Worthy of the Dissonance (Mountains & Men Book 3)

by R. C. Martin

  The money being deposited into Natalya’s account each month—it’s his.

  “What garnishment?” she manages to ask.

  “Back child support,” he states, his face contorted in an expression filled with contempt. “That bitch didn’t ask me for a single dime in all the years that you were under her roof. Not a penny. Then, out of nowhere three months ago, she comes at me with this nonsense. She claimed I was in arrears for twelve year’s worth of child support. Twelve years.”

  Millie shakes her head, and I watch as she gets that look on her face that she has when she’s working on grading homework assignments. I wonder what she’s thinking until she says, “After our fight.” She coughs out a sad laugh and shakes her head again. “She needed a target. She didn’t have me anymore, so she went after you.”

  “Are you saying I have you to thank for this?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow at her.

  “You’ve got to be fucking joking,” I spit out, scrunching my brow at him. “This isn’t Millie’s fault, and you know it. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Sage—” Millie murmurs.

  “No, Millicent, I won’t let him talk to you like that,” I insist, relaxing my face as my eyes lock with hers.

  “I named you. I named you and I’m not allowed to call you by that name, but he is?”

  I want to reach across the table and punch this dickhead in the nose. I haven’t wanted to hit someone this badly since Clay and I got into it on tour. I don’t realize I’m squeezing Millie’s hand too tight until she pinches at my skin, gaining my attention. When I look back at her apologetically, her eyes tell me to back down. With a deep breath, I concede, surrendering the floor to my girl.

  “If you’re here about the garnishment, fine. She’s dead; can’t you just tell the courts and make them stop it?” she asks with a shrug.

  “No. It doesn’t work that way. You, as the owner of her estate, will have to forgive the debt. It’s all in here,” he says, pushing the envelop across the table. “Technically, you’re supposed to appear in court. However, it can be arranged for you to call in, if that’s more convenient.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” she mumbles, taking the envelop and shoving it into her purse.

  He studies her for a moment as silence invades the space between us and him. Then, without any preamble, he stands and begins sliding on his coat.

  “Wh—that’s it? You’re leaving?” she breathes.

  “You’re right. I don’t know you. I look at you and I see who you are, but I see her, too. My blood might run through your veins, but you don’t belong to me. Now we can both move on, assured that we’re doing just fine without the other. At least I’ll leave with the peace of knowing you didn’t turn out like her.”

  Millie’s mouth falls open as she watches him retrieve his wallet, throwing a couple bills on the table. Without another word, he turns and makes his exit.

  “Oh, my god,” she whispers. “Did that just happen?”

  I debate whether or not I should go after him and kick his ass for about two seconds. Then I’m on my feet, hurrying after him. He hasn’t gotten very far, and when I call his name, he stops and looks over his shoulder. I jog toward him and he turns to face me. I come within inches of his chest, looking him straight in the eye.

  “You’re such a fuck-up.”

  “Get out of my face, kid.”

  I scrunch my face in disgust, ignoring his request. “What is wrong with you? You keep walking out on her like she’s garbage. She deserves better than that.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are? I’m not going to explain myself to some punk-ass loser who doesn’t know shit. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll make sure she follows through with forgiving this debt. Don’t think for one second that I’m going to fund your lifestyle while your band is getting there.”

  I take a step closer, eradicating the space between us as my chest bumps his. My blood is boiling, and I have to ball my hands into tight fists to keep from knocking the shit out of him. Then I look straight into his eyes—eyes the same shade as Millicent’s—and I realize that he’s no more than a cold-hearted bastard. He’s not even worth it. Hitting him wouldn’t change the last twenty years; it wouldn’t get Millie her father back. Even more, it wouldn’t mend the heart of the woman I’ve left at the table inside. She’s all that matters. Not this prick who has no fucking idea who he’s throwing away.

  “I don’t want to ever see your face again. Not that I think you will, but don’t come back. Don’t even call. Just stay away. For good.”

