully accepting a cup of ice chips from Jessa and
crunching them between her teeth in an attempt to control her breathing and
keep her mind focused, waiting for the moment they’d rehearsed—the moment when
she would walk out of her normal life and into the limelight. She still found it
hard to believe that she was the mystery woman they were talking about; the
ordinary girl who’d stolen the heart of one of the world’s most eligible
bachelors. In just a few short minutes the whole world would know that Tia
Hastings was more than a mere curiosity. She was a headline.

 “Wow,
it really has been a roller coaster,” Tony said. “So, Penelope’s still in New
Zealand, sitting in a jail cell and waiting for extradition to the US?”

“I
don’t give a bloody rat’s ass where she is,” Dylan spat, “but I hope she’s
still keeping track of the tabloids she loves so much.” He smiled wryly,
thinking that some small justice might be done if Penelope had to endure what
she’d forced Tia to go through—being alone and without any possible contact
with him and being bombarded with pictures of him and Tia pursuing their
happily ever after. He knew that this show was being syndicated all over the
world, and although he’d never considered himself a vengeful person, part of
him hoped she was watching right now.

“What
would you say to her, if you had the chance?” Tony prompted.

“I
have absolutely nothing to say to her,” Dylan said. “Not a single word.”

“Well,
there you have it folks, right from the man himself,” Tony said to the camera.
“We here at
After Dark
will keep you posted on the newest developments
as they become available, and hope that whatever happens, justice will
prevail.” The audience cheered, and Tony again waited for the applause to die
down.

“After
the break, we’ll get to the question everyone is dying to have answered. Did
Dylan find his lost love, did she take him back, and are they still together?
Stay with us—this is sure to be the news that’ll have everyone talking! Be
right back!”

The
light announcing the commercial break came on and Tony sat back in his chair
and took a swig from his coffee mug. One of the assistants ran out to let him
know that Tia was ready, and that she seemed as calm as could be expected given
the circumstances. Dylan breathed a sigh of relief; although the average person
thought it would be incredible to be on television, especially in this
capacity, he and Tia knew all too well that it was much different than most
imagined. He turned to Tony and excused himself, jogging back to the dressing
room and throwing open the door. Tia came directly into his arms.

“How
you doing, baby girl?” he smiled.

She
looked up at him confidently. “I was having a minor cardiac episode, but I’m
better now,” she mumbled, pulling him close. “This helps.”

He
pressed his lips to her forehead, careful not smudge the stage make-up and was
glad to see Jessa give him a thumbs-up when he caught her eye. “I’ll see you in
two minutes, then,” he said. “We’re in this together, OK? You’re going to be
absolutely brilliant, I promise you.”

She
smiled back. “You’re a pretty easy guy to love, you know that Miller?”

“I
love you too,” he whispered as an assistant rushed in to wave him back to the
stage. “Always and forever.”  He blew her a kiss, and whisked through the door.

 “Welcome
back to a very special edition of
After Dark
,” Tony said to the camera.
“My guest tonight, as you well know, is none other than Dylan Miller, and I
don’t think I can wait another minute to ask what’s on everyone’s minds.” The
audience inhaled, and moved to the edges of their seats.

Tony
turned to Dylan. “At the end of the
Person to Person
article, it says
that ‘you have to go and find her—try to make it right.’” He paused for effect,
and could almost feel the anticipation fill the room. Tony leaned in and almost
whispered, “Did you? Did you find her?”

The
audience held their collective breath. Tony did a great job laying the
foundation, leading them up to this question. It was what millions of viewers
had tuned in to see—did love prevail in the end?

Dylan
let his famous smile slide slowly onto his face for the camera. “I left New
Zealand and went to find her straight away,” he said. “And I did. Just a couple
days ago—on Friday.”

The
crowd cheered, their hands clutched in anticipation.

“And?”
Tony prodded.

Dylan
looked down shyly and his smile told the story before his voice did. “Well…I’m
very glad to say that there is a happy ending in all of this mess, Tony. Turns
out she never stopped loving me either.”