“Yes, you do.” I cleared my throat. My dad deserved to know why he’d been thrown in the middle of the war between Sebastian and me, didn’t he?
Taking a deep breath, I started at the beginning.
Chapter Sixteen
Sebastian
I surveyed the inside of The Wagon Wheel. Families ate at tables, singles crowded the bar and leather-clad guys and tattooed women played pool at the far end of the spacious saloon. I could see why Liam had stayed here so long. The place was hopping for a Tuesday evening, and in a small town like Gardnerville, Nevada no less. Even better, they were about to get karaoke going. I hoped to get India up on that stage. I glanced at the stool next to me where she played on my phone. I’d have to get her one of her own. Soon.
“Hi, I’m Marianne. Anytime you need something, I’m your girl. Can I start you off with a drink?”
“I’m good with iced tea.”
“Hi.” India smiled up at Marianne. “I’ll have the same. And a burger with everything.”
I grinned. “I’ll have the same.”
The waitress turned to go, then doubled back and eyed me. “You’re one of the guys from Full Throttle?”
I nodded, but I wasn’t too worried about being rushed. Out in Hollywood, the paparazzi had fallen in love with me when I’d made it to the Most Beautiful people list. But as a front man, Liam was much better known, which left me more likely to safely navigate the crowds of small towns easily without being mauled.
“Be right back with your drinks.” She swung around and disappeared into the crowd.
A few minutes after the waitress dropped off our drinks, one of the other chairs at our table scraped across the floor, and a gorgeous brunette claimed the chair. “I thought I made it clear we didn’t want Liam or his kind around here?”
I chuckled. “Then stop tempting us with all this.” I waved my hand to encompass the entire saloon.
“I’m Breanna.” She held out her hand to me, then India. “Staying at Emma’s old place?”
“Yes, but I got roped into doing some house repairs while I’m there.” I scoffed playfully. “I probably would’ve been better off at a hotel.”
“Probably.” She grinned. “I’m visiting Emma in a few weeks. You guys have any gigs in the area soon?”
“No, but Aidan could arrange something if the rest of the guys are up for it.” I glanced over at the stage. “You’re managing this place right now, yeah?”
“Until the owner comes back from sabbatical.” She scowled. “I think I liked waitressing better. More action.”
“Maybe you need more to do. Like get us a song list?” I snuck a peek at India who was on my phone, engrossed with reading memes. “And you could let us slide if we do something that isn’t country.”
“I gotcha covered.” She flashed me a smile, stood and pushed the chair back in. “Be right back.”
Because I was a guy and I loved gawking at a hot girl as much as the next guy, I checked her out as she sashayed to the stage, weaving between tables. My gaze drifted away and I slumped a little lower in my chair. No matter how great Breanna looked in that short skirt, I’d still rather look at Violet.
India placed my phone on the bar. “You’re not thinking about her again, are you?”
I laughed once, trying to cover my discomfort. “Who?”
“Are you ever going to tell me what spooked you?” India rolled her eyes when I shook my head. “Sebastian, why the hell are we still in the middle of nowhere? Don’t get me wrong, I love this town. And I’m grateful to spend time with you. But you’re supposed to be cleaning up your image, remember? You can’t do that from here. You need to be home, seeing and being seen.”
Breanna slipped the karaoke list in front of me and then disappeared again.
“Thanks,” I called out.
“You’re going to sing?” India asked with a frown.
“I’m not singing. You are.” I slid the paper across the table until it sat right in front of her.
She drew in a long, shaky breath and stared at the piece of paper as if it were a dirty toilet. “I haven’t sang in a while.”
“Well,” I softened my voice, “you sounded pretty amazing last time I heard you.”
“What if I’m not anymore, though?” Her eyes found me. “What if I suck?”
“Doll, if you’re even half as good as you used to be, you’re going to bring the house down.”
She beamed. “You thought I was that good?”
“No way.” I shook my head. “I thought you were that great.”
She covered my hand with both of hers. “You’re a good brother, you know? You always were.”
