Chapter 29

Corey walked out of the rink after practice. They were up in the series against San Jose 2-0 and game three was tomorrow night. They were in a good position to win the series and he was sure they were going to. Because he was sure, he was in a good mood. That meant he wanted to go straight to Amelia’s and see her.

“Corey! Turn this way!” someone yelled. He turned around with a smile, thinking it was a fan. He was wrong. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the photographers following him to his car, snapping away.

“How are things with Amelia?” another asked. Rage shot through him as he turned away from them and continued on to his car. She wasn’t there and they knew it. They were here for him.

“Do you two have any plans today?” a third called after him. That was it.

“Why can’t you people just leave me alone?!” he yelled as he spun around on them. He watched them all grin and continue to take pictures. He immediately recognized his mistake. Without another word he got into his car and drove away.

As he drove he couldn’t clear his mind of everything in the recent past. Those fucking paparazzi assholes were everywhere. At first it had just started when he was out with Amelia. But now they were around taking pictures of just him. He hadn’t signed up for that. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

He stopped someplace for lunch, hoping it would calm him down, but it didn’t. It only made him angrier. Was he ever going to be able to go anywhere with Amelia again without being stalked? He was sitting outside and he knew. They’d never be able to sit outside anywhere without having their picture taken.

He didn’t need this. It was the fucking playoffs and he had other things he had to worry about. This was not something he should have to put up with. And it was all Amelia’s fault. She’d done this. She was the reason this was happening.

He left money on the table without finishing lunch or waiting for the bill. He needed to go to Amelia’s and it had to be now. They had plenty to talk about. He got into his car and drove to her house, anger pulsating through him. The closer he got, the angrier he got. He pulled into her driveway and walked right into her house. She came around the corner from the kitchen and smiled when she saw him.

“We need to talk,” he said firmly. Her smile faded and she looked concerned.

“Corey, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“This isn’t working.”










I felt my stomach turn. What wasn’t working? What was Corey talking about? Everything had been going really well with us. There were no fights and it felt like normal. We felt like us. I was blindsided and I had no idea where he was coming from.

“What isn’t working?” I questioned, noticing a tremble in my voice.

“This. Us. Everything.” He started pacing and I could see him clenching and unclenching his jaw. He was pissed, but I didn’t know what I did.

“That’s a little vague. I have no idea where this is coming from.” I could feel tears starting to build as I began to panic. He continued to pace, but didn’t say anything. “Corey! Tell me what I did! What did I do?”

“It’s playoffs Amelia. It’s fucking playoffs!” he yelled, balling his hands into fists.

“I don’t understand! Please just tell me,” I begged, tears now streaming down my face.

“They’re always around. Those fucking scumbags are always taking pictures,” he replied. I suddenly understood.

“Corey, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about that. What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“I just can’t do it, Meels. I can’t live my life like that. I thought I could. I tried, but I can’t. I’m in the middle of playoffs. I shouldn’t have to deal with them when I have other things to worry about,” he told me.

“I know. God, do I know. I don’t like them either. I wish they’d all just go away and leave everyone alone, but they don’t. It’s part of the deal.” He shook his head.

“I didn’t sign up for it,” he spat at me.

“Yes, you did,” I said quietly. I could feel myself starting to get angry too.

“What?”

“Yes, you did! What did you think, Corey? Did you think we’d start dating and they’d leave you alone? That’s not how it works!” I yelled at him.

“Then make it stop!” I just shook my head at him. What the hell was his problem?

“I can’t! There’s no way to make them stop!” I argued.

“Yes, you can. You can quit. You can quit acting and they’ll go away.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He couldn’t be serious. I tried to tell myself he wasn’t, but I took one look at him and knew. He meant every word that he said. It was why I’d left him the way I had years ago. I was afraid he wouldn’t like it and he’d ask me to give up my dream. Now he really was.

“I’m not quitting. It’s what I love to do. It’s my life!” I told him.

“Then you can live your life without me.” He turned and walked towards the door. “I thought you loved me.” With those last words he closed the door and walked out of my life.

I wanted to go after him. I wanted to chase him down and tell him that I did love him, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. There was no way I was going to give up acting just because he didn’t like having his picture taken. What I wanted mattered too.

