A Love Song for Liars (Rivals Book 1)

by Piper Lawson

  She helps me put it on underneath my real costume. It’s still gross, but at least I can perform without being distracted by stickiness.

  “Does the fabric smell?” I ask.

  She sniffs near my waist. “Only up close. If you can ignore it, Carly and Kellan are the only other ones who’ll get a whiff.”

  “Perfect.”

  I’m not about to let this stop me.

  I take my spot in the wings as the curtain rises on the first scene. I watch it before the lights go down, and I take my mark.

  When the lights come up once more, I look out at the audience. I recognize Pen’s pink sweater. She’s in a row with her parents. I find my dad and Haley. I’m pretty sure there’s an empty seat next to my dad.

  I try to hit all the notes and the words, but my body feels heavy, as if I’m performing in water. My forehead’s damp from the lights.

  Then partway through the first act, my gaze lands on a shape at the back of the seats, by the doorway.

  Tyler.

  Every part of me lifts, expands, and from that point forward, I love being on stage. I relish every second in the spotlight.

  This is what I wanted, and though I sneak a look at my family once in a while, every line and song and scene makes me realize it’s not for them.

  It’s for me.

  I’m doing it for me, and I feel amazing.

  The final curtain is accompanied by thunderous applause and hollering.

  Everyone exchanges smiles—even Kellan pulled his shit together.

  Carly tries to avoid my gaze but can’t, and I wink at her as we join hands to bow.

  “I owe you a drink,” I murmur to her, “since I’m pretty sure your family’s entire liquor cabinet is inside my costume.”

  “That was great, Annie,” Haley says when she and my dad come backstage after the show. Her eyes land on my costume and the trash bag on top of it. “Do I want to know what that’s about?”

  “No. No, you don’t.” I smile, looking past her. “Where’s Tyler? I saw him come in. He was standing in the back.”

  They exchange a look.

  My dad lowers his voice. “Let’s go home.”

  “I’m going with Pen.”

  “Annie, please.”

  “Okay,” I relent, waving to my friend with a promise to call her in the morning.

  When we get home, my dad’s Bentley is already in the garage, but Tyler’s bike is gone.

  How is he not back yet?

  I run around the side of the house, nearly tripping on the roses in my hurry to get to the pool house.

  The lights are on.

  I burst in the door, breathless, a smile on my face as I prepare to giddily tell him every second, to demand his reaction. Hell, I’d even take notes as long as he put his hands on me while he gave them.

  But the space is empty.

  Something else is wrong, too.

  It takes a second for me to put my finger on it.

  No schoolbooks. Not tidy stacks of clothes.

  No guitar.

  My stomach plummets.

  I feel a presence at my back and whirl on my dad. “Where is he?”

  “Gone.”

  Numbness takes hold of my gut, spreading to my limbs. “Where?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “And you didn’t ask? Whatever ‘I’m a musician, I’ll do what I want’ breakfast cereal you all eat isn’t charming. It isn’t normal.” The burning behind my eyes doesn’t turn to tears. It lingers like coals that refuse to cool.

  I run across the pool deck and into the house. Haley calls out to me, but I pass her without a word and pull out my phone to check for missed calls or messages.

  Nothing.

  Three nights ago, he slept in my bed.

  The next day, we flirted at the dinner table.

  I fucking bought candles.

  It’s not true.

  It’s not.

  It’s—

  I stalk into my room and pull up at the sight of the object lying on my duvet.

  The guitar I bought Tyler. Twenty-four frets, inlaid rosewood.

  I stare at it numbly as if it’s going to speak, but maybe it already did.

  “Annie...” Haley’s voice comes from the doorway.

  I can barely make her out through my blurry vision.

  “Go away.”

  “We should—“

  “Go. Away!”

  I shut the door and grab the guitar, sliding my back down the side of the bed until my ass hits the floor.

  I wrap a hand around the neck and squeeze. The strings bite into my skin.

  “Forgive me.”

  “Someday.”

  “When?”

  “When you never leave me.”

  I shut my eyes so hard my teeth hurt.

  After three years of ups and downs, of inside jokes and bitter standoffs and dreaming of things I never thought would happen, everything‘s starting falling into place. My life is making beautiful, twisted sense for the first time.

  “I like you. A lot.”

  “I like you a lot too, Six.”

  The last few days with him scroll through my mind, a movie of promises and confessions and trust and openness. Of wanting and finally having.

  After so long, I have him.

  Tyler is coming back.

  Tyler Adams is mine. My friend, my prince, my heart.

  He has to come back.