I layered my free hand over hers. “You make it easy. Thank you for coming back to me.”
“You’re welcome.” She grinned. “Now tell me what happened with Violet.”
I groaned. “We’re back to that?”
“And we’ll keep coming back to it until you deliver the goods.” Her eyes widened as Marianne slid a plate in front of her. “Ooh, will ya look at that.”
“Thank you,” I told the waitress as she delivered my burger. “Okay.”
“You’re going to tell me?” She set down her burger and her eyes snapped to mine.
I lifted the top bun and squeezed ketchup onto the patty. “She withheld information, something I deserved to know. I didn’t appreciate it.”
“And you fired her.” India bit into the burger and sauce dripped out the bottom. “Without even talking to her about it.”
“What’s to talk about?” Damn, and now I wasn’t really all that hungry for the burger. “She did what she did. Not cool. I walked. End of story.”
“But you love her.” India poked me in the chest. “You’re in love with her, yet you didn’t think she deserved the chance to defend herself. Worse, you did it over text. Lame, bro. Really lame.”
“But you don’t know what she did. How can I be the one at fault when you only know half the story?” I pushed my plate away.
“Same way you can lay the blame on her when you only know half the story.” She smirked. “I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying you didn’t give her a chance. Maybe what she did was wrong, maybe not. I don’t know. But you have to take the time to hear her side, understand why she did it. Hey, she’s probably not perfect and I haven’t known her long at all. But I’ll never forget how safe she made me feel. I’ve been around bad people, Sebastian, we both have. I know the difference. They aren’t capable of that kind of caring.”
My throat burned in frustration. Damn, Violet had really whipped me. Worse, I wanted so badly to hear her out, let her convince me she didn’t do anything wrong. I wanted her to be the girl of my dreams. Hell, before I’d figured out her deception, she was the girl of my dreams. Maybe she still was…
“Okay. We’ll leave in the morning.” I’d see Violet right away. And even if she didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear and I lost hope, at least maybe I’d be able to move on. Appetite restored, I took a giant-sized bite of the burger.
“No offense, Sebastian, but you’ve been really rotten company since we left L.A. I vote we leave after dinner, go directly to Violet’s and see how this plays out.”
I shook my head. “I’m not arriving on her doorstep at eleven and getting her out of a deep sleep.”
One side of India’s mouth curled up, one brow raised. “Have you looked at the timestamps on the texts she sends you every night? She’s not sleeping well. Maybe a good conversation might help with her insomnia.”
Violet had been up at all hours? Sleep deprivation wasn’t good for the baby. Our baby. Aw, hell, I needed to get back to Los Angeles.
Chapter Seventeen
Violet
And still no Sebastian. Where the hell had he gone? And it was ten o’clock at night, for crying out loud. Why was I at his place again instead of sleeping?
Because being home and trying to fall asleep at a normal hour was pointless.
I started u
p my car and was about to turn left and go back home. Steering the opposite direction, I headed to Faith’s. We’d talked a lot over the last couple years. Well, not a lot, but some. Certainly more than I’d talked with other women. I’d been too focused on my education and career to make a lot of friends. But I’d always liked Faith. She was adventurous and she’d grown up with Liam, Theo and Sebastian. Maybe she’d know where he went. Besides, when I’d seen her at Sebastian’s house the other day, she had suggested we hang out.
I parked on the street in front of her house, praying she was still up. The light was on in the dining room and shadows passed over the curtain. I was in luck. Before I got a chance to knock, Faith flung the door open. “Hey, Violet. What’s going on?”
Not knowing where to even begin, I looked to the dark sky and blew a raspberry.
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Come inside and tell me all about it. Don’t mind the mess. I have a three-year-old. He’s sleeping right now though. Good move on your part avoiding the chaos.”
Toys littered the floor of her small house and the kitchen looked like a chemist was having a party. I made my way to the counter. “Making meth?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Homemade vanilla extract. As soon as I get that going, I’m moving onto organic facial wash.”
