“What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. Her body sways. She cries silently, her tears dampening my cheek. “Talk to me, please?” I beg.
“I can’t,” she says in barely a whisper. She steps away from me and while I’ve desired her touch since the day I’ve met her, I now feel empty with her only a foot away.
“I’m overreacting,” she says, taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears.
“About what?”
Katelyn covers her face and shakes her head. She lets out a long sigh before looking at me.
“I got jealous back there. That reporter kissed you on the cheek and when she asked about who stole your heart the look you gave me... it felt like you were ashamed that I was there with you.”
“Are you kidding me?” I roar, stepping closer to her. “I want everyone to know that you’re the one. Jesus Christ, Katelyn, I’ve been fighting for you to notice me for almost a year and now you finally have, do you really think I’m going to fuck that up?”
I step away and start pacing. My hand finds my hair and starts pulling. “Don’t you want us to be the ones to tell the kids? Hell, Quinn is waiting for me to tell him, he knows how I feel about you, but the girls... they lost their dad and I don’t want them to hate me and they would if they found out on TV that we’ve decided to give this a go.”
I walk back over to her and cup her face. “I want you on my arm. I want everyone to know that I’m head over heels about you. That look I gave you was because it was killing me not to tell Emily that you’re the one who has stolen my heart.”
“Emily?”
“The reporter? I kissed her on the cheek because I’ve known her since she was like three or something. She’s friends with Yvie. I will never disrespect you.”
“I’m scared.”
“I’m scared too, Katelyn. I’m so damn scared that I’m going to do something to fuck this up or you’re going to realize that you can do so much better than me. I’ve been so patient and now that I’ve had you, I don’t want to let go, but I’m going to make mistakes. You’re the first woman I’ve brought to any event. I freaked out too.”
“I’m sorry. I know I’m being stupid. I let some petty moment ruin your night,” she says as her lips find mine. I hold her to me, savoring every bit of her.
“Baby, my night is perfect as long as you’re with me.”
We didn’t tell the girls that we’ve been nominated for best single with Painkillers. Once it was known that Liam was off the market, the song shot up the charts. When we were told, we decided to keep it a secret.
I pull Katelyn’s hand into mine as soon as the presenters step onto the stage. Clips are shown of the nominees and when 4225 West is shown, the girls gasp loudly. Katelyn turns to me, her eyes full of excitement. I wink and fight the urge to lean over and kiss her.
“And the award for Best Single goes to... 4225 West!”
This is not our first award, but right now, it feels like it. Everyone is cheering, but I tune them all out and focus on Katelyn. I lean over and kiss her not once, but twice. I know I just told her that I wanted to be able to tell the kids, but this moment called for it and I don’t want any lingering questions about how I feel dancing around in her mind.
We stand and man-hug each other before walking to the podium. Liam is handed the trophy as he steps to the microphone. He looks at it and shakes his head.
“Who knew that being such a fuck up would win us best single,” Liam says earning him a solid round of clapping. “There are really only two people I have to thank for inspiring Painkillers. The first being my buddy, Mason; had he not left us so early, I wouldn’t be standing here; and the other is Josie. I needed to find a way to show you what I was feeling when we weren’t together. I have to thank Harrison and JD for helping make it the hit that it’s been.”
The warning music comes on, causing us all to laugh. Liam holds the trophy up and says, “this is for our kids; Noah, Quinn, Elle and Peyton, we love you and we’ll be home soon.”
We walk off stage and are ushered to the green room to get ready for our performance. The room is busy, but relaxing. Liam is being interviewed and that’s fine by me. It gives me a chance to take off my jacket and loosen my tie. I’m tempted to change, but failed to bring extra clothes with me. My mind was definitely someplace else earlier.
Loud clapping catches my attention. I turn and instant dread washes over me as Sam stalks toward us. I turn away from her, determined to ignore her, but she steps in front of me, brushing her breasts against my chest.
“What are you doing here?” Liam asks from behind me. I roll my eyes and move away from her. I have no history with her other than the fact that I can’t stand her.
“This is an industry event, is it not?”
Sam steps closer to Liam. He moves back a step, keeping space between them.
“What, no kiss hello?”
“Why the fuck would I kiss you?” Liam asks. I have a feeling this is going to get ugly very quickly.
“Because you know you need me.”
Liam shakes his head. “I don’t need shit from you.”
“Well we both know that’s not true.” She runs her long, red dagger of a fingernail along his jacket. He bats her hand away, but that doesn’t stop her from moving closer. Liam sidesteps and comes to stand by me. I hope he doesn’t think I’ll protect him from her. On second thought, I wouldn’t mind slapping the bitch a few times.
“4225 West’s contract with Moreno Entertainment has been severed, Sam. You no longer work for us.”
“We can fix that easily enough. The band needs me, as evidenced by your failed tour. Besides, you and I have unfinished business.”
Liam runs his hands over his face in frustration. I look at JD, who is shaking his head.
“How do you know about our tour?” I ask.
Sam shrugs. “I have my sources.”
“Called DeVon,” JD adds sourly.
I watch her face for any sign that she was behind the double booking, but she’s stoic, mechanical even.
