Fallen Idol (Love and Music in Texas Book 4)

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

  "Go talk to him. I'll clean up," Kyra insisted.

  "Don't leave yet, okay? You and I need to talk about what she said," Matt pleaded before he headed off to talk to Andrew. He should have intervened sooner, but he had no idea Kendra cornered Kyra like that until he'd heard her yell.

  He'd always tried to give Kendra what she wanted. Always. The fact of the matter was that she didn't want him. Could he really go down this road again with Kyra? He loved her, and she loved him, but they were two different people. She was made for the stage, even if she wasn't performing right now. Every time Matt turned around, Kyra stood in the middle of his living room or her house and would sing. It came natural to her. If she was washing dishes, or cleaning up, or anything, a sweet melody always came from her lips.

  Andrew stopped talking, and the three looked up when Matt approached. "Hey, buddy."

  "How can she not even know I'm fifteen?" Andrew was stuck on that. His cheeks were fiery red. "She bought me a car and expected me to be okay with it? You know, I wanted to play guitar partly because I hoped to get her attention. I wanted to find out what she loved so much about music that it took her away from us. I don't think I'm going to take lessons any more. I don't want to be like her."

  Blaine and Randy exchanged a startled look, then quietly left the two of them to talk. Matt sat on the hard bench beside his son, trying to take in this latest blow. "You would never be like her. The problem with your mother is that she never wanted to be a mom. She blames me, and you, for taking away her dream, even though neither of us ever did." The words he'd just spoken to Andrew should never be said to a fifteen year old boy, but it was the truth. Kendra never wanted this life. She had her heart set on one thing, and it never included Matt or a baby.

  "No." Andrew shook his head in certainty. "I'm done. I don't need music in my life. Can we go home?"

  "Andrew-" Kyra approached hesitantly.

  "You should go back to music, too," he snapped at her. Kyra reeled back. "You'll probably just run back too, so might as well go before we all get hurt."

  Matt stood between the two, unsure of what he should say or do next.

  Without a word, Kyra bolted.

  "Can we go home now?" Andrew asked.

  Randy gave him a gesture as Blaine took Kyra's hand and sat her down. He nodded at them to go ahead.

  "Yeah, we can go." It hurt like hell to walk away from Kyra in this state, but Andrew came first.

  *****

  Kyra pulled up in front of Matt's house two hours later. He'd sent her a text, apologizing for bowing out, and asked if she'd come by later when Andrew was asleep. She'd received another text ten minutes ago, signaling it was okay for her to come over. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The rain fell in a steady rhythm as she walked up the front path to Matt's house.

  He was already on the porch, his expression unreadable. Kyra reached to hug him, and she already felt a distance when he barely hugged her back.

  This wasn't going to be good.

  "How is he?" She broke the silence first.

  Matt stepped away from her, gesturing to the door. "If you're cold, we can go in and talk. Andrew's devastated. He's angry, and understandably so, but for him to give up on music when he really seemed interested... I had no idea one of the main reasons he wanted to play was to get his mother's attention. No child should have to do ever do that. But you know? I know where he's coming from."

  Kyra remembered Matt's comments about how he wanted to win his parents' affections. She reached out in hopes to provide comfort, but once again Matt stepped away. "Matt?" she whispered, her heart racing.

  "I love you, Kyra. But right now, I need to concentrate on Andrew and figure out what's next. My shop is in the red, and I have to make some major decisions."

  "And they don't include me, right?" Her vision blurred. "You don't have to tell me. I can feel it. You won't let me hold you. You're talking so cold. I sense the distance, and I'm not even in Nashville. You know I don't believe for one second anything Kendra said."

  "It's not about that." Matt raised his voice, but he looked away.

  Damn liar. He couldn't hide it from her.

  "I'm being judged again because I'm a singer."

  "Kyra-"

  "No. I get it. Fine. You don't need me in your life. You've got so much to deal with. Okay. It doesn't matter that I love you and Andrew. It doesn't matter that I want to live here in this town to be near my family and you." She gripped the wooden railing. "We were fine until your ex showed up, running her mouth. She planted doubts in your head because of how she feels. I don't feel that way, Matt. Kendra did!"

