Riley had written a song about her.
And he’d sung for his mother.
Right now, he was no doubt celebrating with dozens of people—his family, his management, the record label—all of them thrilled for what he’d done tonight. Without a doubt, it was the best concert she’d ever been to. She only hoped Tommy had sent someone to cover it who could appreciate the emotionality of it all.
Tossing her cowboy hat aside, she pulled the clips from her hair holding it in place and shook it out. And sighed. It felt good to let it be loose. Shoes off, she roamed around as if searching for something or someone. There was nothing there. And no one. She was alone.
A glance at the clock showed it was almost midnight. Walking into the kitchen, she snagged a bottle of water before turning off the lights and heading to the bedroom. She’d done it. She went and faced her fears, faced Riley—sort of—and survived it. She did it on her own terms, and for that Savannah felt good. There was no caving to pressure and no one there to witness her emotional breakdown or her sprint from the Hollywood Bowl.
Tiny victories.
Stripping down to her panties, she pulled a T-shirt from her drawer. The fact that it was one of Riley’s was merely a coincidence. As she smoothed it down over her, another wave of sadness threatened to overwhelm her. It was the only item of his she’d kept—and he didn’t even know she had it. Should she have gone with her parents and the Shaughnessys to the show? Should she have accepted the press pass Tommy offered? Or should she have at least answered one of Riley’s phone calls?
The answer was yes to all of them. But it was too late now. The concert was over. Her parents would be leaving California tomorrow and no doubt the Shaughnessys would be too. And as for calling Riley, now that the album was out, his days were going to be filled with the press and media tour before he went on the road for an actual tour to promote the music.
She’d missed her chances.
All of them.
Not the greatest thought to end the day on, she thought as she climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up around her.
And in the dark, with only the sound of her own breathing, Savannah knew this would be the last pity party she’d allow herself. This chapter of her life was over, and as her father reminded her earlier, she was a fighter.
She needed to find something new to fight for.
* * *
Outside the room, there was a celebration going on. The thought of it made Riley smile. But right now he felt physically and emotionally drained. He’d done it. He’d finished the album. He’d performed the entire thing live. He’d made his family proud.
And yet all he wanted was to be alone.
There was a light knock on the door and he called out to whoever it was to come in. Relief swamped him when he saw it was his father. Ian closed the door behind him but didn’t walk any farther into the room.
“Hey, Dad.”
For the first time in recent memory, Riley thought his father looked ready to cry.
“What did you think?” he forced himself to ask, but was afraid to hear the answer.
“I had forgotten…” Ian said before his voice cracked. He sniffed before continuing. “I forgot that it was your song.” He nodded and wiped at his eyes. “It didn’t hit me until you started singing that you stopped singing it after…”
“After the funeral,” Riley said quietly, coming to his feet and walking over to embrace the man who was the rock for his entire family.
“Do you have any idea how thrilled she would have been to see you up there like that tonight?” Ian asked, taking a step back. “She used to love to hear you sing. You know she’s watching right now—probably bragging to St. Peter himself—and telling everyone in heaven how her boy sang for her at the Hollywood Bowl.”
Tears streamed down both their cheeks. “I wanted to make her proud.”
Ian nodded. “You did. You did that and more.” He clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder before walking farther into the room. “I had no idea what to expect tonight. You kept so much of the new music to yourself after you came back to L.A.” He turned and looked at Riley. “That had me a little worried.”
“All this music was very…personal. I hated to even have the guys in the studio hear it.”
“You let Savannah hear it,” Ian said thoughtfully.
“The only reason I had music to play was because of her,” Riley said honestly. He took a steadying breath. “I really thought she’d be here tonight.”
“Paul says she’s on assignment.”
Riley shook his head. “She’s not.”
“How do you know?”
“I just… Let’s just say I had someone look into it. She’s home. She’s here in town. She didn’t…” He sighed. “I hurt her, Dad. She’s the most important thing in the world to me and I hurt her.”
“You were hurting too, Riley. It was a crappy situation. I’m sure in time—”
“No,” he said quietly. “No. I said some pretty horrible things to her that night. I’ve tried calling and texting and even going to her house, but she won’t talk to me.” He looked up sadly. “How could I have screwed it up so badly?”
“Seems to me you both screwed it up,” Ian said. “Maybe this wasn’t the relationship either of you thought it was. Maybe…maybe it’s time to move on.” He motioned toward the door. “You have about a hundred people out there waiting to congratulate you and tell you how in awe they are of your performance tonight. You should go out there and celebrate.”
Riley looked at his father as if he’d lost his mind. “Dad, I’m sitting here telling you I miss Savannah and you’re telling me to go mingle?”
Ian nodded. “Oh, and have the champagne. It was incredible.”
Frowning, he said, “Oh yeah? How much of it have you had?”
“Just a taste. Martha and I shared a glass before I came in here. Good stuff.”
“Um…sure. Okay. Whatever,” Riley muttered. “I guess we should go…mingle.”
