by Thomas, C. M
We still didn’t know who leaked the story to the tabloids, other than it was someone at Logan’s office. He had apologized to us both, but we both knew that it wasn’t his fault.
The press was still at the gate. I didn’t understand why they kept standing there. The band hadn’t made any statements other than the one right after the leak.
Alana hadn’t been out from the property, but thank God there was a lot to do and to keep her entertained. Otherwise, it would be hard to keep her from the public eye. We had talked a lot about how to address all of this, but for now we still didn’t want her picture all over the Internet and gossip sites.
“Hello, Earth to Evie.” Amy waved her hand in front of my face.
“Sorry, just thinking about everything… And to answer your question, I don’t think I’m ready to leave her. But I’m sure she will be fine. It’s just hard to leave her,” I told her honestly. I still had a hard time leaving Alana. I felt like I was abandoning her. Which was just stupid, because I knew she would have a great time with Coleen and Brent. We would probably miss her more than she would miss us. I just had to overcome this fear that was stuck deep inside me. I just needed to rip off the bandage.
“It’s only for tonight. And you deserve a break too.”
“I know. But I just feel like I’m deserting her. The last three years has been her and me, twenty-four seven.”
“And that is why you need this. Think about yourself for once, and your relationship with my brother.” Amy smiled. She was so happy that Liam and I were trying to work everything out. They all were, but Amy had always been our biggest supporter. Maybe because she was so close to both of us. “Did you get a present from my brother yet?”
“No, he said this morning that I will get it tonight. Even though I told him I don’t need a birthday present. The evening with him alone is more than enough.” I didn’t like him spending so much money on me. I knew he was rich, always had been. Still, I didn’t like it.
“Of course you did. Girl, if he wants to get you a present, let him. No girl says no to presents,” Amy said with a big smile on her face. “And I have something for you too. But I think you will like that.”
“You don’t have to get me anything. Hopefully your parents listened when I told them I didn’t want any presents.”
“You know Mom. You will get a present from them too.” I knew this. Coleen told me not to be stupid, that of course I would get a present—it was my birthday. “But back to my gift.” I looked over at Amy. She had a big smug smile on her face, like she was hiding the biggest secret and all she wanted was to tell me.
“Oh no, what did you do?” Knowing Amy, she did something or was about to do something. Probably something that would embarrass me.
“Nothing bad, I promise. But you have to wait until we get back home.”
“Fine.”
“You ready?” Amy asked. We were back home and were standing outside Liam’s house. Technically it was our house, at least that’s what he called it. I still thought of it as his house.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said. I didn’t like surprises and she knew this. I hated them. Didn’t know why, but I’d always hated surprises.
“Then come on. It’s in the backyard.” Amy took my hand and dragged me around the house and into the backyard. When we went around the house, I gasped.
“This is my present?” I asked, looking at what looked like a playground you would find in a park. There was a big swing set, a sandbox, a slide, and many more things. She gave me a playground for Alana? I couldn’t believe she did this.
“You like?” Amy smiled.
“I love. Thank you so much.” I hugged her.
“You’re welcome. But technically it’s from all of us. We knew you didn’t want something for yourself, so we though that this was a present for both you and Alana. And Liam, but he knew about it, so he doesn’t count.”
“He knew?”
“Of course. We wanted to make sure that he was okay with this. That it wasn’t something he would want to do himself.”
“You’re the best, Amy. Thank you so much. I can’t wait for Alana to see this.” I smiled. This was the best present they could give me. This gave Alana a place to be a child and a place where there wouldn’t be any paparazzi taking pictures of her every move. This way we didn’t have to go to the park for her to go to a playground. They brought the playground to us.
“It was Zane’s idea, but I will take credit for it anytime.” She grinned.
I wondered where Liam and Alana were. I thought they were home. I wanted to spend time with her before we left tonight. I sent a text to Liam.
Me: Where are you guys? Miss you both.
Liam: We’re at Zane’s house. Needed to get the last details for tonight.
Me: Are you coming back soon? I want to spend time with my baby girl, if I have to leave her tonight.
Liam: You have to. And yes, Sunshine, we’re on our way now.
A few minutes later, I heard Liam’s car. I walked around the house and to the car.
“Mommy. Me sleep at Granny tonight,” Alana said the moment I opened the car door.
“I know.” I smiled at her. I took her out of her car seat and started walking to the backyard. I wanted to see her face when she saw the playground.
“Hey, wait up.” Liam came running around the car and rested a hand on my shoulder. “What’s the hurry?” He smiled.
“I want to show her my present. You haven’t shown her, right?”
“Of course not. But I can’t wait to see her face.”
We walked together, and the moment Alana saw the playground, she started clapping her hands.
“Mommy, Daddy, me play. Mommy me down.” She tried to jump out of my arms. I set her down, and then she ran off to her new playground.
“Guess she likes it,” Amy said, walking up beside us.
