Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) by Layla Hagen (comprehension books .txt) 📕

us off at the venue on the Upper East Side, and my nerves were absolutely shot. There was a red carpet from the point where the cars stopped all the way to the entrance. It was flanked by a huge crowd on either side. As far as I could tell, there were reporters on one side and fans on the others; the reporters had those huge flashy cameras up while the fans were holding phones.

This is happening.

As if sensing my apprehension, Brayden squeezed my arm.

“I love you, beautiful. Are you ready?”

My shoulders relaxed a little at his words. I nodded.

Brayden pushed the door open. The crowd was already calling his name. Holy shit!

He got out first, taking my hand and helping me out as well. The crowd went absolutely berserk. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Brayden squeezed my hand, smiling widely, which in turn made me smile. I leaned into him, suddenly feeling shy. Dozens of flashes went off at once.

Security guards were stationed every few feet along the red carpet, and a bunch more plus New York’s finest were around the entrance. One of them opened the door for us.

Inside, my ears needed a few seconds to process the shift in volume. The band was already here, posing for the few reporters who had VIP access and were allowed inside.

The entrance area was elegant, with huge flower vases at the corners. Were those hydrangeas? The double doors leading to the main room where the party was taking place were closed. The band was on a small elevated island with a white backdrop. Sasha was at the foot of the island, behind the photographers. Her hair was styled in a braid, and it contrasted beautifully with her glam golden dress and strappy black heels. Next to her was Cami, Thomas’s wife. Brayden had mentioned to me that I could talk to her about how to manage all of this, but we hadn’t done that yet.

She looked fabulous too in a dark green dress that brushed the floor. Her black hair was held on one side by a clam hair accessory with a huge white orchid.

Sasha hurried to us. “GQ is taking pictures right now. Everyone’s been asking for you, Brayden. First, take pics with the band, then some exclusively with Isabelle.”

Brayden nodded, squeezing my hand before joining the guys.

“Are you nervous?” Sasha asked as Cami also joined us.

“Oh yeah.”

Sasha gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s not easy, but I promise the press’s attention will fade eventually. Cami can tell you all about that.”

Cami nodded. “She’s right. They were all over me when I first started dating him. It was very annoying, and difficult. But after a while, they stopped paying attention to me. Tonight they snapped a few pictures of us, but we’re not news anymore. You are.”

“The label went all out with this party, huh?” I asked.

Sasha beamed. “Oh yeah. Sales are definitely up now to where they want it. Hard to tell if it’s just because the guys communicate with fans more, but either way, the label executives are pleased.”

I laughed nervously, looking around. There were several reporters holding cameras in the lobby. They all had name tags, but they were too far away for me to be able to read them.

After the photographers were done with the band, Brayden came to me. Sasha and Cami wished me good luck before heading inside the main hall. Brayden put an arm around my waist, whispering in my ear, “Show them what you’ve got, sassy girl.”

I laughed, feeling my shoulders relax again. The next few minutes were a blur as the reporters threw question after question at Brayden.

“How long have you been dating?”

“Is it true that she’s met your parents?”

“Are we going to cover your wedding soon?”

My mind was spinning, but Brayden was very efficient and laid-back. I noticed he only answered the questions he wanted. Sometimes reporters repeated the questions he ignored, but he just kept ignoring them.

“Okay, guys, that’s it. You will get no further comments from us tonight,” Brayden said after what felt like hours. It had probably only been a few minutes though.

He guided me toward the party room. Behind us, there was a lot of commotion as more guests came in.

The party room was not what I imagined it to be. For some reason I’d expected tables and chairs, similar to a wedding or gala setting. But instead, there were brown leather armchairs and couches around the room, with small round tables at the sides or in front of them. There were buckets with Dom Perignon bottles in them on almost every table, as well as glasses. The room was rather dark, courtesy of the dim lighting. The ceiling was peppered with spotlights that cast a moody but romantic glow over the room. They looked a bit like stars.

“The reporters aren’t going to come in here,” he said.

“How come?”

“Everyone is more relaxed knowing the party is private. During the first few launch parties, we had photographers and reporters inside, and it made no difference in how much coverage we got. It annoyed everyone. How are you feeling?”

“Like all of this isn’t quite real,” I admitted.

He brought his mouth to my ear. “How about I make it real?”

“Oh, how would you do that? From your voice, I’m guessing something naughty.”

“Very.” He trailed his fingers on my bare back seductively.

“Brayden!” I admonished.

“What? I aim to please. See those corners? There are dark corridors behind them. The things I’d do to you there... You’d love them. Beg for more.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. In fact, my whole face felt on fire. But I loved his flirty comments. They had the unexpected effect of calming my nerves, and I suspected he’d realized that, which was why he was even more shameless than usual.

I elbowed him lightly, still blushing. “Hey! Remember the lipstick incident? Don’t make me lose my head.”

“But that’s exactly