by Anna Brooks
“Um. Well. It turns out old Jordan is a piece of shit, and when he didn’t show for the performance last night, we kind of lost our drummer.”
Dread rolls through my stomach and I shake my head. “Fuck, sorry guys.”
Please don’t ask me to come back. Please don’t ask me to come back.
“So we had to cancel some shows until we could find a replacement. You’re stuck with us for a couple weeks.” Jamie smiles and I full on laugh.
“Holy shit. I thought you were gonna ask me to come back.” Tears are forming in my eyes and I wipe them away. “Jesus, don’t scare me like that again.”
“We don’t want your nasty ass back.” Mike punches my arm and I push him back. “You gonna show us around or what?”
“Yeah, come on.”
My laughter finally fades when I start talking about the music center. I show them some of the remodeling I did and the new soundproof padding I bought. We laugh at old times remembering being young and full of dreams and how absurd our vision was. As happy as I am to be out of the band and with Meara, I did miss them, so I’m glad we get to hang out for a while.
We decide to go to the pub; Gabe and Mike take off before Jamie and I do. As I’m shutting off the lights, Jamie taps the keys on a piano. “You happy, Liam?”
“Yes. I am.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Me too, bro. Me, too.”
* * *
“Hey sexy, can I buy you a drink?”
“Seriously? Is that—” Meara turns around from behind the bar and her anger is quickly replaced with a huge smile. “Ahh! Oh my God, what are you doing here?” She leans over and hugs Jamie.
“Had some issues so we’re home for a couple of weeks.”
“Wow. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”
She looks around the bar and waves at the other guys who are talking to Pierce at the door. “Can I get you a drink? Babe, you want something?”
“Beer’s good. The guys’ll want one, too,” Jamie replies.
“Water for me. Thanks.”
She pours our drinks and has to go take care of someone at the other end of the bar, so Jamie and I grab the glasses and go to an empty table. It’s still pretty early on a Friday night so it’s not that packed yet. After our talk last week, Meara decided that she’d still close on Friday and Saturday nights, but the rest of the time, she leaves around seven. She ended up hiring a friend of Nik’s and he only wants to work nights so she’s able to step back a little bit. It works out pretty good with the schedule I have and most nights we’ve been getting home at the same time.
Mike and Gabe meet us at the table but say they want to play pool, so we head in that direction. I stop at the bar and kiss Meara before meeting them upstairs. The guys all give me shit for being a bitch, but I just shake my head and laugh it off.
After Jamie gets another round, the place starts to pick up. A few fans come over and I step back so they can take pictures with the guys, but they pull me in. “You’ll always be part of the band, Lee.” Gabe throws his arm over my shoulder, and I rub the top of his head. “Aww, thanks, man. I think I might cry.”
We take a few pictures and sign some autographs on napkins. A couple of girls flirt with them and I step back. “I’m gonna go see how Meara’s doing.”
Cough. “Pussy whipped,” Mike jokes. Cough.
“Jealous.”
He puts an arm around two different girls and makes a show of looking at their tits. “Yeah, bud. Real jealous.”
I roll my eyes at him and jog downstairs, excited I get to see my woman. It hasn’t been long, but I miss her. Even though I love hanging out with the guys again, I can’t be this close to her and not touch her. It’s almost like sometimes I need to make sure it’s real, that she’s within arm’s reach, because it’s something I craved for so long. It’s something that I will do everything in my power to keep until the day I die.
Chapter 26
Meara
“HEY, LISA. HOW ARE you?”
“Good. Sorry, I’m late.”
“Woman, please. It’s like five minutes.”
She steps behind the bar and puts her bag in a cabinet. Nik turns and accidentally bumps into her and grabs her arms, their bodies mere inches apart. Lisa’s face flushes at the contact, and she looks at the floor and says thanks.
“No problem.” Nik brushes past her to the other end of the bar and I raise my eyebrows in question, but she avoids looking at me.
