Strings

by Emma Lea

  Nadine had a lot to make up to her family for, but she knew that they would accept her back into the fold. She promised to do better and to not shut them out.

  “What about Gabe?” Jace asked. He’d told her that Gabe had explained the whole thing to them about who he really was and how they met.

  Nadine shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out,” she said, “but I am in love with him and if he will still have me, I want to be in his life.”

  Jace searched her eyes and then nodded. “I like him,” he said, grudgingly.

  Nadine smiled a shy smile. That was high praise coming from Jace.

  “I like him too,” Vanessa said. “He’s good for you. He gets you.”

  She was right. Gabe did get her. She just hoped that with everything that had happened, he wouldn’t be scared off. It was a lot to ask a guy, to take her on with all her baggage, especially after his life had been in danger because of her.

  “He loves you too,” Vanessa added. “You should have seen the worry on his face when no one could find you.”

  “About that,” Jace said. “What was with all the money you withdrew from the bank?”

  Nadine blushed and looked down at her lap. “I took it out,” she said. “I was going to leave town. I didn’t want to burden you with my mental illness. I thought you would be better off without me. I didn’t want to be a burden like mom was.”

  “God, Nadine,” Jace growled. “Don’t ever do that again, okay? Whatever happens we face it together. All of us. Got it?”

  Nadine nodded. She understood that now. If something happened to one of them and they kept it from her she knew how hurt she would feel. They were only strong if they stuck together and she wouldn’t weaken their family again.

  They ended up falling asleep on the couch in a big jumble like they used to do when they were kids. There was something so pure and precious about their relationship and Nadine was glad that she had found her way back to it. Living her life without her siblings would have been torture and she was determined she would never have to do it for real.

  The next morning after showering and breakfast, they all headed back to the hospital. Nadine needed to see Gabe, and neither Vanessa nor Jace were ready to let her out of their sight yet. She was okay with that because she didn’t want them out of her sight either.

  Nadine knocked on the hospital room door and Gabe smiled up at her when he saw her. She walked in timidly, not sure what she should say, but she needn’t have worried.

  “Come here,” he said, his voice husky.

  She went to him and climbed up on the bed beside him, careful not to bump his injured shoulder. He held her close and dusted a kiss on top of her head.

  “I love you Gabe,” she said, her voice soft. “And I know I’ve been a nightmare girlfriend, but if you still want me, I want to try again. I can do better, I promise.”

  “Oh sweetheart,” he said, tilting her head back so he could see her. “You aren’t going to get rid of me that easily. My life wouldn’t have meaning without you in it. I love you Nadine Court.”

  He kissed her then and Nadine felt the last piece of her broken heart slot back into place. For the first time since her parents had died, she felt whole.

  “Besides,” he said when he lifted his lips from hers. “You promised to marry me. You can’t get out of that now.”

  She smiled and kissed him again. She wasn’t sure he had meant it or would even remember it once he was awake.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said, “except…”

  “What,” he frowned as he looked at her. “What is it?”

  “You’re going to have to buy me a new ring,” she said.

  He grimaced and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was. “We can pick one out together,” he said softly before kissing her again.

  “So,” Amaya said as she stepped into the room.

  “So,” he replied, looking up at her unrepentantly.

  “You asked her to marry you.”

  “I did.”

  “You were under the influence of strong drugs at the time.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You were in a high risk situation where emotions have a bad habit of getting heightened and unreasonable.”

  “I still don’t care.”

  “Nothing I can say is going to sway you, is it? Not even the fact that you have only known her for a few months?”

  “I had planned on asking her to marry me long before any of this happened. I know it’s soon, probably too soon, but I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. When you know, you know.”

  Amaya smiled. “Good,” she said. “I approve.”

  Gabe’s mouth dropped open. He wouldn’t have been more surprised if she told him she was booked on the Mars explorer voyage.

  “You approve?”

  She nodded and sat down beside him. “That girl went through hell at the hands of Jeanie and still she was prepared to fight me for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. Someone who was willing to take on the world on your behalf.”

  He couldn’t help the grin that split his face. “She was going to fight you? I would pay to see that.”

  She frowned at him. “That’s what you fixate on?”

  He shrugged and then winced. “Nobody has ever been willing to stand up to you on my behalf.”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes, but Gabe couldn’t stop grinning.

  “You’re still going on tour with them.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yep,” he said grinning wider. “I want to be there for her, for all of them. I feel like a part of the family now.”

  And it was true. They had all been in to see him and Nadine had told him that Jace had given his approval too. Even Nate had stopped by and when you got past the whole I’m-a-rock-star thing, he was good guy, even if he did distract the nurses when he was there. Derek had growled a bit about the deception but he was happy for them both. There had been a bit of a news story about the whole affair which had started because someone had mistaken Jeanie’s body for Nadine and leaked to the press that she had been killed. They’d had to clear the whole thing up by telling a watered down version of the events. Nadine’s manager was on it and they would announce their engagement in the coming months. For now he was happy that they got to spend a bit of time together without all the media hype. They would get enough of that after the tour, he was sure.

