“Yeah, that was just a few days ago, Kip. Are you sure about this? I mean, she accepted a proposal from you after such a short time?”
“She did, albeit not exactly how I thought she would, but eventually she said yes,” I chuckle and tighten my arm around her in a hug.
“I guess when you know, you know. You’re a lot luckier than I was. It took forever for Lexi to marry me. So when’s the big day?” he asks.
“We haven’t set one. She’s got a big family and I’m sure they want to be involved, so we’ll have to see what she wants to do about it all. In all honesty I’d run off to Vegas and do it today, but I have to get on the road to Dallas and there isn’t time.” Peyton begins to squirm.
“Let me up,” she whispers. “I gotta pee.”
Reluctantly I let her go and can’t help but to give her ass a little slap as she climbs over me to get out of the bed. She gives me a look and I laugh. “I’ll let you know if we decide to have something with people involved. To be honest though, I’d like it to be just her and I.”
“Just do it, man,” Max says. “Just take her ass to Vegas the very first chance you get. You need to borrow my jet? All you have to do is let me know and I’ll send it your way. Get that wedding band on her finger before the crazy shit starts to happen. It’s a lot harder to walk away from a marriage than it is an engagement, believe me.”
I find fear creeping in and start to think I should cancel the show and take her to Vegas today. The stories Max and Lexi told me about all that went wrong before they got married has me feeling a shit load of anxiety. “You know what, Max. I may take you up on the Jet offer. Let me talk to her and I’ll get back with you. Bye.”
“Bye, talk to you later,” he says and ends the call.
Pulling on my slacks from last night, I trod in bare feet to the bathroom door. “I’m going to talk to Silas, the manager, for a minute, love. I’ll be right back.”
Her muffled voice says, “Okay, I’m going to shower.”
I grab the key off the top of the television and head out to see if I can make Silas agree to leave me out of the show tonight. Bobby can sing my parts, nearly as good as I can.
A quick knock I make on his door and am surprised as Bobby opens it. “Hey, there’s the prodigal son.”
“Yeah, it’s me.” I wave at Silas. “I’m actually glad you’re here, Bobby. I’m getting married.”
They both look at me in stunned silence, then Silas says, “To who?”
“The girl who wouldn’t kiss me when I sang her that song the other day,” I say with a smile.
No one else is smiling though. “No!” Bobby says quietly. “That’s stupid!”
“It’s not and shut up,” I say and give him a light punch on his shoulder. “So, anyway, I want to go to Vegas today and do it. I think Bobby can sing my part at the concert in Dallas tonight. We’ll catch up to you in Denver tomorrow night.”
“We’ll?” Silas asks.
“I’m getting my own bus and driver and we’ll be on that bus from now on. Don’t worry, I’m paying for it all out of my own pocket.” I turn to leave but Silas stops me.
“Buddy, I can’t let you do that.”
I cock my head to the side and turn back. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
A frown Silas wears. “You signed a contract, Kip. The show is your show, not the band’s. You have to go. In three weeks, you’ll have some free time to go get married. What’s the rush?”
“I want to be married to her, that’s the rush.” I pace back and forth. “I don’t want to wait three weeks.”
“Sorry, buddy,” Bobby says as he puts his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s go down and get some breakfast and you can tell me exactly when it was that you lost your fuckin’ mind, mate.”
He walks me out of Silas’ room and I find myself feeling confused.
When did I lose control of my life?
Peyton
“I don’t know why you’re getting so pissed about that,” I tell Kip as he paces back and forth in his hotel room. “I don’t think running off and getting married today is a good idea anyway. I want to discuss it with Mom and see if they want to have a wedding. I am only getting married one time, I hope. I want it to be special.”
He takes me by my arms and looks at me with those penetrating blue eyes. “Come with me. I can get a bus and driver today.”
I shake my head. “No, Kip. If there is a wedding to plan, I need to be home to do it.”