  I love him. I think he might love me too…

  … He’s not coming back.

  21

  Eight months later

  “Welcome to Vanier auditions. We’ll call you when we’re ready.” The man at the registration table gives me some paper to fill out. “Please confirm your name and contact information here.”

  I fill out the paper and hand it back to him in exchange for a number.

  I can’t help noticing all the people warming up. I’d expected talented musicians and vocalists, but this is next level.

  There’s a corridor beyond where the auditions are being held and a sign saying “PLEASE STAY IN THIS AREA.” I ignore it.

  My feet are soundless on the tile floor that looks like marble. The hallway is full of people my age of all shapes and colors and sizes. Some are with parents, some alone wearing headphones.

  This building, between the Upper West Side and Harlem, is stone. Attached to the original four-story building are another six stories of glass. A spiral staircase goes up the middle as if it ascends all the way to heaven, though it can’t be more than four floors.

  My phone jumps in my bag, and I answer it. “Pen?”

  “Did you go yet?”

  “They’re running behind. Where are you?”

  “Still at Columbia,” she says. “It’s amazing, and I maintain you’re insane for not coming, not only because your dad will murder you when he finds out you lied to him. But you’ve got this. Any hotties you can grab for a quick pep-talk-slash-make-out?”

  I glance around. There are lots of attractive people, but the only thing I feel are nerves. “I don’t think that’ll help.”

  “Break a leg, girl. I’ll meet you for lunch.”

  We hang up, and the reality starts to settle in.

  This is it. My chance.

  I’ve only put everything in me into this.

  Every ounce of time and emotion and focus for the last year.

  More than that.

  I start down a hall lined with practice rooms. Between them are portraits of award-winning actors, dancers, musicians, conductors who graduated from Vanier. I know almost all of them, at least by name. They win Oscars, Grammys, Tonys.

  I look in the first door interrupting the line of photographs. There’s a girl playing piano, lost in her music—which I can’t hear, thanks to soundproofing. I wish I could.

  I continue to the next one, and there’s a boy rehearsing an acting piece.

  The man from the desk comes up behind me, frowning. “Excuse me? You’re on deck. You shoul
d stay in the audition area.”

  I nod. “I’m sorry. I just needed a moment. I’ll be right there.”

  I can’t go back yet. The third door is open.

  The sounds from that room invade my ears, vibrate through me, call to every part of me.

  Including parts I thought were dead.

  I peer around the doorframe, an inch at a time, holding my breath.

  Inside, there’s a man sitting on a stool.

  A man with dark hair falling across his forehead who plays guitar as though he was born to do it.

  My heart stops, every bodily function except my eyes and ears shutting down.

  For months after he walked out of my life, it was all I could do not to picture him, to think about where he was, with whom, doing what.

  His hair is jet and styled, no trace of blue. His mouth is firmer, more sculpted. His black dress shirt is crisp. Lines of black snake out from under rolled sleeves, twining around muscled forearms like an embrace as he plays.

  When Tyler left, it gutted me. I can’t think about the things I did in those weeks and months. The broken girl who cared too much, arguing with the universe, wanting Tyler, wanting us.

  One dark, empty, soulless day, I decided it was time to mourn both. I moved forward because there’s nothing else to do, because you can keep living or stop.

  But Tyler Adams is in New York. At the school that’s my dream.

  The boy who broke my heart doesn’t look destroyed…

  He looks whole.

  Tyler sets down the guitar and looks up but not at me. A girl with dark, edgy hair, wearing jeans and a loose sweater, slides onto his lap. His hands—those beautiful hands I used to dream about—thread into her hair, and it’s as if they’re reaching into my belly, grabbing hold of my stomach, and cranking it. One vicious turn after another.

  “Miss?”

  I whirl as the administration guy appears near my elbow.

  “They’re waiting for you.”

  I nod tightly, but before I follow him down the hall, I look back toward the room.

  Tyler’s attention isn’t on the girl in his lap. His gorgeous brown eyes are wide and locked with mine.

  Because my twisted muse, my rebel prince, my ex-friend…

  He sees me.

  And he’s every bit as fucking floored as I am.

  I hope you enjoyed the first part of Tyler and Annie’s angsty, forbidden story! If you want to find out what happens when Tyler and Annie come face to face in New York, don’t miss A Love Song for Rebels - available May 2020.

  Order A Love Song for Rebels now!

  Rockstars don’t chase college students…but Jax Jamieson’s never followed the rules.

  Did you miss Jax and Haley’s best-selling rockstar romance? You can binge the complete Wicked series today, beginning with Good Girl.

