The Road Back (Limelight Series Book 2)

by Piper Davenport

  I grabbed the bags of groceries, and she took an anti-nausea pill with a little ginger ale and a saltine.

  After a few minutes, she pushed off the bed and headed to the bathroom. I followed, concerned she might pass out again.

  “I’m okay, honey,” she said.

  I studied her. “You dizzy? At all?”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  “Okay, sweetness, just be careful.”

  She leaned up and kissed me. “I will.”

  We decided to eat in the hotel’s dining room for dinner and were seated by a grand fireplace, which was currently illuminated by a series of large candles, rather than flaming logs, I assumed to keep the heat down in the summer months. The dining room wasn’t very busy and we were enjoying our quiet, romantic meal… well… until...

  “Excuse me, Jack Henry?”

  I looked up to see a woman in her late-forties, wearing thick cat’s eye frames, holding a RatHound 1995 tour program and several CDs.

  “Yeah… on my better days,” I said, and gave the woman a smile.

  Rather than looking pleased, the woman actually looked like she was in total agony. Her body shook and she began to make a low groaning sound. Eventually, her noises began to sound like words. Normally, I hated when people interrupted me for a picture or an autograph… it’s part of the reason I grew my hair long. Once I did that, people recognized me less and less, but apparently, the word was out and my cover was blown. It had been a while, and I was in a good mood, so I decided not to blow her off.

  “Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, I’m your b-b-biggest fan.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  She bobbed her head up and down and let out a strange moaning sound. “I knew Rex would come to his senses and put the band back together.”

  This woman was a weirdo.

  “Did you want me to sign those for you?” I asked, motioning to her stack of RatHound merch.

  She simply moaned again and quickly thrust the items toward me.

  “Who should I make this out to?” I asked.

  “Uh… Cathy… I’m Cathy… I’m Cathy Meadows.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “We’ve met, Jack.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s been a long time, so you might not remember.”

  “Maybe not.” I nodded toward Hadley. “This is my fiancé, Hadley.”

  Cathy stopped smiling. In fact, Cathy stopped moving altogether. Her unblinking gaze was now fully set on Hadley.

  “Where are you from, Cathy?” I asked in an attempt to turn her focus back to me, or at least back to earth.

  “I’m from Colorado,” she said without breaking her focus on Hadley.

  “What a coincidence,” I said, signing her things. “We were just in Colorado.”

  “I know.”

  I tried again. “What brings you to Boise?”

  She finally turned to me and said, “You.”

  I looked at Hadley, and her eyes were as big as saucers. I swallowed hard and hoped Cathy didn’t notice. This chick was seriously starting the freak me the fuck out.

  “I’m here to see you guys play at the Idaho Center Arena,” she said.

  “Wow, you’re in town a little… early aren’t you? The show’s not for another two days.”

  “I was going to see you at Red Rocks tonight, but when I heard you weren’t going to be playing drums, I drove straight here instead.”

  “Last night?” Hadley asked.

  “Uh huh,” Cathy answered.

  My blood ran cold. “How did you… know I was at this particular hotel?”

  “I saw you pull in here when I was following you.”

  * * *

  Hadley

  What the hell? This woman was nuts.

  If looks could kill, I’d be dead ten times over, and considering I’d seen what women could do to other women who got between them and their idols, she was making me more than a little nervous.

  “What room are you in?” Cathy asked.

  “We don’t give that kind of information out, Cathy,” Jack said.

  I just sat there dumbfounded considering I couldn’t believe she’d even asked.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” She stepped closer, apparently, now feeling more comfortable. “I can run errands, um, and, ah, things. Whatever you need.”

  “We’ve got it handled,” Jack said.

  She pulled a chair up to the table and plopped herself down between us. “I can’t believe I’m having dinner with Jack Henry.”

  “Cathy, I’m sorry, but you can’t join us.”

  “Oh, how come? I’ve come all this way and I’m all by myself.”

