Treat You Better (The Family Stone Book 3)

by Brooke St. James

  "We're having fun," Noah said.

  Blue, who couldn’t stand it any longer, leaned over so that she could speak into the phone. "We're so proud of you!" she said. "You've got a full house out here."

  "Tell Blue to stop making me nervous," Indie said. "No, never mind. Don't tell her that. I'm not nervous. I'm gonna be fine."

  "I know you are," Noah said. He glanced at Blue. "She said 'thank you'," he said.

  Indie smiled at the fact that Noah always knew just what to say. She was dressed and ready for action as Fiona, which meant she had on about three times the amount of makeup she normally wore. She could feel it on her face when she smiled.

  "Mary Jane and Marisol are here with a whole crew," she said.

  "I know," Noah said. "I spotted them earlier when they came in."

  "Mike's over there, too," she added. "I hope he doesn't catch sight of my dad."

  "They let us in through the kitchen," Noah said. "We've got your dad's back to the crowd, and he's over there next to Drake, so I don't think anybody's gonna be messing with him."

  She laughed. "You look like you have the other end of that table secure, too," she said.

  Noah smiled. "Yeah, we got him taken care of."

  "Are you having fun with my family?" she asked.

  "I am," Noah said, trying not to be obvious even though most of them had gone back to having their own conversations.

  "I'm so happy you're here," she said.

  She sounded sincere and maybe even a little vulnerable, and it caused Noah's chest to tighten. He loved her so much it almost hurt. He was nervous for her, going out on that stage all by herself, but he would never tell her that. He was so proud of her and knew she would be amazing.

  "You look good out there," she said.

  "What?" he asked since he honestly hadn't heard her.

  "You look so handsome out there with my family. I love seeing you with them. Thank you so much for being here."

  Her voice and her words caused emotion to swell inside of Noah. His heart raced, and he clinched his fist, trying to fight the urge to run onto the stage, burst through the curtain, and take her into his arms. Blue was sitting right next to him, and she was still half-listening to what he was saying. Noah knew he couldn’t say all the things he wanted to say in response to Indie.

  "I know you can't say anything back," Indie said, "And that's probably the reason I'm okay saying this right now, because I know you can't answer me, but I think I love you. I love you. I pretty much love you, okay? I just wanted to say that. I look out there, and I feel it, so I'm saying it. I'm probably just nervous or whatever, so when this night's over you can just pretend you never heard me say that. We can just act like—"

  "No," he said casually, cutting her off. "No, we're not going to do that. I'm really excited about that. I think it's a great idea. We'll talk about that after the show, for sure."

  Just then, the server showed up, followed by two runners who were carrying trays of food.

  "Okay, well, I gotta go," Indie said. "And it looks like you do too. I'll see you from the stage in about six minutes."

  "Okay, sounds good," Noah said. "Have fun out there."

  Chapter 19

  Noah (again)

  Six minutes later

  Indie was standing in the center of the stage, behind the microphone, when the curtain opened. She was wearing all black—a long, fitted, cap-sleeve dress with a high-neck. Her hair was pulled back in a formal up-do with waves and rolls pinned up in a flawless, timeless style.

  She looked like a pin-up model, and Noah's heart began pounding the very instant he laid eyes on her. It had been a long time since he had felt such extreme physical desire, and it only added to it that he loved her for much more than what could be seen on the outside.

  At the moment, though, all he could see or think about was her stunning appearance. She was a vision—like a scene from a movie. There were cheers when the curtain first opened, and then it was silent for a few seconds as Indie looked out over the crowd. She just comfortably stood there, not saying a thing, and then she smiled when Collin began playing the piano.

  Stars shining bright above you

  Night breezes seem to whisper I love you

  Birds singing in the Sycamore tree

  Dream a Little dream of me

  The music and lyrics were familiar to Noah, but he never experienced them in this way. Indie was breathtaking. It was as if the sound traveled from her lips, across the room, and bore a hole straight into his chest. Noah suddenly felt empty without her next to him, and he desperately wanted to hold her in his arms. He honestly had to fight the urge to stand up, run to the stage, toss her over his shoulder, and announce to the whole room that she was his and his alone.

  He was glad he had managed to eat some of his meal before the curtain opened because now he could do nothing but sit there and watch her. He had no other choice but to put down his fork and turn his attention to the woman on the stage.

  Say nighty night and kiss me

  Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me

  While I'm alone and blue as can be

  Dream a little dream of me

  Indie was a different person when she played Fiona. She was smooth, and sultry, and utterly confident in every way. It wasn't that Indie had a lack of confidence under normal circumstances, it was just that she was more vulnerable, sweet, funny, quirky than she was when she played Fiona.

  Noah loved the both of these sides of her for different reasons. He stared at her as she sang. He had been so transfixed by her face and her voice that it hadn't even registered that she was wearing his necklace. It caught his eye, and he swallowed hard, fighting against a swell of emotion—almost feeling like he wanted to cry.

