Over the years my management had acted swiftly to quash claim after claim I had from women who wanted their kid named as mine, and until my eyes settled on the raven haired kid with the big brown eyes not one had proven true. But this time…I didn’t need a DNA test, even from thirty feet away I was able to spot my kin instantly.
Mick slapped my back and grabbed my attention. “What the fuck is the deal?” he asked with a concerned look in his eyes.
“Did you see her, Dude? Syd’s having them brought backstage,”
Lennox jogged and caught up with me as I walked purposefully down the long narrow corridor back to the dressing room.
“What the hell was going on with you out there? You looked like you’d seen a ghost.”
“Excellent choice of words, Len. I may well have.” Len studied my poker face.
“You care to fill me in, Gib? I have no fucking clue what was going on out there.”
“Someone in the audience spooked him. She had a kid with her and the placard alluded to the possibility she’s his.” Mick replied before I could answer.
“And you’re takin’ this one seriously?”
Staring intensely at me, I saw the way his head coiled back in reaction to my expression I knew he had his answer.
Most of the time, Chloe tried to tag along to the gigs but if it was more than five days at a time she flew back to the refuge retreat service she’d built from scratch to keep on top of things. God must have been looking down on me because the gig we were playing was a one time gig and I was flying back tomorrow. Chloe had decided to stay home to support our new charge, Piper, who was still grieving the death of her mom.
Piper was a great kid with a good head on her shoulders but lacked stability of any family around her. She reminded me of myself at that age and I wanted nothing more than to help Chloe support her. After discussing with her mom we’d sought legal guardianship and promised her we’d keep her daughter safe for as long as Piper wanted that. Personally, after seeing how Chloe took on the role I wished she’d stay with us forever.
A knock on the door brought me out of my daydream. “Yeah,” I asked pulling my wet T-shirt over my head. Syd shoved the door open and caught my attention immediately. “I’ve asked Simon to use his room and moved him in with Mick for now. You wanna get changed and meet them in there. I thought discretion was the best course of action in these circumstances, we don’t want the press to get wind before Chloe if she does turn out to be yours,” he said informing me of the arrangements.
“Do you think she looks like me?”
“Nope, but if you say she’s like your mom, did she resemble you?”
“Nah, she was gorgeous, look at me…wait, fuck it that won’t work ‘cause I’m a good-looking man as well,” I joked. My smile dropped because Syd could see my nerves through my bravado.
“To be honest Syd, the way I threw my dick around I’m surprized there aren’t more kids out there. When we were having fertility tests I was sure it was me who was firing blanks or thought my swimmers that were left were exhausted from all the coming I’d done. Finding out it was Chloe who had the issues came as one helluva shock.”
Syd smirked at reasoning but nodded in agreement, “She’s gonna be heartbroken, Gibson.” His comment ripped a hole in my chest.
“Yeah she is and I’ll feel like the biggest shit on the planet for making her feel that way. You know me. Chloe’s happiness has always been my priority since the first day I got with her.” Staring me out I could see Syd had no words of comfort for me and the silence between us made the air thicken.
“Alright, get the fuck out so as I can shower and change. Let’s not prolong the agony any longer than is necessary. Tell them I’ll be with them in ten.”
Dropping his head to look at his feet Syd began to walk toward the door before he turned. “Are you sure you want to do this, Gib? You know I can always—”
“Always what? Deny what may be my only offspring? Nah, Syd. What the fuck do you take me for? I’d never do that. I’ve always taken responsibility for how I behaved despite the way I lived my life. I’m not ashamed of who I am or who I did, but I won’t turn my back on any kid that’s mine. That’s not a man who does that.” Syd stood quietly considering what I’d said.
“The only person I’d ever apologize to for the way I lived before is my wife. I lived to the max and no matter how it affected those around me, I’ll accept my fate with this one. Chloe is my number one priority in life and Piper became number two from the moment I signed those papers, if this little girl turns out to belong to me then I’m fucked if I won’t take care of her.”
