“Okay,” Benji said with a small smile.
“Out of all the places that Jagged Ivory has been, what is your favorite place?”
Benji looked at him blankly for a moment. And in his mind, he briefly thought about simply pulling an answer out of the sky. But he knew that he couldn't do that, no matter how embarrassing the truth was. He smiled somewhat apologetically as he took a breath.
“In all honesty, Dave … I can't really answer that question. See, the reason I'm so excited for the Australian leg of this tour to begin is because … I don't really have a clear memory of anyplace Jagged Ivory has been. I was way too out of it most of the time to remember much. I know that I've been to Australia before because it was on the last tour's schedule, and my passport says that I've been there. But I couldn't really tell you much about it.”
He looked down at his plate feeling like such a loser, and he was certain that Dave and Wayne would probably think he was a real prize. They'd probably tell Fae to run for the hills. Fae reached over and took his hand, giving it a light squeeze. And when he looked up, he found her smiling at him. He returned her squeeze. And when he ventured an awkward glance at their guests, he was surprised to find the two men exchanging a smile of their own.
As they were finishing up Fae's very impressive Carmel Nut tart for dessert, Wayne suddenly asked for a quick tour of the house. She had told them that Benji was renting the place, but as they all walked through it together, Wayne and Dave were surprised to hear that he had decided to buy it.
“Oh, well I can certainly understand why,” Wayne gushed. “Fae, you were right. This place is absolutely gorgeous! And I love the décor. You aren't going to change much are you?” he asked looking at Benji.
Benji looked at him with a baffled expression. “Um … I … don't know,” he said, clearly at a loss. “Hadn't given it much thought actually. I guess I'd planned to just … do whatever my girlfriend said,” he offered, shrugging his shoulders as he smiled at Fae.
“Oh, straight men,” Wayne said with a roll of his eyes, and they all laughed at him.
They continued their tour, going upstairs to the second floor and even outside to look at the grounds. And when they finally ventured back inside, Wayne spoke up saying, “Well, now we have to find you someplace fabulous, Fae, so that we can finally put a finish on your never-ending house hunt.”
“Oh, please,” Dave chimed in with a laugh. “You know what her impossible criteria are for the perfect house!”
“Yes, I know,” Wayne smiled. And Fae could feel herself blushing.
“What's that?” Benji asked, wondering why she looked so embarrassed all of a sudden.
“She's looking for the perfect place for all of her faeries to live, of course,” Dave teased her.
“That's right. There must be a dining room and its walls have to be perfect or it will never work,” Wayne added.
Fae knew that she had turned beet red. But she also knew that their joking wasn't meant to be mean or hurtful. She saw Benji smile at their comments and felt like crawling under the nearest table. But when he let go of her hand and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side, she instantly calmed.
“Well, now that you mention it … my new dining room walls are really smooth,” he said quietly as he looked at her. “And kind of plain. They could use a makeover. And I was sort of hoping that all those faeries might want to live here. With me.”
Fae stared into his eyes with a stunned expression. Was he joking? She knew that he had a silly sense of humor, and she loved that about him, but was this really the type of thing that he would make jokes about?
“Aww! God, you two are so completely sweet to each other! I swear I just want to eat you both up with a spoon,” Wayne exclaimed as Fae and Benji both looked at him with bashful smiles.
Dave rolled his eyes at him. “You swoon over commercials for breakfast cereal,” he said sarcastically. “Come on. Let's go home and leave the lovebirds to discuss this new development in private, shall we?”
There were handshakes and hugs all around as they said goodnight at the door. And as Dave enveloped her in a bear hug, he whispered, “He is such a keeper, sweet pea. I think our Faerie Princess found the right one this time.”
Fae could feel herself smiling from ear to ear at his words, and a huge swell of relief washed over her. And when they were gone, she turned to Benji and said nothing as she stared at him for a long moment.
“To answer your question from before,” he began with a smile. “Yes. I like Dave and Wayne a lot.”
She still said nothing as they stood in the entryway. She just stared at him.
“What?”
“What?” she repeated. “That's all you have to say for yourself?”
Benji shrugged his shoulders at her, a slow grin crossing his lips.
“You ask me to move in with you in front of Wayne and Dave! They're practically my adoptive parents, you know?”
Benji shrugged again. “Like I told them when they got here … I like to know where I stand,” he smiled. “At least this way, I know that Wayne's on my side. Now I just have to work on Dave.”
“Oh, don't bother,” she said with mock irritation. “You won him over too. Before they left, he whispered to me that you're a keeper.”
“Woo!” Benji yelped with a single clap of his hands, as if his favorite team had just scored a major field goal. “Alright,” he shouted. “Just won over the parents! That's what I'm talking about!”
She giggled at him as he took her into his arms and kissed her temple. Then she looked into his eyes as she grew serious. “Benji … were you serious about me moving in with you?”
He frowned at her. “Well, of course, I'm serious. You think I would ask you something so important in front of other people if I didn't mean it?”
“But moving in together is a big step.”