“Wow.” I stooped down to sniff a small bottle. “Patchouli?”
“The nose knows.” She giggled at her lame joke and washed her hands in the kitchen sink. “It’s very therapeutic. It can be used as a fungicidal or deodorant and it heals a myriad of skin problems.”
I inhaled over another bottle. Lavender, my favorite.
She dried her hands on a towel. “I’m thinking this isn’t a social call and I seriously doubt you came all the way over here to sniff my stuff. What gives?”
“Sebastian isn’t speaking to me.” I groaned and hung my head, reluctant to tell anyone too much. “He just disappeared with India and no one’s heard from him. Except my dad who he told to relay a message to me. Wasn’t friendly either.”
She slid onto a stool at the kitchen counter. “And he’s not talking to you because…?”
Tugging my ears, I studied the plain white ceiling as I decided on the proper wording. “I kept certain pieces of information from him and he’s pissed about it.”
Faith pursed her lips. “I’m getting the feeling that it’s information you want to keep from me as well. Rather than me try to pry it out of you, why don’t you just skip to the good parts and hit me with the real problem?”
“No problem, really. Not that can be solved. I just needed a sounding board.” At her hand flourish, I continued. “See, I like Sebastian. Too much actually. But we’re not right for each other and—”
“Wait,” she interrupted. “Why aren’t you right for each other?”
I shrugged. “For starters, he’s a celebrity and I don’t date actors or musicians.”
She snorted. “As well you shouldn’t. That’s just sound judgment. Go on.”
“And we’re not at all alike. He’s laid-back and I’m extremely organized with attention to detail.”
“You can say it, Violet.” Faith smirked. “Anal. Say it with me.”
“Fine. I’m anal.” I emptied my lungs with a whoosh. “And I’m afraid he won’t be able to keep up. You know, I’ve got a masters degree and he barely made it through high school.”
She nodded, pursing her lips. “So you don’t think he’s smart enough for you.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t want to be in a relationship where I’m doing all the thinking.” There, I’d said it. And, yes, I felt like an ass. I knew Sebastian wasn’t a moron, but I just couldn’t let go of my lifelong fantasy of having an astoundingly intelligent guy who could keep up with my logic.
“Well, let me ask you. Can you play guitar?”
I hesitated, wondering why she was asking me such a ridiculous question. “No.”
“Can you write lyrics?” she asked. I shook my head. “Or write music to go along with the words, arrange the chords and all that?”
I moaned. “Where is this going?”
“Would you have been able to survive if you’d been on your own at eighteen?” she asked. I didn’t bother answering that question and she didn’t wait for one. “Could you fix your car if it broke down or handle a leaky pipe on your own?”
I didn’t answer any of the questions. Since all answers were an obvious no, I assumed her questions were rhetorical. Silence from Faith, finally. Realizing I probably wouldn’t leave for a few more minutes, I slid onto the stool next to her, waiting for her to fire the next question.
“How many highly educated people—lawyers, doctors, engineers—have you met who are happier than the rest of us? Doesn’t mean a thing, only that they have potential to make more money. And we all know that doesn’t buy happiness.” She paused, tilting her head as if measuring her next words. “I’ve known Sebastian a long time. He’s made plenty of mistakes, but he’s also learned what not to do. And despite his awful childhood, he figured out how to rise above it and be happy. How many people in this world are smart enough to figure out how to live an honest life where they can be genuinely happy? Everyone has their own brand of smart. You’re book smart. He’s life smart.”
She waited, letting that sink in and then continued. “He’d never try to be as organized as you or try to make decisions on public relations. And you could never compete with him on other levels. Sebastian is gifted, make no mistake about that.”
I whined, an ache beginning in my heart and seeping into my stomach. My legs were feeling it too, the new awareness sucking away all my energy. I wasn’t sure if I could drag my ass to my car. I stared down at the counter, seeing nothing but Sebastian smiling at me, being sweet to me, composing a beautiful song. “I’ve been such a loser.”