“I’m proud to know you, Gibson. There’s not many who’d feel the way you do faced with something like this…there’s many who’d do whatever they could to keep this quiet.”
“If what I think is true I’d never belittle the woman who carried my child. That’s shameful for any kid to go through and I’d never wish it on anyone never mind an innocent. If that little kid has been an accidental happening it doesn’t give me the right to make her suffer by rejecting her existence.”
As soon as he left I stepped under the shower. The jets a welcome relief on my hot and sweaty skin. Grabbing the shower gel I filled my palm with the thick liquid and ran it over my body. A quick wash later I swiped a huge bath towel from the rack and wrapped it loosely around my waist. My heart was pounding from the mixed emotions passing through it, everything from joy to anxiety wondering if she was mine and how I’d soften the blow for Chloe.
My mind flitted between the small face I’d seen in the crowd and my beautiful wife. A loyalty to Chloe in the first form but a split forming there for a small girl I’d seen who could or would not be mine. It was a bigger mind fuck than any drugs I could have ingested. For the first time in months I wanted alcohol. That’s when I knew I was stressed.
Within minutes I had pulled on a white T-shirt that stretched over my pecs and pulled it down over the dark jeans I’d stepped into. Heading for the door I didn’t get time to open it before Len pushed it toward me.
“There you are. Damn, Gib I see what you mean. That picture of your mother Chloe has perched on the mantel is identical. I saw the kid when Syd’s guy directed her in there,” he said gesturing toward Simon’s dressing room door, “that little girl could be her clone.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat wondering if I had the balls to handle the following few minutes with sensitivity but then I remembered I’d had plenty of practice dealing with kids from my charity work.
Figuring I’d draw on that to see me through I took a deep breath and realized since the moment I’d walked off the stage after the last song I’d been stalling because facing the truth of the situation would change my life in a way I’d given up on. Being a natural father. As soon as I pushed the door open my eyes connected with hers and I knew instantly the child in front of me was my daughter.
Chapter Three
Hunch
Chloe
Glancing at the thick low clouds in the sky made me feel anxious. Gibson was airborne and on his way back from Chicago to Breckenridge, Colorado and the weather was closing in. Gibson had thought ahead when we were building the retreat and we were fortunate to have our own runway on the far side of the hill. It was only a five-minute drive down our private road to home once he landed.
It wasn’t the flight that bothered me. For some reason I’d been filled with anxiety since the previous night. When Jonny his personal protection guy and close friend called to tell me the time they’d land I figured Gibson was busy, but when he didn’t call me himself like he usually did I decided to call him before they set off.
Nothing except a dire emergency kept him from making that normal call like he always did when he’d stayed away so the fact he’d got Jonny to call set alarm bells ringing immediately. Hearing the tone in his voice and the curt way he’d spoken to me during that three minute call gave me the indication I wasn’t wrong.
Call it instinc
t but we were so attuned I always knew whenever there was trouble brewing in our lives so when I asked him straight out if there was a problem, he’d deflected the question with one of his own. A minute later he concluded the call because he said being on his cell was preventing them from taking off.
All afternoon my mind wandered back to how Gibson had changed the subject and it gnawed at me until I felt an ache in my stomach and by nightfall my eyes were trained for the jet lights breaking through the sky as he headed for home. Waiting like that was like waiting for a pan of water to boil so I stood up and turned my back on the window to encourage him to land quicker.
We were so lucky with our cabin in the mountains. It was only two miles from the retreat but on the same three thousand acreage we owned. I headed downstairs from my bedroom and found Piper sitting in front of the fire in the great room. Her knees tucked beneath her skirt and pulled up to her chest. She looked so vulnerable and the sight of her tugged at my heartstrings.
“Everything okay, honey?”
Slowly her head turned and even in the low light of the fire at dusk I recognized the devastation on her face. “Yeah…just thinking.”
