I blindly turned on my heels and hailed a taxi. My time in New York was done and so was my relationship with Melody.
“Where to?” The driver asked.
A simple question without an answer. I had to return eventually to the tour, but right now my wounds were too raw and everything there reminded me of the girl with the onyx colored eyes. Home - an adjective that wasn’t a place but a certain loveable dog who had the ability to cheer me up with a single bark. That’s where I wanted to be and I’d be damned if my ex-wife kept Bruno away from me for another minute.
“The airport. I’m going to Seattle.”
I BLANCHED AT THE TASTE of stale coffee. It baffled me why I loved this place. The service was slow, the food was awful and the waitresses constantly messed up my order. I’d gotten to the point where I told them to surprise me. Some days, I got pancakes and others hash browns with a extra side of bacon. It kept things interesting.
Nibbling on a piece of fruit, I considered the shot list I had written out for the next two weeks and made a couple of notes. There was a lot of work left to do when I got back on tour with the band. My plan was to leave last night, but my former wedding planner wanted to meet.
“Hey!” Stephan smiled broadly at me as he slid into the opposite side of the booth. Mocha colored skin with chestnut brown eyes and a full head of Pantene worthy locks, he had a masters degree in breaking hearts.
“Hey.”
“How are you holding up?”
“Fine. Are there some documents you wanted me to sign?”
“Always cutting straight to the chase,” he teased.
“Sorry, but I’m in a hurry. My plane leaves in two hours.”
Stephan unbuckled his briefcase and set the pages in front of me. “Unfortunately due to the last minute of the situation, I wasn’t able to talk the venue or vendors into a full refund.”
“What am I on the line for then?”
“About four grand.”
I winced. There went two thirds of my savings. “You couldn’t haggle with them?”
“Honey, I haggled until I was blue in the face, but you canceled your wedding eight hours before the ceremony was about to begin.”
“Have you spoken to Marco?”
Stephan shuffled the documents around, avoiding eye contact. “I did.”
“And?”
“He told me that you were responsible for it.”
That ratfink bastard. He was the one that almost conned me into a sham marriage – he should have paid at least half. I reached for my cellphone, then thought better of it. Reaming Marco a new one wouldn’t solve the issue. Plus, he already blew his advance on fancy dinners and God knows what else.
I grabbed a pen from my purse. “Where should I sign?”
Stephan looked visibly pained as he pointed to the bottom of the paper. “Here” He flipped to the next page. “And here.”
With a flourish, I signed my name, officially closing the chapter on Marco and I's almost marriage. A twinge of sadness resonated in my core. We were friends for five years before we became lovers, and I had trusted him, impeccably. A mistake if there ever was one.
“Great!” Stephan proclaimed. “You should be getting a check in the mail within the next few weeks. Where should I send it?”
Giving Marco my apartment temporarily left me without a roof over my head, but I wasn’t worried. Once the tour finished, Sean and I could figure out the next step together. “Can you wire it to me?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Thank you.” I sipped my now cold coffee. “I won’t have a permanent address for awhile so if there are any other issues, call me.”
“You got it.” He looked as if he wanted to say more, stopped himself, and then said it anyways. Stephan swore to a no-bullshit code of ethics. “My sister dated a musician for a while and she said it was a nightmare. The constant touring, the groupies…Are you sure you want to take that on?”
“I do. Sean is worth it.”
“You have known him less than a month.”
My brow arched. “You can’t judge me based off some bullshit article you read in a trashy magazine”
“Marco was really devastated.”
It became clear who Stephan stood in solidarity with. Shit, the entire general public most likely saw me as the slut who couldn’t keep her pants buttoned. It was only a matter of time before Marco cashed in and added fuel to the fire, weaving a sordid tale about heartbreak and betrayal.
“He was devastated about losing his green card,” I said.
Stephan perked up. “I’ll marry him.”
“I don’t think he swings in that direction.”