“Nah. A total loser wouldn’t have come over here for my wise words of wisdom.” She grinned. “And on the other matter, why don’t you date celebrities or musicians?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. They’re self-absorbed, think they’re better than everyone else and… well, isn’t that enough?”
Faith slowly moved her head up and down. “You don’t look in the mirror much, do you?”
Did she really just imply that I thought I was better than other people?
But wasn’t that what I’d been doing with Sebastian? And I was not better than him. He was generous and kind, all the best traits I was apparently devoid of. I groaned and banged my forehead on the counter. “Guess I’m not as smart as I thought. Because if I had any brains at all, I would’ve taken all that into account and I wouldn’t have thrown him away like that. I’m a complete dumbass.”
“That you are.”
I lifted my head and gave her the death glare. “You’re not helping.”
“Of course I am.” She shot me a smug smile. “You arrived here all lost. And now you know what you need to do. Grovel at his feet. A lot.”
Yes, I knew what I needed to do. Renewed purpose shot adrenaline through me. “You’re the best.” I hopped off the stool and threw my arms around her. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“You’d better.”
I swung the door open, then called over my shoulder, “And I want some of that facial wash.”
“Wait!” She rounded the counter, plucking up a tiny brown bottle, and thrust it at me. “Vanilla bean extract. He likes to cook. Maybe this will butter him up.”
Ten minutes later, I veered to the side and stopped at the curb. I rummaged through my purse for my cell and found Sebastian’s text thread. Please call me. Please. At least give me a chance to explain. I sent the text, then waited a moment. There had to be something else I could say, something that would show why he should listen to me. I hate you. I mean I really, really detest you.
He’d know what I really meant, that I was falling in love with him. I’d opened myself to all kinds of hurt, given him a way to break me. I prayed he wouldn’t, tha
t he was too generous to rub it in. I hoped he cared about me even half as much as I cared for him.
As soon as I walked into my house, I jumped into the shower. I left my hair dripping while I put on some water to boil for lemon tea.
It had been an hour and Sebastian hadn’t answered my text. If he still cared about me, if he was open to hearing from me, if there was any hope for us, wouldn’t he have answered that text?
Sitting at the dining room table, I brought my legs up, folded my arms around them, and then I rested my forehead on my knees. He was probably out partying with some hot girl, maybe even drinking. Maybe even touching her. Probably touching her a lot.
Pounding at the door had me jumping and when the heel of my foot slid off the edge of the chair, I almost fell off. What the hell was my dad doing up this late? I stumbled to the door and flung it open.
I stared at the tall, dark figure at my door. “Sebastian,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.” And the waterworks started. Damn hormones. “Please let me explain what happened.”
His face remained immobile, emotionless. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
Behind Sebastian at the end of the driveway, the LR4 peeled out. “Wasn’t that your car?” I asked.
“Yes. With my cell phone in it.” Sebastian stared at the empty street and scratched his head. “I can’t even call India to tell her to get her ass back here.”
I suppressed a smile and headed to the kitchen, waiting for him to follow me. “I was just making some tea. Want some?”
“No.” His voice took on a hard edge.“I need you to say what you have to say so I can go.”
My fingers froze around the teapot handle. He wasn’t going to make this easy for me. Fine. I’d be honest and speak from my heart. And if he still didn’t want me, then I’d eventually convince myself that it wasn’t meant to be. But I wasn’t going to hurry so he could leave any sooner. I lifted the teapot and carefully, very carefully so my trembling hands wouldn’t miss and spill boiling water all over the counter, poured the water into my mug.
I took a deep, cleansing breath and went for it. “See, when I started working with you, I was pissed. Because you acted like what had happened meant nothing to you.” I swished the teabag around, peeking up at him from under my lashes. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was unreadable. “And, secretly, I kind of liked you. That you didn’t acknowledge our night together, and didn’t seem to care at all, well, it made me feel small and insignificant. I was hurt. And to cover that up, I behaved badly.”
The Baby and the Rock Star (Rock Star Kisses Book 2) Page 13
