When the Storm Breaks (Lost Stars)

by Emery Rose

  Brody arrived late on Thursday afternoon. I’d left a keycard at the front desk for him and he’d texted to say he was on his way up to the room. I’d opened the glass doors to the balcony of my ocean-front suite. The air was warm and salt-scented, the room modern and decorated in all white. The only hints of color came from the bowl of green apples on the round white lacquer table in front of the sofa and the potted palms on the balcony.

  When the room door opened, I tossed aside the magazine I was reading and stood up from the sofa. For a moment, I just stood in the middle of the room and drank him in. He was wearing faded denim and a plain white T-shirt, his dirty blond hair all messy and disheveled, reaching the collar of his T-shirt. Even in the winter, his skin was suntanned from being outdoors all day, his muscles threatening to burst the seams of his T-shirt. His broad shoulders and tall frame filled up all the available space.

  Brody was all man, and that man was all mine.

  He dropped his duffel bag to the floor and in a few long strides, he erased the distance between us. Pulling me into his arms, he fisted my hair in his hand and tugged on it so my face was tipped up to his. “Fuck, I missed you.”

  “Missed you more.”

  He crushed his mouth against mine and kissed me hard.

  We’d become one of those sickening couples, but I didn’t care. He swept me off my feet and I clung to his shoulders, my legs cinching his waist as he carried me to the bedroom. Our mouths collided and we said hello with a kiss that stole the breath from my lungs and made me dizzy. I never wanted to let him go.

  I had no idea how I’d make it to the end of April with only a few stolen hours and days at a time with him. After a short break, I’d be going into the studio to record my next album. But I didn’t want to think about any of that now. I didn’t want to think about how I hadn’t even gotten a chance to meet Gracie McCallister yet. Jude and Lila’s baby was born three weeks ago. Two days before that, Ridge had celebrated his eighteenth birthday. In two weeks, Brody and Lila were throwing a seventh birthday party for Noah. I’d be missing that too. But I shoved it out of my mind and enjoyed the feel of his hard body under my fingertips, his lips on mine, soft but demanding.

  He was here now, and that was all that mattered.

  “Are you sure about this?” Brody had asked when I was getting ready for our night out.

  “I’m positive.” I’d given him a big smile. “It’ll be fun.”

  Now I was tipsy on Mojitos and pleasantly sated from the Cubanos we’d eaten, my body moving to the Latin beat of the live music playing. We were sitting in a round red-upholstered booth at the back of the room near the small dance area, his arm slung over the back of my seat, my thigh pressed against his. The small club was dark and intimate, decorated in dark red and glossy black with ceiling fans and candles in red glass holders on each table.

  My lips loosened by alcohol, I confided in Brody how betrayed I felt by Landry. Brody was more than just my lover, he was my best friend, and I’d made up my mind when we were in the South of France that I wouldn’t keep anything from him. I needed to get this off my chest so I could move on and try to put it behind me.

  “Do you think I’m overreacting?” I asked him when I finished telling him about the encounter with Ari Bell and how I suspected Landry had been with her even before he invited her to be the newest member of Acadian Storm. “It made me feel like he was the one manipulating me… I mean, I always knew Dean was capable of this. But my own brother?” I heard the hurt and disappointment in my voice and Brody must have heard it too.

  “Yeah, I get it. You don’t know what to believe anymore. He had a chance to discuss this with you, but he chose to keep it a secret. He destroyed your trust in him. And his first loyalty should have been to you. Not the band. Not Dean. But his own blood.”

  That was exactly it. Brody understood where I was coming from and hadn’t tried to downplay my feelings which I appreciated more than he could ever know. I lifted my Mojito. “Let’s make a toast.”

  He lifted his beer bottle and raised his brows, waiting to hear what we were toasting to. “To honesty. Let’s always be open and honest with each other. No secrets, no lies.” I turned in my seat for a better view of his face. He was staring straight ahead, not at me, his face in shadows from the glow of the candlelight. “Brody?”

  “Yeah?” He turned his head and his eyes flitted over my face, searching for something although I didn’t know what. He opened his mouth to speak then shut it again.

  “Can we drink to that?”

  He hesitated a beat then his eyes locked onto mine and he nodded. “Sure.”

  Maybe I should have noticed the hesitation, the troubled look on his face. But I didn’t. He clinked his bottle against my glass and we both drank to honesty. No secrets, no lies, no withheld information. While I was in Texas over the Christmas holidays, we’d confided so many things to each other. I’d told him about Rhett Holloway and the money I’d given him to open a bar and how I hadn’t heard from him since. Brody had said that Rhett didn’t deserve to call himself a father and he wouldn’t have given him a dime. That was when I figured out that Brody held grudges and didn’t forgive easily.

  When he’d probed me for more information about Dean, and asked if I’d been abused, I answered him honestly. I hadn’t given him every little detail of my relationship with Dean, but enough that he got the picture. Our relationship had been toxic, fueled by alcohol and drugs, and by the time I left Dean I’d been in a bad place. But when I met Brody, he’d revived my faith in men. Had made me see there were good men out there who were honest and true and strong without making you feel like they needed to control you.

