Watching Flynn leave for work without me was a weird feeling. It was the first time I’d made a choice to stay home. My heart felt torn in two, but our little boy deserved as much of my time as he did, and our separation was only for two full nights. I’d reminded myself that although we loved working together, we weren’t joined at the hip, and thought it might do us good to have a couple of days away from each other. Even if that wasn’t how Flynn had felt about it.
After he’d left, I spent some much needed time with Kayden, Amber and my parents. Amber and I had a dress fitting at the bridal store that first evening after Liam was in bed. She looked amazing in the elegant straight, figure hugging dress she’d chosen. It was plain and simply made of satin and organza materials, but it suited her. She’d make the perfect bride for Kayden, and he’d be in awe when he saw her.
Amber had chosen teal satin and organza in the same material for the bridesmaids. It was only my dress that still had to be made, the other two for her friends who were also in the wedding party, were hanging ready to be worn. I took a sneak peek and when I saw what I’d be wearing I was delighted with her taste. We thanked the store owner for her understanding and giving us an evening appointment and turned to head for home.
On the way out of the store, we bumped into Heidi, my one-time best friend until she’d cheated on me with my then boyfriend, Bradley.
“H-hey, Valerie. How are you doing?” I was surprised she’d even thought I would speak to her. Then again, if she hadn’t slept with him, my life may have been different, and I liked my life. She’d never be my friend again, her loss because I was a loyal person, but I was also the bigger person, so I responded.
“I’m great, thanks for asking. Do you know Amber, Kayden’s fiancé?”
“I’ve seen you around, but we’ve never actually spoken. Hi, I’m Heidi,” she said, smiling as if nothing had ever happened.
Amber turned to look at me with a frown, “Is this, that Heidi?”
I looked at Heidi, and she squirmed awkwardly. It had made me smirk, “Yeah, one and the same,” I said, flatly.
“And you have the audacity to come over to Valerie and—”
“It’s fine she did me a favor, Amber. I bet your first experience with Bradley was nothing like mine with Flynn,” I smiled knowingly.
“Oh, remind me to ask you more about that later,” Amber grinned and nudged me.
I turned to look at Heidi again, and her face was full of remorse, “I’m sorry, Valerie. It was a terrible thing to do,” she said, sadly.
“It was, Heidi. You were my best friend, but it taught me a lot about myself. I had poor judgment about people, boys in particular, until Flynn. He’s the one everyone else got wrong, and I got right.”
“I hope it stays that way for you,” she said.
“Oh, I have no reason to doubt that,” I retorted, “Anyway, we’ve got to get home I left my mom babysitting.”
“Having a baby by a guy doesn’t mean he won’t stray,” Heidi responded with a smug look on her face.
“And opening your legs when they ask because their own girl is a good girl and refuses, won’t catch you or keep a man either. How is Bradley by the way?”
I knew he had rejected her as soon as he’d got what he wanted.
Heidi stood staring back at me, and I could see she felt every word of what I’d said. I saw the shame on her face. The Valerie she knew at sixteen was subservient to her smart mouth, but that girl then was nothing like the woman I became.
“All right, I guess we’re done here, let’s get home, Valerie, you’ve wasted enough time on someone who doesn’t deserve it,” Amber stated.
Rita opened the car door for us, and we climbed in.
“How did you stop yourself from punching her, Valerie?”
“I should have thanked her really, because if it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t have spent an amazing night watching Adam play a winning game of football wrapped in Flynn’s arms. She gave me a wonderful happy memory to keep.”
Amber shook her head, “You are the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. Do you know that?”
“And you’re the best girl Kayden could ever have chosen to be my sister,” I replied with a smile.
“Listen to us, cheesy girls, when did that happen?” Amber laughed.
Once we got home, we sat talking about Amber’s wedding over a couple of bottles of wine. I didn’t drink more than one glass because I still had to take care of Liam if he woke up during the night, but my mom and Amber were very merrily tipsy by the time we’d said goodnight.