  Nadine had been spending a fair bit of time in the studio finalizing the album and he’d been lucky enough to get a sneak listen of it before it was released. Her song was going to be the first single on the album and he couldn’t help but feel proud of her. She had come such a long way in such a short time and he wanted everything for her. He wanted to give her the world.

  “Mom and dad are on their way in,” Amaya said and Gabe groaned. They hadn’t yet met Nadine and he knew she was nervous. His mom was a big Nate Nash fan so hopefully that would go a long way to endearing her to them. Nadine promised to get tickets for them for one of his upcoming sold out concerts so he had no doubt that his mom would be won over. He just had to survive her mothering while she was here.

  “I’m really proud of you,” Amaya said, turning serious. “But don’t you ever step in front of a bullet again, okay?”

  Gabe dragged his sister down for a hug. For all their fighting, he loved her dearly. “As you wish, sister mine,” he whispered and kissed her temple.

  She hugged him tight before pushing away and straightening her suit and running a hand over her hair to smooth it back into place. “Right, then. I’m off.”

  “You’re not staying to run interference with mom?”

  She grinned wickedly at him. “Nope. I’m going to work. My case load has doubled since one of my colleagues was inconsiderate enough to get himself shot.”

  “Love you too,” he said as she escaped from the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  On
e month later

  Gabe stood in the mosh pit and looked up at the dark stage. It was opening night of Court’n Jacks sold out tour and there wasn’t anywhere else he would rather be. Derek had told him he was welcome to watch from the wings, but he wanted to be here in the crowd for Nadine’s song. The single had gone to number one and it was the opening song of the night. He knew she was nervous but he’d made sure to relax her before coming on stage. They’d found a quiet little corner where no one would hear her as she screamed his name. He could still smell her arousal on him and thinking about it made him hard again. He knew what she was like after a performance and he already had a room booked at a nearby hotel. They were supposed to sleep on the bus, but not tonight. Tonight he would take her away and show her just how much he loved her.

  A single spotlight lit the stage and there she was. She was dressed in tight little hot pants that only made the uncomfortable situation in his jeans more so. She lifted her violin and bow and the diamond on her finger caught the light and sparkled brightly. It caused a catch in his chest as he looked up at her. She was his and he was hers. Along with giving her the ring, he had given her his whole heart. She pulled the bow across the strings and the opening notes of the song danced through the air. They’d had to work out a way for her to sing and play and had settled on having a second violinist to pick up the melody while she sang but she was adamant about starting the song.

  As her voice rang out and the crowd roared their approval, Gabe couldn’t stop grinning. His heart ached with how proud he was of her and his hands itched to hold her. Her body called to his and he knew that whatever the future held, they would face it together. She was back to being the feisty little violinist that he had first encountered in his office and he couldn’t be happier. She challenged him and he thrived on it. She challenged Amaya too, and he loved to watch them verbally spar. He knew Amaya secretly loved it too.

  The inquiry into what had happened with Jeanie was behind them and they had both been called to give testimony. It was determined that she should never have been released and a new investigation had been launched into just how she had managed to fool so many people. Amaya had put her hand up to be part of the investigative body and Gabe knew she relished the opportunity to expand her portfolio. She was an advocate for people with mental illness and she was convinced that a tragedy like Jeanie’s shouldn’t have ever happened. If the woman had gotten the help she needed then it could have been prevented. That was her new mission, to make sure these sorts of things didn’t get swept under the carpet. Gabe wished her well, but he was looking in another direction. He wasn’t sure he was prepared to go back into psychology. He wanted to be with Nadine and with her touring schedule that meant a lot of traveling. For now he had taken a leave of absence and had signed on as a band assistant - the original job Derek had created for him. It suited him at the moment and after the tour was over, he could reassess.

  The song came to a close and he pushed to the front, leaning over the barrier. Nadine looked right at him and grinned. He blew her a kiss as the band launched into the next song. He pushed through the crowd and one of the security guards lifted the barrier so he could get backstage. He didn’t need to see the rest of the concert, he’d sat through all of their rehearsals. He had some preparing to do so that when Nadine came off stage, they could have the rest of the night to themselves.

  He walked around the corner and ran into someone. He looked up and his eyes widened.

  “Senator Giles,” he said, sticking his hand out to shake.

  The other man shook it and smiled his senatorial smile.

  “Can I help you find someone?” Gabe asked.

  “I was hoping to catch Stevie when she came off stage,” he said. “We’re old friends.”

