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four months, and had really reconnected with
her old friends. Dylan had made a great impression on them—not just because he
bought a round of Paddy’s favorite whiskey for the house, but because they all
knew how Tia had suffered after Nick’s death and they were genuinely happy to
see her smile again. They credited Dylan with that and they were completely
right; but they still had no idea that the two of them had just met earlier
that night.
                “I really look
forward to seeing Sean again,” Dylan said. “All of them, actually.  They are
your true friends, you know, and they’ll be the ones you turn to time and time
again. I hope they’ll be my friends, too.”
                “I do know,
believe me. And I think they’ll be pretty cool about it. As cool as anyone can
be, I guess. It’s going to be quite a surprise no matter what—I think we’ll
need to be prepared for a little shock and awe.”
                “Yeah, I’m
pretty sure it’ll be a bit of a stunner,” he said smirking, “but that’s another
reason why it’s good to hit places with a bunch of people. It’ll be “shock and
awe,” as you so eloquently put it, for the first bit, and then things will calm
down. It beats doing it over and over, believe me.”
                “It’s weird to
think that after tomorrow, my life will never be the same.” 
                “No, Tia, not
the same. But what fun is a life that just stays the same?  It’ll be a whole
new adventure that we’ll embark on together.” He paused for a moment, a
melancholy look casting a shadow over his eyes.  With everything in his life
there was a give and take; a sacrifice to be made. He was torn between wanting
to shield her from the changes his celebrity would bring to her life and being
incredibly grateful that that same celebrity would make sure she never wanted
for anything.
                “So,” he said,
changing the subject. “Any other places we need to hit? Do you belong to any
clubs, or groups, or church or anything?”
                Tia shook her
head. “No, that’s pretty much it. I’ll text Lilly and have her invite my work
friends to Paddy’s so we can do that all in one shot.  I have a pretty
pathetic life, huh?”
                “Not at all.
And even if you did, I’m making it my personal mission to make sure you have
only the best from this point on.”
                “I’ve got you ,
Dylan. It’s already the best.”  He wrapped her up in his arms and held her
tight.
                “Well, that’ll
make for a pretty crazy day, I think; and after that, a bloody typhoon. It’ll
be much quieter when we get to Australia—we’ll need do an appearance or two,
but we’ll be able to enjoy the holidays in relative peace.”
                “How long
before the typhoon moves off to calmer waters?” Tia asked, almost afraid to
hear the answer.
                “We’ll just
have to take it day by day.”
                Tia stopped
and looked around her little bedroom while another thought gained clarity in
her mind. She turned to Dylan. “I’m not coming back here, am I?”
                Dylan bowed
his head and looked at the ground, unwilling to meet her eyes as he delivered
the news. “No,” he said, “not to live on your own, Tia, I’m sorry. Once your
identity is public knowledge, this house won’t be safe enough for my comfort
level, and I won’t compromise when it comes to your safety. I’ll have Jessa
look into some apartments in the city while we’re on holiday.”
                  Way to go ,
he thought as he watched Tia’s face. She continued packing, but her eyes darted
around the room, taking in the familiar scenes that would no longer be part of
her life. So far he’d told her that she’d likely never return to her job, that
she’d have to be very careful