  I didn’t want to waste any more time dwelling on Landry or Dean or Rhett. Maybe, by the end of this tour, I’d find a way to talk to Landry and we’d clear the air. But tonight, I wanted to devote all my attention to Brody.

  “Let’s dance.”

  “You wanna dance?”

  “Scared? Is the two-step the extent of your dancing repertoire?” I teased.

  He gave me that charming Brody McCallister grin, his teeth so white and the little lines around his eyes crinkling. “I’m not a one-trick pony, baby.”

  “Prove it.”

  And he did. He led, and I followed, our bodies moving in perfect sync to the rhythm of the sexy, sensuous beat. One hand on the small of my back, the other one clasping mine, our eyes locked, we danced in a small club in Miami. And everything about it was so perfect.

  Being with Brody was almost too good to be true.

  “Do you think it’s possible for us to have it all?” I asked him.

  Without hesitation he said, “We already do.”

  I’d found my one true love and I was going to prove everyone wrong. Brody and I would have it all.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Brody

  On Friday morning I had a few hours to myself. Earlier, Shiloh had been chauffeured to a morning radio show appearance and afterward she had an interview. I sure as hell didn’t want to spend my morning in this hotel room. Everything, and I mean everything, was white. The upholstered wall behind the white bed, the glossy white floor, the fucking marble in the bathroom, and all the furniture. It reminded me of a padded cell. A very expensive padded cell, no doubt.

  After I worked out in the hotel gym, I took a shower in the room then strode out of the hotel, past the infinity pool with white cabanas and a few women who looked like fashion models. I didn’t even look twice. I walked to the closest coffee shop, a hipster haven like most of South Beach and ordered a large coffee and a breakfast burrito then carried them to a sidewalk table.

  After I ate the burrito, I sat back with my coffee and called Glenn to ask how everything was going at the ranch. What Shiloh had failed to realize was that by giving me a not-for-profit horse rescue, my already limited free time was now virtually non-existent. It took a hell of a lot of work and resources to operate a horse ranch that size and even three days away from it w
as difficult to swing.

  “Jude and his buddy Tommy are coming by later,” Glenn told me.

  My eyes narrowed. “What for?”

  “Said they’ve recruited some volunteers.”

  “And why in the hell would Jude bring them over on a day I’m not there?”

  “Can’t answer for Jude. Best ask him yourself.”

  I sighed. “Everything else okay?”

  “Yup. If I need you, I’ll be sure to call you. No need to keep checking in.” A man of few words, Glenn cut the call and I called my cousin.

  “Why the hell can’t you wait until I get home?” I asked, skipping the greeting.

  “Good morning to you too,” Jude said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Answer the question.”

  “I might have fucked up the dates.”

  I could almost hear him wince. My brows shot up to my hairline. Then I smirked. “That’s not like you.”

  “Lila says baby brain is a thing.”

  I chuckled. “Guess it is.” I leaned back in my seat and took a sip of coffee. “How’s Gracie?”

  “I don’t know, man. Having a girl is different. I’ve been losing sleep over the thought of her … fuck, there’s so many douches out there. We were douches.”

  “She’s three weeks old. Pretty sure she doesn’t have sex on the brain yet.”

  “Jesus. Don’t mention sex and my daughter in the same sentence. I’m keeping her locked in the house until she’s twenty-one. Even that seems too soon to let her out.”

  A laugh burst out of me. “You’re such a dumb shit.”

  “Fatherhood is making me question my lack of teenage morals. How’s Shiloh?”

  “She’s good.” Although I wasn’t so sure about that. Her brother was an asshole. Every time I thought about him, it made my blood boil. The girl was surrounded by users. No wonder she wasn’t sure who she could trust. And last night I’d promised her to always be honest. No secrets, no lies.

  Tonight I should tell her the truth and pray that she didn’t look at me like I was some kind of monster by association.

  “Have you met the ex yet?”

  “Nope.” My hand curled into a fist at the mere thought of meeting Dean the douche.

  “Just do me a favor. When you do meet him, refrain from planting your fist in his face.”

  “As much as I would love to do just that, I won’t. I don’t want to cause a scene or upset Shy.”

  He was quiet for a couple seconds. “She’s changed you.”

  Didn’t I know it. And I wasn’t even mad about it. “Yeah, yeah. Next time you recruit volunteers, run it by me first.” I paused a moment then grudgingly said, “And thanks.”

  “That hurt, didn’t it?”

  I huffed out a laugh and we said goodbye. Then I hung out at a trendy coffee shop in South Beach, with the sun on my face, and watched the beautiful people go by. Sitting around doing jack shit didn’t come easy to me. Two coffees later, I was bored and restless, so I went for a walk on the beach. About twenty minutes later, I’d had enough of that too, so I headed back to the hotel. By now, Shiloh should be done with her radio show.

  I was crossing the hotel lobby, also white with a big-ass chandelier hanging from the high ceiling and gauzy white curtains hanging between the pillars, when a guy stepped out in front of me. It took me a second to realize who it was.