“Busy, huh?” She scans the pub and wipes her hands on the back of her jeans.
“It just picked up.”
“I’ll take over if you want to go upstairs with Liam and the guys. Pierce told me they’re here on my way in.”
“Yeah, I’ll go upstairs in a bit when it slows down.”
We dance around each other serving drinks and laughing for a little while. I love nights like this. In fact, this is one of the first few when I feel everything is in place. In order where it should be. Normal and easy.
“What’s that look for?” Nik hits me with a towel and crosses his arms.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about how great everything is right now.”
I glance around and note a couple of changes I’ve made recently. Minor ones like adding little bursts of color with bright barstools and getting rid of the jukebox to make room for a pull-tab machine. While my parents took over for that week, they surprised me by signing ownership to me. Being the majority owner of this place has always been my dream, and now that I have it, I couldn’t be happier.
I have so much to be grateful for in my life. Despite a rough few years and an uncertain future, the outlook for better things to come is within reach. I can feel it in my bones.
Lisa’s at one end of the bar and Nik is refilling the ice while I man the side opposite her. I set a coaster down for the man in front of me. He looks vaguely familiar as if I’ve seen him somewhere before. He’s wearing a Reason to Ruin t-shirt, which is ironic as hell. An obnoxious gauge in his ears draws my attention to his overly styled spiked hair. I see so many people it’s entirely possible he just has one of those faces though and I’ve never seen him in my life.
“Hey. What can I getcha?”
“Lite’s fine.”
“Twelve or sixteen ounces?”
“Sixteen is good. Thanks, babe.”
I ignore his lame pet name and expertly pour his beer. It’s weird because I am so not the type of girl who thinks all that lovey-dovey shit is cute. I roll my eyes when Travis calls Char sweetheart. And when Liam gets all mushy with me, I get embarrassed almost. But when he calls me princess, my heart melts into a big puddle of goo. It means so much to me, that when someone else uses anything other than Meara, especially a stranger, it devalues what’s between Lee and me. So it pisses me off more than it probably should.
Wannabe rockstar exchanges the beer for some cash. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks.”
My sticky fingers quickly become clean as I wash them in the sink and toss the paper towel in the overflowing trash bin. I pull it out of the container and tie the drawstrings. “I’m just gonna run this out.”
“No. I’ll take it, Meara.” Nik grabs it out of my hand and throws it to the ground. “You’re not going out there by yourself.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m not a freaking china doll. I can manage to throw some garbage out.” While I bend down to pick up the bag, I make a show of heaving it over my shoulder. “I’ll be back in two minutes.”
“Woman,” Nik scolds. He rips the garbage out of my hand and shakes his head as he walks away. “Gonna take a piss, too.”
“He’s such a pain in the ass.” I angle my head in the direction Nik just left.
“I think it’s sweet that he cares that much,” Lisa says quietly.
“I know. I know.” As much as I pretend he annoys me, I love the big ole teddy bear.
She offers a weak smile, then walks over, and continues to
serve customers. I head to my end of the bar and bend over to grab a new bottle of Jack. As I stand up, I bump into a body, turn around, and look into the eyes of wannabe rocker man.
“You can’t be back here.” I take a step away and he follows, crowding me into the small space between the shelving on the back wall.
I stop inches from my back being pressed against the wall and put my hands out. “Get back.” Though I know I shouldn’t be fearful of him with everyone here, my heart palpitates at an alarming rate.
He ignores my warning and to avoid him touching me, I back into the wall. “I know what he sees in you, but I never understood what you saw in him.”
Because I know the best defense is a good offense, I bring my knee up to nut check him. He easily blocks it, quickly grabbing my hands and pinning them to my side. He presses his lower body into mine, and in an instant, I’m not able to move.
“Hey! What are you doing? Get off her!” Lisa yells and grabs at his shoulder.
