Helping herself to a bottle of apple juice, Lori gazed around the room. She was delighted that the album launch show had been so enthusiastically received but she was also concerned that all of this media frenzy was about to overwhelm Garrett. He was such a private person, Lori feared that this was his idea of hell on earth.
“Mz Hyde?” said a voice beside her. “Can you spare a few moments to tell us about the inspirations behind the album’s artwork?”
Adopting her public, Mz Hyde persona, Lori replied, “Of course. What would you like to know?”
And with that, she was swept into the media maelstrom.
More than an hour later, the theatre’s security staff intervened and ushered the last of the media from the backstage area.
“They’re like fucking piranhas!” sighed Garrett, flopping down onto a nearby couch. “I’m drained of all life after that.”
“That was intense,” conceded Jake, still reeling from the experience. “So many fucking questions!”
“Time to return to the gothic palace,” declared Garrett, checking the time. “We’ve kept the caterers waiting long enough.”
“Ten minutes!” called out Jethro. “Be ready to move it out of here in ten minutes, folks!”
Crossing the room to where Lori was standing, Jake asked, “You ok?”
“I’m fine,” she replied with a tired smile. “Wasn’t expecting that but I’m fine.”
“Did the press ask about the baby?” he asked, keen to keep their affairs private.
Lori shook her head, “Somehow I kept this little Power Pack under wraps.”
“How do you feel about walking back to Garrett’s?” suggested Jake, hoping that she would say yes. “It’ll give us some time alone to talk.”
“As long as we take it slowly,” replied Lori, already aware that her weaker leg was throbbing.
“We’ll take it as slow as you want,” promised Jake. “Give me five minutes to grab my jacket and things.”
Leaving the warmth of the Gramercy Theater behind them, Jake and Lori walked slowly side by side along the sidewalk. Neither of them knew where to start; neither of them wanted to risk saying something that might upset the other. Both of them were silently hanging onto the fragile bonds from a few hours earlier. Around them, the midnight air was bitterly cold.
“You warm enough, li’l lady?” asked Jake eventually, desperate to say something to break the silence.
“I’m fine,” she replied, smiling up at him, “This little Power Pack is keeping me cosy.”
“I still can’t believe you’re pregnant,” commented Jake quietly. “Can’t believe you’re here either.”
“It was a bit of a surprise,” giggled Lori, reaching out to take his hand. “With everything that’s happened over the summer, I missed the signs. I only found out myself a few weeks ago.”
Hearing her musical laugh tugged at his heart and Jake squeezed her hand, “I just hope a third baby isn’t too much for you. After last time… if anything happened to you…”
“Sh,” she said softly. “I’ve seen the doctor. Everything’s fine. I’m about nineteen weeks along. I’ve another ultrasound next week. Baby is measuring ahead again. Yes, I need to be careful. Yes, they’ve threatened me with bed rest from twenty-eight weeks but I’ll be fine. No more dramatic births.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” laughed Jake, rolling his eyes. “Do the kids know?”
“Melody does,” replied Lori. “She guessed at Hallowe’en.”
“She’s a smart cookie,” said Jake, the mention of his daughter’s name tearing at his fragile emotions. “I’ve missed them.”
“They’re missing you too,” whispered Lori.
They were less than a block from the gothic palace and Jake was worried about breaking the spell. There was so much that he wanted to say but every time he tried to form a sentence in his mind, it sounded wrong.
“Jake,” began Lori, almost as if she was sensing his fear. “There’s no rush to talk about all of this. Tonight’s about Garrett. This is his big night. All of our mess will still be there tomorrow to talk about. Let’s just get to the party and spend some time celebrating with our friends and family.”
“Works for me,” he replied, sounding relieved. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight. I’m scared this is all a dream. Scared I’ll waken up alone in Garrett’s spare room.”
Placing his hand on her twitching belly, Lori said, “Is this real enough for you?”
Feeling their baby move under his hand for the first time brought tears to Jake’s eyes.
“Feels real to me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Our third little Power Pack.”
“A very active not so little Power Pack. And definitely the last little Power Pack,” laughed Lori, as the baby continued to wriggle. “They’re ready to party even if we’re not.”
The after-show celebrations were in full swing by the time Jake and Lori entered the lounge. In true over-the-top style, Garrett had organised a veritable feast for his friends. Hostesses mingled among the guests with trays of canapes and champagne. A huge buffet was laid out in the opulent dining room with enough food for a hundred guests never mind the twenty-five who were mingling around in the apartment. Apologising that she needed to sit down, Lori headed straight towards an empty wing-backed chair in the corner of the lounge. Standing at the side of the stage, plus the short walk back, had finally taken its toll on her.
“You ok?” asked Grey, noticing how pale and drawn she looked.
“I’ll be fine in a few minutes,” replied Lori. “Jake’s gone to fetch me a drink and something to eat.”
“Things ok between the two of you?”
“Fragile but we’ll get through this,” said Lori with a weary smile. “What was it you reminded me? “Treat yourselves and each other with respect and remind yourselves often of what brought you together”?”
“Don’t lose sight of that,” cautioned Grey warmly.
“I won’t,” promised Lori as Jake approached with their drinks. Behind him, Riley was carrying two plates of food.
“Lori, allow me to introduce you to the ridiculously talented Miss Riley Johnson,” said Jake theatrically, causing Riley to blush beside him. “Riley, this is my ridiculously talented wife, Lori.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said Riley shyly. “I think I bumped into you earlier. Sorry.”