Instead of chasing after him I collapsed onto my couch and cried. I kept thinking he’d cool down and come back. He’d at least call. When I woke up still on the couch without any word from Corey, I knew that he’d meant it. If I wasn’t going to quit acting he wasn’t going to be in my life.

I felt sick and the tears came again. I’d cried all of the previous night, but apparently I wasn’t done. I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay there. Without thinking about it I picked up my phone and called my sister.

“Hey, Meels,” she greeted cheerfully.

“Can you get off work?” I asked.

“Yeah, why? What’s wrong?” she asked in concern.

“Corey left. I need to get out of here. How does Hawaii sound?”

When I hung up with Ticia I called Brianna. She came over immediately and I told her what happened. After going off on him for 15 minutes she made the necessary phone calls to book Ticia and I a place to stay and our flights. Before she left for the game that night she promised me that no matter what, she wouldn’t tell Corey where I was. Not that I thought he’d even care.

The next morning I walked into the airport and met Ticia as she got off her first flight. We didn’t talk much after boarding the plane. I wasn’t in the mood to talk and I knew that she could sense that. When we landed we took a car to the resort and she checked us in. When we were settled into the room I crawled into bed, pulling the comforter over my head, and fell asleep.

I awoke to the smell of food and made my way out into the main living area of the suite. Ticia was sitting on the couch munching on a carrot and watching TV. She smiled up at me as I sat down next to her and filled a plate with some of the food she’d gotten.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said to her between bites.

“I wasn’t going to ask,” she replied. I nodded and continued to eat. “Should we make plans for tomorrow or do you just want to hang out?”

“Let’s just hang out. I’m not up for activities right now.” She smiled sadly at me and nodded in understanding.

We ordered movies all night and had drinks sent up. I’d only intended on having one or two, but by the end of the third movie I realized that I was drunk. At that point I simply didn’t care and continued to drink. Ticia tried to warn me off of it, but I didn’t listen. As I leaned over the toilet an hour later I knew that I should have.

When she finally managed to get me into bed I began to internally yell at myself. How could I let Corey do that to me? I didn’t drink to the point of getting sick. Ever. The crying came then. Ticia simply held me as I cried and cried before finally falling asleep from exhaustion.

Chapter 28

Brianna and I stepped off the plane in San Jose. We found our driver and headed to the hotel that would be home for the next couple of days. The Ducks were playing the Sharks in the first round of playoffs, and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything. The boys were taking their pre-game naps when we got in, so we both decided to do the same.

“Here yet?” a text on my phone from Corey said a little while later.

“We are. Good luck tonight. I love you,” I responded.

“I left the tickets at the front desk. Love you too.”

I smiled and put my phone away. Brianna and I took showers and began to get ready for the game not long after. Room service brought up dinner in the process and we paused to eat. I took one last look at myself in the full length mirror before we left the hotel room.

“What are you worried about? It’s a hockey game,” Brianna commented from the door.

“I know, I know. I’m coming,” I said as I grabbed my purse and followed her out the door.

We picked up our tickets at the desk and took a car to the rink. Brianna had called ahead of time so we were allowed to go in a door in the back to avoid most of the fans. A few still noticed me, but I didn’t mind stopping to pose for a few pictures and sign a few autographs. We took a service elevator up to the level our seats were on and then made our way to them.

“Hey guys!” Colleen, Drew Miller’s wife called out. I smiled and waved as we made our way down the row and sat down next to her. The rest of the girls were there as well since San Jose wasn’t all that far from Anaheim. We all chatted for a bit until the game started.

The first period was definitely a bit tense. I’d forgotten how intense playoff hockey could be, and my only experience with it was in juniors. This was just a completely different level. The game was tight and looked like it could go either way as the first began to wind down.

“Excuse me, Miss Larson?” I heard a female voice say. I turned to see a woman who looked like she came straight from an office squatting on the stairs at the end of our row. I knew immediately she wasn’t a fan asking for an autograph.

“Yes?” I asked cautiously.

“Hi, my name is Jaymee Sire and I’m a reporter for the Sharks. I was wondering if it would be at all possible to do a short interview with you on the air during the second period,” she explained. I looked over at Brianna who just shrugged.

“What kind of interview?” I questioned.

“Well, we just wanted to ask a few general questions, like how you’re liking the experience of your first playoff game, and if you’re the nervous or carefree kind of girlfriend. Nothing too personal.” I thought about it for a minute and decided that no harm could come from it.