  "Not really," Matt argued. "She didn't plant the thoughts in my mind."

  She folded her arms over her chest. "Really?"

  He sighed. "I've wondered how we'd do this since I first had feelings for you. Everyone around me said we could make it work. I believed it. Now that Andrew's feelings have changed-"

  "What? What does Andrew have to do with it, other than being your son?" Sure, he was angry and Kyra expected it, but Andrew wanted them together in the first place!

  Matt turned away. "He said he was sorry for pushing us together, but he didn't think he could handle it if another person walked out on him because they had bigger and better dreams waiting for them."

  "He-" Oh, Andrew. He was really hurting. "Don't you think maybe he's upset and saying a lot of things he doesn't mean right now?"

  "No, he means them. Look how he acted toward you at the party. And after... If you'd have seen him... Andrew hasn't been this hurt since Kendra dropped him off and left."

  It hurt. Damn it to hell, it hurt. But how could Kyra push when Matt was looking out for his very hurt son?

  "I guess this is goodbye then." Kyra broke down in a sob. "No matter what, I love you both. You saved my life, and I mean it in a literal and figurative sense. Take care of yourself."

  "I'm sorry! I didn't want it to come down to this! Kyra, come on. Don't leave like this." He called after her as she ran through the rain, her shoes making a splash in the forming puddles as tears and raindrops streamed down her face.

  "I'm just giving you what you want," she hurled back at him before driving away.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Two months later

  "Hey Dad! Look! Kyra's on TV! She's giving an interview and has a few announcements!" Andrew called from the living room.

  Since that night he broke it off, Matt hadn't heard a thing from her. Most nights, he wished she'd have fought more. They were all upset, and he'd been rash. Kyra had respected his sudden needs and left him alone.

  A week or so after that, she drove out of Texas to return to Nashville.

  He missed her.

  He wondered every day how she was. Andrew spent time with David like he always had, and Matt had to fight the urge not to ask all the time how Kyra was. If it came up in casual conversation, he hung on every word. She must not have told her parents what happened, because they didn't question anything when Matt came over.

  Andrew was doing better. Two days after the birthday fiasco, he asked Matt to send the car keys back to Kendra and have the car towed. He didn't want to see it. Andrew had apologized for his anger. Even though Andrew talked about Kyra, he never brought up how he did or didn't feel about Matt not dating her. She'd become the elephant in the room.

  "You coming?"

  "I'm right here." Matt plunked down on the couch next to his son, wondering how her interview was going to go. "I was finishing up with an assignment."

  Andrew cackled. "Doing your homework, huh? You have more than I do half the time!"

  "Or maybe you just pretend you have less so you can go hang out in your tree house with David," Matt shot back. Guilt flashed across Andrew's face. "Ha! Caught you." He swatted him with a green pillow.

  "Shh. There she is." Andrew pointed, focusing on the TV.

  "Our first guest is Kyra Sanders!" The red haired co-host smiled into the camera.


  Matt's pulse quickened when Kyra walked on stage. She looked good. Stunning. Perfect. She wore a pair of black pants that shimmered and a blue shirt that hugged her curves and breasts in all the right ways. Her hair fell in loose locks down her back, and her smile was real. The audience calmed down when Kyra sat in the large brown chair across from the host. They shook hands, and Kyra crossed her legs, facing the camera. "Thank you. I'm happy to be here today."

  "You've had quite a few bumps in the road lately, but you've also had successes. A number one song, a benefit concert coming up that you had a big hand in setting up, and a CD release in a matter of weeks."

  "Yes! It's been exciting. The music on this record really bares all of my deepest feelings. I've also been working on exclusive tracks from songs I've written recently."

  "What about a tour? You had some shows lined up right after the CD release."

  Kyra's expression remained neutral, but Matt knew better. "I'll be touring later, but for the near future, it's going to be on hold. I'll be doing only a few appearances and shows. Personal health."

  "I see. Can you tell us a little bit about how you feel with your name being cleared regarding the car accident six years ago?"