“I know it's a big step, Fae. But I don't understand where your reluctance is coming from,” he said quietly as he looked at her. “I mean, you practically live here already. My bathroom is full of your things, there's a block of your clothes in my closet and on the shelves in there. That kitchen is already yours. You know more about it than I do.”
“But what about focusing on your sobriety?”
He frowned slightly at her as he continued to hold her. “What about it? I've been focusing on my sobriety for the last six months. That hasn't changed. I go to at least one meeting each week, no matter what city we're in. I talk to my sponsor on the phone regularly. Noah and I keep each other honest every day,” he shrugged at her. “Things have been good; you know all of this. I mean … have I given you reason to worry?”
“No, you haven't,” she assured him. “And I am so proud of you. But I just … I don't want us to do anything that could set you back.”
He smiled at her, but he was quiet for a long moment as he thought about her words. “Okay, how about this? We leave things as they are for now, we go off to Australia, and then on to Asia. But when the tour finally wraps in late December, I'm going to ask you again to move in with me. And I'm going to want an answer then. Deal?”
She stared up into his eyes. “Deal,” she answered softly. And he kissed her passionately for a moment. She smiled at him as he held her in his arms. “Would you really let me paint faeries on the dining room walls?” she asked softly, piercing him with her soft blue eyes.
He smiled at her. “Baby, you can paint faeries in every room of our house if it'll make you happy.”
“Our house?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Our house,” he smiled.
The End.
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Jagged Secrets
Prologue
Janie sat wringing her hands and silently praying. Why was this happening? Why was this happening now? So soon after losing her mother? Hadn't she been through enough? She couldn't lose him too. He was all she had left in th
is world. Please!
She paced around the hospital waiting area, fighting to hold back the tears, for what seemed like forever as she tried to understand why this was happening. What kind of sick karma was this? Was she being punished for something? Had she done something so horrible in a past life to warrant this kind of misery and torture? Was this happening because she had kept the truth from Robby for so long? She had kept their son from him for years, so now he was being taken away from her as retribution. Was this some sort of cosmic payback? Why did she keep losing the people she loved?
They had spent a perfectly lovely afternoon in the park. Something the two of them did on a regular basis. Something they both loved and enjoyed. And it was working. The spring air with its beautiful pink and white blooming dogwoods and purple Eastern Redbuds were lifting both their spirits. How had it all gone so wrong so quickly? She had been sitting on a park bench, breathing in deep and letting the sweet-smelling air fill her lungs completely. Looking up at the activity around her she had taken in the joggers and the dog-walkers, smiling at the adorable canines as they passed by. And she watched the small group of little boys laughing and playing in the distance. She hadn't been sure what game they were playing exactly, but she watched them intently for a long time. They all appeared to be having great fun, running and laughing as they chased each other around the park. She remembered smiling as she watched them, at times almost wishing she could join them. They seemed so carefree and happy, as if there was nothing more pressing in their world than the rules of the game they had been playing.
Janie felt herself frowning now as she tried to remember what that felt like. To go through life without a care in the world, knowing that everything would always be okay because your parents were superheroes who would always be there and would never allow anything bad to happen to you. She couldn't imagine it anymore – a life without struggle and worry. With no loss and no heartbreak. With no pain.
She sighed as she realized that this train of thought was getting her nowhere. She had gone to the park to get her mind off of things, not to dwell on them. But that's all she had done – dwell on her problems and her grief. And her loneliness.
She missed her mother. She knew it was crazy. She and her mother argued nearly every day of the week about some trivial thing or another. But through it all, she had always known that her mother was her very best friend, and she missed her like mad now that she was gone. Janie would give anything to be able to tell her that. To be able to tell her that she loved her and that she missed their talks. And her lectures. What she wouldn't give to hear her mother admonish her about the choices she was making just one more time. But it wasn't just her mother she was missing, Janie knew. She had lost so many people. First her dad, and now her mom. And then there was always Robby.
Her parents she could understand. Her father's car accident had been so unexpected, but it was something she could at least comprehend. And her mother had been ill for the last few years, so as much as it hurt, it wasn't a total surprise. But Robby … Janie still had a hard time with that one. Why he was no longer in her life. Of course, he didn't exactly leave her, did he? She had been the one who had foolishly pushed him away, insisting that they couldn't be together anymore. She had basically forced him to leave. She could still see the hurt look in his eyes every time she thought about that awful day. But his smile haunted her. She saw it a million times each day, and she lived for it. And now that bright, happy smile might be leaving her life as well.
Why was this happening? Why couldn't the doctors figure out what was wrong with him? Unable to hold it in any longer, Janie broke down into sobs as she buried her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably and feeling so completely and utterly alone.
Chapter One
The roar of the crowd vibrated the entire stadium, and Buzzy could feel the rumble in his bones. He loved this part. That moment when the last song has ended and the crowd realizes that the show is over. Their screams always get a little louder, their applause a little harder. And the adrenalin courses through your body in waves.