“Sure, not a problem,” I told her with a smile.

“Thank you! We’ll come down at about the 15 minute mark of the second to set up and I’ll give you a heads up on the questions. Then we’ll do the interview at the first TV timeout if that sounds okay.”

“Sounds good,” I told her. She smiled and left. Just as she said, they were back at the 15 minute mark and she told me how everything was going to work. When the timeout started, the interview began.

“Thanks guys. We’re here with Amelia Larson who is here watching boyfriend Corey Perry play in the opening game of the Sharks/Anaheim playoff series. Amelia, how are you enjoying the game so far?” she asked.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking. I haven’t been to a playoff game since Corey was in juniors so this is my first experience with the NHL playoffs. Honestly, it’s been great. The fans here are insane and it’s such a great atmosphere. It’s hard to not enjoy yourself,” I responded.

“How does it feel to watch the game? Do you get nervous at all?”

“I definitely get nervous. I’m a hand grabber, so I feel bad for anyone sitting next to me during a game. I’ve actually had people tell me I make them more nervous during games just because they see how anxious I am,” I told her with a laugh.

“Any predictions on the game or the series?” Jaymee asked.

“Oh, I don’t do predictions. I’m never right. If the series is anything like the way these first two periods have gone, it’d be tough for anyone to predict a winner. All I know is that each game looks like it’ll be intense and exciting.”

“Thanks, Amelia for your time. We’ll let you get back to watching the game. Back to you guys,” Jaymee finished. She turned towards me when the camera went off. “Thanks again for doing that. We really appreciate it.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all. Thanks, Jaymee.” She smiled and the crew made their way out of the section.

The second period ended just like the first had, with no goals. We all had been sipping on wine throughout the game and I couldn’t yet decide if that was adding to or taking away from the nerves we were feeling. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long into the third to feel a little relief. Scott Niedermayer scored on the power play putting the Ducks up 1-0.

I shook my head a few minutes later when Corey took a dumb slashing penalty. We all held our breaths through the penalty kill, only releasing them when the Ducks successfully killed it off. Brianna jumped up with a yell when Ryan scored with less than three minutes left in the game. We all cheered the rest of the game when the Sharks took a penalty just after giving the Ducks the power play for the rest of the game.

After waiting for the crowd to clear out a bit we got together in a group and headed downstairs to the designated area to wait for the guys. We talked excitedly about the game, even though we all knew it was only game one of a best of seven series. It was a good start, and that was all we cared about. We shared hugs with the guys as they started to file out of the locker room. Ryan and Corey walked out together and Brianna and I jumped into their arms in unison.










“Hey, Babe,” Corey whispered into Amelia’s ear when she threw her arms around him after the game.

“Nice game,” she told him after a quick kiss.

“It would have been better without the penalty,” he said irritably. She just smiled up at him and nuzzled into his neck before pulling away.

“It would only matter if they scored because of it,” she said. He smiled down at her as he grabbed for her hand. The four of them walked to the bus where they had to separate for the time.

“I’ll see you at the hotel,” he told her.

“Sounds good.” She stretched up to give him another kiss before following Brianna away from the bus. They waited for the rest of the guys to get on board before heading back. He knew that Amelia had definitely beaten him there and planned on going to his room first to change and then heading to the room she and Brianna were sharing.

“Corey! Can I get a quick picture?” someone called to him as he walked into the hotel.

He turned, expecting to see a superfan in a Ducks jersey standing there. Instead he saw a guy with an expensive looking camera. He recognized what he was immediately. What the fuck did the paparazzi want with him? Amelia wasn’t anywhere in sight. He chose to ignore the guy and continue to make his way to the elevators.

“It’s team policy that you room only with teammates while on the road, right? Since Amelia’s here will you be trying to break the rule and stay with her?” another voice asked.

He spun around in annoyance to see another guy holding up a camera. He hadn’t noticed the small group of them when he’d first glanced over. Now he could see half a dozen pointing and clicking away in his direction. He was already angry at himself over the penalty in the third that he shouldn’t have taken, and dealing with this was only aggravating him more.

“Will she be around for game 2?” a third asked. He opened his mouth to tell the guys off when Getzy cut in.

“Perrs, the elevators here!” he called. Corey shot one more look at the men before turning to head upstairs.