  “You’re the new boyfriend, right?”

  “I’m the only boyfriend.”

  “Huh. Not what I expected.”

  “Funny. You’re exactly what I expected.” His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, his dark hair spiky like he’d used a lot of styling products, and he was wearing skinny jeans with a dark gray button-up shirt untucked, an expensive-looking chunky silver watch on his wrist.

  I was going to leave it at that. I had every intention of walking away from Landry Leroux and not saying another goddamn word.

  But then he had to go and question me. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He punctuated his question with a sniff. Jesus. The fucker was coked up at eleven thirty in the morning.

  “If it looks like a weasel and acts like a weasel, it is a goddamn weasel. You should clean your nose. You’ve left some nose candy in the left nostril.” Asshole.

  He swiped his hand over his nose. “I don’t know what my sister told you, but she has a habit of twisting the truth. Blows everything out of proportion.”

  “Are you calling your sister a liar?”

  “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be so quick to believe everything she says.”

  “Where the fuck do you get off badmouthing your own sister?” It was the drugs talking, I knew it. People got braver and stupider and said shit they regretted later. But right now this asshole was in my face, spouting shit about his own sister and I couldn’t just let that go. “You don’t know me. Why are you telling me this?”

  “Just thought you should know what you’re getting yourself into. As soon as she gets tired of you, she’ll toss you aside and move on. Maybe you think you’ve won this round…”

  I stared at him. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “I know you’re the one who talked her out of singing that duet. I don’t know what else you’ve been putting into her head, but she’ll soon figure out that her loyalties lie with the people who really know her and care about her best interests.”

  This guy was fucking unbelievable. I laughed harshly. “And I guess you think that’s you.” I stabbed my finger at his chest. “If you cared about her so much, you should have given her your unquestioning loyalty instead of stabbing her in the back every time she turned around.”

  Let it be known for the record that he shoved me first.

  We were equally matched in height but that was where the similarities ended. His muscles came from working out in a gym, and he wasn’t a fighter. So why the fuck was he picking a fight with a guy who could lay him out in two seconds flat? It was a mystery to me.

  I shoved him back. Just a shove. Not a punch. Not a kick in the balls like he deserved. Just a warning not to mess with me. His back slammed against the pillar behind him. I would have thought that would be the end of it.

  I turned and started walking away. He grabbed my shoulder, spun me around, and punched me right below the ribs. Motherfucker. I returned the favor. One punch. Two punches, and he doubled over. I hauled him up by the shirt collar and got right into his face. “Don’t you fucking mess with me. I will defend her until my dying day. And until you’re ready to act like a decent brother and make amends for all the shit you’ve put her through, stay away from Shiloh.”

  I released him and he staggered back. Then I turned and walked away, avoiding the stares of everyone in the lobby who had stopped to take in the show. As I was leaving, security showed up. A little late for that, boys.

  I stabbed the elevator button and tried to regulate my breathing.

  “Brody.”

  Great. Just what I needed. Marcus. “We need to have a word.”

  “If it’s all the same with you, I’d like to get back to Shiloh.”

  I should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. “This will only take two minutes.” He was texting on his phone as he led me to an empty room next to one of the hotel restaurants. It must have been a conference room.

  I leaned against the wall next to the door and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to speak.

  “What happened?”

  “He was talking shit about Shiloh and I wasn’t about to put up with that.” There was no apology in my voice. I wasn’t the least bit sorry.

  “So you thought you’d punch him to shut him up. In a public space where anyone could see you?”

  I shrugged one shoulder, not bothering to defend myself. Although I did add, “Nobody knows who I am.”

  He laughed. “You really are stupid, aren’t you? Luckily, Naomi is here. She’ll deal with the damage control.”

  Damage control.

  Marcus pocketed
his phone and held my gaze. “Shiloh doesn’t need to know about this right now,” he said. “I don’t want any of this to affect her performance tonight.”

  My eyes narrowed on him. “You want me to lie to her?”

  “I want you to keep it to yourself for now. Shiloh is my number one priority. If you really care about her, you’ll do what’s best for her right now and keep your mouth shut. She’s under a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of stress between her and Landry and if she hears about this, it will only add to it.”

  I considered his words. It was hard to tell if he cared about Shiloh or if she was just his meal ticket. I rubbed the back of my neck. “It doesn’t sit right with me to withhold the truth from her.”

  “But it sits just fine with you to punch her brother.”

  I held his gaze. “He had it coming.” He had no idea how much I could have fucked up Landry if I hadn’t been holding back.

  “Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. That’s not for me to say. But I’ll tell you one thing. At the end of the day, he’s still her brother and they still have to get through this tour together. Don’t make it any more difficult than it already is.”

  “What if he tells her first?” Then I’d lose her trust and look like the liar that I was.

  “Trust me, he won’t breathe a word of it.”

  I believed him. Marcus or Naomi or someone else on the management team would make sure of it. They were all shady as fuck.

  But he was waiting for my answer so I nodded once in silent agreement, and I justified my actions by telling myself I was doing the best thing I could for her.