by L. T. Kelly
Cheers arose from the band as he entered, even from the usually indifferent Tom and Jamie.
“Hey, what’s happening?” Evan focused on Al, who stood center stage in the room, clutching a champagne flute and a still-corked bottle of champagne.
“I didn’t think you were here. I knocked on your door first but you didn’t answer. I had to tell you straight away, it’s happened, lad.”
“What’s happened?” he breathed, thinking he already knew the answer.
“I got you the deal.” A grin spread beneath Al’s flushed cheeks. “A deal with Libra Sounds.”
The audible gasp followed a deathly silence. Libra Sounds was a mega record company. How Al had sealed a deal with a company that huge, that quickly, was beyond Evan. It appeared the news had shocked the others, too. Their words fell out in a garbled jumble, four questions asked at once.
“Look, lads, I’ll be honest…” Al peeled away the foil, popped the cork, and poured five glasses of the precious liquid out as he spoke. “You’ve taken someone else’s deal. I beg you not to feel bad. They were at the same stage as you, but Libra paid for their recording. They were whining little sons of bitches, by all accounts. When Libra listened to your album, they dropped the other band like hot potatoes.”
Evan took the glass Al offered. “So what does that mean?”
Al continued to hand out the glasses for a toast.
“Your album will release on the same date theirs would have. It means you will slot in on all their pre-release promo. We have to be at Heathrow in two hours.”
“Two hours?” Evan spat, stepping backwards then relieving half the glass of its contents.
Al clearly mistook his horror for excitement because he grinned and exclaimed, “That’s it, lad. Time to go home!” He raised his glass for a toast.
Evan’s widened eyes clearly weren’t lost on Alex. He waded in before Evan had the chance to correct Al.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alex whined. “So, she’s not in a great place. I get it.” He’d done his best understanding voice. “But this is our time, boy wonder. Don’t fuck it up for the rest of us. Especially not for a fucking piece of ass you can replace next week.” He laughed, but the rest of the room’s gazes dropped to look at the carpet.
Evan flew toward him, his teeth bared, his champagne glass smashed on the floor. He grabbed at the collar of Alex’s dark tee. “You’re gonna fucking regret that,” he growled before Al dragged him off.
* * * *
Katie woke to Jessica jumping up and down on the bed next to her.
“Aw, come on. What time is it?” Her voice sounded muffled as she dragged the quilt over her head to prevent the morning sunshine from stinging her eyes.
“It’s past nine, Mommy,” she cried out gleefully, continuing to jump up and down relentlessly.
Katie processed the late hour in her brain. Jess usually had her up around seven. She’d slept so well and so deeply. She pulled the cover from over her head and held her arms out to her daughter.
“Come here for a cuddle, bunny.”
Jess willingly obliged. Katie had a bad habit of overanalyzing everything. It came from years of therapy and being made to go over a truckload of emotions and circumstances on a weekly basis. She still stored up the memories, only now, she didn’t have a therapist to discuss them with anymore. She huffed out a laugh. She didn’t need a shrink. Her first thought had been Evan’s face when she’d woken up. Rupy’s image hadn’t conjured in her head for a few moments. Even then, apart from a slight tightening in her chest, she hadn’t felt as if the world were going to come crashing down on her.
“Are you hungry?”
“Really badly. My tummy is growling like a monster.”
“How do you know what a monster growls like?” Katie drew her brows together in mock surprise as she turned to look at her daughter.
“You really are very silly, Mommy. It’s what I imagine a monster would sound like.” She pressed a finger to her temple and rolled her eyes.
Katie couldn’t help but giggle at her. Jess behaved in such a grownup way. Too grownup in some ways. Nevertheless, now, felt like the right time to reveal her relationship with Evan.
“Do you like Evan?”
“Of course, I do. He’s so much fun. Why? Don’t you like him?”
“I really, really, really like him?” Katie widened her eyes theatrically with each word, leaving them both with a smile on their faces.
“Do you know what being boyfriend and girlfriend means?” She tried to broach the subject as gently as she could, knowing that no way of explaining it would be easy.
“Oh, you’re so silly sometimes. You’re being extra silly this morning. I already know you and Evan are boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Katie held her breath, before steadily releasing it. “Is that okay with you?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Evan is my best friend in the world.”
“Well, I’m glad about that.” Katie laughed. “Right, come on then. Let’s sort out the imaginary monster in your tummy.”
She padded down to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle before reaching for the cereal. Her eyes landed on her phone that had been charging there all night. She smiled so much her face ached. Her facial muscles would get used to it eventually. She snatched up the phone excitedly to let Evan know Jess knew they were together and exuded unquestionable happiness about it. There had been a few missed calls in the early hours of the morning and a text.
I’m sorry. I have to go back to the States. I can’t explain by text. It’s too complicated. I’ll call you when I land.
The coolness in his words bolted through her like lightning. What could be so complicated that he couldn’t explain? No I love you pinned to the end?
Her palm slapped to her forehead, hurtling her back to the beginning. The time when she’d known this day would come. She’d forgotten about that. She’d allowed herself to get lost in the moment, to get lost in him.