Moving to her quickly I dropped to my knees, “I know everything feels raw for you right now and you’re completely lost but Gibson and I are here for you, Piper. When Gibson comes home we’ll sit down and figure out some routines for you to help you through this terrible time. We know we can never replace your mom honey, but we’ll make you feel as wanted as we can. You are wanted…sometimes things happen for a reason. Some almost break us but others make us who we become. Both Gibson and I are testament to that.”
Tucking her cuff in her fingers she wiped her eyes with her sleeves. “I know. You don’t know how lucky I feel that we found you guys, and at the same time I feel terrible feeling lucky after what happened to my mom. I fucking hate that Colin. If only she’d never—”
“You don’t have to tell me how angry you are. Everything you’re thinking about him I’ve had the same thoughts about someone I once knew too…but that was a lifetime ago. Trust me, Piper, don’t allow yourself to become bitter and twisted about the man who doesn’t deserve your time. Focus on being what your mom wanted for you instead. It will be the best feeling in the world when you stick two fingers up to the man who tried to control you.”
Piper cast a sideward glance, wiped her nose with a tissue, and sniffed, “You’re so wise. I can see how you became a therapy person.”
“I’m not a therapist, Piper. I’m a survivor just like you are. I speak from experience and the best advice I can give you is to focus on what’s positive and ignore the doubts in your head. According to your mom you could be anything you want to be in life. She believed in you that much. Prove her right. Choose what you want and go after it. Nail it and then when you have we’ll find Colin and make him choke on your success.”
A soft giggle left her throat temporarily lightening her mood and it was music to my ears. “Boy, remind me not to piss you off, Chloe, you sound like you got this whole retribution thing down.”
I began to laugh when I heard the jet engines drawing closer and my attention was diverted. “Gibson’s coming home, I’m just going to see if dinner’s almost ready. You may want to go wipe that mascara streak that’s running over your nose before our rock star arrives.”
Piper gave me a genuine smile, “Thanks, Chloe. I mean it. I don’t know where I’d be without you and Gibson.”
“Don’t thank us yet, Piper, you haven’t lived with us,” I joked and turned toward the kitchen.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Gibson walked through the door and the air in the house shifted with his presence. “Chloe darlin’, where are you?” he called out from the hallway.
Glancing at the huge glass oven dish of lasagne in my hands I quickly placed it on the black granite worktop and made my way toward him. I didn’t get very far before he stepped forward closing the space and scooped me into his chest. Giving me a crushing hug he eyed my mouth, smiled and kissed me passionately. I stifled a moan and pulled away because Piper was around.
“Damn you taste good, darlin’,” he muttered in a raspy voice against my mouth as I tried to even out my breathing and heartrate. “Missed you, darlin’.” The look of longing in his eyes made my legs weak.
“Missed you too, baby. Are you hungry?”
Gibson’s grey eyes grew darker, his pupils dilating as lust filled his dirty mind as he let his eyes roam leisurely over my body. “Always,” he answered, his eyes widening slightly as he served me a cocky smirk.
Piper came into view before I could reply so I cleared my throat, made my way back around the countertop, and tried to concentrate on the food. I squeezed my thighs together because Gibson had turned me on and his continued presence made my bones melt.
Even after all the time we’d been together there wasn’t a day that went past when I hadn’t stared in wonder at how amazing he looked. Dark hair, piercing grey eyes, and lips that could satisfy me for days at a time.
Oblivious as to the effect he’d had on me he began to talk to Piper, his charming, charismatic ways oozing effortlessly as he put her at her ease and drew smiles to her lips even in her grief. Distracted I took the time to study how fabulous a person Gibson was. I was so lucky because I was one of the few who saw the man behind the rock star image his public saw.
