The third song ends, and like Bria told me to, I stand behind Crew and tap his shoulder. He turns around, pretending to be surprised when I reach for the mic. “Hey, man, you trying to take my job?”
I speak into the mic. “I wanted to talk to the bartender for a second.”
“You thirsty?” he jokes.
“I’m going to ask him to send a drink to the most beautiful girl in the room.”
Gasps are heard in the audience. I look at Ella. I can’t see the color of her skin, but I’d guess it’s bright red.
Crew puts an arm around Bria, another stunt sure to piss off Ronni. “Dude, she’s already taken.”
I laugh. “Sorry, Brianna. You’re hot too, but you’re like my best friend. I was talking about the girl at the table over there, with the brown wavy hair.” I point at Ella. “She looks like a champagne kind of girl. Bartender, can you send her a glass of your finest?”
All eyes in the room are straining to see who I’m sending a drink to. The bartender gives me a thumbs-up. If looks could kill, Ronni’s dagger eyes would have me dead on the stage. She says something to Dirk and storms off.
“Mission accomplished,” Crew says into the mic, as if getting Ella a drink was the mission. “Mind if we play now?”
“Send me a drink!” a woman shouts.
“I think one’s all he can afford,” Crew jokes.
Garrett counts us off on the drums, and we finish the set. Ronni’s gone. And good fucking riddance. She can yell at me, sue me even, but there’s nothing she can do to keep me from spending the next ten songs staring at the only woman I ever want to look at.
Chapter Forty-six
Ella
The past month has been incredible. Reckless Alibi recorded another album, the one with my sketch on the cover. A few of the new songs are already on the radio. I’ve finished two more books of illustrations. And Liam and I are practically inseparable.
But I can tell he’s keeping a secret. He’s happy yet distracted. He sometimes leaves the room to take a call. There’s something going on he doesn’t want me to know about. He’s not cheating; nothing about his behavior hints at him feeling guilty. Something’s going on, and I wish he would tell me what it is.
“Turn left at the light,” he says. I do it perfectly. “You’re getting a lot better.”
This is the fourth time he’s taken me driving. He thinks I’ll be ready to take a test by the end of summer.
“I have a good teacher.”
“Eyes on the road.”
“Where are we going?”
“Garrett told me about a good restaurant. I think he grew up around here.”
“He doesn’t like to talk about his past either, does he?”
“No.”
“You don’t think—”
“No, I don’t. It has something to do with his brother. He hasn’t talked to him or anyone in his family since I’ve known him, and that’s over four years.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without mine.”
“Your parents are different. They’re nice, and supportive. You’re lucky.”
“I wish everyone had parents like mine.”
“Some people shouldn’t have kids.”
I stop at a red light. “Do you want kids?”
“I can’t have them.”
“Oh, Liam. Did he … damage you somehow?”
He belts out a painful laugh. “You could say that, but not in the way you’re thinking. I assume I’m capable of having kids. What I meant is I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Why do you think, El? Because, well, what if I …” He stares out the window.
“You’re afraid of doing what he did, aren’t you?” I put a hand on his arm. “Liam, you won’t. You’re much stronger than that. You’re incapable of hurting a fly.”
He nods to the street. “Light’s green.”
I turn down a residential street and pass several driveways with entry gates. “Wow, swanky area. Some of these rival Dirk’s house.”
“Stop!” he shouts.
I slam on the brakes, heart pounding. “What?”
He points to one of the driveways. The gate is closed and large gold letters span both sides of it that spell YOUNG.
“You don’t think this is Garrett’s house, do you?”
The gate opens, and a Porsche drives out. He waits for me to go, but I wave him on.
“It’s his house all right,” Liam says. “That was his brother.”
“I thought you’ve never met.”
“Saw him at a bar last month. Garrett punched him.”
“You guys really are full of secrets, aren’t you?”
Ten minutes later, we’re seated at a Mexican restaurant. “Drinks?” the waitress asks. “We have two-for-one margaritas.”
I raise an eyebrow at Liam, who says, “Not if you plan to do any more driving.”
“I’ll have water,” I say, trying not to pout. The waitress leaves. “Since when did you become so responsible?”
“Since I have something to lose.”
He gazes at me intently. It’s like he’s shot an arrow into my heart, claiming me as his. I lace our fingers together. “Same.”
“Ronni told us something this morning.”
I pull away. “Way to ruin a good moment.”
“I was actually trying to make it better.”
“How so?”
“They’re trying to schedule a tour for next year. A US tour. As in the whole country.”
“Really? That’s incredible.” I narrow my eyes. “I can’t believe you waited two whole hours to tell me.”
“I was waiting for the right time.” He cracks his knuckles, something I’ve seen him do when he gets nervous. “Come with me.”
My bottom lip is pulled between my teeth.
“You know you want to, El. Say yes.”
“Next year is a long way off. You have no idea what will happen between now and then.”
