All That Matters

by E. L. Todd

  “So proud of you.” Trinity snuggled into my side and kissed me on the cheek.

  ‘Thanks, baby.” I patted her thigh.

  “You were great,” Dad said. “Your fingerwork was clean.” Whenever musicians used an electric guitar every mistake was amplified. On an acoustic, it drowned out with the sound of the chords.

  “I think having you guys there made it easier.”

  Trinity hooked her arm through mine and pressed her body against me. She wasn’t usually this affectionate around other people, especially our family, but I really liked it.

  The door to the lounge opened and Sean walked inside. Close behind him was Mike. Both of them were wearing their designer suits and looking formidable, like usual.

  “What are you guys doing here?” I blurted.

  Sean greeted Dad. “If they hand over a contract we want to make sure there’s nothing in the fine print.”

  “We’re used to this sort of thing.” Mike sat beside Trinity. “Hey, sweetheart.”

  “Hey, Dad.” She turned away from me and hugged him.

  I didn’t like not being the center of her world, even for a minute. In a sick way, I was jealous of the affection she gave her own father. She was mine now.

  Sean patted me on the shoulder before he sat down. “How’d it go?”

  “Good,” Dad said. “They loved him.”

  “They didn’t say that,” I argued.

  Dad ignored me, his eyes on Sean. “Believe me, they loved him. A contract is coming.”

  “Just because you think I’m good doesn’t mean they will,” I said.

  “Don wouldn’t have called you down here and wasted his colleagues’ time if he wasn’t certain,” Dad countered.

  “I knew this day would come eventually,” Sean said. “I’m just surprised it didn’t come sooner.”

  “Me too,” Dad said. “My son is going to be a rock star.”

  “Too bad we’re married,” Sean said. “Slade could have really hooked us up.” He winked at me.

  Their unwavering belief was giving me a confidence boost. I felt a little more relaxed when everyone around me thought I was worth something. For most of my life I was just the jerk-off. But now I felt like one of the cool kids.

  Trinity came back to me and showered me with her undivided attention. “Your son or daughter is going to be so proud of you.”

  “Son,” I blurted.

  “Either way,” she said. “They are going to look up to you.”

  “I hope so. But they’ll definitely look up to you more.” My fingers wrapped around hers.

  She gave me that look of undying affection, and I loved it.

  The door to the conference room opened and Don stepped out. “Slade, we’re ready for you.”

  Moment of truth. “Alright.” All of us rose from the seating area and filed inside the room. Trinity was beside me the whole time, but once we were in the conference room she didn’t touch me. We took our seats across the table from them, me in the middle. Sean and Mike sat at the end, fitting right into place.

  “Sean Preston,” Sean said. “Hope you don’t mind my brother and I sitting in.”

  “Of course, not,” Don said. “I know exactly who you are. And it’s nice to meet you as well, Mike.”

  Mike gave a gentle nod.

  Don cleared his throat then picked up a stack of papers that were on the desk. “Like I suspected, everyone loved you.”

  My heart kicked into overdrive but I kept an indifferent façade.

  “They think you have the talent, the voice, and the looks. Plus, you have the right background. On behalf of Capital Records, we would love to make you a new addition to our family.”

  “Seriously?” I blurted. “That’s so sick.”

  Dad patted me on the shoulder. “Told you, kid.”

  Trinity, my greatest supporter, beamed at me.

  “It shouldn’t be surprising,” Don said. “You’ve got a knack for this sort of thing. I’m just lucky I found you before somebody else did.”

  “Wow…I can’t believe it.”

  “Well, you better start.” He pushed the papers across the table toward me. “This is the contract. You’ll find everything we already discussed in there. However, the salary has been changed—in a good way.”

  “For real?” They already offered me a lot of money, but now they wanted more?

  “However, I do want at least two albums for you. Those are the two changes you’ll find.”

  “Can Mike and I have a copy of that?” Sean asked.

  “Sure.” Don handed them over.

  Sean and Mike put their heads together and started looking through it.

  “Can I come back later and submit this?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Don said. “But don’t take too long. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” He rose to his feet then shook my hand. “I look forward to a fruitful and promising relationship, Slade.”

  “Me too, Don.” I gave him a firm grip.

  He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

  Once we were alone, Trinity jumped up. “My husband is going to be a rock star!”

  “I knew they would sign you, Son.” Dad hugged me hard. “I told you so.”

  “Everything is looking good,” Mike said.

  “I don’t see anything unusual either,” Sean said.

  Could this really be happening?

  Was my greatest dream coming true?

  Was I really getting everything I ever wanted?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Trinity

  I just got off the phone with my shipping distributor when Denise spoke to me through my intercom. “Trinity?”

  “What’s up?”

  “Mr. Shot is here to see you.”

  My heart stopped beating and my palms immediately felt cold. He was here? Just outside my door? We didn’t arrange any kind of meeting. Why didn’t he just call instead? “Did he say what he wanted?”

  “No. Should I send him in?”

  Uh…

  “Trinity?”

