“I get it, man. But Izzy has never been fond of people making decisions for her. And you haven’t been this happy in years. I hate to see you go back to that sad sap I traveled half the world with. You’re you with her in your life. Don’t make any hasty decisions. We could put someone on her twenty-four seven,” Joe offered.
“I know. And it’s probably going to be necessary to have someone close by until this sicko is caught. But I’m not sure I should be a visible presence in her life. Now that I have her back in my life, I don’t think I could cut her out completely. I wouldn’t survive without her in my world in some capacity. But it may just have to be limited phone calls, at least for a while.” Every cell in my body rebelled against the idea, but my brain couldn’t let go of the worry, the guilt.
“Just be careful, man. With her and yourself. You’ve both somehow managed to survive the loss of each other once. I’m not sure you could do it again. Either of you.” Joe’s expression was serious. I knew he was recalling just how far I fell last time.
I turned and looked at her sleeping face, resting on my chest, her face turned up towards mine. “I know I wouldn’t survive,” emotion clogged my throat. I cleared it. “Can you go by the gallery and take photos of the damaged pieces? And go back by the venue to photograph the mirror and everything else?”
“Sure, I can do that. Ty and Key arrived during the night. So, I’ll leave them here with you while I go. I’ll take Deric with me. Don’t go out creating chaos in the hospital. Stay here in Izzy’s room. Don’t go anywhere without Ty or Key, not even the bathroom,” Joe ordered.
I opened my mouth to protest.
“I mean it, D. I can’t investigate this if I’m worrying about you. Besides, Izzy needs you to stay put.” The stern look on his face left no room for argument.
“Fine,” I conceded with a sigh. “I’ll be good. And while you’re out, can you take Izzy’s broken phone and get it replaced?” I tipped my head in the direction of her shattered phone laying on the table. Then I wrapped my arms more securely around Izzy and buried my nose in her hair. The faint hint of strawberries wafting through the new scent of lavender helped settle my thoughts and the urge to run.
My eyes drifted shut as Joe left the room. Izzy’s arm tightened around my abdomen. In her sleep she mumbled, “I love you, Daw.”
“I love you too, flutterby.”
* * *
The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly awakened me from the most delicious dream where Izzy was finally in my arms again. I tried to linger in that heavenly bliss, but the throat clearing became louder, more obnoxious.
Slowly, I cracked one eye open, fully expecting Brooks to be staring down at me because I was running late for some appointment. Instead of my best friend, Andrew and Susan Clark stared down at me. A puzzled look covered Izzy’s dad’s face, while her mom stood silently, wringing her hands. Their appearance brought the events of the past twelve hours back into sharp focus. I glanced down and found Izzy still sleeping peacefully on my chest.
♪ Open Arms by Journey
“Hey there, Andrew. Sue,” I whispered, not wanting to wake their daughter.
“Thanks for calling us, Dawson. How is she?” Susan asked.
I’d given them a quick call before I crashed last night.
“A little sore, but they’re giving her something for pain. Keeping her overnight was really just a precaution. She’s been sleeping peacefully for a little while now.” My fingers involuntarily stroked from the top of her head down to the base of her spine.
Her parents pulled chairs up by the side of the bed. It was a little awkward having them sit there while I lay with Izzy cradled on my chest. I tried to ease out from under her, but her arms wrapped more firmly around my middle, and she mumbled in her sleep, “Please don’t go.”
“Don’t wake her. Stay where you are,” Susan urged.
“OK,” I consented sheepishly.
It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen me and Izzy cuddling countless times before, but this time was unnerving. Things were unsettled between us. Whatever we were at the moment, it was still new. Not ready to be scrutinized or examined too harshly by those whose allegiance belonged to Izzy alone.
“What can you tell us about what happened? And why are you—” A sharp look from Susan halted the words coming from Andrew’s mouth.
“Why am I here with Izzy and not Beckett?” I finished for him.