Ian didn’t move.
“Dad? You coming?”
“No.”
Riley rolled his eyes and went back to stand in front of his father. “What is going on? You just said I should go out there and then when I say I am, you won’t go with me. Why not?”
“Because you don’t really want to celebrate out there. I can see it in your eyes and I can hear it in your voice. You did a hell of a job out there on stage, Riley, and you did it for a lot of people. What is it that you want to do right now?”
He sighed. Honestly, he’d stick to his original thought—he wanted to be alone.
Liar.
No. He wanted to be with Savannah. He wanted to share this night with her and no one else.
“You do so much for everyone—your fans, your friends, your music people, and your family. Why not take right now and do something for you?” Ian asked softly.
It was on the tip of his tongue to say how he wanted to go to Savannah’s, but he was afraid to say it out loud.
There was another knock on the door. Really, Riley was surprised there hadn’t been more of them. People were probably beginning to wonder where he was and why he wasn’t out there celebrating with the masses. He pulled the door open and found his brother Hugh standing there.
“Hey,” Riley said. “Come on in.”
Hugh looked around the dressing room and smiled. “That was a hell of a show, Riley.”
“Thanks.”
“You know, we were all blown away tonight,” Hugh said, slowly walking around the room. “But the whole time I was listening to you I kept reminding myself that I had something important to ask you.”
“Oh yeah?” Riley asked curiously. “What?”
A slow grin crossed Hugh’s face. “What would happen if you just got in your limo, drove across town, walked up to Savannah’s door, and knocked? Wh
at do you think could possibly go wrong if she opened the door and you took her in your arms and kissed her?”
It took Riley a full minute to realize what Hugh was doing. And then he started to grin. “I… I’m not sure…”
“She’d probably kiss you back. Then she’d probably invite you in. And then, if you’re lucky, she’d ask you to stay.” He threw out his hands. “Dude, what have you got to lose? Women love a man who can be spontaneous! Don’t be the guy who celebrates alone because you’re too scared to simply go with what you’re feeling!”
“You know,” Riley said, stripping off his shirt and going in search of a clean one, “I seem to recall having a very similar conversation with someone. Tell me…how did it work out?”
Hugh laughed out loud and grabbed Riley by the shoulders. “It was the best damn advice I’d ever gotten, and it led to the most incredible night of my life. Don’t let fear and uncertainty paralyze you. You wrote all that music for her. Doesn’t she deserve to know that?”
“What if… What if she doesn’t want to know that?”
“She does,” Ian said. Both of his sons turned and looked at him. “Paul saw her earlier. She’s as miserable as you are.”
“But…earlier…you said… You said she was out on an assignment,” Riley reminded him.
Ian shrugged. “I was trying to be nice.”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Riley muttered and quickly shucked his jeans and changed into clean ones before looking around his dressing room in case he needed anything else. He turned to Hugh. “Don’t let him have any more champagne. It’s clearly too strong for him.”
“No problem, bro. Limo’s waiting for you and you’ve got your own bottle of champagne chilling back there for you and Savannah. I expect to hear some whistling tomorrow as a thank you.”
Riley laughed, feeling lighter and happier than he had in a long time. “You hate whistling.”
Hugh shrugged. “I used to. Someone helped me see the error of my ways.”
At the door, Riley grabbed the knob and stopped. “What about all those people? I should at least put in an appearance out there.”
Both Hugh and Ian shook their heads. “Everyone knows what’s been going on. I told them we were encouraging you to go get the girl. There was a collective sigh of relief,” Ian said with a wink. “Now, go on. It’s late and you’re not getting any younger. And neither am I for that matter!”
Riley looked at Hugh as he opened the door. “Uh…yeah…definitely don’t let him have any more champagne.”
And then he was gone.
* * *
Sleep was eluding her, and rather than adding to her already sad and emotional state, it simply pissed her off. Kicking the blankets away, Savannah got up and decided to grab something to drink.
The sound of someone banging loudly on her front door made her scream.
Her immediate thought was that something had happened to her parents. No one else would be here at this hour unless it was bad news. Sprinting to the door, she yanked it open…and froze.
“Riley? What…?”
His arms were bracketing the doorway, his breathing almost as ragged as hers. He looked up and down at her body and smirked. “I’ve been looking for that shirt,” he said, his arms dropping.
“You…you have?”
He nodded and advanced on her, forcing Savannah back into the house until he was inside and could close the door behind him. “I had a show tonight. That’s my lucky shirt. I needed it.”
Savannah’s eyes went wide. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t know! It was here and I had forgotten that I had it…” Her back hit a wall.
“The entire show was shit because I didn’t have my shirt,” he said, stopping when they were toe to toe.
“No!” she cried. “That’s not true! You were incredible! Every song sounded perfect and the crowd loved you and every minute of the show!”
His smirk turned into a full-blown smile. “How do you know?” he whispered.