“Honey, I have a track record of turning straight men into Cher loving fanatics. It’s a specialty of mine.” He lowered his voice to a hushed whisper. “Once, I fucked a brides newly minted husband in a coat closet during the reception.”
“That’s awful!”
“By his groans of pleasure, I don’t think he was thinking that at all.”
“TMI.”
Laughing, Stephan excused himself and went to the restroom while I quickly scanned the documents to ensure nothing was amiss.
Two minutes later he returned with a scowl. “Damn bathroom was grosser than a port-a- potty.”
“Oh yeah, they don’t clean it like ever.”
“A little heads up would have been nice.” He returned to his seat and crammed the papers into his briefcase. Picking up my palm, he pressed his lips against the top of my hand. “It’s been a pleasure. Enjoy your sex on a stick rock star.”
A chuckle escaped past my lips. “Will do. Good luck on your quest to nail down Marco.” I placed a ten on the table and followed him out into the muggy New York air, where we parted ways.
Antsy to return to Sean, I headed to the airport early with visions of our future dancing in my head.
THE TAXI PULLED UP IN front of the tour bus that was blanketed in a shroud of darkness. Nearly midnight I figured Sean would still be awake, but no matter. He’d wake up quick when I climbed on top of him and got my fill.
The door banged open and my sister flew down the steps barefoot. Confusion lined her face. “You’re here. Why are you here? You’re supposed to be with Marco in New York.”
Now I was perplexed. “Did you smoke crack? I went there to break things off with him. Turns out...”
“He was a lying asshole who deserves to jump off a short pier?”
“Yea, exactly. How did you…”
“Know?” My sister cut in again. “We found out yesterday and Sean flew to New York to break the news to you.”
“Wait. He did what?”
“He flew to New York.”
“Why didn’t he call or text?”
“Your phone is dead.”
“Right.” My sister who despised silence opened her mouth to speak, but I shushed her. “Give me a moment. I need to catch my breath. It has been a whirlwind twenty fours hours and that’s putting it lightly.”
“Sean is MIA Melody! He saw you and Marco at the diner and he didn’t return to South Carolina for sound check. Everyone is looking for him.”
The exhaustion had to be hindering my ability to hear because I thought my sister said Sean was gone. “All right. Enough with the jokes. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As I went to walk past her, she grabbed the crook of my elbow. “None of this is a freaking joke. They had to cancel the concert.”
“Right. Sure they did.”
“Melody!” My sister yelled, her frustration boiling over. “I’m not joking. Sean is no-where to be found.”
The sincerity in her eyes was what got through my thick skull, finally. I dropped my suitcase and ran toward the bus. Pitch black inside, I felt my way toward the bunk area and located a light switch. I flipped it on, garnering groans of displeasure with mumbled ‘what the fucks’.
“Sean?” The curtain was tugged backwards. An empty bed neatly made caused my stomach to drop to my toes. He r
eally was gone.
“Melody?” Ash voice steeped in grogginess, pulled my gaze down to where he was lying. “You’re back. I thought you married Marco.”
“Why?”
“Because I got a frantic phone call from Sean saying he was too late. That he saw you and Marco together at the diner.”
The story matched my sisters and I gaped at Ash. “He actually flew to New York?”
“He wanted to be there for you when you found out about Marco’s betrayal.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“Neither can I. The dude totally fucked us sideways tonight, resulting in 10,000 disappointed fans.”
“I’m really sorry. Is Matthew pissed?”
“He was, but Camilla talked him off the cliff.”
All hail Matthew’s girlfriend or else I would have been out of a job and a paycheck. Noah jumped off the top bunk and landed gracefully on his feet. He seemed downright bushy tailed compared to Ash, whose eyelids were fighting to stay open.
Without a word, Noah grabbed my right hand and peered at my ringer finger.
“I’m not married,” I informed him. “I’m not sure what Sean thinks he saw, but he was mistaken.”
Noah looked at me with his piercing gray eyes. “He saw you with a man.”
“A man who wasn’t Marco.”