“Great to meet you,” said Lori warmly. “It got kind of crowded at the side of the stage. I’m used to it. I loved your performance tonight. That’s an incredible voice you have.”
“Thank you!”
“I’ll let you two chat,” suggested Jake. “I’m going to check on Garrett. See if he’s recovered yet. I’ll be right back, ladies.”
Lori nodded as she accepted the plate of food from Riley.
Having searched the apartment, Jake found Garrett in the kitchen with Jethro. The older man had a large glass of red wine in his hand but it didn’t escape Jake’s attention that his friend was still trembling.
“You recovered yet?” he teased.
“Almost,” replied Garrett. “Although your manager here is trying to convince me to do a tour.”
“You should,” encouraged Jake with a wink. “Keep the venues small. Spread the dates out to ease the pressure. Take Riley with you. Guarantee it will sell out in minutes.”
“And will you come along for the ride too?” quizzed Garrett hopefully. “And bring Todd out with you?”
“Depending on my Silver Lake commitments, we should be able to come to an agreement.”
“Told you he’d be up for it,” stated Jethro bluntly. “I don’t see any issues getting Todd and young Miss Riley out there either.”
“Fine,” relented Garrett, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. “No more than ten shows. No venue bigger than say seven fifty or a thousand. No more than two shows in a row without a day off.”
“Leave that thought with me,” Jethro said, before turning his attent
ion to Jake. “You talked to Lori yet?”
“Kind of. We’ve talked round things.”
“Talking round it isn’t going to fix your marriage, son,” declared the band’s silver-haired wise old man.
“I know,” sighed Jake, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t really know where to start.”
“We’ve had this conversation before, son,” reminded Jethro succinctly, thinking back to the night he drove Jake home from rehab.
“I know,” said Jake, remembering all too clearly. “And I’ve as much of an idea about how to fix this as I did five years ago.”
“You managed just fine back then,” recalled Jethro warmly. “Lori has already made the hardest move here. She came here tonight. Now, go and figure it out before she leaves. It’s getting late. She’s pregnant and she’s tired.”
Nodding silently, Jake turned and headed out of the kitchen.
When he re-entered the lounge, the chair where Lori had been sitting stood empty. Frantically, he scanned the room in search of her.
She wasn’t there.
Panic began to flood through him.
A hand touched his elbow and he spun around, praying it was Lori.
It wasn’t.
“She’s gone downstairs,” said Riley quietly. “We were talking about her dragon paintings. She’s gone down to see them.”
“Oh, thank God!” sighed Jake, the panic evaporating instantly to be replaced with relief. “I thought she’d left.”
Riley shook her head, “No. She’s down in the dragon’s lair.”
“Thanks.”
The small elevator seemed to take forever to reach the basement as Jake paced anxiously in the confined space. What if she wasn’t there? What if she’d already left? What if he was too late?
As the elevator door opened, he resisted the urge to run along the short corridor. He could see the large dragon door was ajar and that a strip of light was flooding out from the rehearsal room beyond.
When he entered the room, he was relieved to see Lori studying one of the dragons.
“Hey, li’l lady,” he said quietly. “You gave me a fright. Thought I’d lost you.”
“Sorry,” apologised Lori as she turned round to smile at him. “Riley was telling me how much she loved the dragons. It’s been years since I last saw them. Thought I’d pay them a visit.”
“They are stunning,” complimented Jake. “Miss Riley wants to get one of them tattooed down her back.”
“She told me,” said Lori with a giggle. “We’ve reached an agreement though. These are all unique and part of a deal I made a long time ago with Garrett. A deal we’ve yet to complete. I promised Riley that I’d design one just for her. Similar style to these but something better suited to her personality.”
“Oh, she’ll love you forever for that!”
“I got that impression. She’s a sweet girl. A very sweet girl.”
“There’s baggage there but, I think with Garrett’s help, she’ll be ok,” said Jake. “She reminds me a lot of Todd when we first met him.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that,” noted Lori softly as she rested her hand on her baby bump. “Guess it’s not just teenagers that mess their lives up.”
“Guess not,” agreed Jake, stepping closer to her. He reached up and ran his fingers through her long, golden blonde hair. “I don’t know what to say to make this mess right, Lori. I screwed up everything. I risked losing you and the kids. I’m not proud of what happened. Not proud of my behaviour….”
“Sh,” said Lori, reaching up to put a finger to his lips. “We’ve a lifetime to put this right.”
Hesitantly, Jake bent to kiss her. Their lips met and he sighed as he felt the tip of her tongue tease the inside of his lip. Wrapping her in his arms, Jake held her close as they savoured the slow, lingering kiss.
Looking up into his tear-filled hazel eyes, Lori said simply, “Time to go home, rock star.”
Coral McCallum
13 September 2019
To be concluded
In
Book 5…….
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Coral McCallum is an indie author and blogger.
She lives in Gourock, a small town on the banks of the River Clyde on the west coast of Scotland, with her husband, children and four cats,
Coral publishes regularly to her blog
https://coralmccallum.wordpress.com/
She also writes a music blog chronicling the rock shows she attends
https://the525toglasgow.wordpress.com/
Coral can be reached via her Facebook Author Page
https://www.facebook.com/coralmccallumauthor
Shattered Hearts Page 41