  A snide smile crosses his face, and my gut tells me I need to back down before I do something supid.

  “How noble of you.”

  “Fuck off,” I spit out before I turn and walk away.

  It isn’t until I’m back inside the warmth of the restaurant that I realize I left my jacket on the back of my chair. I shake off the chill as I walk past the hostess station, stopping dead in my tracks when I spot our table. Pepper’s in my seat, smiling at Carter with Sophia resting against her chest. Carter’s sitting across Millie’s lap, showing off his activity page on the reverse side of his kid’s menu. The anger that coursed through my veins just a moment ago begins to dissipate as I make my way toward them. I don’t stop until I’m just beside Millie. She looks up at me when I reach up and give the back of her neck a squeeze. She forces a smile, but I can see the pain in her eyes.

  “Please take me home,” she whispers.

  “Whatever you want, doll.”

  “Hey,” Rosy speaks softly, approaching hesitantly. She’s got a to-go bag in her hand, which she hands to me as she says, “I saw the dramatic exit. Thought you two might be next. Try and eat anyway, okay? On the house, of course.”

  “Thanks, sis.”

  She nods before scooping Carter out of Millie’s lap. She whispers something in his ear and then tickles his side, making him laugh and squirm as they head back toward Harry and Henley.

  “Dinner at my house on Sunday,” Pepper says as she stands, giving Millie’s shoulder a squeeze. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “We’ll be there,” I say, my gaze still trained on Millie. She offers no more than a slight nod, but Pepper doesn’t mind. She comes toward me and kisses my cheek before offering me a wink as she heads back to her table.

  Millie stands without a word, and we both slip into our coats before making our way to the exit. She clings to my arm as we walk out into the cold. I press a kiss against her forehead, wishing I knew what to say.

  “Sage?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Why do you love me?”

  I jolt to a stop, my stomach dropping at her question. Suddenly, I wish I hadn’t held back against that son of a bitch. I should have broken his nose.

  I slip my arm from out of her grasp, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her against my side as I look into her green eyes. “You make my heart sing, doll.” I shake my head, sure that there’s no other way to describe it. “It sounds cheesy as fuck, I know. I could stand here and list off all the reasons why one night with you was never going to be enough; I could tell you why the thought of losing you after I fought so hard to win you turned me into a pathetic sack of shit; I could explain the way you make me feel just by entering a room—but it all comes down to one simple truth. You make my heart sing. You’re my best girl, baby. I love you because I can’t help it.”

  She circles her arms about my waist as a single tear races down her cheek. I lean down and wipe it away with my lips. Before I pull away, Millie turns her head until her lips meet mine. She kisses me tenderly, holding me close.

  “You’re all I want,” she whispers into my mouth. “We’re in this together. You and me. Right? It’s you and me.”

  “Hell, yeah, doll face,” I grunt before I slide my tongue between her lips, this time taking her mouth in a hard, possessive kiss. I ignore the cold, crushing her body against mine, reminding her with this kiss that there’s no doub
t about it—she’s mine.

  “YOU GUYS, GUESS what?” Violet shouts the second she steps foot into the house.

  Sage, JJ, Maddox, Rosemary and I are all in the living room. Night has just fallen and there’s barely any Sunday left, making Monday an unwelcome reality that’s lurking over my shoulder.

  Rose and I are sitting side by side on the couch; she’s got a textbook in her lap, her notebook sitting in between us. She’s a diligent note taker, I’ve noticed, and has no trouble focusing in a room full of people. I, too, am trying to get work done. My tasks have picked up over the last couple of weeks, homework assignments pouring in almost as fast as I can assign them. Yet, unlike Rose, my focus comes and goes. Sage, who sits on the opposite side of me, is a frequent distraction. It can’t be helped—not when it’s his voice that pulls my attention in his direction.

  He’s working on a composition with JJ, Maddox offering his opinion as the song continues to evolve. I like hearing the way the sound changes, taking on a definite shape as they progress. Besides, I could listen to Sage sing the same three lines over and over and not tire of his sexy voice.