  I raised my eyebrow at Jack. I’d like to see how he got out of this one.

  “Well, I’m here with my fiancée, and…”

  “Oh, she doesn’t bother me,” Cathy said.

  I choked on the sip of water I’d just taken and Jack gave me a look of panic.

  “Sorry, will you excuse me for a second?” I said, and stood.

  Jack shook his head, and I escaped… heading straight for the front desk.

  “Miss Simon?” a voice said from behind me and I turned to see Rolf, the general manager approaching me.

  “Hi, Rolf.”

  “Can I help you with something?”

  “Um, yes, please, if you wouldn’t mind. Jack’s having a little problem with a fan.”

  I filled him in on Cathy and her desire to sit with him… but I left out the fact that she probably wanted to make a skin suit out of him.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Rolf said. “Just head on back to dinner.”

  The fact that the bands had pretty much booked out the hotel for the next two nights, meant we got a little extra preferential treatment. Rolf was close to Jack’s age, so I had an inkling he was a fan… probably a secret one… but, regardless, I appreciated whatever he could do to keep the crazies from my man.

  “Thank you.” Instead of heading straight back to the table, I made a pitstop, then joined Jack again, who was still dealing with Cathy. And she appeared to have moved closer to him.

  Jack stood, reaching his hand out as though to grab me like a lifeline. “Hi, baby.”

  I grinned, sliding against his body. “Hi, honey.”

  Cathy looked like she might explode, but I didn’t object when Jack sat in the chair furthest away from her and settled me between them.

  Our server arrived and smiled at Cathy. “Are you Ms. Meadows?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, you have a phone call.”

  She frowned. “Here?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Her frown turned into a scowl, but she didn’t move to get up.

  “It’s quite urgent,” the waitress stressed.

  “Ah, okay, right.” Cathy rose to her feet and the waitress led her away, returning quickly with a grin.

  “She won’t bother you again.”

  Jack sighed. “Thank you.”

  “Not a problem.” She smiled. “Can I bring you anything?”

  “Cheesecake,” I said.

  She grinned. “I can do that.”

  “I’ll have coffee, please,” Jack said.

  The waitress nodded and walked away.

  “Do you think she’ll come back?” Jack whispered.

  “Why are you whispering?”

  “In case she’s, I don’t know, a witch or something.”

  I burst out laughing. “Is whispering a thing… with witches?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not taking any chances.”

  “Well, she won’t be back.”

  “How do you know?”

  I patted my chest. “Because, I’m Hadley Freakin’ Simon and I took care of it.”

  He leaned over and kissed me… hard. “I love you. Holy fuckin’ hell, she was nuts.”

  “I’m sorry, honey.” I smiled and stroked his cheek. “My big, bad, sexy man can’t handle one crazy, fifty-something lady? It’s okay
, your woman’s here to protect you.”

  He chuckled, leaning forward to kiss me again. “You’re cute, you know that?”

  “I sure do.”

  He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

  “Always, honey.”

  He kissed me again and the waitress returned with our dessert. By the time we were ready to pay for the meal, I could barely keep my eyes open.

  Jack held me close as we headed back to our room and I couldn’t help but notice Cathy wasn’t lurking anywhere. Well, anywhere that I could see, anyway.

  Maybe she was a witch.

  Arriving at our room, Jack closed us in to the quiet, and I undressed quickly and practically fell into bed.

  “You want to take another pill?” he asked.

  “No, I’m good,” I said, biting back a yawn. Just exhausted.

  “Take your prenatal.”

  I groaned. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

  He handed me the pill and I took it, then crawled back under the covers. I felt the bed dip when Jack climbed in beside me, but don’t remember anything after that.

  * * *

  Ohmigod, I was dying. I was sure of it.

  I sat up, disoriented for a second, then remembered where I was, and made a mad dash for the toilet. I should have forgone the prenatal… or taken it sooner. God! My stomach was on the rampage.

