He placed the waffles on their plates as he said, “Taylor-”
“Look, Eddie, I know you’re a great guy,” she interrupted, and wiped a tear sliding down her cheek. “Part of me already loves you as a friend, my best friend really, but that’s all it can be. You’re… Eddie Williams, British Pop Star… as cool as all the Beatles put together in one British soul.”
The article she'd just quoted was full of praise and something he'd tossed as rubbish, but he caressed her face and said, “I’m nothing without you.”
More tears poured free. “Eddie Williams, that’s not true. You’re the star of countless women’s dreams.”
“All I want is you.” He claimed her lips in a kiss.
He forgot all about the ice cream because she tasted sweeter than anything else.
Taylor was perfect in his arms and he wanted to keep her, forever.
7
Taylor had, once upon a time, wished for her life to be exactly what it was now. Her playing music. Writing. Performing.
On tour.
This was always her dream.
Though last night thoughts of Eddie had invaded her head while she was alone in her hotel room.
She hadn’t talked him out of kissing her.
His declaration of love replayed over and over again in her mind and she hadn’t had a wink of sleep as a result. Her skin was too pumped full of adrenaline and anticipation. Kissing Eddie hadn’t been planned, and she hadn’t thought about kissing him. Now she knew for a fact that his kiss was the ‘never forget me’ kind because she never would. Ever.
She headed to the tour bus with her backpack slung over her shoulder, filled with her toiletries and her iPad with her headset in case she wanted to listen to her music and work.
Taylor stepped into the sunshine from the hotel lobby and saw that she was last to board.
Again. As she walked to the bus door, Eddie called from behind her, “Taylor, wait up.”
He headlined his own show tonight. His trip to Vegas would be much longer. She met his green eyes and cupped his scratchy cheek. “Eddie, shouldn’t you be on your own bus?”
He pushed her hair off her sunglasses. “I’m taking my private jet to Vegas.”
Exactly. They were both too busy and had music in their hearts. “We have to be in Dallas tonight.”
Hotel staff passed them and headed toward the bus.
She stood straighter as she realized the men and women in white jackets carried boxes and Eddie explained, “I just wanted to give you and your bandmates some cupcakes and necessities for the road. I know the trip can be long.”
Four boxes were delivered, and Dan checked every item that went inside the bus as she said, “That looks like more than cupcakes.”
Dan placed a yellow charger on his windshield and said, “I’ve been on tour. The solar powered phone chargers are the best in the business.”
Well, he would know.
Her heart skipped a few beats as she peered into Eddie’s eyes and said, “Eddie…”
“I don’t want you or your friends without a way to communicate.” He leaned closer like he’d kiss her. “I’ll see you in a few days, Taylor, but I’ll miss you.”
She recognized the buzz in her veins brought on by his words and actions. She was heading toward Heartbreak Hill again. Taylor sighed and said, “Eddie, you’re amazing. Thank you for flying us to Vegas.”
And then his sweet mouth met hers and she lost track of everything except the taste of him and her swollen lips that tingled for more.
If only, but he let her go and she stepped onto the bus as he said, “See you soon.”
Wow.
Dan’s large arm muscle flexed as he closed the door so she couldn't see Eddie anymore.
She headed down the aisle of the long bus where her friends were already sitting.
Everyone had seen them kiss.
She pasted on her "former pre-teen model" smile before she’d convinced her parents to send her to boarding school for music and sat down.
Dan drove away from the hotel and it seemed everything was fine. She took out her iPad and began to transpose her notes on a melody into the program.
But as they made it to the highway, C.C. removed her sunglasses, flipped her dark hair to the other side, and sat next to her, bumping into her shoulder as she asked, “Taylor, is Eddie your next mistake?”
Clearly her friend saw the same warning signs.
Taylor glanced up and realized that all of her friends and bandmates were watching her. She sighed and said, “He could be the worst of all.”
C.C.’s gaze narrowed. “How so? He seems… into you.”
If only. Love was the dream. It was always the Holy Grail where her heart melded with another’s and happily-ever-after wasn’t just a dream. Music might be possible as a dream, but love… no. She'd swallowed that hard, sour pill long ago. “He said he loved me.”
Rissa gave her a huge smile as she asked, “Seriously?”
Out of all of them, Rissa knew each of her many, many, many mistakes. Taylor closed her notebook. “Look, it can’t work out. I know that.”
Rissa laughed. “Why can’t it work out, girl?”
“He’s a star,” Taylor said as jitters began to play on her skin.
Katie Lyn laughed. “So are we!”
Everyone joined the lead singer’s merriment though Mac amended, “We are on our way.”
True, and it wasn’t because of Eddie's job that love was impossible. She sighed. “His music is part of him. I get that.”
“And music is part of you," Rissa said. "You match pretty nicely.”
If only. They were now on two different paths where his was going off in the world and hers… hers was on a bus. And she could never ever hold him back from his destiny. She lifted her chin. “Right, but he’s super successful.”
Cinnamon asked, “And you only want a guy who's what… flat broke?”
This time she laughed too, and Rissa added, “I think you’ve had enough losers in your life.”