Slipping into bed knowing that Flynn wasn’t coming home had felt depressing. I lay restlessly watching TV until my cell rang and his ID lit up my screen.
“Hey, how did your day go?” he asked in a gentle, quiet voice.
“Good, considering you weren’t here. Yours?”
“Yeah, gig was a blast, just checking in before I get some sleep. TV show tomorrow and Thursday morning for the radio interview, but I’m flying straight back afterward, so I should be home by about 2:00 p.m.”
We chatted for another ten minutes, and there was a knock on his hotel room door, “Gotta go, Lee’s at the door, I better see what he wants. Speak to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Night, honey, I love you.”
“And I love you, right back, speak tomorrow, babe. Miss me.”
I’d switched the TV off when he called, so I slid down into the comforter and hugged his pillow. I was still feeling drained from our hectic lifestyle of the previous few weeks, so I fell sound asleep in no time.
Chapter 10
Suspicion and Lies.
Valerie
Spending the day with Liam by ourselves felt amazing. We never got much of an opportunity to have private time together. As little as he was there was so much of Flynn in him even at that age. He had a great sense of humor and was full of fun. After spending the morning drawing and making clay figurines from a kit he’d received on his second birthday, we headed over to see Kayden in the studio. Glancing at the figurines drying on the way out, I hated to admit it, but Liam’s effort probably looked just as good as mine. I smirked and thought: My art-form is definitely photography.
Liam chatted animatedly on the way over to the studio about how he loved singing, and there was no doubt in my mind our affectionate and funny little boy was starting to show talent in a lot of areas. It seemed as if he’d inherited the same aptitude for music as Flynn, but with Kayden’s rhythm. He wasn’t quite there with his patience for the guitar, but he had begun to develop some interest in percussion.
After watching Kayden practice, Liam was excited to join in so Flynn and I had encouraged his interest and had installed a tiny drum kit at the studio. Without any prompting, Liam was always eager to beat on the drums at every opportunity.
Previously, when we were in the studio Kayden began to play the percussion arrangement for “Billy Jean” by Michael Jackson, and Liam had sat down at his tiny drum kit and began trying to mimic his sound. After that, Kayden spent time with him doing little exercises around rhythm and timing.
Entering the studio, Liam ran excitedly to the window of the sound booth and knocked on the door, his little knuckles hardly making a sound. Kayden had earphones on but accidently looked in his direction, and a smile lit up Kayden’s face when he saw him. Making his way to the door, he pulled it open, “Hey, little buddy, did you come to see me or did you want to play your drums?” Liam put his arms up for Kayden to lift him and immediately hugged his uncle. “Me play wifchoo, Uncle Kayden.”
Kayden chuckled softly, “That was very diplomatic, buddy. All right, let’s see what you’ve got. Are we playing “Billy Jean” today?” Liam nodded and picked up his drumsticks, rolled his head on his shoulders like Kayden did before he played and they both sat down. Kayden set the song to play on the tablet in the background.
The concentration on Liam’s face was hysterical, but I tried to keep a straig
ht face and watch how seriously he was following the tempo of the music. It amazed me how much stamina he had. He managed almost half of the song before his little arms got sore and he stopped to watch his uncle finish it off. My emotions began to clog my throat because I was so proud of his determination.
When he’d finished, I took Liam, Niven and Rita into town for dinner and by bedtime Liam had enjoyed me so much he didn’t want to go to bed or for the day to end. To be honest, I’d been feeling the same and was feeling a little lonely, so I allowed Liam to stay up to watch the live TV show of his daddy’s performance.
When Liam saw Flynn on TV, he ran toward it, “My daddy! Look, Mommy,” he smiled so big in recognition of his father, clapped his hands together, and stretched them up under the TV. I lifted him up, and he leaned forward, kissing Flynn’s image on the screen. Walking over to the sofa we both sat mesmerized as we watched Flynn perform and seeing him without the noise of the crowd made me appreciate again just how special his musical talent was. His voice was note perfect, the gravelly tone sexily seductive and I found myself fangirling at home along with millions of other women.