  Crying for no reason was a very un-Noah-like thing to do, and he blinked, wondering how in the world this woman had this sort of effect on him. There it was, his necklace, hanging around her delicate neck, perfectly displayed against the black background of her dress.

  It was a restaurant, so there was some talking in the room, but not much. Most everyone was watching the performance. It was compelling. Indie didn't have to try to gain their attention—they wanted to give it to her.

  The song ended, and everyone in the room whistled and applauded. It was during this very brief break in the music that Blue leaned toward Noah, putting her hand on his arm, and tugging on him in such a way that he knew she wanted to tell him something.

  Noah leaned in, reluctantly taking his eyes off of Indie so that he could turn toward her sister.

  "It'd really be best if my father doesn't figure this out, but, just so you know, Kai's here."

  The wave of anger that hit Noah at Blue's words was unbelievable. He stiffened, instantly taking a deep breath and sitting up, ready for action, ready for war.

  He turned and leaned even further toward Blue so that he could ask her something without having to speak too loudly. "Did you say Kai's here?"

  She nodded.

  "Indie's ex?"

  She nodded again.

  "What's he doing here?"

  She put her mouth near his ear. "No idea. Don't say anything to my dad. He might go over there, and I don't want to do that to Indie. Kai wouldn't even be here if he knew my dad was here."

  "He shouldn't be here at all," Noah said.

  Blue nodded in agreement.

  Indie had already begun singing the second song. Noah vaguely registered that it was Come Rain or Come Shine, but unfortunately, he couldn’t enjoy it at all. At the moment, he had a one-track mind.

  He paused and watched Indie for a second just so he wouldn't be so obviously in a rush to get more information about Kai's whereabouts. He didn't want Alec and Kim to know what was going on. He had seen them glance his way when he and Blue first started talking.

  "Is his wife here with him?" was the next thing he asked Blue.

  She leaned in. "No," she said. "He came in alone during that first song."

 
"Where is he?"

  "He's at the bar," she said. "Third stool from the end with the red shirt."

  Noah turned and focused on the bar area, frantically searching for a man in a red shirt.

  And there he was—turned half-way around on his barstool and staring straight at the stage. Noah had imagined what it would be like when he finally laid eyes on Kai. He had imagined what he would do, and none of the options were being stuck in his seat while he watched the other man stare longingly at his woman. He couldn't stand the fact that they had a past together. He wished he could erase everything that had happened between them—everything except Leo. His palms were sweaty, and he rubbed them on his pants, taking a deep breath.

  He went back and forth between watching Indie and watching the man at the bar.

  She finished the song, and, again, everyone clapped. Noah was clapping and trying to remain calm as he glanced at Kai again.

  Kai was a little too excited for Noah's taste.

  He clapped vigorously, and then he cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled something toward the stage.

  Noah simply could not handle it.

  He leaned over to speak to Blue again.

  "I have to go over there," he said. "I'm sorry, but I have to."

  Noah didn't wait for Blue's permission.

  He hoped she didn't regret telling him, but there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop himself from taking some sort of action. He did not have a plan, other than removing Kai from this room as quickly as possible. He didn't even think to take into account whether or not Alec and the others at the table noticed his departure.

  He silently stalked across the room, dodging and weaving through tables and customers and staff.

  "Mr. Case!"

  He heard his name and he glanced at the person who said it. Marisol Gonzalez. There was a whole group of students sitting at the table, and they were all looking at him. He faked a smile and waved at them, but he kept walking toward the bar. He could see that Marisol wanted to say more to him, but he had no time for that.

  He continued crossing the room, heading straight for Kai. He did not want to cause Indie any distress, but he was almost certain she would rather Kai not be there. There was an open stool next to Kai, and Noah sat on it without asking anyone if it was taken.

  The smell of cologne wafted off of Kai.

  He was dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks, and he glanced at Noah when he sat down, but then he quickly turned to regard the stage again.

  Noah tapped Kai on the shoulder, and when he looked that way, Noah leaned in and said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

  Kai shot him a highly offended look like couldn't have possibly heard him correctly.

  "Seriously. You have no reason to be here," Noah continued.

  "I don't know who you think you are, but you have no right to tell me where I can or can't be."

  "You have a family at home. You'd be better off going home to be with them."

  "What do you know about my family?" Kai asked, puffing out his chest and beginning to look truly agitated.

  "I know your wife wouldn't want you to be here," Noah said.

  Kai swiveled on his stool so that he could regard Noah more fully. He straightened even further, but Noah had a couple of inches on him, and he straightened as well, saying silently that he wasn't intimidated.

  "Indie's with me now," Noah said.

  Kai looked him over. "You think I'm afraid of a stupid jewelry maker?" he asked sarcastically.

  Noah was slightly agitated by the ridiculous jab, but he experienced some sort of satisfaction at the realization that Indie must have mentioned him.

  "The fact that I make jewelry has nothing to do with it. You honestly should be afraid of me."

  "Are you threatening me?"