  Kyra shifted in her seat. "The only thing I'll say on the matter is I'm glad the truth came to light. There were a lot of secrets and deceit, but at least things are becoming more clear. There's a weight lifted off my shoulders that I wasn't the cause of someone's death, but I'm struggling with the reasons for that whole accident."

  "And the recent events in Texas?"

  "Again, this isn't a subject I want to talk about. When I went to see my family, there were a lot of things that happened which affected me. I'm still looking forward to making a return to the music business and am glad for the great acceptance already, but there's a lot of things to work through. I'd appreciate it from everyone if they learned to respect my privacy. I know as an entertainer, my life is in the limelight. I've learned a lot in my time as a singer, especially the years I took a hiatus. I'd like the focus to be on music, and not events that affect my personal life."

  The woman was stunned by Kyra's quick, calm response. Had she actually expected her to answer?

  The focus changed, and the host asked Kyra more questions about the benefit concert and her newest CD. Then another question threw her for a loop, and also had Matt anticipating Kyra's answer with baited breath.

  "Is there anyone special in your life? Rumor has it you were involved with a close friend of the family."

  Kyra stared at the camera again. The bright lights accentuated the tears in the corner of her eyes. Kyra wiped them away. "I fell in love back in Texas, but our differences kept us apart. The only thing I'll say on the subject is he made a huge impact on my life, and I'll never forget or stop loving him. I don't think he's watching this, so he'll never know how much he carries a piece of my heart. I hope he and his son are doing well, and I hope I see them at the concert when I return to Texas."

  Matt wished there wasn't states between them right now, because he'd run to her, sweep her in his arms, and beg her to forgive him. They could have worked through it. They could have taken a few days and then talked. Why did he have to push her completely out of his life because of past fears?

  "Dad?" Andrew tugged on his shirt.

  "Yeah?"

  "Did you break up with Kyra because of what I said the night of my birthday?"

  He inhaled, a tightness forming in his chest. "I did."

  "So you still love her."

  "Yeah." Now caught in his lie, Matt faced his son. "I thought it was best for us. I didn't want you to ever have to go through what you did with your mother. When you said you were done with music... I don't know. I panicked."

  "But you aren't happy."

  "I'm happy to have you, my job, and a bright future."

  Andrew didn't buy it. "Sure, but you aren't happy without Kyra. And honestly? Neither am I. I know I said some pretty harsh things that night. I know things are finally looking up, but part of that is Kyra's doing."

  "You had every right to be upset."

  "Yeah, about Mom. But I didn't want to come between you and your happiness with Kyra. Why didn't you tell me? I thought you just didn't love her."

  "Because I'm an old fool."

  Andrew laughed. "Well, you're not going to be an old fool after tomorrow. We're going to go to the concert, and you'd better win her back. I even miss her wiping out my high scores. I need to apologize, too. I shouldn't have yelled at her."

  "You know what, Andrew? That sounds like a good idea."

  Tomorrow night, he planned to get himself the girl he loved. If she'd have him.

  *****

  The concert was flawless. Baby Stetson opened up the show, Belinda Wainscott played midday, and even brought Avery on stage to sing with her. One of Kyra's favorite parts was when Taryn set up to play drums, even doing a solo right after Baby Stetson's performance. The crowd loved her! They loved it all.

  She turned to her sister. "So, are you going to do it?" Kyra and Amy spent a lot of time talking. They had so much to lay out on the line. Her sister still struggled, but they were at least making leeway.

  Amy glanced at the sea of cell phone lights and wavered. "This is a huge crowd."

  "Yes it is. The best time to showcase your talent." Kyra gently prodded. Thanks to Avery and Belinda's pep talks, Amy learned that it was possible to step outside her sister's shadow and build her career on her own merit. Sure, it took hard work, sometimes even more than normal, but it could be done.

  "Okay. I'll do it." Amy grabbed her guitar.

  "Great. Let me tell the announcer-"

  "But you have to come up with me."