He gave me a curt nod.
“Well, my concert was last night, as I’m sure you guys were aware,” I said softly, inhaling Izzy’s scent to calm my jitters.
“Beckett was so excited. Like a little kid,” Susan said.
“Anyway, halfway through the show, Beckett left, and Izzy came backstage.”
“That’s so odd. I can’t believe he would leave before the end.” Susan’s frown caused me to pause and consider my next words carefully.
“I don’t have all the details. That’s something Izzy or Beckett will have to fill you in on. I only know that they broke up. Anyway, after the show while I was showering, Izzy received a message from Charles at the gallery letting her know that someone had vandalized her work for the exhibit. She rushed straight there. She was gone by the time I got out of the shower. Apparently after she surveyed the damage, she was hit by a motorcycle on the sidewalk when she was leaving. Charles called for help and called Beckett, who gave the doctors here her medical history. My bodyguard is a former police officer, so when I started trying to locate Izzy, he used his connections and found out about the accident. I came straight here and haven’t left her side since.” I took in a deep breath when I finished explaining, filling my lungs with strawberry, lavender and Izzy.
“Thank you for staying with her,” Andrew said. His tone was formal, not the tone of a man who’d been like a second father to me most of my life.
“Yes, thank you for staying with me,” Izzy’s sleep-thickened voice chimed in, rumbling against my chest. She lifted her head from where it rested against my heart. Even marked with bruises, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
My fingers stroked the hair from her face. “No need to thank me, flutterby. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here with you.” No truer words had ever left my lips, even if I desperately needed to ignore their truth.
“Mom, Dad, what are you guys doing here?” She turned her head to them.
“Honey, Dawson called us and told us about the accident. Of course, we’re here,” her dad admonished her.
“You don’t need to worry. I’m fine. Just a little banged up. And pissed about my artwork. But you didn’t have to rush here. This isn’t like back then. I promise.” Her eyes begged them not to worry.
Izzy had always hated being the center of attention. Even laid up in a hospital bed, it seemed that hadn’t changed.
Her mom reached over to stroke Izzy’s arm. “We’re your parents. We will always worry. Kind of goes with the territory.”
“I know. I’ve just caused you so much worry over the past few years. This really isn’t a big deal. I’d tell you if it was more.”
“Would you?” her dad asked. His face was creased with lines and a large dose of hurt.
Izzy dropped her head back to my chest, refusing to meet her parents’ eyes. Something went on between Izzy and her parents while we were out of touch. But that was a topic to explore at a later date.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I made no move to check it, choosing to stay wrapped up in Izzy for just a few moments longer.
“Have you talked to the doctor yet this morning,” Susan asked.
“Yes. He came by super early when I first woke up. He’ll be back by later. If things look good then, I’ll probably go home,” Izzy said.
“Can you go back home alone? Or do you need to come home with us?” Andrew asked.
“I would assume I can go home. I just got knocked down. It’s not like my insides got pulverized or anything. We don’t have to be dramatic about it. It was
just an accident. The police think it was a drunk driver.” Izzy cut her eyes at me.
Why didn’t she tell them it might have been on purpose?
“You probably shouldn’t be left alone though, honey. You could just come home with us for a few days,” Susan pleaded.
“Mom, I know you want to take care of me. And you guys have always done a great job. But I have to stay in town to deal with finishing things for my show. I can’t leave,” Izzy’s voice was stern.
“I suppose I could stay with you,” Susan offered.
“Mom, no. I love you, but I don’t need someone hovering. I have to work. I have to create my last pieces. Please understand,” her voice held an entreating note.
“I don’t know. I’d worry so much if we left you here alone,” her mom said, wringing her hands.
“Me too,” her dad’s deep voice huffed out.
Before I could even properly think it through, I said, “I’m not supposed to leave town until tomorrow. I can extend my visit if I need to, so I’ll stay with her. Make sure she’s OK.”