“She loves it. And I do too,” I said. Liam stood behind me with his hands around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“I will go now, so you can have some time with her. See you later,” Amy said before she left.
“Thanks for today,” I said before she left. She smiled and walked around the house.
“How long have you known about this?” I asked Liam.
“Just a week or so. They wanted to make sure I was okay with this. It takes out most of the backyard, but seeing Alana’s face is so worth it,” he said. “Are you ready for tonight?”
“No, I don’t think I ever will be. I look forward to spending time with you, and at the same time I feel guilty for leaving her.” I shrugged. Liam turned me in his arms, so we were face-to-face.
“Don’t feel guilty, Sunshine. She will be fine, and we deserve a night just us. No baby interrupting, just you and me. She loves her grandparents. She hasn’t talked about anything else all morning. She told everyone that she was sleeping at Granny and Papa’s tonight.” He smiled and gave me a kiss. “And I want to spoil you tonight.”
“I know this is just me being stupid. I talked to your mom about it and she said she had the same feelings the first time she left Zane for a night. She says it becomes easier, I just hope she’s right.” I rested my head against his chest.
“It will be. Seeing her these last two weeks, I almost forget that she hasn’t been around my family all her life. She has bonded with them all so fast. And with me too.”
“I know, other than that one day with her screaming all day, she has adapted to all of this quickly.” She had a family now. A family who loved her and would do everything for her.
“Where are we going?” I asked Liam. We were driving out of his parents’ driveway. Alana didn’t even register that we left. We said goodbye to her, of course, but she was too busy playing with Gia to care that we left. Which was good. I just hoped the rest of the night went like that.
&nbs
p; “Colorado Springs,” was all he said.
“I don’t get anything else? Like where are we staying for the night, are we going out for dinner?”
“Nope.” He looked over at me, smiling. Dax was driving the car. Liam told me earlier that we needed security with us.
That was why Dax and Mark were with us. I rested my head on Liam’s shoulder and tried to relax, hoping he knew what he was doing and that we would have a great night together.
Chapter 16:
Liam
I tried to find a restaurant where we could be ourselves, and hopefully the paparazzi wouldn’t find us. And a place where they were discreet. I just wanted a night alone with Evie. After this, we were going to a hotel. First I thought about driving back to Hoover Ridge, since Alana was staying with my parents all night, so we would have the house to ourselves. But I just didn’t think neither of us would want to be so close to her, and not have her under the same roof as us. Which was why we were spending the night at a hotel here in the city.
“Wow, this place looks amazing,” Evie said from beside me. Dax got out of the car and Mark followed him. “Are we eating here? I’ve heard about this place, I thought it was impossible to get a table without reservations months in advance.” She looked over at me.
“It is, but in case you forgot, I’m sort of famous,” I said before giving her a small kiss. She slapped me on the shoulder.
“Ha ha, very funny,” she said, smiling. It was nice to see a smile on her face. She had been worried about Alana all day. Who was I kidding? She had been worried about this since I told her what I had planned. I knew she hadn’t had time to herself since Alana was born, and I wanted her to have that.
But also, time with me, just the two of us. These past two weeks had been like a rollercoaster ride. With ups and downs. Mostly ups, especially after Evie agreed to move in with me. That might be too soon if you asked other people. But for us, it was right. I told her this too, and thankfully she agreed without protesting too much. I was ready to knock down every reason why we shouldn’t move in together. I didn’t have to, though.
“Come on, Sunshine, time to get out of the car.” I took her hand and opened the door. We got out of the car. Mark walked behind us and Dax was ahead of us.
I looked at my beautiful girlfriend. She was wearing a strapless silver dress. It fit her body like a glove. The dress stopped just above her knees. She had black stilettoes on and was wearing the necklace I gave her for her sixteenth birthday. She was breathtaking. She asked me a couple of days ago what to wear, and I told her to wear something that made her feel beautiful and relaxed. If she had chosen to wear jeans, that would have been fine by me. But she must have talked to Amy, because they went shopping yesterday. I tried to get her to use my credit card, but she wouldn’t. Told me that she was more than capable of paying for her own clothes. I knew this, I just wanted to buy it for her.
We walked inside, and Dax talked to the hostess. She smiled at us and showed us to our table. Dax and Mark would be waiting for us in the bar. I told them to get food and drinks on me. I told the waitress the same thing when she came over to our table.
“Welcome to Sapphire Balcony, I’m Abby and I will be your waitress tonight.” She smiled at both of us. “Can I get you something to drink while you wait for the first course?”
This restaurant didn’t have a menu, the menu was created by the chef and changed once a month. You could choose to have the five-course meal or the seven-course meal. We were going with the seven courses.
“We will have the wine recommended by the chef and some water,” I said, looking over at Evie to see if she wanted anything else. She just smiled and nodded in agreement. “And the two security guys that came with us, whatever they order in the bar is on my tab too.”