The way his eyes roll tells me that he’s not happy with any of this. “Fuck that, we don’t need a big wedding. Let’s go to Vegas in three weeks and do it. If your family wants to be there I’ll fly them up and get them rooms, no problem. Just go with me on the tour, please!”
“Damn, Kip! You’ll be fine. The time will pass quickly, don’t worry.” I try to hug him but he lets my arms go and begins to pace again.
“So much can happen, and I want you. No! I need you. Don’t you understand? Won’t you hate not sleeping with me? Not waking up in my arms?” he asks.
“Of course, but we have a lifetime to do that.”
A knock comes at the door and Kip strides across the room and opens it. Purple boy, Bobby, is smiling and looks straight at me. “What have you done to my mate, girl?”
“No!” Kip says as he tries to close the door, but Bobby steps inside.
“I have not done a thing to him,” I say.
“You have, you witch,” he says. The Kip hits him. Bam!
Looks like the band is going to hate me!
Part Six: Shooting Star
Kip
A loud honking sound makes me look up. A car full of girls drives close to our tour bus ahead of me and Peyton. She’s driving as I nurse the shiner that Bobby gave me.
There are four girls in the convertible and three get up and flash their tits. Peyton chuckles. “Classy chicks!”
“Ignore them, that’s what I do,” I say as I pull the visor down and look at my eye. I run my hand over the bluish bruise. “That’s the first time the wanker has ever hit me in the face.”
Peyton smiles and pats my leg. “Shouldn’t you guys have a rule about hitting each other in the money-maker?”
“We should, and I’ll bring it up at our next meeting.” I push the visor back up and take her hand, giving it a kiss. “I want you to let me sing that song to you again, and this time I’m going to change it up a bit.”
A deep sigh she makes. “I really don’t want to get on stage. It’s not my thing.”
The crazy girls in the car keep honking and driving dangerously close to the tour bus. “Fuck this, love. Go around, we have this bad ass GPS system in this car. We can find our own way to the stadium.”
She hits her blinker and waits for the Tesla to move into the next lane. “This really is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, Kip. Thank you again for giving it to me.”
I smile at her. “I’m glad you like it, baby. So, anyway, about the song. Please, please, please.”
“Damn! Really, Kip?” She frowns, and it makes me feel a little bad for bugging her about this, but I really want it.
“Really.” I hold her hand to my chest. “I want everyone to know you’ve accepted my proposal. I want the whole world to know.”
“You can just make a phone call to TMZ and the whole world will know. No need for me to go on stage and embarrass myself. Your female fans are sure to boo me.”
“Never! They’d never do that, love. You’re adorable, none of them would be that ugly. Just do it this one time and I’ll never ask you to do it again.”
“I don’t have a thing to wear to do that, so no,” she says, but she smiles so I know I’m wearing her down.
“That is not a problem.” I get my cell out of my pocket and call Silas who’s on the bus.
“Silas here, start talking, time is money.”
“Hey, I want a dress and heels for Peyton. I want to do the song again and she refuses to go on stage in anything she’s
brought with her.”
She shoots me an ugly look and Silas says, “Already the diva, huh?”
I laugh. “Yeah, she’s a real piece of work, this girl. She wears a size three and a five in heels, so get on the phone and have her something very becoming waiting for her. Get someone there to do her hair and make-up as well.”
“I’ll have it all there. Tell the princess I’ll make sure she’s taken care of, Kip. By the way, do you want to tell me why Bobby decked you?”
“Because I hit him first, but I kindly punched him in the stomach and he took a cheap shot and hit me in the eye. Tell him I owe him one,” I say as I run my fingers over the bruise.
“You two need to make amends, Kip. Whatever he said to make you hit him, you know he didn’t mean it,” Silas says and then I hear Bobby in the background shouting. “Shut up, Bobby! For God’s sakes, let it go. Talk to you later, Kip.”
I put the phone down and frown. Peyton looks over at me. “Thanks for making me sound like a spoiled brat, Kip.”