The phone slipped out of her hand and landed on the kitchen counter with a clatter. Her gaze was fixed on a non-descript spot on the brick wall of the courtyard outside her window. Shudders traveled through her as a chill crept from her core and into her bloodstream.
You stupid, stupid girl. Jess’s innocent words sounded through her head, Yes, Mommy has been extremely silly this morning.
Katie swallowed hard, wishing she could take back the words she’d said to her daughter just minutes before.
Jessica’s voice sounded far away as she called to her. Katie shook her head, shaking away the destructive thoughts.
“Are you okay, Mommy?”
“Sure I am. Are cornflakes okay for breakfast, bunny?”
* * * *
Evan swung his beat-up, old car into the driveway of the rundown mansion that had belonged to his father. It belonged to him now, but his mother, Lynn, could keep it as far as he was concerned.
He turned off the engine and looked up at the place, a feeling of dread resting heavily on his sagging shoulders. He’d have to face up to his mother at some point. He’d been back for three days, and this had been the first chance he’d had to visit her.
He checked his cell before getting out, as had become his habit. Feelings of hope rushed through him as he reached for it, but were again dashed when he looked down at the screen that hadn’t once held her name since getting back to the States. Katie never replied to his calls and messages, but he wouldn’t give up. All he had to do was finalize the deal, do a few promos and his find his way back to her. The need to convince her they were perfect together and he’d never meant to hurt her crippled him. He’d had to leave, but that didn’t mean he’d wanted to.
He tucked the cell back in his jeans pocket and walked slowly across the driveway, sidestepping the weeds along the way. A familiar wave of nausea rose in throat as he reached the front door. It had attacked him whenever he’d arrived at that door for years. The fear and disgust of what he might find behind it had was alw
ays the same. He pushed the door open, knowing it wouldn’t be locked. After all, you had to care about something to lock it up. His mother couldn’t care less about herself, let alone the crumbling house she lived in.
A pungent, musty smell attacked his nostrils as he stood looking around what had once been a grand hallway. Now, the floor was carpeted with dust and the paint on the walls peeled.
He walked to the kitchen with the idea of bringing his mother a cup of coffee. He hoped it might sober her up enough to talk through her options. He changed his mind when he noticed the blinds were pulled down against the outside world. The counters were covered in a vast array of empty bottles, glasses, cups and plates. The stench of stale food and cigarette stubs made him heave. He daren’t open the refrigerator through fear of what might be in there. Things had clearly hit rock bottom while he’d been away.
He strode back into the hallway and up the wide staircase, battling with the anger he felt toward her. His jaw clenched.
Getting angry won’t help, he reminded himself before he reached his mother’s bedroom door and peeked inside. The smell was horrendous. What made him feel sicker was that she wasn’t alone.
“Mom,” he yelled. His voice didn’t even stir them. He shouted again, and finally, her blonde hair moved.
“Is that you, Evan?” Her voice sounded faint.
“Who else would be calling you Mom?” he huffed, putting his shaking hands on his hips. “Get out here. We need to talk.”
“You’ll have to come back later. I’m busy.”
“Get your goddamn ass out here now, or I’ll have you evicted,” he bellowed, jutting his head forward as a tattooed figure moved beside her.
She scrambled out of the bed with something he knew his mother had plenty of…rage. Relief washed over him when he saw she wore a nightgown. She flew at him, hammering her little fists on his chest.
“You think you can leave for months then waltz back in here.”
He pulled her away with ease and held her at arm’s length as she attempted to punch and kick him. Her thin lips were pulled back over her teeth. He couldn’t break his stare from her face. Her sunken eyes and her sharp cheekbones were evident from the weight she’d lost.
“Calm down! Calm down, I’m trying to help you.”
She broke away from him and slammed her fist on the wall, yelping in pain and rubbing her knuckles as she turned back to look at him.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Evan?”
He growled, looking over her shoulder at the figure sitting up in the bed. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the top of the stairs. “Who’s in your bed, Mom? Have you seen the state of this place? You get your ass down here, and tell me what’s going on.”
He eased off as she seemed to willingly walk with him, but he didn’t loosen the grip on her arm. He knew too well what a slippery little fucker she was and had full knowledge of the deadbolt on the inside of her bedroom door.
“I couldn’t afford the cleaner anymore,” she whispered, not looking at him as they got to the bottom of the stairs.
Evan snorted as they crossed the foyer and headed to the living room. “Oh, sure, you couldn’t. I’ve only been giving you three grand a month.”
“Fuck you.”
“Such a pretty mouth, Mom. Did you get that from your new boyfriend?”
Lynn cackled as he ordered her to sit on the couch. The sound made him wince. It was a sound you’d expect from someone in a sanitarium. That’s probably where she belonged.
“I got that from your idiot of a father.”
Evan gingerly perched on the edge of the filthy couch and looked at her. She’d been a model at the top of her game when she’d met his father. Now, at forty-five, she could easily be mistaken for sixty. Years of alcohol abuse and not taking care of herself were scarily evident.
He snatched away his gaze, his eyes darting to the traces of white powder on the table and the clear tube lying beside it. His stomach rolled.