“Who was he then?” Ash inquired.
“My wedding planner, Stephan is gayer than a rainbow flag.”
“Ohhh,” Ash and Noah said at the same.
“Shit,” Noah murmured.
My sister padded in behind me, holding a jar of peanut butter. She dipped a spoon into the sticky mess and ate it straight. I should have been stress eating, not her.
“Did Sean give you any indication where he went?” I asked.
Ash shook his head. “Nope. The call cut out about fifteen seconds in.”
Jane whimpered as I snatched the jar out of her hands and shoveled a spoonful of salty goodness into my mouth. Why would Sean assume the worst? Did he think I was as bad as his ex-wife? Our actions were similar in the sense we both cheated. But - No there was no but. Cheating is cheating and Sean figured if I did it to Marco, what would stop me from turning around and doing it to him?
Sean’s apparent lack of trust in the connection we shared hurt like a gunshot wound to the chest. The peanut butter turned to cement on my tongue, and I padded into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Tears dripped into the sink as I stood on my tiptoes to reach the upper cabinets. Our relationship had gone kaput right when it was beginning. A beginning that stretched out as clear as the prairie fields of the Midwest.
I had zero anxiety about our future, because I knew without a doubt Sean was the whip cream to my hot chocolate. He destroyed the mile-high fence I had built around myself after my mothers’ death, so god damn afraid to love again. But he showed me how beautiful and pure the feeling was when I let down my defenses.
I felt my sister’s hovering presence. “Are you okay?”
“I’m…” My knee jerk reaction was to save face, but I was tired of pretending as if I was indestructible. “No. I’m not okay.” The tears started to fall in earnest.
Jane pressed her chest into my back and wound her arms around my waist. “He’ll come back.”
“To the band –certainly. But not to me...”
MILLIONAIRES ROW IN UPPER CAPITOL Hill was a street lined with old maple’s that turned a fiery shade of orange and red in the autumn. It used to be my favorite past time to wander down to Volunteer Park with a hot beverage and Bruno trotting by my side.
I stared up at my old house – a grand tutor rehabbed to its former glory. Wisteria dripped over the second story balcony and a stone pathway flanked by rose bushes led to the front door. The roses were new; their perfume pungent and overwhelming. My ex-wife must have planted them when I moved out.
As I rang the doorbell, I heard Bruno’s thundering bark followed by the clip of his nails on the hardwood.
“Hush!” My ex-wife yelled.
Holding him by the collar, she opened the door and was too distracted with a wiggling Bruno to notice who stood on her front porch. “Yes?
“Hey Bunny.”
Her eyes lifted with a scowl. “Sean. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to get my dog back.” Bruno barked as if knew we were talking about him. I smiled and patted him on the head. “I missed you too, buddy.”
“What makes you think I’ll give him to you?”
“I’ll pay the six grand in alimony every month.”
“It was 8,000.”
“Which is an absurd sum and you know it.”
“I have expenses to pay, Sean,” my ex-wife bit out.
“I’m simply helping you stick to your minimalist lifestyle.” My gaze racked over her pearl necklace and diamond earrings, which I bought for her on our two-year anniversary. “I see that isn’t working out so well for you though.”
About to give me a piece of her mind, a melodic voice called out from down the hall and put a pause on her bickering. “Bunny, invite him in for a glass of Kombuchu.”
“I don’t….”
Despite her protest, I brushed past her into the foray - three fucks past caring at this point. Bruno managed to break free and hurled his massive a hundred and twenty pound frame at my chest, knocking me on my ass. With a joyous bark, he licked my cheek. Laughing, I buried my face into his short caramel colored fur. A momentary sensation of joy captured my heart.
“Jesus, it’s like a love fest in here.” Bunny pulled the dog off of me and I got to my feet, brushing the hair off my dark colored jeans.
The tilt to her lips gave away her amusement; it was as if the old Bunny returned – the woman I used to think carried the sun in her pocket.