♪ I’ll Be by Edwin McCain
I’d have to text the guys and tell them I’d be flying back by myself later in the week. Joe would be pissed. But oh well.
“Really?” Izzy asked, her voice hopeful.
“Really.” I beamed down at her. “But I have to go take care of a few things first, so I’ll be ready if they discharge you soon.”
She pouted but eased her body off mine, so I could climb out of her bed. As I shifted to a sitting position, she yanked my head down to hers. “You promise you’re coming back?” she whispered in my ear.
“I promise. I love you, flutterby,” I breathed the words into her ear.
“I love you too,” she spoke softly before letting me go.
Leaning over the rail, I tried to figure out how to free myself from the metal caging of the bed.
“Knock, knock,” a voice spoke outside Izzy’s door.
“Come in,” Susan called out.
Beckett strolled in. The tiniest hint of a frown turned his lips down as he caught sight of me and Izzy before he schooled his features.
“How are you feeling, babe? I mean… Isabelle,” he asked.
“Just a little sore. I was just trying to explain to Mom and Dad that this isn’t something to get all worked up about. You tell them,” Izzy begged him.
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t like her asking for his help. I didn’t want her to need anything else from him. Ever again.
I tuned out their conversation and continued to try to figure out the contraption trapping me.
“Need some help, Dawson?” Beckett asked as he stepped to the side of the bed and with a quick shift lowered the bedrail.
“Thanks, man,” I said gruffly and dropped my feet to the floor.
“Come back soon,” Izzy said from behind me.
I turned to her and gave her my most dazzling smile—the one that belonged to her alone. “Wild horses—”
“Couldn’t keep you away,” she finished.
I chuckled and winked at her. I pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll be quick,” I vowed as I fought against every force in the universe that demanded I stay right here with her.
“I’ll walk out with you. I need a cup of coffee. I’ll be back in a bit, Sue,” Andrew offered.
My heart thundered nervously as I moved from Izzy’s room and into the hallway with her father trailing behind me. Ty fell in step with me. As we walked, I pulled out my cell. A text from Joe, letting me know he’d taken the photos and was on the way to talk with the detective.
“Grab a cup of coffee with me,” Andrew asked as we boarded the elevator.
“Sure. Ty, this is Andrew Clark, Izzy’s dad. Andrew, this is Ty, a member of my security team,” I introduced them.
The two men shook hands.
Ty turned to me. “Key went to get the car pulled around back for us. But you have time for coffee.”
The cafeteria was empty at the moment, probably because it wasn’t meal time yet.
“You still drink your coffee with one cream and two sugars like me?” Andrew asked.
I nodded, touched he remembered after all this time. We’d shared several cups in his kitchen over the years, just the two of us.
“I’ll go grab it. You find us a quiet corner to talk where you won’t be bothered,” he said as he clapped me on the shoulder.
Ty surveyed the empty room before pointing to a table near a side entrance and out of the way of the main entrance. He settled at a table nearby and pulled out his phone, no doubt sending a message to Key or Joe about my whereabouts.
Andrew set my cup in front of me and sank into the seat on the other side of the table. Prying the lid off, I emptied cream and sugar into the dark liquid, watching as the deep black swirled and lightened. Andrew moved through the same motions with his cup. Once I replaced the lid, I wrapped my hands around the large paper cup, drawing comfort from the heat seeping into my palms.
The silence swirled around us. My natural instinct was to fill it, but I owed this man the courtesy of time to gather his thoughts. Even if I suspected I wouldn’t like what he had to say.
Andrew took a sip of his coffee then looked me directly in the eyes. “What are you doing, Dawson?”
“I won’t pretend I can’t guess exactly what you mean. You want to know what I’m doing here with Izzy?” I cut right to the chase.
He gave me a curt nod.