“Fuck,” he hissed, letting his head drop into his hands. I shouldn’t have left her here alone.
“You doing drugs now, too?”
He looked at her face. Her eyes dropped to look at her hands in her lap. His gaze darted to the doorway, where the tattooed guy now stood.
“What she does is none of your damn business.”
Evan’s eyes narrowed. The guy could have only been around thirty years old. Evan could barely find a patch of skin on his bare chest and arms that didn’t have ink on it. He appeared to be well built, but not as well built as Evan, and he was shorter at around five-feet-eight. Once Evan had swallowed what the man had said, he leapt up and launched himself at the guy, pinning him against the wall by his throat.
“Look, punk, this is my house and that’s my mother. Anything that happens here is everything to do with me. So get your stinking stuff and your stinking drugs, and get the fuck out.”
His mother’s screams invaded his brain as he threw the coughing and spluttering tattooed man out into the hallway. He watched as the guy picked up a pair of black boots and hurried out of the door, wearing just a pair of jeans.
“Get dressed, Mom. You’re going to rehab.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Are you ever going to give that shit up? It’s been weeks now.” Tom took a sip of water that had been placed in their dressing room at the TV studio.
Evan turned from his phone so fast to look at Tom that his neck hurt.
He locked the screen and shoved the cell back in his pocket. “You taking sides now?”
“This isn’t about taking sides, man. It’s about the band being back the way it was.”
“You expect me to let Alex get away with all the shit he’s said to me the past few weeks?” His voice pitched high with incredulity. “You know I’ve had my mom to deal with, too.”
Alex had tried to punish Evan by making inappropriate gibes about his relationship with Katie. Most days, Alex asked if Evan’s sense had returned now that he was no longer being pussy whipped. He’d made jokes about Katie ignoring him, that she was probably relieved he’d left, due to the minuscule size of his cock.
It was like poking an angry dog with a stick, a stick neither of them would let go of.
Evan had used Al’s guilt to his advantage on the flight on the way back home. Evan had apologized for his behavior and thanked Al whole-heartedly for getting them the deal of a lifetime. He’d explained what had happened to Katie so he could understand the gravity of the situation. When the timing was perfect, he played on Al’s sympathy, backed him into a corner and coerced him into forcing Alex to agree to the album’s name.
“Hey, guys, you’re up next.”
A man carrying a clipboard stuck his head into the dressing room.
Evan sighed and shot Tom a thoughtful look. “Thanks, man.”
“For what?” Tom’s eyebrows gathered together.
“This all has to stop between Alex and me. I know that. I don’t know if he’ll let it go.”
“We’ll discuss it later. For now, we have to rule this show.”
Evan nodded and slapped his palm to Tom’s shoulder before heading out the door and onto the stage after the host’s introduction. The band waved one by one, stepping up to their instruments. At least, Alex and Evan respected showmanship enough to behave as though they were best buddies on stage. They’d had years of practice at it.
The audience rocked out to the most up-tempo track on the album. They’d been playing relentlessly to audiences in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. They’d been featured on some of the most respected, household name, TV shows in America. Gigged in exclusive clubs and venues. It had all catapulted them to the success they’d always dreamed of. A ballad from the album climbed the charts daily, and there was a strong possibility it would hit number one by the end of the week.
As the song came to an end, the audience whooped and applauded. Evan doubted he’d ever get used to the adoration the crowds had for their music. H
e hoped he never would. He wanted that high feeling to last.
“Wow! You guys are amazing!” The male host clapped his hands together before extending one to shake each band member’s hand as they took seats on the couch, ready for the interview.
“You guys have become a household name overnight. To what do you owe your astounding success?”
Alex, cocksure as ever, smirked and put down his water glass, having taken a sip. “Our great music, of course.” He shrugged theatrically.
Laughter sprang from the audience as though Alex had told the greatest joke on earth. Evan cringed inwardly but didn’t allow his poker face to slip.
The laughter died down, and the host leapt in with his next question. “Kissing Katie, interesting title for an album. Word on the street is that one of you guys were dating the album’s namesake while you were recording in London?”
Evan opened his mouth to speak, but Alex cut him off.
“That would be telling, wouldn’t it?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
The host chuckled in response. “And I can guess which one of you it was.” He raised his brows and dipped his head toward Alex. “So, are you still dating Katie? All the girls are dying to know.” His question was clearly directed at Alex.
Evan quickly shot Alex a warning glance, but Alex appeared to be too engrossed in winking at the host and providing a quick response.
“No man, I prefer my chicks to be pure American.”
Evan struggled to comprehend any further questions after that. His blood boiled. He concentrated on not getting up and punching Alex’s face until it bled on national TV. His fists balled by his sides, and his jaw clenched through his fake grin until they were directed off the stage amidst another round of thunderous applause.
Unable to contain his rage any longer, he grabbed Alex’s shirt and smashed him into the nearest wall, forcing his arm up his back. Alex yelled at Tom and Jamie to get Evan off of him.
“You ever pull a fucking stunt like that again, and I’ll make you live to regret it.” Spittle flew from Evan’s mouth and spotted Alex’s face.