“You mean between us.” He leans back. “You think I’m going to dump you?”
“I don’t know.”
He lets out a sigh. “You think because I haven’t said the words, I don’t plan on keeping you around.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what? Is it what I said in the car about kids?”
I shake my head.
“Tell me, Ella. We said we’d be honest with each other.”
I want to call him out, tell him I know he’s keeping something from me, but I don’t. “It’s a big commitment to make for something that’s not happening until next year.”
“You think I’m afraid of commitments, don’t you?” He takes my hand. “But asking you to go on tour should prove I’m not.”
Food is placed on our table.
“Say yes, El.”
The waitress says, “Honey, I don’t know what he’s selling, but look at that face. You’d be crazy not to say yes.”
“I’m not giving up my career to follow you, Liam. I love what I do and don’t intend to stop.”
“I would never ask you to. Come on,” he says, his mouth twitching into a wry grin. “Even the waitress thinks you should.”
I finger my necklace, deep in thought. “Yes.”
The lady glances at me, then him. “Did you just get engaged?”
Liam chokes. “Uh, no.”
“Darn,” she says. “You know what? I’m going to give you a free slice of pie anyway. You seem like a nice couple.”
She walks away, leaving us speechless. We’re practically drowning in awkwardness. Then Liam starts laughing, and I join in.
“Just so you know,” he says. “If I ever ask anyone to marry me, it sure as hell won’t be at a Mexican restaurant over a glass of water.”
“In front of a waitress,” I add.
“At least we get a free slice of pie,” he says, and we laugh harder.
He seems carefree and happy. He’s joking about proposals. This man, who was so deeply hurt by his f
ather that he believes he’s a freak of nature, is joking about proposals.
He’s still holding my hand. My left hand. As his thumb rubs up and down my ring finger, I wonder if he’s thinking that someday it could be possible.
Back in the car, we talk about going on tour again.
“Do you think you’ll play stadiums and arenas?” I ask.
“It would be surreal to play for a huge audience, like when we opened for White Poison—only we’d be the main band. I’ve dreamed about it since I was a kid.”
“I’m happy for you.”
He puts a hand on my leg. “I’m glad you’re going to be there.”
“Separate hotel rooms, right?” His expression makes me laugh. “I’m kidding.”
He blows out a breath. “Don’t do that to me.”
I feel the heat of his hand through my thin skirt. His finger drawing circles along my thigh makes my insides all melty. “If you’re going to do that to me, you should be the one driving. It’s distracting.”
I stop at a light, and he grabs my hand and puts it in his lap so I can feel his erection. It may be two o’clock in the afternoon, but I want him. When the light turns green, I turn onto a side street and pull into an empty parking lot. “You drive.”
He gives me a heated stare. “I don’t think either of us should drive.”
“Liam, we’re in a church parking lot.”
“So?”
“Kind of inappropriate, don’t you think?”
“Why? God made our bodies to do this very thing.”
My jaw drops in surprise. “You believe in God?”
“Sometimes.”
“When?”
“When I look at you.”
I turn off the engine, climb over the console onto his lap, and kiss him. What he said to me might be the single best thing anyone has ever said in the history of the world.
Chapter Forty-seven
Liam
I walk into IRL with a spring in my step. Not even Dirk’s car parked out front can keep me from thinking about the past few weeks with Ella. Not to mention the deal I’ve been working on finally came through. Everything in my life is coming together. When I pass Ronni’s door, it occurs to me getting rid of her would make everything perfect, and I wonder how I can make that happen.
Her door unexpectedly opens, and we’re face to face. Her lipstick is smeared. She pulls the door shut behind her. “Liam,” she says curtly.
She walks past me to the restroom. Without thinking about it, I open her office door. Hatred sears my gut when I see Dirk buttoning his pants. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I belt out a maniacal laugh. “Why should I even be surprised?”
He puts on his suit jacket. “What I do is none of your damn business.”
I stride over and get in his face. “It’s been six weeks. Plenty of time for you to sell IRL. Why don’t we have a new owner yet?”
“You don’t get it, do you?” he says smugly. “Even if you have a video, you won’t release it. People will know you’re a victim. You have too much pride. You won’t do that to yourself or the band. There’s too much at stake.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Am I?”
“Go to hell.” I walk out, catching Ronni as she’s returning. “You really have hit an all-time low, haven’t you? I knew you were a slut, but he’s an old man.”
“An old man with power.”
“I’d warn you to watch out for him or you’ll get burned. But I think I’d enjoy seeing the flames.”
“Aren’t you late for practice?”
I stomp down the hall, my morning ruined. When I enter the studio, I announce, “Ronni’s sleeping with Dirk.”
Nobody seems surprised.
“We know,” Crew says.
“And you didn’t say anything?”
“What’s to say? You already hate both of them. Didn’t think I needed to fuel the fire.”
Garrett gets off his stool. “I found out last week. Thought maybe it had been going on all along, and that’s part of the reason you hated Dirk.”