After the segment was finished, I sighed deeply and kissed our son’s head. “Okay little guy it’s way past your bedtime,” I said lifting him up and taking him to his bed. Slipping below the sheet, my baby boy was all tuckered out and without any further grumbling, he grabbed his little bunny comforter and settled without another peep.
I showered and climbed into bed and waited for Flynn’s call. When he hadn’t called, I remembered that New York was an hour ahead and already 1:00 a.m. there. I knew he wouldn’t call at that time in case he woke Liam, so I settled down to sleep and looked forward to his return the next day.
*****
I woke to a call from Javier at 5:25 a.m. the following morning.
“I know you won’t have seen the news yet, but I wanted to prepare you, Valerie.”
An instant feeling of alarm struck me. My heart raced with the sudden adrenaline burst his words implied. It wasn’t what he said but more how he’d said it that had my heart pumping. Fear was the first feeling followed by anxiety, and I was out of bed and on my feet before I even spoke back.
“What’s happened? What’s wrong? Tell me,” I demanded. My whole body froze waiting for his reply.
“The papers are running a story that Flynn’s had a fling with a groupie,” he said in a frustrated tone.
“Okay, we’ve been here before, Javier, you know what to do,” it wasn’t the first time the papers had got it wrong, or some fan had gone to the press claiming to have spent the night with him.
“It’s different this time, Valerie. She has pictures of Flynn backstage in the green room at the gig on Tuesday night, and she’s taken a picture of herself standing in the shirt Flynn wore on TV yesterday. I hate to say this and there is no way to soften the blow, but it’s definitely Flynn lying in the bed behind her in the picture.”
My world imploded on hearing the last sentence he’d said. Another adrenalin dump ran through my body to mingle with a gamut of emotions that were all fighting for position over my heart and mind. Anger, hurt, humiliation, sadness, distress, and above all disbelief. He wouldn’t do that to me. “I don’t fucking believe it. This is my Flynn. There must be some mistake, Javier, you know Flynn, there’s no way he’d do that to me.” I said as I fought to contain my feelings and listen to the rest of the conversation.
“Then I’m sorry, but I have no explanation for these pictures. It’s definitely the penthouse suite he’s staying in right now, and it’s definitely Flynn. Maybe she photoshopped the image? You haven’t shared any shots of Flynn in bed during a photoshoot in the past, have you?” Javier asked as he tried to throw me a lifeline. I could hear the sympathy in his voice I felt myself dying a little inside.
Swallowing back the panic that threatened to consume me I told him Flynn hadn’t done any bed photoshoots and to send what he had by email. I quickly fired up my laptop; if they’d been doctored in any way I knew I’d be able to tell as soon as I saw them. The only pictures of Flynn in bed were the ones I had taken, and they weren’t public knowledge. Unless Iria, his ex-girlfriend had taken some.
When I opened the email, an electrical current jolted my heart as my eyes scanned the image in front of me. Scrutinizing the photograph made the shock of seeing the man I loved most in the world in such a compromising position that much greater. My heart beat wildly in my chest as feelings of rage made me feel sick. The blood flow pulsing in my ears was the only sound I could hear.
Skimming the picture for discrepancies was a major disappointment to my one ray of hope that the image had been photoshopped. I could tell it was a simple self-image taken with her cell phone, there were no alterations. As well as the hotel room pictures, she also had photographs of Flynn fresh off the stage drying his neck with a towel and grinning directly at the camera. The stage was still in the background. There was also another one where he was lying relaxed on the sofa in the green room with his eyes closed and his arms above his head.
“Jesus Christ!” I said in shock. My heart shattered inside my chest. It was like seeing a traumatic event happen and not being able to stop staring at it. My disbelief turned to doubt; the bedroom picture was that convincing.
Have you spoken to Flynn about them yet?”
“No, I called you to see what the deal was before sharing, hoping we could quash the story.”