“Of course. I will get your drinks. I hope you will have a wonderful evening here. And let me know if you need anything.” With that, our waitress walked back to the bar.
“The place is really amazing. Have you been here before?” Evie looked around the room before looking back at me.
“Not this one, but I tried out the one they have in Seattle with the boys.” It was not like we went out and ate fancy dinners all the time. But sometimes we did go out and spent a fortune on a very good meal. Mostly we were more the burger and fries type. And sushi. We ate a lot of sushi when we were on tour.
“Can’t imagine the guys eating at a place like this, it must have been your idea.” Evie smiled.
“You’re right. Sometimes I just want to enjoy that I can afford to eat at places like this. And the guys did like it, even though they will deny that if you asked them.”
“I’m sure they will. But I’m happy you brought me here. I’ve always wanted to try food at a place like this. But with Alana and the fact that I couldn’t leave Crossroads, I never though more about it.” She bowed her head down and broke eye contact.
“Hey, no sadness tonight, Sunshine. This is a celebration of your birthday and the fact that we’re back together.” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked up at me again and gave my hand a little squeeze back.
“I know. To an amazing evening and night.” She raised her glass and smiled. I raised my glass to hers and smiled back at her.
“Love you, beautiful girl.” I reached over and gave her a kiss.
“Love you too,” she said after I sat back down.
We got the first course and then the dinner just went on. We talked about the past. Not why she left, but when we were happy before she left. Then she asked a lot about being on tour, being famous and not having the same privacy that “normal” people had. I knew this was one of the things she worried about, the fact that we both would be followed around when the press found out who she was to me. She had to get used to having security with her, and I knew that was something you had to adapt to. I’d had a hard time adapting, the one who had it hardest of the four of us in the band. I liked my privacy and didn’t like having my face all over the Internet.
Then the fact that nine out of ten stories the press wrote about us were a lie, that just pissed me off. I knew they wrote all kinds of crap just to sell magazines, I just didn’t get why it had to be lies.
Anna told me not to go online, and for once I actually hadn’t. I heard from the others that it was not all nice things there were being gossiped about me being a father. For once, I tried very hard not to read what they wrote. Because this time it was not just about me, it was about the two most important girls in my life. Anna was doing everything she could to find out who leaked the story at Logan’s office, but so far it had all been dead ends. And really, it didn’t matter. Because the story was out. But Logan wanted to know, and when he did, I was sure the person would lose his or her job immediately.
“Thanks for the most amazing meal I’ve ever had,” Evie said when we started walking out of the restaurant.
“You’re very welcome, Sunshine. Ready to go to the hotel, or do you want a drink in the bar before we go?”
“Can we have a drink back at the hotel?”
“Sure. Let’s get out of here.” I walked over to Dax and saw that he looked worried. “What’s wrong?” I asked him. I felt Evie’s body tense beside me.
“Is Alana okay?” she asked him.
“Yes, no worries about her. It’s the paparazzi, they know you’re here.” He looked at me. “Sorry.” It really wasn’t his fault. I knew this could happen.
“What do we do?” I asked him.
“Mark is getting the car now, and then you to go straight to the car and don’t interact with the reporters. They will most likely ask a lot of questions. I’ve talked to the security at the restaurant, and they will help Mark and I shield you the best we can.”
“Okay.” I looked at Evie. I could see the tears in her eyes. This was the first time she would be exposed to the reporters. I needed her to move with us and fas
t. I put my hands on her cheeks and pulled her close. “Just stay close to me. Hold your head down until the car door is closed. We can do this, okay? You and me together.” I kissed her.
“Okay, let’s do this.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and took my hand. I held her close to me, and Dax was on the other side of her. Mark walked back inside.
“The car is ready.” He looked at Dax.
“Ready?” Dax looked at me then at Evie. We both nodded. Here goes nothing.
The moment we walked through the doors, five more guys came around us and tried to shield us from the press. Flashes from the cameras, reporters yelling their questions. Evie held on tightly to my hand and rested her head against my shoulder. We walked as fast as we could. On the way to the car, I heard multiple questions. “Is this your baby mommy?” “Who is this woman, Liam?” “How is it going with you being a dad?” “Is the band breaking up, now that you have a child?” “Are you in a relationship with your child’s mother?” “What does she think about you going on a date?”
The questions were yelled from around us, and I tried to ignore them, knowing nothing would come from answering any of them. If I answered one question, there would just be ten follow-ups. I just needed to get Evie out of here.
When we reached the car, Mark opened the door, and I helped Evie in before I followed her. The moment the car door closed, I let out a breath. I looked over at Evie; tears were rolling down her cheeks.
“Come here, Sunshine.” I held my arms out for her and she moved over and sat on my lap, resting her head on my chest. “Are you okay?” I kissed the top of her head. Dax and Mark got in the car and we drove away from the restaurant. I ignored them and focused on Evie.