  When Violet bursts into the room, a couple boxes of pizza in her hand, everyone stops what they’re doing to look at her. She sets the pizza in the middle of the coffee table and immediately shrugs out of her coat as she announces, “I heard your single on the radio at work today three times!”

  “How many times did you call to request it?” asks JJ with a grin.

  Violet returns his grin with one of her own before she confesses, “Twice. But I swear it was only twice.”

  “Baby McCoy?” Maddox coaxes, a sly grin on his lips as he looks beside me at Rose.

  She fights a smile and offers him a shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  All three of the guys laugh, the three of us girls joining in a second later. You and Me was released last week. Even though they said otherwise, I know Alex and the guys were nervous about how it would be received on such a large scale. For the first time ever, Mountains & Men is being promoted on a global level. It’s only been a few days, but it’s obvious that they had nothing to worry about.

  Violet and Rose call the radio station at least once a day—each—requesting to hear the song. But even if they didn’t, the single is getting some pretty impressive play. The music video that they released has been viewed over ten thousand times already, and their social media fan pages are growing daily. Stefany says their number of downloads is climbing, and they’re right on track with where they want to be.

  I’m pulled from the conversation when my phone alerts me to a new message. I reach down to dig it out of my purse, and then sink back into the couch cushions as I unlock my screen and open it up. I find a text from Sarah, my stomach filling with butterflies as I read over what she says.

  Sarah: We just got word. We can move into our new place at the end of the week! I’ll be out by Saturday. Have you found someone to sublease my room?

  A couple weeks ago, on the night my father walked out of Giuseppe’s, Sage took me home and rocked my world. While we were eating our dinner, he suggested that he move in with me—permanently. At first, I was speechless; but as he began to process his own idea out loud, I became more and more attached to the possibility. He reasoned that Sarah was hardly ever around anyway, and he proposed that I give her an out just to see if she would take it. He said he wouldn’t move in unless she wanted to find a place with Brandon, but if she did, it would work out perfectly for the band, too. Alex could take Sage’s room, freeing up the couch, and he wouldn’t have to worry about packing a bag to stay with me all the time.

  I talked to Sarah about it the next day, and she immediately agreed. I never imagined that they would find someplace so fast, but she and Brandon were diligent in their hunt—and this text proves it. Now that she has a move-out date, I’m both excited and nervous. I’m excited because I believe, with all that I am, that if Sage moves in with me, my apartment will be our apartment. For the first time in my life, I’ll inhabit a place that feels like home because Sage is my home. Yet, I can’t ignore the reality that I’ve never been so deep in a relationship before. I’ve never lived with a boyfriend, and it’s a big step—just as daunting as it is exciting.

  I stretch out my hand, resting it on his back to catch his attention. He looks at me from over his shoulder, his smile from a moment ago still on his lips. It slips a little when I hand him my phone, but then spreads even wider once he’s read the text. He drops the device on top of the homework assignments in my lap before he reaches for my face and smacks a kiss against my lips.

  “Does this mean what I think it means?” he asks, running his nose along mine.

  “Yeah. I think so,” I whisper, reaching up to grab hold of his wrists.

  He kisses me again before he mutters, “Fuck, yes. I’m movin’ in with my girl.”

  “Wait, what did you just say?” Rose gasps.

  Sage and I both turn our heads to find her gaping at us with wide eyes.

  “I’m moving out,” Sage announces. “Giving Alex my room.”

  “You’re moving in with Millie?” Violet gushes, pressing her hands over her heart. “That’s awesome!”

  I blush as all eyes fall on me. Sage kisses me once more before Maddox teases, “There’s a no return policy, babe—you’re stuck with his ass, now.”

  Sage flips him off as I free a giggle, and Rose grabs her phone before she says, “Oh, my god, Pepper is so going to freak out!” She presses her mobile to her ear and then looks at me as she asks, “Is your apartment child-proof?”

