Rock (Beautiful Book 4)

by Lilliana Anderson

  When I drove here yesterday, I was absolutely furious. I felt as though he’d betrayed me when he knew how important my privacy was to me. All I’d tried to do was the right thing for both of us. I’ll admit now that my choice was probably the wrong one. I think all I managed was to make us both even more miserable than we’d ever be with the press invading our lives.

  But where do we go from here? We know we want to be together, but how? Do we live his life? Do we live mine? Or do we meet in the middle? And where would that middle be?

  “I’d rather be poor with you than rich at the mercy of pond scum,” he says suddenly, his eyes opening to meet mine.

  “Yeah?”

  “That’s what you’re worried about isn’t it?”

  “I’m worried about a lot of things. I don’t think we’d be poor though.”

  “Babe, we will be if I break this contract.”

  “You’re forgetting who my father is, who I am. I made a lot of money before I quit. Plus, I still get royalties and I have my trust fund...” His brow lifts a little as I press my lips together. “It’s more than enough to last the both of us for a very long time.”

  “Huh. I thought you must’ve lost everything when you broke your deal and that’s why you were working.”

  “I was working because I wanted to be normal. Not because I needed to.”

  “How did you get into advertising though? You’ve only been out of the industry a few years. Don’t you need a degree?”

  “I had one. Open Universities. I studied on the road because I always wanted a backup plan. Fame is fleeting to most.”

  “Unless you make yourself infamous,” he counters.

  I smile. “Yes. Well, there’s that.”

  “OK. So if it isn’t my impending bankruptcy that’s worrying you, what is?”

  Rolling to my back, I let out a sigh. “I think we need to find a compromise that suits us both. I don’t think it’s fair that you’re giving up everything for me. I should have to give a little too.”

  He slides his hand across my body and drags me closer. “You’re bringing this delectable body to the table.”

  I laugh. “You have one of those too. I mean, I want you to think about the things you love most about your life—taking me out of the equation—and I do the same. Then we sit down and try to come up with something that works for us both.”

  He nods thoughtfully. “I like the idea of that. But if I think if there’s anything in these suggestions that put you in an uncomfortable position, we’re going back to the original plan where I quit and we run away together.”

  “No, Marcus. This is about both of us. You can’t just bully your way to getting what you want.”

  “Ah, yes I can. And I happen to believe in the saying, ‘happy wife, happy life’. So you’re gonna have to let me give you what you need.”

  “You are ridiculous.” I laugh, my heart swelling for him as I lean in and press my lips to his. “But I’m not your wife. So that doesn’t apply.”

  “How do you feel about being spontaneous?” he murmurs against my mouth.

  I pull my head back and give him a single raised brow expression. “Why?”

  Chuckling, he grabs my face and kisses me with a flourish. “Because we’re going to Hawaii.”

  “Hawaii? Why? What about Perry?”

  “Karen can dog sit because we’re eloping,” he informs me, his face dead serious as he jumps up from the bed and pulls on a pair of boxer shorts. I reach out and tap him on the arse.

  “Marcus Bailey, is that a question or a command?”

  He switches on his phone and grins at me. “Right now, it’s a command. But when it’s time to say I do, it will be a question.” He locks eyes with me as he lifts his phone to his ear. “And you’d better fucking say yes.”

  I sit up, pulling at my lip with my teeth as I fight a grin. He wants to get married? “I guess you’ll have to wait and find out,” I tease.

  He flashes me a warning glare as the call connects and he asks about available flights and accommodation, using the rock star pull and charm to get exactly what he wants. Just like he always does.

  “Lisa,” Marcus’s soft voice calls to me, coaxing me from my sleep. “We’re landing soon.”

  I sit up and roll my shoulders, working out the kinks in my neck. “I slept the whole time?”

  “Yeah, you were beat.”

  “Did you sleep much?” I ask, noticing his iPhone in his hand and figuring he’s been occupying himself on that while I’ve been sleeping.

  “A bit. I was listening to music mostly.”

  “Oh yeah? What kind of music does the great Marcus Bailey like to listen to?” I ask with a smile as I reach over and take his phone, holding it in front of me as I scroll through his playlist. “Ah, I see you’ve been listening to a lot of the greats,” I note with smile as I scroll pasts names like Janis Joplin, Cat Stevens and Bob Marley. There’s a decent mix of modern and classic rock on here as well as his brother’s band, Matiari. “Did you know I have a playlist dedicated to you?” I ask as I continue scrolling through his list.

  “Did you know I have a playlist dedicated to you?” He reaches over and taps a few times on his phone, showing me.

  “I liked that I could feel connected to you through music. Made me think about the times you sang just for me.”

  “I can sing to you every day if you want. But you’ll need to sing for me, too.”

  I smile as I tap at his screen, going through his most recently played songs. “Huh, looks like I already have been,” I whisper.