  “Baby?” Jack whispered from the doorway.

  “It’s okay, I’m okay. The baby’s just trying to kill me.”

  He gave me a sad chuckle and hunkered down beside me. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “It’s okay.” I dropped my head to my arms on the seat. “It’ll all be worth it.”

  “Yes, it will be.” He rubbed my back for a second and then stood. “I’ll get you some ginger ale.”

  “Thanks.”

  I pushed myself away from the ground, washed my hands, and sat on the edge of the bed. Jack handed me a pill and a can of soda and I smiled up at him. “Don’t let me stop you from shoving a pill down my throat next time, okay?”

  He smiled. “I got your back, baby. Don’t worry.”

  “I think I got cocky.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “I ate all of dinner and that to-die-for cheesecake and thought I was in the clear.”

  “We’ll know better next time.”

  I yawned. “I’m going to brush my teeth, then I’m going to die.”

  Jack waited for me to return, then climbed in beside me and pulled me close.

  “You sure you want to risk this?” I challenged.

  “Yeah, baby. I’m good.”

  I kissed his chest. “Okay, honey. I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep.

  Jack

  OUR MINI GETAWAY wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, but it was good to rest, and great being alone with Hadley. I’d hoped we’d be able to talk more about our future over dinner, but our uninvited guest sort of derailed that. After that, I just wanted to keep things light and restful for Hadley. I could tell she had something on her mind, and could only assume she had questions and fears about our future, but I didn’t quite know how to approach things with her just yet. She was still a relative stranger to me in so many ways, which was odd because my heart knew her completely.

  There had been no sign of Cathy on the road, and believe me, my head was on a swivel. Hadley spoke with venue security the moment we got here. These days, you can never be too careful, and I was of the opinion that Cathy Meadows was a few tacos short of a fiesta plate.

  We walked through the backstage halls of the arena, which is about a twelve hundred seat venue that we’d apparently sold out. In fact, the entire tour had sold out, which was more satisfying than I thought it would be. Maybe it’s because I didn’t expect it or even think about it.

  “Well, look who decided to show up! Didn’t you get the notice that you’ve been replaced?” Rex yelled through the throngs of people in the dressing room. Backstage always seemed to get a little more crowded as tours went on, so now that we were just two dates from the end of the tour, it was a bit of a zoo tonight.

  Through the masses I spotted Bam sitting on the couch with his bassist, Jimmy.

  “At least my replacement is a complete bad ass!” I replied.

  The dressing room erupted in applause and Bam smiled wide, and bowed his head in humility. “Thank y’all, you’re too kind. Really, thank you, you can kindly all shut the fuck up now!” Bam joked.

  The room was filled with laughter and the party resumed. Bam stood to his feet and we embraced.

  “Seriously, Bam, thank you,” I said. “You totally saved my ass, and everyone who saw the show says you killed it. I appreciate you being there for me, and most importantly, for Hadley.”

  “I’d do anything for her. Hadley’s my family, and if you’re getting married and havin’ a kid with her, that makes you my family. Not to mention, that was my childhood fantasy, so I should be thanking you. I still can’t believe it happened, and I’m pretty much in shock, and now I’m babbling. I need a beer.” Bam met my eyes. “Oh, shit! Sorry man, I—”

  “It’s okay.” I laughed. “I’m happy it worked out for both of us and thank you again. I owe you one.”

  “That means something where I’m from,” he said earnestly, his southern drawl pouring out.

  “It doesn’t mean shit where I’m from, but it does to me, so ask it and you’ve got it.”

  We talked more about the show and how he felt about it. It was interesting to get another drummer’s thoughts on playing in my band, with my bandmates. It was fun talking with Bam. He was a natural storyteller and a straight shooter. He had a very unique perspective about what it was like to hitch up to the animals that are Rex and Robbie, which I got a kick out of hearing.