Liam’s face turns red. He steps toward her with his finger directed at her face. “I’m going to find out if it was you, and so help me, I’ll sue the shit out of your company.”
“Is that going to be before or after you tell your little wifey that you knocked me up? Or should I tell her?”
Liam screams, his hands curling into fists in frustration. “You fucking bitch, I’ll –“
“4225 West you’re needed on stage.”
Our name is called before Liam can finish his sentence, which I’m very thankful for. I have a feeling the ending would be a threat that Sam would make sure he paid for. JD pushes Liam away from a laughing Sam and out the door toward the stage.
Liam is worked up, agitated. I set my hands on his shoulders to try and calm him down. “You gotta block it out. We have to perform.”
“I’m going to kill her.”
I know, I want to say, but I don’t. “She’s grasping at anything to hang onto you. You can either tell Josie or wait Sam out. My suggestion is to tell Josie, because hearing it from you is going to be a lot easier than hearing it from Sam.”
“She’ll hate me.”
“For what? You weren’t together. It’s not like she wasn’t planning on marrying someone else.”
“Besides, you gave her Noah, so, happy days, it’s a win-win for her,” JD adds. I look at him and shake my head.
“Jesus, JD, where do you come up with this shit?”
He shrugs and downs a bottle of water just as we’re told we can go on stage now because it’s a commercial break.
“You good?”
Liam nods, but I know he’s not. He walks on stage slowly and picks up his guitar. He’s going through the motions, but something’s missing. He’s back to being the Liam Page of old.
“Hey, Page,” I yell from my stool. He turns and looks at me.
“Do you have this or what, because my girl is out there and we’re abo
ut to show the world this song and if you fuck it up, I’m going to be pissed.”
He looks at me for a minute before answering. “Yeah, I got this.”
He fucking better or I’m going to be pissed.
We get the cue that we’re back on TV and that the presenter has just announced us. I bang my sticks together four times, one for each kid watching from home, and bring my sticks down on the drums to start us off. As soon as the spotlight is on us, Liam Page is wooing the crowd like he’s been known to do. I wish I could see Katelyn and watch her face as Liam sings about her, but it’s impossible to see anything with all these lights.
JD plays out the last riff much to the crowds delight. When the lights go down, I can finally see again. I have to blink through the black spots, but it’s nice not to be blinded. We go back to the green room to get something to drink and freshen up. We have to look somewhat decent when the camera pans over us.
“You okay?” I ask Liam as he sits down.
“Yeah, I’m just stressing and Josie is going to know something’s wrong.”
I sit down next to him and polish off a couple of bottles of water. I don’t envy him. Even though he and Josie weren’t together, she took their break-up hard, and to find out the love of your life got someone pregnant isn’t going to sit well with her, especially when that person is Sam.
“I’ll tell her. I have to. If she finds out from Sam... I don’t know what she’ll do.”
“Just remember that she was engaged, so it’s not like she didn’t move on.”
Liam shakes his head. “Somehow I don’t think it’s the same thing.”
He’s probably right, but what do I know? I’m tired of being away from Katelyn and tell him as such. I leave him and JD to do whatever and head back to the seating area. I tap my seat filler on the shoulder and motion for him to vacate. Josie looks at me questioningly and I nod toward the stage. I don’t know if she understands or not and hopefully I won’t have to explain myself. I don’t want to be in the middle of this showdown.
I sit down and put my hand on her lap. She looks at me and smiles before sliding her hand under mine and locking our fingers together. At this point, I need to be done caring about who sees us. We’ll just have to tell the kids when we get home. Simple as that.
CHAPTER 30
Katelyn
I lay on the chaise, watching a blond woman in a barely-there bikini flirt with the lifeguard. I’m trying to determine if it’s working, if he’s going to give in to her not-so-subtle flirting or if he’s going to push her away. Every so often she dives in to cool off, and while he should be watching the pool for drunken women, his eyes stay on the woman. He climbs down from his chair and helps her out of the water.
I sip my daiquiri though the straw and watch these two interact. He has to be at least ten years younger than her, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Maybe he likes older women, or maybe he knows that she has money and that’s what he wants. She shakes her wet hair, it flings back and forth, but not like the shampoo commercials. It’s stringy and very unflattering. Lifeguard boy wipes the water droplets from his chest in slow motion. I try not to laugh, but my resolve is not that strong.
We’re out in the middle of the desert, surrounded by rolling hills. It’s much hotter here than in Los Angeles, but you won’t hear me complaining. We have a private cabana, an unlimited tab and nowhere to be for two days. The only thing missing, at least for me, is Harrison. After skipping the planned after party and being in his arms all night, the last thing I wanted to do was leave.
I was shocked when Liam and Harrison presented us with a spa package. At first, I was hurt because I wanted to spend time with Harrison, but when he said they were heading back to have some “dad” time with our kids, I conceded. It was when he said our, I realized I wanted to give him a chance to bond with the girls.
Josie and I said good-bye to the guys at the hotel and were promptly whisked away in a black stretch limousine that was stocked with fresh fruit, cheese and champagne. If this is Liam’s idea of a bachelorette party, we need to have a few more of these.