  I couldn’t keep one of the biggest designers in the business outside my office door. That was career suicide. “Yeah, send him in.”

  “Okay.”

  I remained behind my desk and tried to keep calm. He was probably here for a professional reason. Maybe he came by to speak to one of my photographers or models. Who knows?

  Maximum opened the door and casually walked inside, acting like he owned the room without actually doing anything. He wore a designer suit, like always, and his dark eyes looked even blacker in the clothes. His slightly untamed hair was combed back, but nothing could keep those strands in control. If I hadn’t fallen in love with Slade I would probably be into him. “You have a lovely office.” He scanned the paintings on my walls and the yellow couch that faced my desk.

  “Thank you.” I remembered my manners and stood up. Whenever I was uncomfortable I pretended everything was perfectly normal. The adrenaline kicked in and I somehow had the ability to walk around the desk and extend my hand to shake his.

  He eyed it but didn’t take it. “And the view is the best part.”

  I slowly lowered my hand and tried not to feel rejected. “Yes. It can be a bit distracting sometimes.”

  He walked up to the glass and looked at the city beyond, his hands in his pockets.

  Okay…this was weird. Why were artists so difficult to be around?

  “Have you lived here your entire life?”

  “Except when I went away to college.”

  He nodded.

  “Do you miss Italy?”

  “I go often. I hate it in the wintertime so I prefer being here.”

  I released a chuckle. “What could be worse than a New York winter?” The snow piled on the streets, and the storms were sometimes the worst in the country. Thankfully, our skyscrapers stood tall no matter what.

  “It’s impossible to get anywhere over there, with the cobbled streets and small cars…” His eyes were glue
d out the window. “You should come for a visit sometime. It’s beautiful. In the spring or summer, of course.” He slowly turned around and faced me head-on.

  I grew more uncomfortable by his stare because I wasn’t sure what his invitation meant. Was it just friendly banter? Or something else entirely? “What can I do for you, Maximum?”

  Hands still in his pockets he came closer to me. “I wanted to see if you were free for lunch.”

  It wasn’t professional to just stop by and expect to have lunch. The only people who did that were my closest friends and Slade. “I have lunch plans with my husband.”

  He nodded slowly. “I see. Bad timing.”

  “But if you wanted to discuss the clothing line we can arrange something. I’ll gather a few of my models and we can have a conference meeting later this week. I have a few ideas and I think my models can display it better than any sketch I could possibly make.”

  “Or you can come to my place for dinner this evening. I prefer intimate conversations.”

  My instinct kept telling me this wasn’t friendly. There was a warning in my heart, and I was constantly on edge around him because I didn’t trust a single thing about him. “I prefer working during the day. My evenings are reserved for my family.” How else could I make it clear without flat-out insulting him?

  If he felt rejected he hid it well. “Then come to my office tomorrow at one. We can discuss the specifics then.”

  Now that was something I could get on board with. “Sounds good.”

  The door opened and Slade walked inside, ready to have lunch. “Hey, baby.” He stopped when he spotted Maximum. “Sorry, I can wait outside.” He turned back around.

  “No!” I said it with way too much enthusiasm for it to be considered normal.

  Slade turned back around with his eyebrow raised.

  Maximum stared at my face even harder.

  “We were just finishing up.” I kept my voice calm to make up for my earlier outburst.

  Slade came to my side and extended his hand to Maximum. “I’m Slade. Nice to meet you.” He used to be immediately threatened by any handsome man who spoke to me, but now it didn’t seem to bother him. It was ironic.

  “The pleasure is mine.” Maximum shook his hand before he returned it to his side.

  I immediately hooked my arm through Slade’s and snuggled close into his side. Affection in the workplace didn’t happen but I was making an exception. I wanted it to be abundantly clear that Slade was my husband and I was happily married. “Ready for lunch?”

  “You know me,” he said. “I’m always hungry.” He grinned from ear-to-ear because he loved the fact I was being so overtly affectionate with him. Anytime I did it he was practically giddy.

  “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Maximum.”

  He nodded and gave Slade a final look. “Until we meet again.” He slowly walked out of my office with perfect posture. He was as tall as Slade and much more formidable. Once he was gone I relaxed.

  Slade turned his body into mine and kissed my neck. “Showing me off?”

  “Yeah…something like that.”

  “Well, let’s hope that guy isn’t gay. Otherwise, you just made him very jealous.”

  Jealous, maybe. But not of me.

  Slade kept kissing me and guided me to the desk. “How about a quickie before lunch?”

  I was against sex in my office. It was unprofessional, and if someone walked in it would be humiliating. But right now I wanted Slade all over me. I wanted him to wash away the taint Maximum brought with him. When Slade was inside me all I could think about was him and the baby we made together. Nothing could ruin that. Nothing could ruin what we had. “Okay.”

  “Yeah?” He couldn’t hide his surprise as he laid me on the desk and lifted up my dress. “Is it because I’m a rock star?”

  I cupped his face and kissed him. “It’s because you’re my husband.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Conrad

  Dad knocked on the door panel before he walked inside. “You have plans tonight?”