  “Sure,” Gabe said, slipping into his assistant role easily. “I can set you up in their dressing room if you like.”

  The senator nodded and Gabe led him through the maze to the dressing room the band shared.

  “There’s drink and food in here,” Gabe said, “Feel free to help yourself. Is there anything else I can get you?”

  The senator shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine here,” he said taking a seat and pulling out his phone.

  Gabe left the room and closed the door. He flagged down Marci.

  “Senator Giles is in there,” he said. “He wanted to speak to Stevie.”

  Marci’s eyes widened before she could school her expression. “No worries,” she said breezily. “I’ll let her know as soon as she comes off stage.”

  Gabe nodded and then waved as he walked away. He had things to do. He wanted tonight to be perfect.

  Nadine let herself be carried by the euphoria of the crowd. The concert had been epic, not the least of which was having Gabe right there in the audience as she sang the song that she had written about him. She still had to pinch herself sometimes to remind herself that she wasn’t living in a dream and that this was in fact her real life. It wasn’t without its problems, but considering what she had lived through in the last eight months, it was a cake walk.

  Gabe picked her up and spun her around as she came off stage. She slid down his body, not caring that she was sweaty and gross. There was nothing better than being in her man’s arms, especially when she was high off adrenalin from a great show.

  She said her goodbyes as Gabe hustled her out to a waiting car. There was no fan meet-and-greet tonight, but there was one early tomorrow morning. Nadine knew Gabe had planned a special getaway for them to celebrate the first show and her single going to number one. She relaxed back against the leather seat and sighed. The last month had been a little insane with the preparations for the tour and it was a bit of a relief to actually have it starting. It would actually be less work now that everything was in motion.

  “Tired?” Gabe asked her and his green eyes sparkled in the dim interior of the car.

  “Not in the least,” she said.

  Gabe had been in a fair amount of pain as he recovered from his shoulder injury. The bullet hadn’t hit anything vital, but it had still torn a hole through sinew and muscle. They had had to be careful with their lovemaking, but that had only caused Gabe to get more inventive. Neither one of them was ever left unsatisfied. Nadine rubbed her thighs together in anticipation. Getting him alone tonight had been high on her priority list. The tour was jam packed and there wouldn’t be a lot of alone time to be had over the next few months. They had planned to make the most of it while they could.

  The car pulled up under the awning of the hotel and Gabe climbed out, extending his hand to her as he helped her out. He tucked her under his arm and led her through the foyer and straight to the elevator. Once they were inside and the doors were closed, he used the fob he had in his hand to get the elevator moving and then pulled her close and kissed her. He didn’t let up until the elevator dinged when they’d reached their floor.

  Nadine was dizzy with lust and her knees were wobbly as he led her down the carpeted hall to their door. He carded them in and she gasped as she took in the room. There was a big window with an impressive view of the city, its twinkling lights like a fairyland spread out below them. But the interior of the room was what took her breath away. It was lit by hundreds of tea-light candles and there were rose petals scattered around. A bottle of sparkling wine was chilling beside a fireplace that danced with flames and there was a sheepskin rug on the floor complete with fluffy pillows. Gabe helped her out of her coat and led her past all of that to the master bedroom, which was similarly decorated, and then into the ensuite. The bath was a steaming water and bubbles and more rose petals, as well as another chilling bottle of champagne.

  “I thought you might want a bath,” he said, his voice rough and low which sent shivers through her body.

  She turned in his arms and went up on her toes to kiss him. “Only if you join me.”

  He grinned and kissed her again before snagging his fingers under the waistband of her hot pants and peeling them down her le
gs. She was bare underneath and he groaned in appreciation. She stepped out of her shoes and pants and then removed her top. Gabe stood and his eyes dilated as she posed in front of him naked.

  “Like what you see?’ she asked as she turned and showed him her left side where she had a new tattoo.

  His eyes widened as he reached out to trace his name. The words were written just under the curve of her breast complete with their wedding date, which was still a few months away.

  “I have something to show you too,” he said as he raised his shirt. Nadine’s name was inscribed over his left pectoral muscle, the skin still red and irritated. Just above her name was the scar from where the bullet had pierced his skin. The scar was still pink as the new skin grew over the hole that had been torn in his flesh. She felt tears well in her eyes.

  “Come here,” he said, drawing her close and kissing her.

  The kiss turned from sweet to hot as she rubbed her bare skin against his. He groaned as she slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his jeans.

  “Off,” she said.

  He undid the button and then the zipper and she reached for him, stroking him as he let his jeans drop to the floor. He picked her up and sat her on the vanity, pushing his way between her thighs until the head of his cock rubbed through her folds and nudged her entrance. They’d had the no-condom conversation weeks ago so when he pushed into her there was nothing between them. Not even air.