“Good, I don’t want you to talk to him until after I have. I mean it, Javier. There isn’t a question of sides here, and my relationship with Flynn depends on this. I’m placing my trust in you. Our family’s whole future is riding on these images. The paparazzi will be all over him, once he’s up and about, but I don’t want to speak to him until I see him face-to-face.”
“But I’m your PR guy, I have to—”
“Do what I ask. You have to do what I ask. Flynn is quite adept at dealing with reporters. I want the guy I know in real life telling me about these pictures, while he’s standing in front of me Javier. Not Flynn the rock star. I need to know the truth.”
Tears threatened to fall out of my blurry eyes, but Liam called out for me just as I was about to lose control. Blinking them back and wiping them with the sleeve of the robe I’d pulled on, I went into Liam’s room, picked him up and cradled him in my arms. How could he do this to us? I wondered as I swallowed past yet another lump in my throat. I managed a weak smile at my son and tried to push Flynn to the background for a while as Liam’s needs came first.
“Hey little man, how bout we have some breakfast and then I take you over to Grandma’s for the day?”
Liam pouted and he sounded annoyed, “No. Daddy home soon.”
Flynn was due back at 2:00 p.m., and that seemed like a lifetime to be holding on to my fears. “Later, baby. You go to Grandma’s, and you can see him later,” I’d said, bargaining with him. I called my mom and told her about the story. I knew she would have seen it at some point anyway. According to Javier, it was all over the news. A short time later, my mom had turned up and Liam was waving goodbye to go over to my parents’ place to have breakfast instead.
After he’d left I called Javier back, but I knew I had little to offer in Flynn’s defense. He hadn’t called me the night before, and was it really because it was late or was it that he’d spent time with the girl in the picture? The girl had definitely been backstage and in his room if those pictures were true.
People usually went with the saying ‘A camera never lies,’ but as a photographer, I knew that cameras definitely could lie. A close up shot didn’t portray the true essence of a particular scene. We were capable of making things look one way when in fact there was little to nothing going on at all. My erotic shoots were a testament to that.
Staring at the hotel room picture again I tried to come up with a logical explanation and failed. The room was familiar, we’d stayed there before. It was the penthouse suite at the Don Fuego, in New
York. The only thing I could figure out was that Flynn had invited her back to his room. She couldn’t get there on her own. He always stayed in the penthouse and she couldn’t reach his floor by normal elevator. She had to have had help to do that.
My first instinct was to call Lee, but that would have meant I wouldn’t have trusted Flynn to tell me the truth. I was struggling as to why Flynn would give in to temptation if it meant losing Liam and me after all that he’d said. I thought about calling him, but I knew I had to see his face. Should I wait until he comes home when he’ll have had hours to conjure up some explanation for her? The pictures were pretty damning, and my heart sank that he could be so adamant about us before he’d left, yet I was faced with the dilemma of something that appeared so obviously the opposite.
Could I blindly trust him because he said I should when faced with evidence that seemed overwhelming? It was definitely Flynn in that bed in the picture. I wasn’t sure what the best plan of action was to get to the bottom of things.
If I were the irrational type, I’d already have called and yelled at him that he’d cheated on me and he’d been caught doing it. I knew if I’d made up my mind he’d done that, once the words were out in the open I’d never be able to take them back. And he’d sworn on Liam’s life. I couldn’t see him doing that lightly.
I knew if I asked anyone else it was as good as an admission of doubt. I was damned if I did and damned if I didn’t. The only thing I was certain of was hearing Flynn’s explanation if he had one. I mulled it over and went from tears to temper in a heartbeat with each new thought that ran through my mind.
“Trust him,” he had said. I was trying, but my head was in conflict with the weighty feelings I had swirling inside like a storm. How could I when she was wearing his shirt. The shirt I’d personally bought for him. I loved Flynn with every bone in my body, but if I found out he’d cheated on me, then we were done, son or no son. Liam deserved better than to grow up in a world full of adult suspicion and doubt.
Ready For Flynn,Part 3: A Rockstar Romance: Ready For Flynn Series Page 10