Back To You (In Tune Book 1)

by Jessica Ruddick

  Hell, my people took care of me. Maybe I’d overestimated myself by thinking I could take care of another person.

  “Well?” the nurse prompted, still glaring at me.

  I tried to swallow my annoyance. It wasn’t as though I’d put us in this situation on purpose. “Can you give us a minute?”

  She nodded and slipped out of the room.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to Aunt Rose. “I didn’t think.” I didn’t know what I could have done differently, other than wear a disguise. I hadn’t done anything to draw attention to myself.

  She shrugged. “You couldn’t have anticipated this. I think she’s blowing it out of proportion. We should just make a run for it.”

  I considered that for about half a second. “It would probably be safe enough, but I don’t want your privacy violated.” I put my hand up to stop the protest that I knew was coming. “I know you think they don’t care about you, but I care about you. I don’t want to put you in this situation while you’re vulnerable. If you want a taste of celebrity, I’ll take you to an awards show sometime.”

  Her lips twitched. “No, thank you.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Turning my back to Aunt Rose, I took my phone out of my pocket and called Tyler. Luckily, he answered on the first ring. “Tyler? I need a favor.”

  Leah

  I gripped the steering wheel of Tyler’s truck, wishing he hadn’t insisted I drive it but also knowing it was the right choice. My car was small and cramped and wouldn’t have been a comfortable ride for someone recovering from surgery.

  The mechanical voice of my phone’s GPS told me to exit, and I obeyed. I pulled up to the front of the hospital and called the direct number for the nurse’s station on Aunt Rose’s floor. Then I waited.

  When Tyler called me with the SOS, I’d wanted to say no. In fact, I had said no. But when he explained the situation and that he had unexpectedly been called in to work, I couldn’t leave him—or Aunt Rose—hanging, even if it did mean missing a review session for microbiology. Plus, Tyler assured me that I wouldn’t see Gabe during this errand. That was kind of the whole point. Wondering where the ruckus was, I rolled down the window and stuck my head out. On the next block, I could make out a crowd of people. I saw a long arm shoot up to snap a selfie. It shouldn’t have surprised me that I recognized Gabe’s hand, even at a distance.

  I tucked myself back into the truck to wait. A few minutes later, a nurse pushed a wheelchair through the sliding glass doors, and I hopped out.

  “Aunt Rose.” I squeezed the older woman’s hand. “It’s nice to see you.”

  “You too, dear.” She looked behind me. “Where’s Tyler?”

  “Gabe didn’t tell you? Tyler got called into work at the last minute, so he lent me his truck, and here I am. Let’s get you home.”

  “Thank God,” she muttered. “I’m ready to blow this joint.”

  I laughed. “I hear you.” I held out my hand, and she gripped it, using it to stabilize herself as she rose.

  As soon as I got her settled in, we pulled away from the hospital. The GPS instructed me to go in the direction of the crowd. I hesitated but didn’t know my way around well enough to ignore the instructions. Besides that, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary detours for Rose’s sake.

  I kept my eyes on the road as we passed the crowd, but Rose peered out the window. She tsked. “You’d think he was a Beatle or something.”

  I didn’t respond. Gabe wasn’t quite on the level of The Beatles… yet. If he kept going on his current trajectory, though, I had no doubt he could make it there. One of his early songs was a first-dance favorite at weddings, so that alone would cement his legacy.

  Rose leaned her head back and closed her eyes, so I lowered the volume of the radio. I wished I’d thought ahead and downloaded the latest microbiology lecture to my phone so I could listen to it again. I wasn’t even halfway through the semester, and I was already wishing I was done with that stupid class. Ugh. I hoped Lacey wasn’t having a similar experience.

  Looking over at Rose, who was snoring softly, I clipped my phone into the holder on the dashboard and set it to speaker. I dialed my sister, but it went to voicemail, which was to be expected. She probably had class. And if she didn’t have class, then she was usually out with friends. I loved that she was living it up at college—after all, that was why I’d sacrificed for years—but I rarely got to talk to her. Somehow, I hadn’t factored in how her absence would affect me when we’d planned and saved for her to go away to college.

  Rose left out a loud snore then blinked several times. “Was I sleeping?”

  “Yes.” I hid my smile. “We’re almost home.”

  “It was so nice of you to drive all this way. I really appreciate it, especially on such short notice.”

  “Of course. I’m happy to do it.”

  Rose shifted, a pained grimace on her face. “Surgery is not fun, but at least I’ll have perky boobs the rest of my life when it’s all said and done.”

  I laughed. “That’s a good way to look at it.”

  “Times like these, though…”

  I glanced over at her. “What?”

  “Gabe coming into my life the way he did was a fluke. He was always family, but that was in name only. I had no relationship with him or his parents. So at times like these, I thank God he did come into my life, because otherwise, I would be alone.”

  “I think the feeling is mutual,” I told her. I hadn’t known Gabe very well when he lived with his parents, but he’d gone through some hard times, even being homeless for a bit after his dad left. He didn’t like to talk about it, and I never pressed because I understood all too well the desire to forget about your home life.