Eddie wasn’t one of those. He’d never been anything but… absolutely wonderful, like the time in school when he’d made her soup. But that didn’t count. That was just a memory of long ago that had nothing to do with now. She pushed her hair behind her ears and said, “But-”
“What?” Katie Lyn asked.
Taylor met Rissa’s gaze. “He’s going to leave.”
Rissa spoke like the wise woman in love now that she’d found her Jake and happiness herself. “The heart wants what it wants, Taylor. Do you want to see him again?”
Drat. If she didn’t see him again, she’d shatter into a million shards of glass that scattered on the floor from a broken dish. “Yes. Absolutely.”
C.C. went back to her seat and said, “Then go to sleep. We’ll be in Dallas in a few hours and we’re opening for Miranda. Remember the band’s dream?”
Exactly. They were signed for the next few months to open for the biggest star in country music. Their first album was steady and high in the charts and their soulful ballad wasn't far behind.
Proving to herself she could be successful as a musician was all she wanted.
And why she'd sworn off men. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m in till the end.”
“But be open to love if it’s real,” Rissa said.
Yet she had horrible judgment. Everyone knew that. She took out the blanket from under her seat to rest as she didn’t get any sleep last night. “I’ve been kicked down a lot.”
“We all have but we’re still here and still trying,” Cinnamon said.
Right.
Everyone quieted down, but Taylor’s mind kept returning to yesterday morning. She’d had breakfast with Eddie, laughed, and then practiced for their tour.
Now she was living her dream, but the new song kept playing in her head. She took out her iPad and the solar charger Eddie had sent for her leaving it on the seat for later and then jotted down her notes into a program.
She plugg
ed her headset in and started playing notes to get the melody just right in her program.
More lyrics came to her too, so she jotted down, So, let me help you carry the way…I’m going to help you carry the way
C.C. whispered, “That the love song you’re working on again?”
Taylor met her brown eyes and answered back, “I can’t sleep but I don’t want to disturb everyone.”
C.C. stood and headed over to sit next to her again. Taylor showed her the song and said, “These are the notes for a melody.”
“I like it.” C.C. reached for the headset as she strummed her hands like she was adding drums to the song.
Taylor tucked a loose blonde strand behind her ear. “Yeah, it keeps playing in my head.” She pressed the button that generated the melody as the words appeared like karaoke. “I want my piano, but here, listen.”
C.C. took the headset out. “It’s good, Taylor. With Katie Lyn’s vocals, this could be a hit. Let's play it in Dallas during practice tonight so you can hear it live which might help you finish.”
Taylor shook her head. “It’s not a band song. We’re getting known for soulful and it’s an upbeat love song.”
Taylor imagined the melody as she thought about Eddie, but that wasn’t good.
She’d think of him every day if… no she couldn't think that. He deserved to go far, and she’d not wish for anything that might hurt his career.
C.C. handed the headset back. “I’m sure we could do it justice when it’s ready.”
Taylor looked at Rissa, who'd worked so hard on her ballad. It was climbing the charts, but it had her heart and soul in it.
What she was writing was just dreams. “'Silly Me' is rising to the top right now for us. That’s a power ballad. My love notes aren’t…”
C.C. stood to go back to her seat as she said, “Finish it and then let us see.”
Maybe the girls wanted something upbeat. This could be it. She nodded and said, “I will.”
Taylor set to work jotting down the full musical melody that included all instruments.
The song was so clear in her mind.
All that was missing was lyrics as the bus pulled into a hotel connected to the stadium in Dallas and Dan turned on the lights to say, “We’re here.”
Taylor followed Cinnamon off the bus, and they all headed inside.
Rissa checked them in, but then asked loudly, “Who booked the spa for us?”
Taylor stared at them blankly, but the front desk clerk slipped her a note with her name printed in on it.
She opened it and read the message. He truly was a sweetheart. She sighed and said, “Eddie did. There’s a note.”
Rissa playfully shrugged into her side and asked, “What did he say?”
He'd repeated his declaration of love, so she pressed the paper to her heart and recited the second half of the message. “He gets long drives are taxing and he wants us ready to rock tonight.”
Rissa picked up the spa gift certificates with everyone’s names on them and said, “I really like your Eddie.”
“Me too,” Taylor whispered as she remembered his kiss from this morning.
She pocketed the note and the gift certificate, intending to use it in the morning, in between their show performances.
In her room she showered and changed and got ready for practice to ensure the instruments were in top form.
She walked the short distance to the stadium from the hotel and remembered how she and Eddie used to grab a hot dog from a street vendor in Times Square as they did their homework, writing music that went along with the street sounds.
Juilliard was still in her soul, right next to Eddie. Or with him, as she’d spent every second of her day with him then.
Once again, she was the last one at practice despite leaving early. She’d been in her head dreaming and must have dawdled. The huge sign for Miranda was installed above the stage, but the Lipstick Outlaws were already on stage. She headed right to her piano and Katie Lyn asked, “What’s going on?”
The melody continued in her mind. Taylor texted everyone what she'd worked on during the bus ride. “I’d like your help playing a song.”