When Gibson cleared his deep voice, it startled me back to their conversation but my eyes were still trained on his beautiful face. He’d only been gone a day but I’d missed him terribly. He smirked knowingly at my mind wandering and winked before he turned and moved away, “Just gonna wash my hands darlin’, food smells amazing I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder. My eyes followed his tall muscular back like one of his fans until he walked out of sight.
My man was a drop-dead-knock-out-gorgeous Rock God and although he was confident in his appearance he had no real idea of his true effect on both women and men. I believed it was perfectly within his capability to make any woman drop their panties or to turn most men gay had that been his sexual preference. Luckily for me it wasn’t.
Of course, being a lead singer in a top tier band like M3rCy Gibson knew he could have any woman he wanted. Offers came in droves. I think at one time he tried to take up as many as he could, but after a time for some strange reason he set his mind on me.
For a long time I had found that impossible to believe because I was definitely plain Jane and he really was ‘All That’, but he came after me when I couldn’t believe that possible. Ever since I’d managed to see past his legacy and focused on the man underneath I’d learned he was a generous, honest, and humble man. When I accepted that as fact I knew I could never trust anyone else to the depth that I trusted Gibson.
Making my way to the table I set the lasagne down and wandered back to the oven to grab the garlic bread. Gibson came alongside and swept my hair to the side exposing my neck. “You may wanna put that hot dish back,” he murmured in my ear before trailing his tongue down my neck. Dragging it back he gripped my hair and extended my face toward him. “Kiss me,” he demanded.
Conscious that Piper was at the table I pressed my lips to his and whispered, “Piper is watching.”
“So I can’t kiss my wife when I come home from work because my new daughter is watching me?” The way he said it I wondered if it was a joke until he turned and glanced at Piper. “You want me to pussyfoot around you or make you feel like the part of the family you now are?” he asked.
Piper smirked her face turning red and stuttered a reply, “I’d rather see a couple kissing and being affectionate any day of the week than what I experienced at home.”
Gibson immediately dropped his hands from me and I watched him tense. His fists balled as he strode around the counter and stared directly at Piper. “Sweetheart, you’re mine now. Anyone who comes near you will have to come through me. And trust me—that’s not gonna be a fucking issue. I got you.”
Instinct
fired Gibson’s protective side and my heart raced with his bold statement about keeping Piper safe. He’d given her mother her dying wish to keep her daughter out of harm’s way when took her into our care. As soon as we laid Piper’s Mom in the ground Gibson’s attitude shifted from that of advisor to parent seamlessly and it had made my heart squeeze with pride when I saw how seriously he had taken his new role.
Piper’s eyes filled with tears, so I called her to help me by placing the water jug and wine on the table to give her the chance to collect herself then we all sat down and Gibson began helping us dish up the food.
Minutes later we were all eating silently and it struck me we’d never had such a quiet dinner with no conversation. My gaze turned to Gibson and I could tell by the way he was eating he had something big on his mind. I mulled over whether to bring it up while Piper was at the table but then I remembered what Gibson said and figured if Piper was really going to be treated as one of us then that should start from the word go.
“Alright, out with it. Gibson Barclay, I know you. What’s bugging you? Don’t tell me there’s nothing because I don’t like liars.”
“Have I ever lied to you?” he asked his eyebrow raised in question with his fork poised near his mouth.
“No, but there’s always a first time,” I replied.
Gibson scowled, “You know me better than that, darlin’,” he replied and began poking his food on his plate with his fork.
“I do. That’s why I know there’s a bug up your ass. So are you gonna tell me?”
Gibson’s eyes darted to Piper then back to me. Pain shot through them and the only other times I’d seen that look was when he felt helpless and something had hurt me. He glanced to Piper and I saw he wasn’t ready to have this conversation.
An uneasy feeling washed over me, spurring my heart rate to spike, because from the look that passed between us it was clear whatever he was holding back was serious.
Gibson's Melody: (A Last Score Novella) (Last Score (Gibson's Legacy and Trusting Gibson)) Page 3