He smiled as he stood up, stepping away from his drum kit and hopping down off the two-foot riser with his sticks still in his hand. He joined his bandmates at the front of the stage, hooking his arm around Noah Ivory's waist as they all bent over and took a bow. With a flick of his neck, he let his long black hair flow over his shoulders as they straightened up. He always wished he had a camera at this point of the night so he could take a panoramic shot of the crowd and take them with him. Maybe he would get Mercy to do that for him sometime. It was times like this that made him think about when Jagged Ivory was just starting out and playing bars and small clubs around L.A. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that they were now packing arenas all around the world. Talk about a dream come true.
They were all just dreamers back then, he thought as they stood on the stage and tossed out a few guitar picks into the crowd. Just five simple guys with nothing but dreams. Well, that and a lot of heart, and a whole lot of determination. Buzzy had been playing drums since he was about knee high, and he had met a lot of musicians in that time. Played in a lot of garage bands. But he had never met a more like-minded bunch or felt such a kinship with another group of guys. They were fond of telling people they were brothers, not bandmates, and Buz knew that it was an idea that they all truly believed in. He had two brothers by blood – Donald and Gregory – and he loved them both dearly. But he had never felt as close to them, or as understood by them as he did to his four Jagged Ivory brothers. They felt more like family to him than anyone else in his life.
“Thank you, Cleveland,” Otis shouted into the microphone. “Goodnight!”
The words caught Buzzy's attention and pulled him back to the here and now. It was always a surreal experience for him, playing Cleveland, Ohio. Even though he had lived pretty much everywhere while he was growing up, he always thought of Cleveland as home. Probably because she was here. Or at least … she was still here last he had heard. This is where it had all gone down. Where he first met her. Where she became his life. Where she had pushed him away and broken his heart so many years ago.
But he shoved those thoughts away to the back of his mind as the band left the stage and made their way through the bowels of the Q Arena and down to the dressing room. And he smiled to himself as he watched Cory rush past him to grab his cell phone and call his wife.
“Man, you are so whipped it is not even funny,” Buzzy said, laughing at him.
“Fuck you, Buzzy,” Cory smiled as he dialed. “Donna and I haven't been back together long but we are in a really good place right now.”
“I'm just messing with you, man,” Buz couldn't help smiling at him. Cory had been on cloud nine for weeks now. Ever since he and Donna had reconciled and stopped their divorce proceedings.
“Besides, I want to see how my little boy's doing,” Cory added.
“You know it's a boy?” Noah asked, clearly surprised.
“Yeah, man,” Cory smiled. “She had an appointment with the doctor earlier today. She told me it was a boy right before we went out on stage tonight.”
“Congratulations, man!” There were several hugs and pats on the back as they all rushed to share in Cory's joy.
Buzzy grabbed a towel and began wiping the sweat from his face and arms. He really needed a quick shower before they headed out tonight. He and Otis and Cory were going to check out The Velvet Dog, one of Cleveland's hottest spots for nightlife, and he was psyched about it. He had been there a few times on trips home to see his mom when she still lived here, and it was always a good time. He wished Noah and Benji were coming too, but he understood their reasons for declining. The club and party scene was still a little too much for either of them to handle. But Buz was proud of the way they were both guarding their sobriety so fiercely.
“Yo, Benji,” he heard Noah call out, as if the guitarist had been reading Buz's thoughts. “Would you and Fae mind some company for dinner tonight?”
&
nbsp; Benji smiled at him. “Nah, man. Where you and Mercy want to eat?”
Buz smiled at the exchange as he listened to the two make plans. And he looked up and made a face for the camera when Mercy called his name.
“Oh, that will look great on the website Tour Journal,” she smiled at him, and he laughed at her. A female voice suddenly shrieked loudly, piercing the entire backstage area.
“Oh, my God. You are Noah Ivory!”
Buzzy turned to check out the chick in hysterics and his gaze lingered a second as he took in the shapely legs that seemed to go on forever, disappearing beneath one of the shortest skirts he thought he'd ever seen. Her halter top was black lace, and it bared her midriff and cinched her ample breasts up high, like a corset, leaving very little to the imagination. Long auburn hair floated to the middle of her back. The term “hot” was an understatement for this one. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was very obviously hell on wheels.
“Good evening, ladies,” Noah smiled as he greeted the girl and her friends. It was clear that these girls weren't part of the usual group of fan club or tour promoter VIPs. They had found their way to the dressing room for one reason, and one reason only.
“Oh, my God,” Ms. Halter Top repeated with another excited squeal. “I can't believe I'm really back here! You were so freaking hot out there on that stage, Noah! I swear, I felt like you were playing just for me.”
Noah laughed slightly at her, but refused to burst her bubble. If the female fans wanted to believe that he was playing his guitar solely for them, he wasn't about to tell them otherwise. “Well, thank you for coming to the show. I'm glad you ladies had a good time.”
“Can I get your autograph, pretty please,” Ms. Halter Top sweetly purred, fishing a pen out of her purse.
“Absolutely,” he responded, taking the pen from her hands. Then he looked at her expectantly. “Do you have a program or an autograph book or something?”
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 57