“You’re welcome, princess.” I say and run my hand over her shoulder. “You may as well get used to it. I’m going to spoil you silly.”
I watch her as she seems to be thinking very hard about something. Finally she says, “I haven’t told my parents about you asking me to marry you. What are the chances of it getting on the news tonight?”
Picking up her phone from the console I hand it to her. “Call them and tell them. I don’t want them to hear it from anyone else. But your Dad already knows I was going to ask you, so it won’t be a real shock.”
“You told my dad about that?”
“I asked your father if I could have his approval and he gave it to me.” I smile at her as confusion fills her pretty little face.
“You asked for his approval after only knowing me three days and my father told you yes?”
“He did. I suppose he thinks I’m a catch and there’s no man better for you than I am.” I laugh, but she doesn’t join me.
“Damn! Are they that ready to be rid of their baby girl? To say I feel like I don’t even know my parents anymore is a vast understatement.” She takes the phone and makes the call.
“Hi sweetie,” her mother answers.
“Hi, Mom,” Peyton says and I chime in, making her look at me like I’m crazy.
“Hello, Kip,” her mother says with a giggle. “Where are you two today?”
“On our way to Dallas to do a gig at Arlington Stadium,” I answer.
“She’s talking to me, you goof!” Peyton says as she slaps my leg.
“I’m talking to you both, Peyton,” her mother corrects her. “Be nice, girl!”
“Anyway,” Peyton says with a smile. “Kip asked me to marry him last night.”
Her mother claps and laughs. “I know, your father told me he asked for his approval. Isn’t he the sweetest thing, Peyton?”
A sideways glance I get and she smiles. “I suppose he’s alright. So did Dad tell you what my answer was too?”
“Of course not, but you said yes, didn’t you?”
Peyton waits, I suppose a little irritated that she didn’t get to give her mother the news. “Nah, I told him to wank off.”
My mouth drops. “That’s not even an expression! Tell her the truth.”
“Against my better judgment, I finally told him yes. Frankly, I can’t believe Dad was all for it. We’ve only known each other a very few days after all.”
“When you know, you know,” her mother says.
I give Peyton’s leg a squeeze. “See, love? When you know, you just know.”
Peyton shrugs her narrow shoulders. “Well, okay then. Seems my family has gone over the edge and the world has tilted on its axis and I’m no longer the little girl who needs to be watched over any longer.”
“You’re twenty-four, Peyton. I had a husband and two sons by the time I was your age,” her mother says with a laugh. “So, when’s the wedding?”
I have to look at Peyton for that answer as she hasn’t agreed to that yet. She looks at me and smiles. “Oh! Finally something only I know. How refreshing.”
“Don’t worry Mom. I’ll tell you as soon as I make a decision. Kip wants to go to Vegas in a few weeks. He wants me to go on tour with him in the meantime. He seems to need me for some damn reason.”
“Vegas sounds great!” her mother says. “If you want us to come up there we would. But we get it if you want to do it all on your own.”
“I want you guys there. All of you.” Peyton frowns. “All these years ya’ll have been right there for every little thing I’ve done and suddenly I feel pushed away.”
“Aww, sweetie, we don’t mean it like that. We’ve babied you way too much and your father and I have realized that. We just want you to be happy. You know it yourself that you never let a man hang on to you the way you allow Kip to.”
“Mom! He’s right here!” She gives me a shy smile and looks away. “He doesn’t need to know every little thing about me.”
“Yes I do,” I say and stroke her cheek. “I want to know I’m the only man you let hold you close. That’s one of the endearing things about you, love.”
“Anyway, relay the news to my brothers as it may come on the television in the next few days as Kip plans on announcing it at the concert tonight.” Her eyes roll as if exasperated. “He’s making me get on stage so he can sing me that song again and let the whole stadium full of strangers know he’s off the market.”