“I hated him long before Ronni came into the picture.”
Crew motions for me to sit. “And that’s not even the bad news.”
I take a seat next to him. “What do you mean?”
He looks at Brad. “Do you want to tell him or should I?”
Brad looks guilty as hell. “I’m leaving the band.”
The looks on everyone’s faces tell me this is no joke.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I found out about the baby.”
I get up and pace. “Brad, musicians have kids all the time.”
“I know, but if we go on tour next year, the baby will only be a few months old. I can’t do that to Katie.”
Garrett laughs bitterly. “So this is Katie’s decision, not yours.”
“We decided together.”
“Do you realize what you’re doing?” I ask. “Have you checked your bank account lately? Once you leave, that’s it—no more royalty checks.”
“This was never about the money,” he says.
“Maybe not, but you love playing bass.”
“That hasn’t changed. I’m going to keep playing. Maybe I’ll find someone local who plays a few gigs a month. And there’s always the church band.”
Garrett rubs the back of his neck. “The church band? Are you shitting me?”
“Listen,” Brad says. “I’ll stay on until you get a replacement. I’ll even help you find one. I’m not walking out today and saying sayonara. You guys mean too much to me.”
“Apparently not enough to keep playing with us,” Garrett says.
“I love you guys,” Brad says. “But I love my family more.”
I turn to Crew and Bria. “You’re awfully quiet. You don’t have a problem with this?”
“Of course we have a problem with it,” Bria says. “We like Brad. We like the way things are, but he’s getting married. He’s having a baby. His priorities have changed. We need to respect that.”
“You can marry and have kids and still go on the road,” I argue.
Brad stands and places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m not going to miss my kid’s first smile and first steps. I don’t want to miss a single day of his or her life.”
“Bring them on the road with us.”
“Katie doesn’t want to.”
“You’ll resent her,” Garrett says. “Maybe not at first, but it’ll happen.”
“It won’t. Like I said, this wasn’t only her decision. I want this too.”
“That’s it?” I say. “There’s nothing we can say to change your mind?”
“I don’t want to hurt you guys, but hey, I’m just the bassist. Easily replaceable, right?” he jokes.
Bria hugs him. “That’s not true. Somebody will have big shoes to fill.”
“When are you going to tell Ronni?” I ask.
“We’re not telling her,” Crew says. “I don’t want IRL having anything to do with finding a replacement. We’ll do it ourselves. We don’t talk about it with anyone else. Agreed?”
We nod.
“Okay, then,” Crew says, walking to the mic. “We’ve still got our jobs to do.”
We rehearse for hours, but it’s not the same, knowing things are changing. So much for everything in my life coming together.
After practice, Crew pulls me aside. “Is everything okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Dirk still has me by the balls. We’re losing our bassist. Everything is wonderful.”
“I’m not talking about what happened today.” He makes sure no one is listening. “You’ve been getting some official-looking envelopes in the mail lately. Is there something I should know about?”
“Nope.”
“You’re not plotting anything against Dirk?”
“Not yet.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s nothing. You’re going to have to trust me o
n this.”
“All right, but I’m here for you. Whenever and whatever. I’ve got your back.”
He walks away and I bite my tongue, wanting to tell him but knowing he could never understand.
~ ~ ~
“Hey, slow down!” Ella shouts. “Why are you running so fast today?”
I let her catch up.
“You’ve been quiet, too. Is something wrong?”
“Brad quit the band this morning.”
She tugs me to a stop. “Seriously? Why? Oh—the baby.”
“I don’t think it’s the baby. It’s Katie. She wants him at home.”
“What does he want?”
“He claims he wants the same thing she does, but I’m not buying it.”
“What’ll you do?”
“Find another bassist.”
“As in put an ad in the paper or something?”
“It doesn’t work like that, and we have to keep it quiet. Ronni and IRL don’t know, and we don’t plan to tell them.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’d find someone and force him on us. They did it last year when Bria almost quit the band.”
“Oh, right. She told me about that. So how will you find a replacement?”
“Brad’s going to stay on until we hire someone. We can take our time, scout out other bands.”
“You’d take a bass player from another band?”
“It happens more than you know. If you look at a lot of the famous guitar players of our time, many of them played together in one band or another early in their careers.”
“How does it work?”
“We invite them to play with us and see if they’re a good fit.”
“You invite them to your rehearsal studio at IRL? The one Dirk owns and where Ronni works?”
“Shit. We didn’t think that far ahead. More good news, Ronni and Dirk are fucking. They were in her office this morning.”
“They really have no boundaries, do they? So he’s still at IRL? Maybe now is a good time to release the video.”
I start running again.
“Liam, wait. Did I say something wrong?” She draws even with me. “You do want to release it, don’t you?”
I think about what Dirk said this morning about me being a victim. “I’m not sure I can.”
Reckless Invitation (The Reckless Rockstar Series) Page 26