The Sweet Road Back

by Jacki Kelly

  He suppressed a chuckle before placing the dog back in the crate. He grabbed his keys and locked the door behind him.

  “Well, that didn’t go too well,” he said, before sliding into the driver seat. But playing by Melissa’s rules was history. No matter what he did, she was unhappy, so the hell with trying. Judging by the scowl on her face since leaving the airport, nothing much had changed. She was hell-bent on flushing their marriage down the toilet. And he damn well felt like letting her. Years of watching his father trying to please his mother proved only one thing. Some women couldn’t be satisfied. But unlike his father, he wouldn’t spend years trying.

  He backed onto the street and yanked the gearshift into drive. Melissa’s only intention was to see how miserable she could make him. And in the two hours they’d spent together tonight, she was as good at it as ever.

  Once the soundtrack for his new music was finished, he’d have more time. Pushing back the release date to deal with Melissa wasn’t an option. Music had occupied his life since his parents had given him his first bass guitar at thirteen. That had been the best Christmas until the first one he’d spent with Melissa.

  Sitting at a red light, the memory of the two of them sitting on the floor and opening those first gifts made him smile. She had given him the perfect one. The antique record player he’d admired for years still sat on the entertainment center in their living room. He hadn’t used it in months, but he still treasured the gift. The traffic light changed and he accelerated through the intersection.

  His father was his biggest fan. Snagging the movie contract would make his dad even more proud. A few dirty dishes was no big deal. Melissa thought life should be perfect, but he knew better. Watching his parents hold their marriage together after his mother’s infidelity taught him the sacrifices life demanded from a soul. Somehow, his father forgave her and their marriage limped along.

  Forgiveness was a funny thing. Melissa claimed to forgive him. But whenever she got the chance to snip at him, she did. Two years was a long time to pay for one mistake. Strolling into the Grammy Awards without her was stupid. He had to trust Dan’s opinion. Dan knew the music business and what was the use of paying him fifteen percent if he wasn’t going to take his advice.

  Deep down inside, Melissa probably had no intentions of ever moving beyond their bad times. She dreamed up ways to dig her five-inch heels into his heart. Either she had to move beyond the awards incident or he would have to move on. Long suffering wasn’t a role he wanted to play. His father was doing it well enough for the both of them.

  Darius massaged his earlobe. Just thinking about how much he’d hurt her made him flinch. He was uncertain which felt worse, her wrath for the past two years or the guilt chewing at him? If their marriage stood any chance of surviving, they needed to find a way to leave the past where it belonged. It sounded about as impossible as getting her to like the new puppy.

  Chapter Two

  Melissa hugged the pillow to her chest without opening her eyes. Climbing out of bed meant going to do battle with the troubles in her life. And she wasn’t ready to fight with Darius. Coffee. A huge mug of black joe might help her tackle her day, but her life needed a lot more.

  She flopped onto her side. Just outside the window a thick gray cloud drifted in front of the sun. Today promised to be just as gloomy as the day before. The house was quiet, which meant either Darius hadn’t come back home last night or he was still asleep. Falling in love with Darius had been easy. He had been the most popular guy in their graduating class. Every woman in her sorority house had wanted to date the starting quarterback who was known to break into an impromptu song. While Melissa tutored him to ensure he passed his final exams, Darius had emitted a charm as noxious as carbon monoxide, and somewhere between quadratic equations and experimental philosophy, he’d planted a kiss on her that remained in her memory all these years later.

  By the time he told her he was moving to California to become the hottest singer since Prince, she was so in love she would have followed him naked down Main Street. She squeezed her eyes shut to block the recollection. Burying her dreams to help him sounded good back then. But he never seemed to appreciate or recognize the sacrifice.

  She pushed the pillow away and climbed out of bed. Five-year-old memories weren’t worth holding on to. With a Grammy and several records on the Billboard chart, he was supposed to be content and ready to spend more time on their relationship. Instead, he’d managed several cheating rumors, leaving her stranded at an awards ceremony, and endless invitations to the best parties around the country. The tabloid reports claiming he’d screwed his backup singer two years ago still made her cringe.

  Beside the bed she found her pink slippers and pushed her feet into them. After washing up, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. The only way to think through her life was with something on her stomach.

  At the bottom of the stairs, she drew a deep breath. The same awful smell greeted her again this morning. She peeked around the corner, hoping to see her immaculate state-of-the-art kitchen back to normal.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  Darius spun around. His shirtless chest was front page ready. Each defined pectoral muscle caught her attention. For a brief moment, she allowed her eyes to linger on his fine physique before swallowing the saliva collecting in her mouth.

  “I live here,” he responded and turned back to the television. His ripped back was as gorgeous as the front. She tried to ignore the horny elf sitting on her shoulder, reminding her she hadn’t had sex in weeks.

  The shamble from last night looked more disgusting in the bright light of day. The mess drained her, making her feel unsteady. She gripped the edge of the chair for balance, or was it comfort?

  He pulled a clean cup from the dishwasher, while his new faithful friend was sprawled across the entrance, licking his paw.

  “Coffee?” Darius asked.

