“I can’t just pack up and leave here, Tyler. I’ve worked hard to make this a home for Maddie and me. I’ve got the bar and Granny—my life is here.”
“I know,” I tell her to try and alleviate some of the confusion and panic I see in her eyes. “I’m going to come to you.”
“You can’t do music from here.”
“I know and I don’t care. None of that matters now.”
Tears fill her eyes. “You can’t be serious. You can’t leave everything you’ve worked for on a whim.”
I cradle her face in my hands and force her to look into my eyes. I want her to know that I’m being a thousand percent serious. “This isn’t a whim. I regretted leaving you here the moment I did it three years ago. I wanted to come back and beg your forgiveness so many times, but I was afraid—afraid of confronting my guilt. I want you now and forever. I promise you my heart from this moment forward. It’s yours for the taking. All you have to do is tell me that you want me to stay. I need to hear that you need me just as much as I need you if I’m going to walk away from everything.”
“Tyler,” she says my name through a strained voice and I can tell it’s taking everything inside her to hold back from sobbing. “I want you, but I don’t want you to resent me or Maddie down the road.”
“I will never do that. I swear it. The band—it’s not much to give up. I’m not happy there. No one gets along, so I couldn’t care less if I ever see those guys again. If music is meant to happen for me, it will happen in a way that you and Maddie can still be a part of my everyday world.
“Say yes, Avery. Say that you’re in this with me.”
She closes her eyes. “Of course I am.”
I crush my lips to hers. Avery—she’s my destiny. There are too many times fate has brought us together, and I can no longer deny that she is my dream and this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
THREE YEARS LATER . . .
AVERY
Sitting offstage with Maddie while she watches her daddy’s every move on stage is always the best seat in the house. When Tyler first told me he was giving up music to be with me and Maddie, I was scared. It worried me that he would miss this business and crave it to the point where he would leave us behind to find it again, but now I know that I shouldn’t have been afraid. I had nothing to fear.
Tyler did just what he promised. He’s made Maddie and me a part of his everyday life.
The day that Ace White was found, Tyler had to go back to California to officially quit and see if he could get out of his contract. It was surprisingly easy for Tyler to get out of the band since they only utilized his talents as a drummer and the band went through a bit of restructuring. There was an industry executive at Mopar Records who took a special interest in Tyler and his reasons for wanting to quit. He saw something in Tyler—something he thought would resonate with fans—and when he asked Tyler what genre of music really called to him, Tyler, of course, said country music—the stuff he was born and raised on.
Now, three years later we’re sitting at his sold-out tour for promoting his first solo record. Tyler Mercer has made it to the big time on his own terms.
He flew out to a studio in California for a couple weeks to finish his album, so he wasn’t gone long. He’s made it a point to tell the record label that he’ll only tour during the summer months once Maddie starts school next year because he likes having his family on the road with him.
It’s funny how sometimes in life if you step out and take a chance, things have a way of working themselves out.
“This next song goes out to my little girl, Maddie.” Tyler’s voice cuts through the arena. “If it’s all right with you all, I’d like to bring her out here on stage so I can sing it to her. It’s called ‘Daddy’s Angel.’”
The crowd erupts in applause. This particular song was number one on the charts for nearly six weeks. It really resonates with people because the lyrics are a heartfelt story about the love a father has for his daughter. People can connect with something that’s true.
Tyler walks over to us and picks Maddie up, and then he wraps his arm around me and kisses my lips. “I’ll bring her right back, Mom.”
I giggle and shake my head at his silliness as Tyler leads our daughter out on stage with him. She’s five now, and growing so fast. I’m glad Tyler’s been in her life the last few years. He was right. If he’d been out on the road a lot during these last three years, he would’ve missed so much in her life. The two of them are inseparable now. Her daddy is her world and she’s the apple of Tyler’s eye.
A collective sound of awww comes from the crowd as they spot Tyler holding Maddie. He walks up to the microphone and asks Maddie if she’s going to help him sing this time.
“Of course I will, Daddy. It’s my favorite song since it’s about me.”
That gives the crowd a good chuckle. Kids say the darndest things and they are always so brutally honest.
Tyler turns toward his band. “Start us off, guys.”
The music plays and Tyler comes in on cue and sings the first verse of the song. It’s basically the story of our life. How we met, and how we have the most perfect little girl in the world, and how once he found her he decided he wasn’t going to let her go.
The chorus comes into play and Maddie and Tyler lean in and sing into the microphone together. Her little voice rings around the arena and her bravery makes me smile.
It’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen—the two greatest loves of my life just being together—and I thank God every day for blessing me with them.
Had it not been for Maddie coming into my life when she did, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I was in a dark place, but she gave me hope—a reason to keep being strong and fight my way back into the light.
The last few beats of the song play out and then the crowd erupts in another round of applause. Maddie has a smile on her face that stretches from ear to ear. I can see her loving this life just as much as Tyler does, and it wouldn’t surprise me that when she grows up, she’ll want to be a singer just like him.