  “Oh, no, no, no,” Sage protests. “We’re not going to have some sort of open door policy where you can just drop by any time you two damn well please.”

  She grins at her brother, ignoring him as she slides her textbook out of her lap and heads for the kitchen. “Pep, guess what?” I hear her say before her voice trails off.

  Sage groans, resting his head on my shoulder. “Sorry, baby,” he mumbles. “You’re fucked. No return policy and, apparently, an open door policy.”

  I reach up and bury my fingers in his hair, resting my cheek against his as I whisper in his ear, “As long as I’m fucked by you, I think I’ll be just fine.”

  He chuckles, turning his head until his lips brush against my chin. “Mmmm, speaking of fucking—I might have to fuck you in this house at least one more time.”

  “Sage,” I murmur in warning, my body heating up in spite of our company.

  “I say we grub and then you help me start packing. We’ll start with my dick,” he whispers huskily in my ear. “I know the perfect place for it.”

  My fingers tighten in his hair, the feel of his breath against my skin making the back of my neck warm. “I’m not hungry,” I reply.

  “Fuck,” he grunts.

  In the blink of an eye, my lap is empty and I’m on me feet. Sage drags me toward the stairs calling out, “Save us some pizza. We’re gonna start packing.”

  An hour later, as I come around his cock for the second time, my body covered in sweat as I writhe beneath him, we’ve long since forgotten about pizza and packing—and I don’t even care.

  “KNOCK, KNOCK,” says Alex, tapping her knuckles against the open door.

  I look up from where I’m sitting at my desk, a box full of random shit at my feet. “You know, it’s amazing the stuff you accumulate but don’t realize. It’s like I don’t even know who this desk belongs to.”

  She hums a laugh, running her fingers through her hair as she sits at the foot of the bed. Recently, her died purple ends were exchanged for a sapphire looking blue. I totally dig the change. It’s also quite fitting. Her hair’s not the only thing that’s different around here.

  “Tell me again that you’re not doing this for me,” she says, looking around the room.

  All week, if we weren’t playing, I was packing or tossing shit out. Millie made it pretty clear that she doesn’t do clutter, so I’ve been trying to downs
ize a little. Now, the room is just about cleared out. Tomorrow, the band is headed down to Boulder to meet up with the label to discuss our album release, and then the day after is moving day.

  “I’m not doing this for you, Zip—you just get to reap the benefits of my departure.”

  “You’re not going to miss it around here?”

  “You’re kidding, right? First of all, we practice here. I’ll be back just about everyday. Besides, it’ll be nice to get away from all of you when we get back home from being on the road,” I say with a chuckle.

  “True,” she replies with comfortable smile. “Plus…Millie.”

  “Yeah,” I murmur with a reverent nod. “Millie.”

  “You guys seem really good.” She sweeps her hair behind her ears before she continues. “I mean, I know a lot has happened in the last few months—with the tour and then her mom and everything; but things seem really good right now.”

  “Yeah.” I inhale deeply, leaning back in my chair as I think about how far we’ve come. How far she’s come. “We’re in a good place. Finally. Hopefully it stays that way.”

  “I bet it will. You love each other enough to fight for one another.”

  I nod and then lift my chin in her direction. “What about you? How are things going with you and Adrian?”

  “We’re good. It still kind of surprises me,” she responds with a laugh and a small headshake.

  “Why does it surprise you?”

  “I don’t know,” she shrugs. “He’s the bass player for one of Denver’s hottest bands. They’ve got a place to play just about every night. He’s busy, I’m busy, we live an hour apart and—I’m just surprised.”

  “That’s a good thing though, right? You mean enough for him to stick around.”

  “No—yeah—it’s a great thing. I like him a lot.”

  I nod, turning to reach inside of the desk drawer in front of me. I grab an old notebook filled with scribbled lyrics and toss it into my box. “Well, for the record, if you need us, you’ve got a band of brothers ready and willing to kick ass in the event that he does something stupid.”