  “What happened? I thought you were going to take care of this mess?” She inched towards the counter, careful not to upset the stack of dishes threatening to tumble, or get too close to Darius. Keeping a distance between them was good. And even better if she didn’t have to peer at his perfect body.

  “I never said any such thing.” He poured coffee into a mug with her name scripted across the front. “Here you go. Just the way you like it.”

  The dog trotted over to her.

  “Keep your attack animal away from me. If he pisses on my house shoes, I’m going to hit you with them.”

  “Calm down. I just had him outside. He’s fine. I think he likes you,” Darius said without looking at her.

  “There is no use in him liking me. The three of us won’t be together long enough for it to be worth his while.” She sipped the coffee and nestled her butt onto the bar stool, making an effort to focus on something in the backyard. Anything to take her mind off the magnet pulling her toward Darius; even a field of dandelions would do.

  Darius came around the counter and sat next to her. “Why not? Don’t you know a dog is man’s best friend?”

  “Why don’t you go put some clothes on?”

  He glanced down at his flat stomach and flexed his abdominal muscles. “I thought you liked my abs.”

  “Used to. Not anymore. Pretty boys are a dime a dozen.”

  He ran his hand along her back. She tried not to ease into his touch, but her body relaxed against her will.

  “We don’t have to be mean to each other, do we?” he asked.

  “No. You’re right. We need to make some decisions. It’s a new year and there’s no time like the present.” She put her cup down and lifted his hand off her back. She couldn’t concentrate while he touched her.

  “You sound like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

  “Unlike you, I have. I can’t seem to stop thinking about us and what’s happening to our marriage. I tried to forget all the headlines, the Facebook posts, and the media gossip. I want to believe you when you tell me
you’ve been faithful. But this isn’t the life for me. Spending so much time alone, always wondering.” She stared at the dark brew in her cup, while she tried to form the right words. “Do you remember when I told you about my parents? How a few months before they died, there was a rumor my father was having an affair and maybe fathered another child?”

  She held the handle of the cup while keeping her head down. “I have no idea what my mother was feeling. She never let on. But I made a promise to myself back then. I never wanted to live under a cloud. Maybe I’m not as strong as my mother or maybe I’m tougher than she was.” She rushed on before the familiar lump of sorrow formed in her throat, stopping her from telling her truth. “Either way, the last year has been unbearable for me. I don’t plan to spend another year the same way.”

  “Well, it seems like you have this covered.” He pushed off the stool and left his cup as he walked out.

  ****

  Darius drew a deep breath as he climbed the stairs. Damned if he would just sit there while she ripped his heart out. He wasn’t some hick she’d picked out of a cornfield. Women threw their panties at him, sometimes without taking them off first.

  “Darius, you forgot your dog,” she yelled to him.

  “Come on, boy. Come on,” he called for the puppy.

  “Don’t you want to talk about this?”

  He turned to see her posed at the foot of the stairs. The dog took the steps one at a time like a nervous toddler. “Can’t, I’ve got an appointment. We’ll have to catch up later. Besides, you’ve got it pretty well figured out. So, let’s just go with your plan.”

  “You always expect me to fix stuff, don’t you? Well, this time, maybe the both of us need to work on it together.”

  “You see, there’s where you’re wrong. I’m willing to let you be you, without giving direction all the time.” He locked eyes with her for several seconds, refusing to let her divert his attention.

  After several moments, she blinked and focused on the dog. “What’s the dog’s name? He has to have a name.”

  “Yeah, I’ll get around to naming him soon.” He picked up the struggling animal and carried him to the bedroom. With the door closed, he dressed in jeans, a button-down shirt, and a blazer. Sooner or later, he’d have to sit down and talk to Melissa, but only when he had some answers. Maybe when her anger subsided a bit. Getting dumped was new for him. But Melissa was supposed to have his back, support him. Instead, she wanted to bail.

  He picked up his cell phone and dialed his agent. “Dan, I’m tired of waiting. I need to get this mess straightened out. Now.”

  “Darius, my man.” Dan sounded happy, but the familiar snap of a lid indicated he was fumbling for an antacid. “You know I’m working on things for you. It takes a little time. Your new album will be better than your last. The promo leading up to the release has been fantastic, hasn’t it?”

  “It’s great. I hardly have enough time to finish the last two cuts because you’ve got me running all over the country to every party you think the paparazzi will show up to.” He ran his hand over his close-cropped cut. “This is getting a little unbearable.”

  “It’s good publicity. And right now you can use every headline you can get. I’ve been getting calls from LA. They’re interested. Stay close to your phone; I might have something later today.”

  “Dan, this is my life—”

  “I’m taking good care of you. You just keep making the music and I’ll keep selling those hits.”

  “What about the tabloid article? Did you get it straightened out?”

  “Tell Melissa to ignore them. We can’t waste money trying to fight trash. As soon as we quash one, another one will spring up to replace it.”

  “I know the drill.” Darius disconnected the call.

  Getting out of the house without running into Melissa was about as likely as her planting warm, passionate kisses on him. As he came down the stairs, he spotted her seated in the kitchen, swinging her pink-slippered foot at a maddening speed.