The woman bends and starts rifling through her bag. The lifeguard bends too, but clearly for other purposes. He rubs his chin with his forefinger and thumb while he openly gawks at her ass. I swear she shakes it for him, but can’t be certain.
“What are you doing?” Josie asks. I look at her briefly before turning my full attention back to the cougar and her prey.
“I can’t help it, it’s like a train wreck waiting to happen.”
Josie lets out a bellowing laugh and throws a pillow at me. She almost hits my drink, earning her a nice glare. No kids, no responsibility; I’m going to relax and have fun.
“I bet it’s common around here.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“Women like that.” Josie nods to the cougar. “She’s probably married to some B-list actor or some Hollywood exec and she’s lonely. She won’t cheat with the pool boy at her house, but will definitely come to the spa and hook-up.”
“Did you just make that up in your head, or is it something you’ve read in one of your novels?”
Josie shrugs. “I’ve thought about it a lot actually. Wondering what I would be like if Liam took me with him when he left?”
“Shit happens for a reason, Josie.”
“I know, but I wonder about things all the time and even more so since he dropped a colossal bomb last night.”
I sit up and face her. Her eyes drop and her finger spins her engagement ring back and forth. I look down at my hand, now bare, but still harboring a faint tan line. I look my rings off after Harrison kissed me the first time. I didn’t want to, but felt that I was cheating on my love for Mason, or close to it with the feelings I was having toward him. It saddens me to be without my rings, but Harrison deserves my finger to be free of something he didn’t place there.
“What did Liam say to you?”
Josie fiddles with the tie on her swimsuit. I look over my shoulder at the cougar, apparently my subconscious doesn’t want to miss anything. It’s like a bad soap opera playing out on a live stage. I turn back, raising my eyebrow to let her know I’m waiting.
“I can’t be mad at him, but I can be hurt.”
“Josephine Preston, what in the blue hell are you talking about?”
“Liam and Sam.”
I shake my head, not understanding where she’s going with this.
“When they were together, she got pregnant.”
My mouth drops open, slowly. Josie doesn’t look at me, but her eyes gaze over the pool before dropping her hands back to her lap.
“Liam told me he doesn’t have any children other than Noah.”
“He doesn’t, she miscarried.”
“Wow! I’m... I don’t know what to say,” I reply. I sit back and resume my position. My daiquiri sits half full. I pick it up and take a long pull through the straw.
“He was using her for sex. He said he never wanted to have kids with anyone but me. When she told him, he freaked out. She wanted to get married and already had a nanny picked out. He left her and then she called him to say she had miscarried.”
“I’m calling bullshit. Look how shady Sam is. I bet she wasn’t even pregnant, just trying to trap him.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Josie says solemnly.
“You’re right, it doesn’t because in a month, you’re going to marry him and as petty as this sounds, you had his baby before she did, so you win.”
Josie looks up and smiles. “I win.”
“Yeah, Josie, you win.” I signal to the waiter as he passes by. He takes our empty glasses with promises of his imminent return with more fruity drinks. “She’s on the move.” I nod toward the cougar. She’s picked up her bag and is walking in the opposite direction of the lifeguard.
“He’s probably on lunch.”
“Or he needs to check in with his mom,” I say biting back laughter.
“That could be Noah someday, can you imag
ine? He’s acting more and more like Liam and it scares me.”
“He’s just testing you, I’m sure.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Am I? Who am I to give parenting advice? I know there’s something bothering Peyton, but I’m not sure if it’s still Mason or something else. Since school has started she’s been more withdrawn and not willing to engage in anything. Aside from watching Noah play football, she sits in her room facing her wall and it’s like I have to force her to be social. Dr. Brooks says it will pass, but I’m not sure how long I’m supposed to wait until I can comfortably start freaking out that my kid is walking around like a zombie.
I lose sight of the cougar when the waiter arrives with our drinks. I hold the ice-cold glass in my hand, using it to cool down while I search for her. I don’t know what my fascination is with her, but she intrigues me. How does one decide to flirt with a lifeguard, or anyone else for that matter? I failed miserably at it with Harrison, and if it wasn’t for his persistent pursuit, I’d be alone right now.
“Hello?”
I choke on my drink when the cougar speaks to us. I hit my chest, trying to clear my airway. I can hear Josie next to me trying to stifle a laugh.
“Hi,” Josie says for the both of us. I set my drink down and covertly wipe my mouth with my towel. I must look like a complete fool.
“Mind if I join you?” Josie and I share a glance, both of us conveying ‘what the hell’. Really? We are in a private cabana and she wants to join us. What about all the general population of chaise lounges that are poolside?
“Sure,” Josie says. I want to whack her upside her head.
The cougar sits down on my chaise, setting her oversized bag down on the ground. Now that I can see her more clearly, my earlier assumption of her age is far off. The woman sitting on the edge of my chaise is young, mid-twenties I’m guessing, but she’s been weathered, as my mother would say, one too many trips in the tanning bed. “So, I’m Alicia.” She extends her hand to Josie and then to me. We shake, and I offer up the fakest smile possible. We are supposed to be relaxing, not entertaining.
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 21