“Everyone give it up for my baby girl, Maddie!” Tyler calls for another round of applause and then whispers in her ear and she immediately waves to the crowd as he sets her down. Tyler points toward me and she comes barreling back in my direction.
“Hey, sweetie! That was great!” I praise her.
“Thanks, Mommy. I love it when Daddy lets me sing with him.” The smile she’s still wearing is infectious.
“He loves it too,” I tell her. “He thinks you’ve got a great voice.”
“I know,” she says. “He already told me that.”
I chuckle, and Maddie and I stand there and wait for Tyler to finish his set.
He plays a couple more songs and then he thanks his fans for coming out to see his show before he runs off stage and into my waiting arms. “That was so great, babe.”
“Thanks! I think the real star of the show tonight was a certain little lady,” Tyler says as he bends down and scoops Maddie back up into his arms.
I laugh. “Soon she’s going to be too big for you to carry around like that all the time.”
“Never,” he says. “She’ll always be my little girl, even when she’s grown up and married.”
“Ewww,” Maddie says. “Boys are yucky. Except for you, Daddy.”
Tyler laughs. “That’s what I like to hear, just remember that when you turn about fourteen and you ask me when you’re allowed to go on dates.”
Tyler hooks his arm around me. “Speaking of dates . . . did you take it?”
I nod. “I did.”
“Well?! What was the result? I’ve been dying to know.”
I give him a knowing smile. “There were two little pink lines, so it looks like you’re going to be a daddy again.”
Tyler’s face lights up and you’d think I just told him he’d been given a million dollars. He’s the most excited that I’ve ever seen him. He leans in and plants his lips on mine. “J
ust when I think things can’t get any better in my life, you find a way to blow my mind by doing something awesome.”
I laugh. “I think it was more than just me that made this happen, so I can’t take all the credit.”
“That’s true. My super sperm just loves to knock you up. I think since we’re so good at it we should plan for another baby right after this one is born. I want a huge family. Eight or nine kids has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
I pat his chest. “Whoa. Slow down. We’re not farmers in need of a bazillion kids. I think two, maybe three, will be plenty.”
“We’ll have to see about that. I’d love to have a house full of kids. I mean, hell, look at Maddie. She’s amazing. We might as well grace the world with a little more of that awesomeness.”
I loop my arm around his waist. “We’ll see about that. For now let’s just take it one kid at a time. Okay?”
He kisses the top of my head. “Deal, but can we at least practice making number three?”
I bite my lower lip. “Practice does make perfect.”
He kisses me one more time. “I love you, Avery.”
“I love you too,” I reply without any second thoughts because I know this man is my destiny and no matter what life throws at us, we’ll handle it together.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The first person I want to thank is you, my dear readers, for giving this series a shot! Even though I could never thank all of you in person, I hope you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.
Jennifer Wolfel, I seriously don’t know how I could ever write a story without your input. Your love, support, and never-wavering faith in me and my work truly means the world to me. Thank you for being your amazing self.
Emily Snow and Holly Malgieri, thank you all for being there for me over the years. I treasure the friendship I have with each of you so much!
Jill Marsal, thank you for being an amazing agent!
Charlotte Herscher, thank you for being an amazing editor and working so hard on my last few projects! You totally get me and my books and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with on the Wicked White series.
To my awesome team at Montlake, you guys are wicked awesome!
My beautiful ladies in Valentine’s Vixens Group, you all are the best. You guys always brighten my day and push me to be a better writer. Thank you!
To the romance blogging community, thank you for always supporting me and my books. I can’t tell you how much every share, tweet, post, and comment means to me. I read them all, and every time I feel giddy. THANK YOU for everything you do. Blogging is not an easy job, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you do for indie authors like me. You totally make our world go round.
Last, but always first in my life, my husband and son: thank you for putting up with me. I love you both more than words can express.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2014 Kent Smith Photography
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Michelle A. Valentine is a self-professed music addict who resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, son, and two scrappy dogs. When she’s not slaving away over her next novel, she enjoys expressing herself with off-the-wall crafts and trying her hand at party planning.
While in college, Michelle’s first grown-up job was in a medical office, where she decided she loved working with people so much she changed her major from drafting and design to nursing. It wasn’t until her toddler son occupied the television constantly that she discovered the amazing world of romance novels. Soon after reading over 180 books in a year, she decided to dive into trying her own hand at writing her first novel, and she hasn’t looked back. After years of rejection, in 2012 she self-published Rock the Heart, her tenth full-length novel, and it hit the New York Times bestsellers list. Her subsequent books have gone on to list multiple times on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
Michelle loves to hear from her readers!
To contact Michelle:
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.michelleavalentine.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMichelleAValentine
Wicked Love (Wicked White Series Book 3) Page 19