“I fucking hate dealing with them!” he spat out once the doors closed.

“You can’t worry about it. Just ignore them,” Getzy told him.

“I’m not seeing what the problem is,” Bobby tossed out.

“Right, because invasion of privacy is so much fun,” Corey argued. Bobby just shrugged.

“Want me to kick their asses?” Parros asked. Corey smiled.

“Someday I might take you up on that,” Corey said.

They got off the elevator at their floor and Corey walked into the room, changing out of his suit immediately. He let Amelia know that he was on his way before he and Ryan headed to her room together. When they walked in they saw room service food.

“Dig in,” Brianna said with a mouthful of pizza. Corey grabbed a piece from Amelia.

“Hey! Eat the pizza with that cheese shit on it. This one’s special!” she protested. He just smiled and took a large bite of the piece he picked up. She rolled her eyes but let him go.

They finished eating and then settled in to hang out for a bit and watch TV. Corey didn’t tell Amelia about the incident downstairs. He figured they were only here to get shots of her and had just seen him walking through the doors before they left. It didn’t make him any less pissed off, but there was no reason to get into it with Amelia.

A little bit later he kissed Amelia goodnight as he and Ryan headed out. He was tired from the game and they had practice in the morning. As he got into bed he thought again about earlier. It wasn’t just annoying, it was rude. He wasn’t sure that he could continue to handle things like that during playoffs.

Chapter 27

“I look really good in pink,” I said to Brianna as I pulled a pink bridesmaids dress off of a rack to check it out.

“You also look really good in purple,” she replied. I rolled my eyes but smiled at her.

“Whatever you say, Mrs. Getzlaf.”

We continued looking at dresses and then through catalogs that contained even more options. She narrowed down her choices, but it was our third trip to a bridal store and she hadn’t even come close to picking what dresses she wanted the bridesmaids to wear. She also hadn’t tried on a single wedding dress.

“Is it time yet?” I asked as we made our way towards the front of the store. She stopped and sighed.

“I guess I have to do it sometime,” she groaned. Brianna had told me she had a serious fear of picking out a dress that just wasn’t right for her.

“So I’ve been thinking about the bridal shower and bachelorette party a little more,” I commented to her as we rooted through dresses. She had asked me to be the maid of honor and I accepted gladly.

“Lia, the wedding isn’t for another year. Taking things slow is kind of the point,” she shot over at me.

“Then why are we looking at dresses right now?” I shot back. She stuck her tongue out at me and continued to look. “Anyway, I was thinking about it when something hit me. You totally only asked me to be maid of honor to use my celebrity to get into all the nice places.”

“Would you shut up?” she said with a laugh. I pulled a hideous dress off of the rack and turned it for her to see.

“I think you need to try this on,” I told her, waving my hand at it like a game show girl.

“It’s horrible,” she replied, making a face.

“Exactly.” She laughed and took the dress out of my hands. She gave it another look before putting it on the rack.

When we had a couple of dresses pulled for her to try on, Brianna made her way into the dressing rooms. I sat in a chair, camera in hand, waiting for her to come out. Her mother couldn’t make it in to LA for a while so I agreed to take pictures of Brianna in any dresses to send to her.

“What do you think?” Brianna asked, walking out in the first dress.

The minute I saw her I felt my heart drop and tears fill my eyes. Suddenly, I wasn’t seeing Brianna, I was seeing myself. If I hadn’t left Corey I would be married by now. I would have done this already. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d wanted to marry him until this moment. Now all I felt was regret for leaving.

“Jesus, Amelia, what’s wrong?” Brianna asked rushing over to me. I pulled back from her.

“I’m sorry, I’m crying. My makeup. You can’t get anything on the dress,” I explained as I wiped tears off of my cheeks. I avoided answering her question as I stood up. She just looked at me with concern and confusion in her eyes.

“Is it that bad?” she asked looking down at herself.

“No, it’s beautiful. I just need some air.”

I turned and walked away from Brianna and out of the store. I leaned back against the building trying to fight the tears. It was no use since they fell anyway. Like a lot of little girls, I’d always dreamt of what my wedding would be like. I had an image of the dress, the ceremony, and the reception in my mind. It had always made me smile.