He releases his right hand, turns a little bit, and shoves Lisa. She falls and her head catches on the end of the solid wood bar top. She goes from grabbing at bottles to keep herself upright to a rag doll. Blood hits the ground mere seconds before her body does, and I scream and fight to get away. “Lisa! Oh, my God!” He grabs me by my upper arms and shakes me. “Shut up. Shut up.”
Commotion surrounds me as customers begin to shout, and like a beacon of light, Liam appears and his face changes in instantly. The smile and happiness are completely gone and murder materializes in every pore. “The fuck?” Liam’s fist crashes into the side of the man’s head and as his grip loosens, Liam puts him in a headlock and slams him to the ground.
“Shit. Are you okay, Meara?” Lee looks up at me and I nod and quickly scramble toward Lisa. “Lisa! Lisa!” Her body lies unmoving and my stomach bottoms out.
“Oh fuck, I didn’t even see her. Jesus Christ.” Liam gasps.
“Let me go, man.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“What in the ever loving … Lisa?” Nik’s panicked voice vibrates in my ears before he gently pushes me out of the way to tend to Lisa.
I scramble back to press the panic button under the bar by the register and grab a towel. Nik attempts to put his hand under her and move her away from some of the glass that was broken on her way down.
“Don’t move her, Nik.” I kneel next to him, grip his forearm, and press the towel to the cut on her head. “She hit her head really hard.” The white towel fast becomes red, and I add more pressure to try to stop some of the bleeding.
A soft moan comes from deep in Lisa’s chest. “Lisa? Can you hear me?” She gives no response aside from the moaning. The commotion going on around me begins to get louder, but I focus on every rise and fall of her chest. Nik’s normally tan skin is pale and his jaw so tight I’m afraid his teeth are going to break.
The music stops and I can hear Pierce yelling in the background for everyone to leave. The rest of the band members all gather ‘round and form somewhat of a barrier.
“Will one of you take this piece of shit?” I look up at Liam passing that guy off none too gently to one of the bouncers. He squats in front of me and grips my chin, but I shake my head and focus on Lisa. “Look at me.”
I do and he exhales loudly. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Words clog in my throat and I quickly avert my eyes back to her.
Police, firefighters, and paramedics all arrive at the same time, and as they haul off the guy, Jamie is held back by Mike and Gabe. “Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck, man?”
Lisa moans again so I focus back on her but still can hear what the guys are saying.
“Jamie, not now,” Liam barks at him.
“No, right fucking now.”
“Jamie, man. You’ve gotta chill,” Mike’s baritone voice is unmistakably angry, but even and logical. “Just relax.”
A warm hand grabs mine holding the towel over her wound. “I got it from here, Meara.” Travis’ soft but controlled voice startles me and I loosen my grip. I’m not surprised he’s here. Char told me he was on shift tonight and his unit is the one who responded to our kitchen fire last year. “She hit her head so hard, Travis.”
He nods in understanding and motions at the paramedics. “I need you to step back so they can work on her and get her to the hospital.”
Tears blur my eyes, and I release the towel and fall back on my butt. Liam’s strong arms lift me up and I bury my face in his shoulder as the adrenaline wears off. The snap of the lock on the stretcher breaks me out of my daze and I hold back a sob as they wheel her away.
* * *
I closed up the bar the best I could with shaking hands and bile in my throat. We all rushed to the hospital where we’ve been sitting for the past four hours. Nik hasn’t moved a muscle. Instead, he stands right by the door on guard.
“I’m gonna go talk to him,” I whisper to Liam.
“’Kay.” He kisses my hand, and I squeeze his shoulder.
I refused medical treatment because I’m fine. More shocked and startled than anything. Angry, too. I can’t believe I let that guy get the jump on me. I gave my statement to the police a couple of hours ago and they told me his real name. Fredrick Flannery.