  “Depends on why you’re asking.”

  He rolled his eyes before he walked further inside. “Your mother misses you and wants to have dinner.”

  “Oh. Then yeah, I don’t have plans tonight.”

  “Great,” he said. “How about that Mediterranean place?”

  “Works for me.”

  “I’ll make reservations.” He headed out.

  “Wait, it’s just Mom and I, right?” I loved being a smartass. It was so much fun.

  “Very funny.” He walked out and shut the door behind him.

  ***

  Just when I got out of the shower, Lexie called me.

  “Hey.” I quickly pulled a t-shirt over my head. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “And what were you thinking, exactly?” she asked.

  “Well…it’ll probably make you mad.”

  “I want to hear it anyway.”

  “I was thinking about that chicken picatta you make.”

  “Well, I do make great chicken picatta. And I’m glad you like my cooking. Mom always said food was the way to a man’s heart.”

  “Actually, sex is,” I said. “But food is right after that.”

  She chuckled. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting ready to go to dinner with my parents.”

  “Oh. That sounds like fun.”

  “Want to come along?”

  “Me?” She said it like it was the oddest thing in the world.

  “Yes, you. Who else would I be asking?”

  “Considering your family doesn’t like me, I doubt I would be welcomed.” There was no bitterness in her voice, just resignation.

  “They don’t dislike you.”

  “Conrad.” In just the single word she corrected me.

  “Okay…but they don’t hate you.”

  “We know that isn’t true either.”

  “Come on,” I said. “The more they’re around you, the more they’ll like you.”

  “Or the more they’ll hate me.”

  “Lexie, if you want things to be different you need to work on it.” What she did was pretty terrible and hiding away wouldn’t improve her image.

  “You’re right,” she said with a sigh.

  “So, you’ll come?”

  “Sure…”

  “I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

  ***

  We entered the restaurant then spotted my parents at a table in the center of the room.

  Lexie wore a black dress and her hair was pulled back in a classy updo. While she looked beautiful, she looked nervous as hell.

  “You’ll be fine.” I put my arm around her waist and guided her to the table.

  “I’m going to eat a dozen brownies when this is over.”

  “Good. Just think about that.”

  My parents didn’t hide their disappointment when they spotted Lexie. Mom gave her the stink-eye, and Dad seemed displeased.

  “Hey, guys.” I kept my arm around Lexie’s waist. “I hope you don’t mind if Lexie joins us.”

  Dad was more logical than Mom so he took the lead. “Of course not.” He stood up and hugged me. Then he pulled Lexie in for an embrace, even though it wasn’t sincere at all. “Glad you can join us.”

  I wasn’t going to give my dad shit for it because he was at least trying.

  Mom looked at her like she was a rat from the sewer. Then she blatantly ignored her.

  Ouch.

  Mom stood up then gave me a hug full of motherly love. “I missed you so much, sweet pea.”

  “Mom, I didn’t go anywhere.”

  “But I haven’t seen you since the wedding and I just miss you.” She hugged me tighter, like she needed to give me love more than I needed to receive it.

  I rubbed her back. “I missed you too.”

  She pulled away and gave me a fond look. “So handsome.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” Mom was always nice, but no
w she was being overly affectionate.

  “I had a bad dream about you…I don’t want to talk about it.” She touched her earring before she sat down again.

  I didn’t press her on the dream and pulled out Lexie’s chair for her.

  Lexie stared at it like she was unsure if she wanted to stay.

  My arm moved to her waist and I gave her a supportive nudge.

  Lexie sat down and kept her back straight. She held herself full of grace even though she was dying inside.

  I sat beside her then rested my hand on her thigh. I wasn’t usually this affectionate with her but I knew she needed it right now.

  Mom kept her eyes glued to me. “What’s new with you, honey?”

  “Nothing much. Just recovering from that midnight wedding.”

  “It was beautiful, wasn’t it?” Mom asked. “I’m so happy for Silke and Arsen. It took them a long time to get the happily ever after they deserved.”

  “Yeah,” I said in agreement.

  “How’s Apollo?” Mom asked.

  “Good,” I answered. “I think I need to get a yard for him. He’s not an inside dog.”

  “You should look into real estate near us. I would love to be your neighbor.” Mom kept looking at me like I was a golden child. “I would love to be neighbors with you the way Sean and Scarlet are neighbors with Skye.”

  “No offense, Mom, but I would never be next-door neighbors with you.” That was way too damn close.

  She chuckled. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to be neighbors with my parents either.”

  I knew Lexie was being left out of the conversation. “Lexie just made the best chicken picatta for me the other day. Mom, even you would like it.”

  Mom sipped her wine.

  Dad eyed her and realized she wasn’t going to say anything. “That’s impressive. There’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal.”

  Lexie found the courage to speak up. “I love cooking for Conrad. He’s easy to please.”

  “He’ll eat anything,” Dad said. “Even if it’s off the floor.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” I asked. “It’s still food.”