“I think that’s super romantic,” her mom says. “I’ll tell the family so no one feels left out. Call me tomorrow, sweetie. I love you both. Bye now.”
I take the phone from her hand and set it down. “Your mommy loves me.”
“Lord, I don’t even know them anymore. So, have you told your parents yet, lover boy?”
“I have and they are over the moon. And just to let you know ahead of time, if we do get married in Vegas they want to be there.” I watch her for her reaction and am not disappointed.
“Oh my God! Kip, are you serious? Oh, man! They’re uber-famous, Kip!” Her cheeks flush and it makes me smile.
Finally, she shows her true self. She can get star struck!
Peyton
The day is not going anywhere near what I thought it would. Silas is standing between Kip and Bobby as me and the rest of Kip’s band stand back and watch the drama unfold.
“Why can’t you mind your own damn business, Bobby?” Kip shouts. “This doesn’t even affect you!”
Bobby shouts back, “The hell it doesn’t, bloke! Just look at what’s already happened. You and her driving to the gig on your own. What ever happened to us, the band?”
Kip’s eyes roll and I nearly laugh as he says, “Are you serious? What the hell is wrong with you? Are we never allowed to find someone and make them the center of our world? The band is a job, that’s it. Are we not allowed to have a family, Bobby?”
Bobby stops yelling and takes a step back, much to Silas’ relief. “Good! Okay, men, let’s just get one thing straight. As long as we all show up at each gig, that’s all that matters. The contract doesn’t state that any of you have to ride on the bus. Is it conducive to creativity? Yes. Is it mandatory? No.”
Bobby’s eyes level on me. “Why can’t you let him go with us on his own?”
My hand goes to my chest as I can’t believe he seems to be blaming me. “Bobby, it’s not me that wants this. It’s Kip.”
Bobby smirks. “Are you going to lie and say you don’t want to be with him?”
“I want to, yes. It’s not me that made the decision though. It was Kip.” I look at Kip and find him frowning. So I add. “He wants me around Bobby, so I will be whether you like it or not.”
Kip smiles, making me feel better. He looks at Bobby and says, “You’re the one that’s making a bigger thing out of this than is necessary. And punching me in the eye was way out of line, mate.”
Silas nods in agreement. “It was. Can we agree to keep our hands off each other, please
?”
“Whatever,” Bobby says and starts to walk off then stops and turns back, looking directly at me. “You will be the end of this band, Yoko.” He turns and walks away.
Kip comes and wraps his arms around me. “Don’t listen to the wanker, love. I know that’s not true.”
The rest of his band goes away, and Silas looks at me. “He’s jealous is all, Peyton. Just stay away from him until he calms down. I’ll try to talk to him some more. One more thing you should know, Kip. Bobby won’t be playing when you sing that song to her.”
My insides quiver and Kip says, “I can do without the base guitar for that song anyway, fuck him.” His arms tighten around me and he kisses the top of my head.
“Kip, maybe you should just let that go. It’s not something you have to do, after all. Maybe that’ll help him to see me in a different light. You are kind of making me seem like I’m monopolizing your time.” I run my hand over his chest and lean into him. “I don’t want you guys not to get along because of me.”
“I don’t want you to worry about any of that crap, Peyton.” He lets me go and takes my hand, leading me away as we follow his manager to his dressing room. “You’re my life now.”
His words make me feel odd. I am his life now, means a lot when we’re talking about how busy this man’s life is. I’m not sure I can or even want to keep up with his fast-paced life.
“Kip, I have my things to do too. The writing thing, remember?”
“Sure, love. Hey, did you pack your laptop? You can write on your novel while I’m busy doing other things. It’ll help you to be better-rounded and a better writer, don’t you think?” His smile is contagious and I smile back at him.
“It should, shouldn’t it?” I ask as we walk into the large dressing room. A bottle of champagne and some fancy chocolates are in the room and a pretty, young woman waits inside.
Hacked For Love & The Dom's Songbird Page 30