  “I would have been alone, because I didn’t even call Gabe. Tyler told him, and he dropped everything to come.” Rose cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. She’d never been an overly sentimental woman, so I was surprised she’d said as much as she had. “I’m just glad he turned out to be such a good boy, that I didn’t screw him up instead of helping him. I never would have predicted how rich and famous he got so quickly, though sometimes, I think he forgets he’s famous.”

  “I don’t see how that’s possible,” I muttered. I also disagreed with her about the first part—I’d known, back when we were in high school, that Gabe was going to make it big. It was never a question of if but when. And it didn’t surprise me how rapidly it had happened.

  “He’s an idiot, you know,” Aunt Rose said abruptly, contradicting her earlier praise.

  I frowned. “How do you mean?”

  “He never should have let you go.”

  I licked my lips, not sure how to reply. This was incredibly awkward. “Do you know why we broke up?”

  “He got it in his head that you cheated on him.”

  I cringed. I didn’t have it in me to tell her the truth, that the reason he had it in his head was because I’d told him that. “Well, our split was for the best,” I said blandly.

  She snorted. “Bullshit.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her language. I’d forgotten how blunt Aunt Rose could be. “It’s true. I have Lacey, and Gabe has his music. Everything happens for a reason.”

  “Sometimes the reason is that the people involved are fools.”

  I didn’t ask her who the fool was in this particular scenario. But I knew the answer. Me. Definitely me.

  Gabe

  I was happy to see Tyler’s truck still in Aunt Rose’s driveway when I pulled up. I’d told him he could be on his way once he got her settled, since I would be close behind, but mingling with my fans had taken way longer than anticipated. I didn’t know how to gracefully extricate myself from the situation until every person had gotten their fill of selfies. Usually, I had people to usher me along after only a few minutes.

  Between having to be “on” for the fans and worrying about Aunt Rose the whole drive home, I was exhausted, and my head was pounding. Champagne problem, I reminded mysel
f. I parked the car in front of her house and climbed out.

  “Sorry, I should have moved the truck before you got here so you could park in the driveway.”

  That was not the voice I'd expected to hear. I looked up to see Leah coming down the porch steps. She was a sight for sore eyes, even though all she wore were jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and beat-up Converse, with her hair back in a ponytail. My gaze lingered a moment on the shoes, and I fought off a smile. She always wore those in high school too. I guess some things never changed. Hell, with as worn as those shoes looked, they might even have been the same pair.

  “No, it’s okay,” I said, but I was confused. “What are you doing here? Where’s Tyler?”

  “He got called in to work after he talked to you, so he called me.” Her words came out in a rush. “He said he would let you know about the changeup, but I can see by your expression that he didn’t. I’m sorry. I’ll just get out of your way.” Not meeting my eyes, she ducked her head and rushed to the driver’s side of the truck.

  Finally snapping out of my stupor, I beat her to it and put my hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. “Don’t apologize. You’re not in the way.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, and she took a step back, putting a few feet between us. Even still, being that close to her was intoxicating. Given her reaction, she felt it too.

  She fiddled with the keys. “Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say, but I’m sure you don’t want me around.”

  I wished I could figure out what was going through her head and shook my head. “That was never true. You’re the one who pushed me away with a lie.” Since I had her there, I wasn’t letting her get away so easily—not until she explained.

  She looked up at me. “I did what I had to do.”

  There was that damn line again. What the hell does that even mean? We held one another’s gazes in some kind of staring standoff.

  “Explain it to me,” I said. “Because I’m missing something.”

  She took several deep breaths. “Okay.” Her voice sounded small and defeated, and I hated it. I never wanted her to feel that way.

  I held my arm out, indicating that she should return to the house. Instead of going inside like I thought she would, she sat on the stoop.

  “Aunt Rose is resting,” she explained. “I don’t want to disturb her.”

  “Shit.” I hadn’t even asked about her. I was such an ass. It was just that after years of not seeing Leah, she was all I could think about when I was in her presence. “Thanks for driving. And sticking around. How is she? Did she handle the drive okay?”

  I sat next to Leah, angling myself toward her but being careful to leave some distance between us. If I leaned a few inches closer, though, I’d be able to smell her hair. I wondered if she still used the coconut shampoo that made her smell like she’d just come from the beach. This was the closest I’d been to her in five years, and my heart raced. I was a multi-platinum award-winning recording artist, but none of that mattered when I was around that small-town girl. My body had never responded to anyone else like that.

  “Yes. She’s tough,” Leah said. “The hardest part of her recovery is going to be making her rest.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I muttered.

  She shrugged. “It beats the alternative. Would you rather have her meek and helpless?”

  I tried to picture a world in which Aunt Rose was the prototypical Southern belle. Nope. Can’t see it. Anyway, I preferred women with a little spunk. “Hell no.”

  “I helped her change and wash up before she lay down. She seems more content in her own place. Some people don’t like hospitals.”

  Leah seemed comfortable with this train of conversation, so I didn’t press the issue of what I really wanted to talk to her about. Honestly, it felt so good to talk to her about anything. We could discuss the weather for all I cared. Leah hadn’t been only my girlfriend—she’d been my best friend, aside from Tyler. I missed her. And damn it, while I did want to know why she'd lied to me all those years ago, I wanted to prolong my time with her.