C.C. tossed her drumsticks and said, “It’s good. I had a preview.”
Katie Lyn read the lyrics on her phone. “Sure.”
Taylor, uncertain, said, “It’s raw and only half-done.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Rissa said. “Let’s jam.”
And then they all played the sequence of notes, in harmony, like they'd practiced a million times. Katie Lyn brought the lyrics to life as she sang, I’ve been looking through your kind eyes. And I’ve seen what people don’t. C.C. added a drum beat that made Taylor pause. It was beautiful.
Katie Lyn continued without noticing any musical change as she sang out, I can tell you know what pain is…But you can show it to the world…There’s so much you have to hide…There’s so much you have to prove… there are so few people who can’t tell the truth…
Rissa added a new chord to the music that made the pre-chorus more striking. Katie Lyn continued, So, let me help you carry the way…I’m going to help you carry the way…
Perfect. Taylor jotted down the changes to preserve how the song was coming to life as they hit the chorus where Katie sang the first part that had played in Taylor’s soul since she first saw Eddie again. Kiss me quick before I wake up….things like this don’t happen to a girl like me…so I’m gonna hold tight to all of this… I’m gonna hold your hand until I wake up from this dream…
Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe Eddie was perfect. Maybe he wasn’t. The last chord played, and Cinnamon said, “This is a great beginning, Taylor.”
Taylor nodded and just like her life with Eddie, she said, “It needs a second verse.”
Rissa snapped her fingers and said, “Once you finish, Val says she can reserve us a recording studio in Vegas or Denver. Just let her know when you finish as we need to get the second album going.”
Taylor perked up behind her piano and scaled the notes as she said, “Y’all are my best friends.”
They continued playing until Miranda’s manager alerted them that the star wanted the stage for practice. They put their instruments away and Rissa said, “We’re all happy for you. Now go call your man.”
Taylor’s skin was jumpy still and she shook her head, “He’s not…” Rissa raised her eyebrow and Taylor slumped her shoulders and admitted, “He could be.”
The other girls headed into hair and makeup. She took her phone and found a dark corner like she always did--her quiet before the storm.
But before she prepared herself for the performance, she plugged in her headset and called Eddie, who immediately answered and asked, “So did you like my gift?”
She swallowed and ignored how her skin buzzed. “Eddie, it’s too much.”
Eddie laughed. “It’s nothing. The crowds loved you and the Lipstick Outlaws last night.”
Taylor turned to face the wall. No one needed to see her turn to mush. “No, they loved you. Everyone does.”
“Except you.”
Her lungs constricted. No man, certainly not one of her exes, had ever snuck into her heart like this. “That’s not true. You've always had part of my heart, Eddie. I’m just scared.”
His voice grew higher, like the boy she'd known, which made her smile as he said, “Of me?”
“Of having my heart left bleeding on the ground when you fly away.”
Eddie’s voice sounded somehow deeper and sexier when he said, “Taylor, in Vegas I want us to go out on a real date.”
A real date. With Eddie. Maybe she could risk one night of fun. “I thought you weren’t allowed out.”
He laughed and said, “I’ll put Tam on booking everything for us.”
His assistant. She placed her hand on her heart and felt the butterflies in her chest. “I… okay. I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Me too, Taylor,” he said, and then Melanie called out from the d
ressing room for her to join the band.
She quickly said, “I have to go Eddie.”
Her body still hummed as she hung up and went into the room.
She knew who Eddie was. He was a good man. Maybe she needed to give him a chance.
So, when she got to Vegas, it was time to break her own rule, just once.
8
Eddie stood with his sunglasses and tons of sunblock on his skin on the sidewalk in front of the hotel in Vegas where the buses pulled in.
Vegas was one of the worst cities for his pale skin. The tan he had was a lot of work and required just the right moisturizers as his natural redhead skin was more likely to burn from actual sunlight. He normally avoided the morning sun.
Last night’s performance meant he should be in bed till at least noon.
However, Taylor’s bus from the airport should be arriving in Vegas any minute now.
There! He stared at the shiny black bus as it pulled into the back lot and waited. It wasn’t the black bus with the Lipstick Outlaws logo on it, but for a short trip he assumed they wouldn’t mind.
The last black tour bus that had arrived had been full of some other country band, all men, that he’d never met.
His skin was alive and bursting with energy the second Taylor stepped off the bus with her long blonde hair in a ponytail that bounced behind her. She tucked her hands in her back pockets of her rumpled jeans and stretched in her white t-shirt with a pink butterfly across her abdomen.
She walked with her band members toward the door where he waited--she seemed half-asleep.
Her other band members waved and giggled as they passed him but didn't say anything. Taylor’s eyes widened when she walked down the path and saw him waiting. He should have brought her flowers! He checked his watch and said, “Fifty-three hours, twenty-seven minutes, fourteen seconds.”
Her band was at the front desk, but she stayed near him. She asked, “What’s that?”
Seriously? Adrenaline pumped through his veins, but he reached down and took her hands. “How long it’s been since I've seen you last.”
Taylor’s Legendary Heart: Sweethearts of Country Music, Book 2 Page 6