  “I’m going to the studio,” he said, after securing the dog.

  “Sure you are. You’ve just found a new hiding place, haven’t you?”

  He picked up his keys and headed for the door.

  She jumped up. “I’m catching a ride. After you’re done, we can stop by Saks. You owe me a pair of shoes.” She dashed out before he could respond.

  It was forty-five minutes before she came back.

  “I was hoping to get there sometime this afternoon.” He made a grand gesture of looking at his watch.

  “Everything is all about you, isn’t it?” She picked up her purse and walked out ahead of him. Her seductive hips only highlighted the point he hadn’t touched them in weeks.

  Once they were on I-80, he turned on the radio. Some song about booty blared.

  “I’m not listening to musical nonsense.” Melissa reached for the dial.

  “My car, my radio.” He placed his hand on top of hers and lifted it away. It wasn’t the station he wanted, but since she’d made him wait so long, it was the only way to strike back, for now.

  He pulled into a parking garage near Market Street and turned off the car. “So, what are you going to do while I’m recording?”

  “Oh no. I’m going in with you.” She opened the car door and climbed out.

  “This could take a little time. Hours.” He walked a few steps ahead of her.

  “I don’t have a thing to do. You owe me a pair of $600 shoes and I plan to collect them. Today.”

  “We don’t have to do this now, do we? You know I’m good for the money,” he offered.

  “We could wait a few days until you forget, right?”

  Every day, Melissa found a new way to dig at him. If she was as unhappy as she seemed, maybe she was right. Letting her go would be the right thing to do. His father still held on to his mother, but she always seemed to be somewhere else. No matter how hard he tried.

  He held the building door open for Melissa. The studio was on the second floor of a small nondescript building. Dan had found it, and even though the rent was sky high, the soundproofing made it worthwhile.

  “You can wait out here or come in the back. Your choice.” He pointed to the small leather sofa but kept walking to the equipment room. After powering up the instruments, he sat in the large cushioned chair and placed the headphones over his ears.

  He fired up the tracks from the night before and listened as his voice cooed back at him. With his eyes closed, he tried to detect why the sound didn’t stir him. It was a love ballad with no emotion.

  After the second run, he adjusted the bass and let it run again. Midway through the song, the door opened. Melissa walked in and took the seat next to him.

  “Let me hear it,” she said.

  “Are you sure you want to listen? The song’s not finished yet.”

  “I want to see what’s got your brow wrinkled.”

  The song continued to play through the headphones for a few moments before he backed it up and turned the speakers on. The short musical intro played before his voice eased into the song.

  I know you’re slippin away.

  Can’t hardly face the day

  Shouldn’t have to live this way

  Stay by my side. Stay by my side…my side…side

  She tapped her short, red fingernails against the metal on the chair in tune with the music. Her eyes closed and she seemed to drift away on the melody. Neither said a word until the song ended.

  “What do you think?”

  Melissa nodded. “It’s good.”

  “Good? Is that the best you can say about the song?”

  “Your last album was better. Is this supposed to be the lead song?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not singing like you mean the words or feel them. You might as well be singing this in the shower while you’re lathering your arm-pits.” She pushed her chair back and stood up.

  “I’ve recorded this three times. I’ve had th
e whole crew working on this track.”

  “What can I say? I’m not feeling your emotion in the music.”

  He powered down the machine and stood. “I’ve got two weeks to get this straight. If I don’t, then I might as well forget my chance of convincing the studio they want the music. It’s over.”

  “You’ll get it right. You always do. Everything you touch turns to gold.” She smiled. The gesture melted away all the harsh words from earlier.

  The shrill ring of his cell phone erupted in the room. Hearing the special tone set for Dan made his flesh pebble.

  “It’s Dan. I need to get this.” He picked up the phone.

  “Of course you do. God forbid the Great Dan Schumacher should have to wait.”

  He turned his back. “What’s up?”

  “Glad I caught you. Put on your A-list gear. You’re going to the Mansion party tonight. It’s rumored anyone who’s anyone will be there.”

  “Ah…ah. I guess I can make it. At least you’re earning your money. What time is the car picking us up?”

  “You’re killing me here, Darius.” Dan’s exaggerated moan vibrated in Darius’s ear. “There is no us. Not yet. The car will pick you up in three hours. You and only you. Just make sure you look hot and available.” He hung up.

  Darius slid the phone in his pocket.

  Melissa pulled on her leather jacket. “Come on, Saks awaits.”

  His tongue knotted. The constant tug between Dan and Melissa rankled him. They seemed bent on polarizing wants. The moment Dan requested him here; she demanded his attention there. Their stipulations dulled the shiny aura surrounding his music. Life was a lot less complicated when he’d sat behind the desk of the family company and raked in the money.

  The ideal thing would have been to take Melissa’s hand and fly her back to Bristol, where life was plain and simple and their love wasn’t challenged ninety times a day. But he’d made a promise to his father and he planned to keep his commitment. He’d never let his father down before. And even the stink-eye Melissa gave him wouldn’t make him start now.