Don, her boyfriend strutted in from the kitchen, carrying an ice-cold pitcher of Kombucha. His long hair was tied at the nape of his neck with a piece of ribbon. White linen pants and a blouse that looked like it was made for a woman showed off a peek of chest hair.
While he resembled a world-class idiot, I didn’t have the urge to disfigure his nose. In fact, I didn’t have any ill feelings toward him at all – zilch.
Don draped his arm around Bunny’s shoulder as she looked up to him with adoration. What this past month had proved to me was that you couldn’t help who you fell for. Love was a selfish bitch.
“Let’s go sit on the patio,” Don said.
“Great idea, honey. We’ll be right there.”
My ex-wife put the Jekyll in Jekyll and Hyde. Her smile slipped off her face as soon Don retreated to the backyard. In a harsh whisper, she said, “Don’t you dare embarrass me, Sean.”
“Bunny, I think you’re under the impression I give a shit. I don’t.”
Her pencil shaped brows raised in doubt. “Say’s the guy who hurled a carton of eggs at the house.”
“Granted, that wasn’t my finest moment but I was hurt and extremely drunk. A lot has happened since then. I’ve learned to forgive.”
“Then why haven’t you signed the divorce papers?”
“I will if you give me Bruno and settle for the six grand, which is borderline robbery. You were the one who cheated.”
“As if you were totally innocent?” Off my blank stare, she huffed out a breath. “Unbelievable. Do you not realize how much I sacrificed for you? For us?”
When we met, Bunny worked at the local hospital as a nurse in the infant ward. She quit a week after we got married to follow me around on tour with Five Guys. “I never asked you to sacrifice anything. It was your choice to leave Harbor View.”
“Are you joking? My new husband was about to leave for six months, surrounded by booze, sex and alcohol.”
“So you went to keep an eye on me?”
“I went because I was afraid you wouldn’t come home.” Bunny’s confident demeanor cracked and her vulnerability shimmered under the surface. “That the allure of fame would be too strong to resist.”
“Yo
u should have trusted the love I had for you.”
“I should have, but trusting someone is the greatest gift you can give them and I think a part of me was expecting you to break my heart”
“It’s scary to love someone, isn’t it?”
She laughed. “It is.” Shooting a glance toward the patio where her boyfriend was waiting for us, her features softened. “And so worth it when you surrender.”
Her words struck me sideways. Had I surrendered with Melody? The answer struck me as clear as a lightning bolt streaking across a inky black sky.
From the beginning, I figured Melody and I weren’t meant to be together, but our connection proved too powerful to resist. We dove into the deep end together, except we hadn’t. I stood on the edge, terrified history would repeat itself, unwilling to have faith that our relationship was different.
I should have fought for her, instead of waving a white flag.
“Are you okay?” Bunny asked.
Instead of answering, I directed the subject back to the present issue. “Will you give me Bruno?”
She glanced at the slobbering Great Dane who looked up at her with those big brown puppy dog eyes. “Fine. If you give me sixty five hundred a month. Don and I have plans to open a yoga studio in Bali.”
Antsy to put the past in the past, I agreed. “Deal.”
“I’ll gather up his stuff.”
An hour later, and after a few favors were called in, I sat in a private plane bound for South Carolina with my best friend at my feet. As the wheels lifted, I wished Melody were waiting for me on the other side to complete our family.
AS SOON AS BRUNO WAS out of the cab his nose twitched like crazy as he smelled his new surroundings. My eyes blurry with exhaustion wandered to the bus with trepidation.
The band had every right to be royally ticked off at me for bailing, but unlike Matthew, I hadn’t dropped off the face of the earth for three months, like when him and Camilla broke up. I hoped my return within a twenty-four-time frame would lessen whatever retribution they had up their sleeves.
Bruno barked, piercing the hushed quiet of the early morning. He yanked on his leash, and I pulled him back. “Hush. You’re going to wake everyone.”
Melody of Truth (Love of a Rockstar Book 3) Page 19