  Noah tilted his head, deciding how to answer that question. "I'm telling you to leave. Indie's not comfortable having you here, and I'm sure your wife wouldn't be comfortable with it, either. If you're a decent human being, you'll stand up and walk out of this room."

  "And who's gonna make me?" Kai asked.

  Noah thought the simple confrontation would be enough, but he had obviously underestimated Kai's determination.

  Noah glanced at the stage. Indie had begun her third song, and for this one, she was sitting on the piano bench. She was straight-backed and facing the keys just like Collin. Noah wondered if that was planned or if she was avoiding looking at the audience on purpose. He felt an urgency to get Kai out of there before she stood up again.

  "I think we should talk about this outside," he said.

  "Are you trying to fight me?" Kai asked.

  "If that's what it takes."

  "She didn't do any of this when we were married," Kai said angrily. (There were at least two profane words interjected in the statement, and Noah cringed inwardly at the other man's obvious frustration.) "Maybe, if she would have, I wouldn't have had to get some on the side."

  "Now, I'm officially trying to fight you," Noah said, nodding. He took a deep breath, fighting the urge to throw Kai off of his stool. "The way I see it, you have a few choices—and all of them end with you leaving. One, you can stand up and leave quietly. Two, we can leave together and hash it out in the parking lot, or three, I can call the cops and tell them you're making threats."

  "You're the one making threats."

  "They don't know that," Noah said. "It's my word against yours. And for the record, I hope you pick the option where you and I work it out in the parking lot. I would really love to do that with you. It would make my night."

  "Threats from a jewelry maker," Kai said with more profanity and a self-satisfied grin.

  Noah wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Insults from the idiot free-loader," he said.

  Kai's face turned red, and Noah held out his hand, doing his best to calm both of them down.

  "Think of your daughter and wife at home," Noah urged. "It's already too late for you and Indie, but if you keep pulling stuff like this, you're gonna lose your second chance at a family. Do you want your kids to think of you as that kind of man? Isn't it already bad enough as it is?"

  "I don't know who you think you are, but you know absolutely nothing about what kind of man I am," Kai said.

  "Oh, but I think I do," Noah said. "And I think you'd be better off rethinking your approach to being a husband and father. Your wife deserves better than this. Indie and Leo deserve better than this. Just decide to do the right thing and do it—it's as easy as that. That's what life is. It's just one decision after another—a continual series of choices. It's up to you how easy or difficult you make things. You can start doing the right thing, right now. I promise, the best option you have at this moment is to stand up and walk out of this room."

  It took every ounce of Noah's restraint to say those words to Kai. He exhausted literally every bit of his patience. He wanted to get physical. He was at war with his own physical urges. His first choice would've been to tackle Kai—anything—he wanted to grab the nearest bottle and break it over the man's head. His second choice would've been to drag him into the parking lot and fight him there.

  It was for Indie's sake and Indie's sake alone that he did neither of those things. It was for her that he remained calm and showed grace in a situation where he yearned to do the exact opposite.

  Chapter 20

  Kai showed up at my gig.

  I tried not to look at him or even notice or care that he was there, but it was impossible. In the back of my mind, I worried about my father. I had already caught sight of a guy with a camera, so I figured it wasn't a complete secret that my father was in the building.

  The moment I saw Kai come in, I imagined Dad confronting him and a yelling match ensuing that would end up on the evening news.

  It wasn't my dad who walked over to Kai.

  It was Noah—my knight in shining armor.

  I saw him get up from their booth and walk with a confident, focused stride toward the bar wh
ere Kai was sitting. I trusted Noah, but at the same time, I dreaded a fight or any sort of confrontation at all. I had no idea what Noah would say or how Kai would react to it. I wanted him gone, but I didn't want Noah to have to be the one to make it happen.

  I could feel myself getting distracted, so in an effort to focus on the music and my performance, I sat on the piano bench with Collin and sang a song while not regarding the audience at all.

  By the time I finished the song and stood up to head to the center of the stage, Kai and Noah were both standing. They were wearing serious expressions, but it seemed as if they were just talking and not about to fight.

  I chose to look away. I continued singing while focusing on the other side of the room, and the next thing I knew, Noah was headed back to the booth where my family was sitting, and Kai was walking toward the door.

  It was like a miracle. I had no idea how he managed to get Kai to leave without so much as a yelling match. There had been no distraction at all. One minute, Kai was there, and the next, he was gone.

  For the remainder of the show, I had no problem getting into character and putting everything I had into the performance. I didn't care that my friends from school were there, and I didn't care that the director of that Netflix show was there, either. In fact, there might as well have been no one else in the room besides Noah.

  My performance was for him.

  I was officially wooing him.

  I desired him, and I ached for him to feel the same way about me. It was my intention to show him with my actions and my voice that he was my hero and I was his lady.

  I watched him watch me, and I knew he was aware of what I was doing. He wore a half-smile, but his gaze was focused and full of love, intention, and desire.

  I finished the set to a standing ovation, and I had to hold back tears as I bowed and the curtain closed. I heard the house music begin playing, and I let my shoulders fall and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like I was finally Indie again.