  “Tyler told me you’re studying to be a nurse,” I said. “So I guess you don’t mind hospitals.”

  “I have no reason not to like them.”

  “Why nursing?”

  She rubbed her palms along her thighs. “Why not? Nurses are always needed, and it’s generally a stable career that pays decently. Plus, I like helping people, feeling needed.”

  I need you. The words almost slipped out. Maybe I wasn’t as content with small talk as I’d thought. Leah seemed to sense the change in my demeanor and scrubbed her hands on her jeans again. “But you don’t want to talk about my career choice.”

  I did, though. Because I wanted to know everything about her and what she’d been up to. She was the same girl, but there were subtle indications that she’d changed. Not just the physical, though I did notice what looked to be a burn scar on her wrist. From the diner, perhaps? She was much more serious than she’d been when she was a teenager, like she’d matured a lot more than just five years. She seemed much more like an adult than I felt, like she was actually living an adult life, while I was simply playing at one.

  But I’d never be able to find out any new things about her until we exorcised the demons from our past.

  “Why did you do it?” I held my breath, hoping she didn’t try to blow me off again while also being scared of what she was about to say. Because why the hell would she push me away like that?

  She blew out a breath. “It’s simple, really. I needed to stay here, but you needed to go follow your music. I knew you wouldn’t leave if I stayed.”

  I opened my mouth to protest then clamped it shut again. Would I have left her? Doubtful. The music mattered, but she mattered more. Always had, always would. The years apart hadn’t changed that, but I’d done a helluva good job ignoring it. “But you were planning to come with me,” I said. “What changed?”

  “I couldn’t leave Lacey with my dad.”

  My eyes narrowed at her. “Why?”

  Looking stricken, she avoided my gaze. “You know why.”

  Rage built within me. I’d always known Leah’s father was an asshole. And then there had been that one time I found handprint-shaped bruises on her arms from where he’d grabbed her. I should have ended the man then, but she had begged me not to do anything. She’d sworn she had it under control.

  Obviously not.

  And shit… I’d been so intent on getting out of this podunk town and taking Leah with me that I’d never considered Lacey. Leah had always taken care of her little sister. She was like a mother to her, despite the fact that they were only five years apart.

  “Did he hurt you? Did he hurt her?”

  She shook her head slowly. “He never hurt Lacey. I made sure of that.”

  It didn’t take a genius to read between the lines. My fingers curled into fists. “But he hurt you.” Goddamn it.

  “Not really.”

  That wasn’t a straight answer, but I could tell by her closed-off expression that was the most I was going to get. God damn that motherfucker. Tamping down my anger, I exhaled. “You should have told me. We could have figured something out.”

  “Maybe,” she allowed. “But God, Gabe, we were just stupid kids at eighteen. And I was scared of what would happen to my sister if I left.”

  “If it was that bad, you should have told someone.”

  “Who? Social services? I didn’t want to involve them because the best-case scenario was Lacey ending up in foster care. She doesn’t have anyone else. We just have each other.”

  I wanted to tell her she’d had me. I would have died for her—still would—and she had cut me loose instead of trusting me to help her.

  “I had to protect her.” Leah pleaded with me to understand. “I had to.”

  “While you were busy protecting her,” I said quietly, “who was protecting you?”

  Chapter 8

  Leah

  I star
ed at Gabe. If he only knew…

  But I would never tell him what I’d done to secure Lacey’s freedom from our father. I wasn’t proud of it. In fact, I was downright ashamed. At the time, though, it had been the best I could come up with.

  I threw my shoulders back. “I can take care of myself.”

  “But you didn’t have to,” Gabe said quietly, and I could detect a note of hurt in his voice.

  It pained me now, just as it always had, to know I was the cause of that hurt. “I couldn’t put that burden on you.” He had escaped his own messed-up family situation when he’d moved in with Aunt Rose. It had seemed unfair to ensnare him in another one. He had never talked much about his parents, but I could tell it bothered him.

  “Damn it, Leah.” Gabe’s eyes flashed with anger. “I don’t know what your asshole father made you believe, but you’re not a burden.”

  My dad had implanted a lot of false ideas in my head during my childhood—that I was weak, stupid, and worthless. Gabe had taught me I was none of those things. It was only after I’d gotten away from my dad that I realized he belittled the women in his life as a means to control them. I sometimes wondered if my mother had ever figured that out, but I would never know because she’d never come back for us like she’d promised.

  “It wasn’t only me,” I insisted. “There was Lacey. There still is Lacey.” I was desperately sorry that I’d hurt Gabe, but I wouldn’t apologize for doing what was best for my sister. I only wished I’d had a better option.

  “I would have helped you.” Frustration laced his voice.

  Doesn’t he realize that I know that? Gabe was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and even as young as we were, I’d already known no one would ever love me as much as he did. Pushing him away was the hardest thing I’d ever done. “I know, and that was the problem,” I said. “I didn’t want you to give up your dream.”