  “Because I’ve listened to your albums on repeat?”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and show him the screen. “No. Because you found the song I wrote for you. Together We Are One is my song.” Tears form in my eyes. He heard it.

  Marcus

  I’ve never experienced whiplash before, but I think I just about gave it to myself after the surprise Lisa just dropped in my lap. “What? You are ‘Ana Gordon’? You wrote that song, and it’s about us?”

  She bites her lip and nods. “Yes. I was miserable when I left, and I wrote down all my feelings. Before I knew it, they became a song and well… I released it. I wanted my heart to speak to you even though we weren’t together.”

  “Oh baby,” I breathe, reaching out and placing my hands on either side of her face before kissing her. This woman just gets more and more amazing with every moment I spend with her. “That is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. I mean, I wish you never left in the first place, but a song for me?”

  I am just floored right now. Coupled with her distaste of the music industry and the vast difference from her old work, I never in my wildest dreams would’ve thought that was her. In this simple arrangement, her gorgeous voice takes centre stage, and her lyrics… well, they’re perfect. They spoke to me, just like they were supposed to.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Like it? I fucking love it. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  We’re getting all mushy as the captain’s voice comes over the PA system and announces that it’s time for us to prepare for decent.

  I cannot wait to make her my wife. This caveman part of me needs to put a ring on her finger so she’s unequivocally mine. I’ve had Karen get everything set up so that when we arrive at the hotel, Lisa and I can go straight to a private little alcove where we’ll be married. It may seem like we’re rushing into this, but when you find your soul mate, you know it’s right. Lisa is my one, and I’m never letting her get away again.

  Twenty-Two

  Lisa

  Our suite is enormous. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been privy to such opulence, but it’s gorgeous and I feel like a princess the moment I step through the door.

  “Go and look in the bedroom,” Marcus whispers in my ear. “You have one hour, and then a car is coming to collect us.”

  “OK.” I lean up and give him one last kiss before entering the bedroo
m and finding a rack with various beach wedding dress styles hanging on it. My god. This man really does think of everything.

  They’re all so beautiful, but as I flick though the garments there’s one that stands out most to me; a cream silk one with spaghetti straps that hangs loosely down to my ankles. It’s shaped a lot like a slip dress, but its fabric is much more decadent and feels like it’s caressing my skin as I move in it.

  I choose a pair of sandals to go with it. They have a simple Y strap that’s decorated with small pearls.

  My hair is simple to do. I spritz it with a little wax spray and scrunch it up before putting a pearl and diamond clip in one side.

  I apply a small amount of makeup; mascara and pink lipstick. Everything is simple. Everything is perfect. It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted. I want him. I need him. I love him.

  We still have a lot to talk about because our life together won’t always be easy. But I feel confident in our connection because Marcus has always known what’s best for me. And even though I’ve fought him almost every step of the way, I obviously answer a need in him too. I will happily fight with him for the rest of my life. This is the start of our forever.

  “Are you ready?” he asks at the door. I turn to him smiling. “You look stunning.”

  “You look breathtaking,” I comment, taking in his crisp linen pants and pale blue shirt. It’s a perfect cut to accentuate his lean build and broad shoulders. He’s even managed to do something with his unruly hair. He’s styled it so it’s supposed to look messy. But really, he’d look delicious no matter what he did.

  “Then we make a good pair,” he grins, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips.

  “The best,” I say in return, smiling so wide I can barely see past my cheeks.

  The journey to the alcove is a short car ride, and when we get there everything is set up and ready to go. There are flowers for me and everything. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Marcus. This is…” I release a sigh.

  “If my last act of extravagance is a last-minute wedding, there isn’t an expense too great. But, Karen deserves most of the credit. She organised it all.” He gives me a wink and a grin.

  “She’s taking your calls now?”

  “I told her you were back, and she was very quick to take my call.”

  I smile. “Of course she did.”

  “Shall we?” He nods towards the altar.

  “Definitely.”

  Our ceremony is simple and traditional in front of two witnesses and a celebrant. He reads from an open folder in front of him as Marcus and I hold hands and beam at each other.

  When it’s time for the vows, we’re asked if we’d like to say our own or have him read something for us.

  Marcus jumps in. “I’d like to say my own.” He smiles, rubbing his thumbs soothingly over the backs of my hands, speaking in his velvet smooth voice. “Lisa. I didn’t even know I had a heart capable of love until you came into my life and set it beating again. Before you, I was a stone, cold and unfeeling. I need you. You are the very epicentre of my being. I want you; for your mind, your ability to see me for me, and your willingness to fight for what you think is right. I love you, and I want you by my side always.”

  I lift his hands and kiss them as happy tears fall from my eyes. “Marcus. In a room full of people, it was your eyes I found. They drew me in and captivated me from the get go and I should have trusted in that feeling instead of fighting it. I have a lot of regrets surrounding our early days, but you need to know that every moment I shared with you fuelled my happiness until the next time we’d cross paths. You are also the epicentre of my being. When we’re apart, I swear that my soul cries. I promise to stand by you, to love you and to support you until the end of my days.”