  Read Good Girl now!

  If you enjoyed A Love Song for Liars, I’d be so grateful if you would leave me a 1-sentence review wherever you picked up this book. Then send me a link at piper@piperlawsonbooks.com so I can thank you personally.

  Click here to sign up for my VIP list. You’ll receive exclusive content, news, and awesome things direct from me each month.

  Want to gossip about books with me and my other readers? Join my Modern Romantics reader group by clicking here. We’d love to meet you!

  Books by Piper Lawson

  ~RIVALS SERIES~

  (Annie + Tyler)

  Love Notes

  A Love Song for Liars

  A Love Song for Rebels

  A Love Song for Dreamers

  ~ WICKED SERIES ~

  (Jax + Haley)

  Good Girl

  Bad Girl

  Wicked Girl

  Forever Wicked

  ~ MODERN ROMANCE SERIES ~

  Easy Love

  (Wes + Rena)

  Bad Love

  (Logan + Kendall)

  Twisted Love (coming soon!)

  (Ben + Daisy)

  ~ PLAY SERIES ~

  PLAY

  (Max + Payton)

  NSFW

  (Avery + Charlie)

  RISE

  (Riley + Sam)

  ~ TRAVESTY SERIES ~

  Schooled

  (Dylan + Lex)

  Stripped

  (Nate + Ava)

  Sealed

  (Dylan + Lex novella)

  Styled

  (Ethan + Jordan)

  Satisfaction

  (Kent + Dahlia novella)

  THANK YOU

  If you read A Love Song for Liars…thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your time and emotions. Thank you falling in love with the beautiful, flawed, earnest characters that fill my mind from morning to night.

  My readers are the most amazing readers in the world. You guys are positive, bold, enthusiastic, supportive, and amazing humans. I wouldn’t write without you.

  If you enjoyed A Love Song for Liars, I’d be beyond grateful if you could take two minutes to leave a quick review wherever you picked it up. Reviews are like gold to us authors - especially indies!

  If you do leave a review, I’d love to hear about it. Here’re the best ways to reach out:

  www.facebook.com/piperlawsonbooks

  www.instagram.com/piperlawsonbooks

  piper@piperlawsonbooks.com

  Thanks for being awesome, for inspiring me every day, and for helping make it possible for me to do something I love.

  xoxo

  Piper

  About the Author

  Piper Lawson is a USA Today bestselling author of smart, steamy romance! She writes about women who follow their dreams (even the scary ones), best friends who know your dirty secrets (and love you anyway), and complex heroes you’ll fall hard for (especially after talking with them). Brains or brawn? She’ll never make you choose.

  Piper lives in Canada with her tall, dark and brilliant husband. She believes peanut butter is a protein, rose gold is a neutral, and love is ALWAYS the answer.

  I love hearing from you! Hang with me on:

  The Interwebs➜www.piperlawsonbooks.com

  Facebook➜www.facebook.com/piperlawsonbooks

  Newsletter➜www.piperlawsonbooks.com/subscribe

  Instagram➜www.instagram.com/piperlawsonbooks

  Goodreads➜www.goodreads.com/author/show/13680088

  Acknowledgments

  First, thank YOU for picking up this book. I love that you trust me to entertain you.

  This series happened because after I finished writing the Wicked trilogy, I couldn’t get Tyler and Annie out of my head. At first I thought they needed a book, but once I got into their story, I realized it was more involved.

  Some of the best love stories take time to tell—time in my life to get it on paper, but more importantly, time in the characters lives to grow up, to make mistakes and learn, and for everything to align so they can finally get their hard-won reward.

  That’s why these two get a trilogy. I hope their love, loss, and angst will tear you apart and make you whole again like it’s done to me.

  This series wouldn’t have happened without the support of my awesome advance readers. Extra shoutout to Beth and Tammy for doing an early read!

  Lori Jackson, Regina Wamba, and Kelley Hawthorne Jefferson, thank you for the perfect cover.

  Becca Mysoor, thank you for your on-point advice. Cassie Robertson and Devon Burke, thank you for questioning, polishing, and catching all the little things.

  Thank you Dani Sanchez for getting the word out about my stories. And Annette Brignac and Michelle Clay… I would not be able to get these books to the people who matter most without your help.

  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. The best part of author life is having YOU in it.

  xoxo

  Piper

  Copyright 2020 by Piper Lawson Books

  Content editing by Becca Mysoor

  Line and copy editing by Cassie Roberston and Joy Editing

  Cover design by Lori J
ackson

  Cover photography by Regina Wamba

  This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.