  Kyra froze. She'd been learning to cope. It involved hard, extensive, emotional rounds of therapy which explored her inner demons in a very evasive way, but at the end of the day, they were working.

  Still, tonight might be too soon.

  "I agree. Get on that stage with your sister." Taryn wheeled closer.

  "Only if you think about filling in as a drummer for Baby Stetson," Kyra challenged. She'd brought up the idea to Taryn a few times when the band still hadn't found a permanent drummer, and Melody's brother didn't have his heart in it. He still filled in for them when they had shows, but made himself very clear that it couldn't be that way for much longer. To Kyra, it sounded like he had a story to tell, but it wasn't her place to find out.

  "Damn you," Taryn fired back. "I want to, for the most part..."

  "Then give them a shot. They were blown away tonight. Everyone was."

  Kyra's new manager, Landon McCullen, sauntered up to them. "Yes, I think it's a great idea. You're a talented drummer, and Baby Stetson has potential I haven't come across in years, other than Kyra here. You join them, and I think we might be able to work out a contract."

  Kyra and Taryn gaped at him. "Don't bullshit me." Taryn narrowed her eyes.

  "No bullshitting. I'm very serious." Then he turned to Kyra. "Maybe you should give it a try on stage. You've done well so far. You'll be right there with Amy, and you did say David wanted to play the guitar. Why not make it a Sanders sibling event?"

  "You really think I'm ready?"

  "One song. It's up to you, but I think you've got it. But make a decision quick, because we've got to announce."

  Kyra held up her index and middle finger, giving in. "Two songs. I'll sing with Amy, and then I have the last exclusive I told you about. I want to debut it here, but I'll need your help with getting someone on stage for me." Kyra filled him in on the plan. Then it was show time. Nerves danced in her belly. She could do this. She was safe. Brandon was behind bars. The threats stopped. Leandra and her lawyer father were being charged for a smattering of things, including blackmail. Their murder attempts and schemes had been uncovered. Kyra, Taryn, and Jordan could move on with their lives knowing the truth behind that night.

  "We have a very special performance for you tonight. Taking the stage for t
he first time is Amy Sanders. On guitar is David Sanders. We're also delighted to announce that Kyra will be joining her sister and brother for a performance, and then Kyra has a song of her own." The audience went wild. Holding hands, Kyra led them to the stage. Mom and Dad were in the front row. Right next to them sat Matt and Andrew, then all of the Baby Stetson band and their families, including Belinda.

  Matt. He was here!

  "Thank you!" Kyra stepped up to the mic, hoping her voice wouldn't crack again. "Thanks to your generosity, the family owned veterinarian clinic was saved from having to be shut down. My mom has a great job, and this is an amazing community. I also heard that there were so many donations that the love was spread to other local businesses that needed a boost. This town has become home to me, even though I'd only spent weeks here. The people are what makes it home. I don't know how many of you have heard yet, but my sister has an amazing voice, and I can't wait for you to hear her music. Also, my brother David has been learning guitar from a pretty talented man who was up on stage with Baby Stetson earlier. Are you ready for the music to continue?" She pumped a fist in the air.

  Holy hell, she was really doing this! Kyra swallowed her self doubt and fear, then moved back so Amy could take the spotlight and lead.

  Watching her on stage, Kyra knew her sister had the crowd in the palm of her hands. When Amy's tune ended, everyone stood, clapped, and hollered. It took ten minutes for the sound to die down.

  "Hold on everyone. Before our Kyra takes the stage for an exclusive, I wanted to make an announcement." Landon darted across the stage and stopped at Kyra's side.

  She gaped at him. What the hell was going on?

  "Kyra, your first single went number one, and your new one is soaring up the charts. In fact, we're here to give you a plaque for hitting 500,000 downloads on your newest single, Chasing Time."

  "What?" She nearly dropped the mic.

  Once again, everyone shot to their feet. She cried happy tears. Taryn wheeled across the stage in her electric chair holding a plaque. She handed it to Kyra, and she had to hold on tight so she didn't drop it. "Congrats, Kyra. Your success is well deserved," Taryn yelled over the noise as she hugged her.