  By now, I’m crying quite convincingly and one of the girls who is standing in as witness hands me a tissue which Marcus takes and wipes away my tears.

  “I hope these are happy tears,” he whispers, kissing each of my cheeks.

  “Very happy tears,” I whisper.

  “The rings?” the celebrant asks.

  Marcus pulls them from his pocket and hands the one for him to me with a wink. I can’t help but smile. These are the perks of being a rock star. If you can throw enough money at something, you can have the perfect wedding organised in a very short amount of time.

  As Marcus repeats the words of the ring ceremony, he holds his hand so I can’t quite see the ring but when he pushes it onto my finger and removes his hand; he reveals the most beautiful diamond solitaire I’ve ever seen.

  “Wow, that’s a beautiful rock,” I comment, watching it sparkle in the fading sunlight.

  He grins, holding his hand out so I can go through the same for him. “Look at the engraving first,” he tells me.

  I hold the platinum band between my fingers and look inside ‘Together we are one’ it says.

  “How did you…?” I ask.

  He responds with a wink and a knowing look. “It’s inside yours too. When I first heard it, the song spoke to me. I instantly thought it should be ours. Turns out it literally is.”

  I struggle to keep my voice level as I repeat the ring ceremony, feeling so glad when we get to the point where we both say ‘I do’.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the celebrant announces.

  Wrapping my arms around Marcus’s neck, we seal our union with a soul searing, head-spinning kiss. He picks me up and twirls me around before setting me on the ground and kissing me again.

  “I love you Mrs Bailey, my wife, my life.”

  “I love you too. We’re married.” I grin, not quite believing this is really happening.

  “Like I told you in the beginning, I plan on keeping you.”

  As we turn and walk back down the small aisle, the small group gathered for the ceremony throw petals over us while the speaker system plays our song.

  You have to know

  I feel the same

  I think about you everyday

  Because you and I both know

  That together we are one

  We both know

  Together we are one

  Together. We are one. And we’re never letting go again.

  Epilogue

  twelve months later…

  Marcus

  After spending our first week as a married couple, blissfully away from the Australian media, it was a bit of a rude shock to arrive back home and have the media swarming again.

  While searching for the perfect location for our country retreat, we stayed in my apartment. For two weeks, the picketers and the media hung around, waiting for either Lisa or I to do something newsworthy. We didn’t, and the world gets very tired of a happy couple very quickly.

  Eventually, the fans came around to the idea of Lisa and I together. We released the news that ‘Together we are one’ is actually her song about her time away from me. We gave Sandra an exclusive interview detailing the beginnings of our relationship along with a photo session and some pictures of the wedding. It was a four page spread in Voyuer magazine and was picked up by various international publications, making Sandra Haegan a hot commodity.

  The only people who remained upset with me were my parents. Naomi and Theo understood why we went and eloped, even though they wished they’d been there. But my parents weren’t happy at all. My mother wore black for the first three months. But when a pipe burst in their roof, they came to stay with us for a couple of weeks and got to see how happy Lisa makes me. So she’s finally wearing colour again and my father is speaking to me in longer sentences and grunts less these days. It’s a slow process though.

  Lisa still wasn’t willing to accept me giving up my career with her. So we used the stunt Craig and Karen pulled to renegotiate the deal. I still have to give them their albums, but they’ve knocked twelve months off my contract, and when I tour, Matiari is my support, my wife always comes with me and we don’t talk to the press unless the interview is pre-organised and the repor
ter vetted. It doesn’t stop the paparazzi and speculation, but after talking to a few other players in the industry with successful relationships, this was the advice they had for us—keep your loved ones close and only show the public what you want them to see. So far, it’s working for us.

  And in twelve months’ time, I won’t be locked into a contract at all.

  I’ll be a free agent, independently recorded on a small label I’m starting with my brother. The only two acts they’ll be producing are Matiari and The Marked.

  The Marked is Lisa and me, named for her surname and my first name. We’ve found this amazing house in the country just like she wanted, and we’ve had our own recording studio built in. Together, we’re making some pretty amazing music and once my contract is up, we’ll be ready to go with our own stuff on our own terms.

  Lisa’s and my middle ground is a house in the country and an independent duo. I’m so fucking in love with her.

  A few years ago, I was angry and selfish and I’d closed my heart off to the possibility of anything like love. I know now that I just hadn’t met the right woman yet. I guess she was too busy driving cars through people’s front windows…

  Standing in our kitchen drinking coffee, I say a silent thank you to the universe as I look through our back windows and watch my wife in the backyard trying to feed the chickens while Perry barks and runs through them, sending them squawking and racing about. Lisa is laughing and smiling with her golden hair—her natural colour—blowing in her face as she tries to get Perry to calm down.

  Placing my mug on the bench top, I venture outside and help her get the chickens back into the coop to before wrapping my arms around her middle.