She turned her head to try to hide her embarrassment. “I…I heard the reviews on the news. The radio.” She shrugged. “You were big on the local news tonight.”
With a shrug, Riley continued to watch her. “I don’t care about being big on the news. I don’t know what the big deal was. It was only a show.”
With a gasp, Savannah turned back to him. “Only a show? Are you crazy? You sold out the Hollywood Bowl in twenty minutes! All those people wanted to come and hear you sing even though you refused to release any of the new music! They had no idea what they were coming to hear, but they wanted to be there! People love you! They love your music! You should be proud of that!”
Slowly, Riley lowered his head until his forehead rested against hers. “I think it’s great how people love my music, but there’s only one person’s love that I want. That I need.”
Savannah felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. Her eyes slowly lifted to meet his. They were still in the shadows, the only light in the house coming from the kitchen. “Oh?” she said quietly.
“Yeah. Only one.”
She swallowed hard, her heart beating erratically in her chest. When Riley’s hand came up and caressed her cheek, her knees weakened. Thankfully, his arm banded around her to catch her.
“Only you, Savannah,” he said softly. “I could sing in front of millions of people who screamed they loved me, and it’s not the same as hearing it from you.”
She knew what he wanted. Knew what he was asking. “I do, you know. I do love you, Riley.”
He sagged with relief and pulled her close. “I’ve missed hearing you say that.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice quivering as she felt her tears building again. “I…I can never make up for what I did to you…the time I cost you…”
“Hey, hey,” he crooned. “Shh…it’s all right.” He instantly pulled back and began to wipe away her tears.
She shook her head. “It’s not… It’s not all right. You said—”
“I know what I said,” he quickly interrupted, kissing her cheek. “And I was wrong. I was angry and I stupidly lashed out. I tried calling you to apologize, but you—” Then he stopped himself. “I was wrong, Savannah. I shouldn’t have said the things I did, and I should have come here and forced you to listen to me. I took the coward’s way out by calling.” He shrugged. “Then I’d be able to stay in my own world and feel bad for myself because you wouldn’t take my calls. I’m so sorry.”
Looking up at him, she gave him a weak smile. “I’ve missed you.”
Riley’s thumbs continued to stroke her cheeks and wipe away any remaining tears. “Every day without you was hell,” he said quietly.
“For me too.”
Taking a step back, he held up his hand to her. “Wait there. I’ll… I forgot something in the car.” He opened the door and sprinted out into the darkness.
Savannah stepped into the doorway, curious to see what he was doing. Off in the distance, she heard a door close and then saw a car pull away. Her heart sank. Did he leave? What in the world? She was about to step out into the night when he was back in front of her.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now. I sent my driver home.”
She smiled, grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him back into the house, shutting and locking the front door behind her. “Good. Because right now, I really want to be stuck with you.”
“Only right now?” he teased.
She shook her head. “For as long as you’ll let me,” she said honestly, waiting for him to haul her into his arms and kiss her.
But he didn’t move toward her. Instead he held up a bottle of champagne. “I had to grab this.” Then he moved by her and walked toward the kitchen. Behind him, Savannah growled with frustration and he chuckled. “Patience, my love. Patience.”
Easy for him to say, she thought. He wasn’t the one who’d been alone for over two months. At least he’d had his friends, family, and management team around him to keep him busy. She’d been doing nothing but writing about wood and cutting hair.
Leaning against her counter, Riley turned and faced her. “Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
She shook her head.
“And the day after?”
Again, she shook her head.
Riley stepped away and began to move toward her. “How about next week?”
She grinned. “Nothing I can’t move around.”
He stopped and studied her before nodding. “Okay then.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Please tell me you have the makings for a sandwich or anything I can possibly have to eat. I’m starving!”
And just like that, Savannah felt like her world was going to finally start to right itself.
They worked together in the kitchen putting together plates of food—sandwiches, chips, drinks—before heading into her living room. She reached for the TV remote, but Riley stopped her. “No TV. I want to talk with you—hear what’s been going on with you. Two months was a long time to be without you.”
“There isn’t much to tell. I was…surviving,” she said, sitting down on the sofa.
He joined her. “Me too. Well…that and finishing the album. I think I slept about ten hours total in that entire time.”
“You work too hard,” she said sadly, finally allowing herself to reach out and touch his face. She saw the exhaustion etched on his beautiful face. “I hope you’ll be able to take some time to relax now.”
“I have exactly two days to myself before the media circus begins,” he said, reaching for his sandwich and taking a huge bite.
“Can’t it wait?”
He shook his head. “I was told that people waited long enough. The album came out at midnight, it will start getting radio play now, and your article hits the stands in the morning.”
She looked at him oddly. “My…my article? But…Tommy said…”
“Yeah, I pulled rank,” Riley admitted. “We told him our marketing plan and he agreed with it. The entire article is in this one special issue. And it’s great.” He winked. “Your name is almost as big as mine on the cover.”
This Is Our Song Page 28