“There’s nowhere else I could possibly be. I love your daughter. I have loved her for as long as I’ve been able to understand what those four letters mean. Probably even before that. I loved her these past two years while we were apart. She is lying in a hospital bed upstairs, injured. I couldn’t be anywhere else. And regardless of what anyone thinks about me, had I known what she was going through back home, I would’ve cancelled my tour and shredded my contract to be by her side.” I paused to take a breath.
Silently, I begged him to understand. To not throw me out of Izzy’s life. Even if that is what any sane father would do.
“I know you love her, Son,” he said gently. “And I don’t know what went on with the two of you. I only know that as her body was breaking, so was her heart. And it was devastating to watch. I’m not blind. I know that what she has or had with Beckett doesn’t hold a candle to what she had with you. But he’s a good man. He saved her life. And—”
“And he didn’t break her heart,” I finished for him.
“Yeah. I don’t know if she could survive losing you again. So, I guess what I’m really asking is will this time end differently than last time?” His gaze searched mine, seeking answers I might withhold.
“Andrew, I don’t know that I could survive losing her again. And I plan to do everything in my power to protect her. I love her, and in a perfect world, I’d be her prince charming,” I started.
“But this isn’t a perfect world. And you can’t commit to her?” he asked, his voice dripping with disappointment.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’d marry her today if I wasn’t me. But being who I am, and being with me, poses a risk to her. And I just vowed to you to protect her,” my voice was strained. Picking up my cup, I took a sip of my coffee. It didn’t warm me like I needed it to. The liquid tasted sour on my tongue and felt like gravel going down.
“Do you mean because of all the temptations you deal with every day? The sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll?” Andrew asked.
“No. That isn’t it at all. I haven’t had a chance to talk with Izzy yet about everything that went down two years ago. But I swear on all that is important in my life, I never cheated on Izzy. And drugs and alcohol weren’t part of my life until I needed to escape the reality of her absence,” I told him earnestly.
“Then what risk are you talking about?” He sipped his coffee while waiting for my answer.
As Izzy’s father, he deserved the truth. I had to give it to him. “Being a celebrity comes with a few drawbacks. One of
which is the attraction of unstable, stalker-types. I’m worried that what happened to Izzy wasn’t merely an accident but a deliberate attempt to hurt the person I love.”
His face darkened with concern and anger. His fingers squeezed his coffee cup, the pressure forcing the lid to pop off.
Before he could order me to stay away from his daughter, I continued, “So, as much as I want to be in Izzy’s life and start building a forever with her—” I swallowed a scalding sip of my coffee, welcoming the pain in my throat, which echoed the one in my heart. “—my gut tells me I need to stay away from Izzy. But not drop completely out of her life. Maybe only talk on the phone and stuff. At least until this particular stalker is caught.”
“Son, I know you think that’s for the best. But I think you should really think about it. Take a few days to really think through things. I mean with your security team and everyone being aware, isn’t the risk less than it was? Izzy knows what you suspect, right? She knows you don’t think it was a drunk driver?” he asked in a calm tone.
“Yes. I told her my fears. I’m sure she didn’t mention them to you because she didn’t want to worry you.” Absentmindedly, I began shredding a napkin from the dispenser.
“Yeah, she tends to omit details she thinks will worry us. But the main thing is, if she knows about your suspicions, then I’m sure she’ll be more careful too.”
“I don’t know—”
“Exactly,” he interrupted me. “So, until you do know for sure, don’t make decisions that may create larger consequences.” He cocked his head at me.
Andrew had always been a source of wisdom for me growing up. Always treating me like a man.
“What would you do if you were me and it was Sue who was in danger?” I asked quietly.
“I wouldn’t allow anyone to keep me from being with the person who owned my heart. And if you love Izzy like I love my Sue, you won’t either.” He pushed his chair back. “Thanks for talking to me and telling me what’s really going on.”
Songs of the Heart: Lyrical Odyssey Rock Star Series Book 3 Page 16