Freddy was a kid who had a crush on me in ninth grade, but he looks nothing like the kid I used to know. I was never mean to him, but I had Liam. He tried to flirt with me and asked me to the Homecoming dance, but I, of course, said no. Well, word got out, and Liam threatened him. And when Liam confronted him, that meant Liam, Jamie, Gabe, Mike, Pierce, and Nik went with him.
Freddy never bothered me after that. His family moved soon after, and we never saw him again. Or so we thought. Apparently, Freddy never forgot. Lee and the band always wondered why Reed said that to him during that radio interview, and I guess now we all know why.
The cops are holding Freddy slash Reed on assault charges and I’m filing a restraining order, so I pray to God I never have to see him again in my life.
Nik tenses when I put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey.”
His eyes connect with mine for a brief second and flash back to the closed door.
“Nik?”
He grunts and I stand in front of him. “Nik. Come sit down.”
“I’m good here.”
“What’s this all about?”
“I never should have left.”
I close my eyes and hang my head for a second. “Stop. Don’t even go there.”
He squints he eyes down at me. “I have never left you or her alone behind the bar without a bouncer there. Never. And the one fucking time I do … I was gone a total of four minutes and this shit happens. I swear to fucking Christ, if she isn’t okay—”
The door silently opens and I step back as the doctor enters the room. “Lisa Scott’s family?”
Her mother comes forward and squeezes my hand. I had enough sense to check Lisa’s emergency contact form at Kelly’s and call her mother before we left. I’ve never met her before and considering the circumstances, she’s very sweet.
“I’m her mother. Is she okay?”
“As of right now, our main concern is her concussion. The laceration on her head required twelve stitches. The rest of her tests came back normal, but we want to keep her at least twenty-four hours for observation.”
A collective sigh echoes throughout the room and Nik puts a hand against the wall to steady himself.
“However …” The doctor clears his throat. “There appears to be a bit of memory loss. She’s confused with why she’s even working at a bar she’s never heard of and is asking for her husband.”
“Oh, my God.” Her mother leans against me, and I hold her up the best I can.
“Is that you?” He directs his question toward Nik.
“No.” He clears his throat. “Her husband’s dead.”
Chapter 27
Liam
“I CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE.” Meara snuggles up next to me in our
big ass bed and I run my fingers up and down her back. “She already lost him once, and then to have to go through it all again?”
“I know.”
Since Lisa wouldn’t know any of us, it would’ve been more traumatic for her to have visitors. So her mom went back and had to deliver the horrible news to her daughter that the husband she thought was waiting for her is actually dead.
“I’m so worried about her, but what can I even do?”
“I guess just be there for her when she’s ready. Stay in touch with her mom and she’ll let you know when Lisa’s better and able to have visitors.”
“Yeah.” She kisses my bare chest and squeezes me a little tighter. “Can you believe that was Freddy?”
I take a breath through my nose before answering her. On top of hating the piece of shit all those years ago for hitting on my girl when she was very much taken, I find out that he’s Reed. Then he had the fucking balls to put his hands on her tonight … and what he did to Lisa. I wish I had done more to his punk ass. I should have done more. When I rounded the corner and saw him touching her …
“No. I can’t.”
So many things have gone through my mind tonight and I’m not sure if now is the right time, but I don’t give a shit anymore. Timelines and planning are useless. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s to live in the moment. To embrace what you have because you don’t know how long it’ll be there or if it’ll be taken away before you even have a chance to welcome it into your life.
“Be right back.”
I jump out of bed and rummage through my underwear drawer until I feel the box in the back. When I sit in front of her, I do it on both knees.
“I have lived every moment of my life wanting the next to be with you. Somehow, I’ve been lucky enough to find a woman who stood by my side no matter what. Whether I was in your bed or thousands of miles away, you were always in my heart and on my mind. I woke up every day counting down the seconds until I could see your face again, and I don’t want another minute to go by without you close enough to touch.” I run my finger along her cheek. “To kiss.” I lean down and press my lips to hers. “I know we got married in your treehouse when we were twelve, but I think it’s time we made it official.”