Now all I felt was pain. It was pain stemming from the fact that I could have had my dream day already. Instead I was trying to date the man I knew I wanted to spend my life with in the public eye, which just made things so much worse. It had been just over another month since Corey and I had gotten back together, and it was now public knowledge that we were dating.

I thought again of the ring he’d shown me that should be on my finger right now next to a wedding band. I thought about the dress I should have already worn and the flowers I should have already picked out. I thought about how my name should read Amelia Perry instead of Amelia Larson in the credits for the movies I’d done.

“Amelia, are you okay?” Brianna asked rushing out the door in her regular clothes. I wiped away the last of the tears and nodded, attempting to smile.

“I’m fine. It’s just some past stuff, that’s all. It’s over,” I told her.

“I didn’t even think. I’m so sorry. I should have remembered.” I could see from the look on her face that she understood what I was talking about.

“No, don’t worry about it. I think maybe I’m done looking at wedding stuff for today, but I’ll be fine, really,” I assured her. She put her arm around me and led me to her car.

“We need to get home anyway. We have a double date to get ready for,” she reminded me. I smiled when I remembered that we were meeting Corey and Ryan for dinner tonight. As upset as I was I knew that seeing him would make me feel better.










Corey threw out a string of curses as he stormed through his house searching for his wallet. Where the hell had he put it? He tore open drawers and pulled cushions off of furniture. He saw Ryan standing in the foyer tapping his foot impatiently. He knew they were running late because of this.

He moved into his room and pulled the pillows off the bed and the sheets back. No wallet. He cursed again as he moved to the dresser. He started to pull open drawers and dig through clothes. He finally hit something solid and smiled in relief. He pulled the object out and was about to shove it in his pocket when he realized it wasn’t his wallet.

He looked down at the box holding the engagement ring for Amelia. He had forgotten about the ring in the last month or so. When he and Amelia had gotten together he shoved it in the back of the drawer he hardly used so he wouldn’t see or think of it. He wanted a new beginning for them and didn’t want to think about their past.

He opened the box and looked at the ring again. It would look amazing on her he decided. Maybe he was just being stupid about the new beginning. Everything with them was the way it had been before. All feelings had come back immediately and he hadn’t really ever been happier. They were both living their dreams and were doing it together.

Maybe it was time to give this ring to her.

“I found it!” Ryan called to him. Corey snapped the box closed and shoved it back into the drawer before making his way to Ryan.

“Where did you find it?” he asked.

“The pocket of a pair of jeans in your laundry,” Ryan replied with an eye roll. How the hell had he not though of that? They made their way out to Corey’s car and drove to the restaurant.

“About time,” Brianna joked when they finally got to the table. He noticed Amelia and Brianna already had half empty wine glasses in front of them and cringed.

“I couldn’t find my wallet,” he apologized.

“Sounds about right,” Amelia replied. He shot her a look and she grinned at him. He leaned over and kissed her.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered. Her grin grew.

“Thank you. You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

“So, I don’t think I ever heard the story on how you two met,” Ryan said a bit later while looking at Amelia and Brianna. Corey hadn’t either.

“She took the poor stray in,” Amelia responded. Corey felt his stomach turn. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to hearing about the time when Amelia had left him.

“The poor girl was here alone with no job or friends. I felt bad for her,” Brianna continued.

“I saw an ad in the paper saying a girl was looking for a roommate. I went, we hit it off immediately and Brianna chose me. We’ve been inseparable ever since,” Amelia finished.

“I told her when she got famous some day she couldn’t forget me. And she didn’t. She put me to work.” Everyone laughed at that comment.

When dinner was over they split up. Ryan went with Brianna to her car while Amelia followed him to his. He reached for her hand and smiled when he felt her take hold. Hand holding may seem a bit juvenile, but he’d take any chance to touch Amelia. He looked over at her and smiled. She smiled back before stretching up to kiss him.

“Amelia! Corey! Over here!” they heard as a light flashed. He’d never get used to this.

“Hi!” Amelia called with a wave as more flashes went off.

He didn’t know how she could be nice to these parasites. He continued to walk next to her as she responded to questions with a smile on her face. He tried his hardest not to look annoyed but knew it was going to show. It always did. He found himself grateful that playoffs were starting in two days. He and Amelia wouldn’t be going out as much which meant he didn’t have to deal with paparazzi for a while. He couldn’t wait.