  “It was brutal at first,” Bam laughed. “We couldn’t soundcheck because of the whole festival thing. The Clergy was on right before us, and it was a pretty tight turnaround before we were on.”

  “I bet it felt like forever,” I said.

  “Exactly the opposite! Before I knew it, Ray was handing me my sticks, I sat down and we were off.”

  “First thought?” I asked.

  “Loud… as… fuck.”

  I laughed.

  “You must be deaf,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Seriously,” he continued. “I’ve never been on stage with guys playing that loud before. I thought my band cranked, but holy shit brother. Even through my in-ears, I could hear Rex and Robbie’s rigs.”

  “Robbie still uses wedges,” I said. “We’re from another time man, a very loud time.”

  We talked a while longer and I made note of his keen sense of people and what they were thinking. He seemed not only street smart, but wise for his age.

  I made a note to pick his brain some time about Hadley, as her closest friend, he likely had a similar vantage point into her as he did with my band. It’s not like I couldn’t talk to her directly, I just figured I’d use any solid help I could get into understanding the woman that was going to be my wife and the mother of my child.

  I mingled among the celebrities, press people, and various backstage guests for about another hour and then headed out to find my five-foot-five-inch fix.

  It was a bit strange being thrust right back into band chaos after a few days of relative isolation, and as much as I sparked from being back ‘in it,’ while mingling, I was mostly thinking of the next time I’d be alone with Hadley again. I was so preoccupied with her, that had it not been for the roadies running past me in the halls, and the rumble crowd growing louder by the moment, I might have even forgotten I had a show to play tonight.

  * * *

  Hadley

  I was standing in the corner… and I was in the corner because Ray was boxing me in… and all I could think about was getting the hell away from him. He’d piled on a little more cologne than normal (or I ju
st happened to notice because every smell elicited a physical and sometimes violent response from me).

  “So, this thing with Jack,” Ray said. “It’s serious?”

  “Ah, yeah, very.”

  “You sure?”

  “She’s fuckin’ sure, Ray, now walk away,” Jack growled as he moved between us.

  “Dude!” Ray said, raising his hands. “Just askin’.”

  “And now you’re walkin’ away,” Jack reiterated.

  Ray walked backwards for a few paces, then turned on his heel and scurried away as fast as he could.

  I tried not to laugh (or puke) as I dropped my head to Jack’s chest and breathed in his clean scent, wiping the Ray stench away. I wrapped my arms around him and sighed. “Thank you.”

  Jack slid his fingers into my hair, then stroked my back. “Missed you.”

  “You too,” I whispered. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah. You gonna watch from the side?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “I want to see you, baby.”

  I met his eyes and smiled. “I’ll be there… well, unless, I’m puking. Then I’ll be worshipping the porcelain god, or the nearest trash can.”

  “I thought this was going to be a dry tour. With all of this talk of you puking…”

  “Since I’ll probably be dry-heaving, you’re not far off.”

  Jack laughed, kissing my temple.

  “Oh!” I said. “I almost forgot, Bam asked us to watch their set tonight.”

  “Why’s tonight special?”

  “I don’t know, but when my bestie asks me to do something easy, I try to accommodate.”

  Jack grinned and I slipped my hand in his as we walked to stage right. We stood in the wings, just behind the sightline of the heavy black curtain and watched Bam walk out from behind his kit, to stand center stage.

  “We hope y’all are havin’ a great time tonight!” Bam yelled.

  The crowd roared back in appreciation.

  Bam grinned. “We hear you, Boise, and we feel you, so we’d like to do something special for you tonight, if that’s alright.”

  Another swell of applause.

  Roses for Anna was on the rise, and as predicted, they were now playing to nearly full houses every night. They had previously headlined their own theater tour, so on the nights when they weren’t opening for RatHound, I had them booked in smaller venues just to work each local market as much as possible. With their work ethic, talent, and the ever-growing reputation of their live shows, I saw no reason why Roses for Anna couldn’t be the biggest rock band in America.