by C. M. King
“Once the show finishes, we are going away from here for a nice holiday,” Joel promised, making me smile.
“Our usual place?” I asked, feeling hopeful.
“You want to go back again? I didn’t know whether you wanted a change of scenery, somewhere different.” His eyes held mine waiting for a reply.
“No, I want to go back to our place. We probably won’t get the same cottage again, but it’s still the same beach.”
“It’s a good job I booked ahead.” Joel winked and I grinned.
Oh, he knew me well.
“So, Iz, where are you heading to next after you leave.”
“Sheffield for a week. We have three more places after that and then a nice break. Is it okay for me to do some shifts at the pub once I’m back?” I asked Joel. I didn’t want to assume that I had a job to walk into, but I also knew we needed to pay bills as well.
“I’m the manager so as long as you keep me sweet then I don’t see why not.”
“I think that’s a guarantee then.” Kara winked. “Hey, we need to arrange a film night just the three of us. I know Elijah has a good collection of DVDs he can bring along. It will make a nice change from all the action crap I have to be tortured with.”
“They are amazing films, Jason Statham is my hero.” Mike glared at me as I sniggered. I did not envy Kara there. At least Joel went ’round to Mike’s to watch so I was free from it all.
“Channing is way better, hey, Iz?” I could see she was trying to get a rise out of Mike.
“Ugh, you only like him cause he looks good not for his acting skills,” Mike scoffed, not looking at all pleased.
“Err, Megan Fox ring any bells?”
“Oh whatever, count me out that night. In fact, Joel, let’s have a guy’s night out. We can get a few of the lads together, haven’t been out on the lash for a while.”
“Well, you can stay over at one of theirs, I’m not having you come in blind drunk and try to hump me before falling asleep, thanks.”
Eww, too much information.
“It’s fine I’ll stay at John’s, happy?” Mike barked.
“Deliriously.”
“Enough of the bickering, this is Izzy’s weekend,” my mother scolded.
“Sorry, princess Izzy, but we’ll have to love you and leave you.” He stuck out his tongue, but I could see the humour behind his eyes.
“Good to see you home, sis. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, hopefully get to see you before you leave,” he replied, kissing my hair.
“Bye Iz, remember we have a date with Channing when you get back.”
“Of course.” How could I forget?
“Will you shut up about Channing already?” Mike muttered, not looking at all pleased.
“What, jealous, are we?” Kara teased.
“Err no, Channing doesn’t have my moves.”
“Oh your moves.” She raised a brow.
“You love my moves.”
She giggled and I gagged. Too much information.
“Okay bye,” I yelled, ready to cover my ears before I was greeted with more unwelcoming information that was set to scar me for life.
The door slammed shut behind them, and we sighed just enjoying a few moments of silence.
“They don’t half bicker. God, it’s exhausting when you go round. Kara has invited me a few times to stop me from getting lonely, but sheesh there are times I really want to decline.” By the look on Joel’s face, he was not amused.
“Good job we are nothing like that.”
He pulled me in close. “Never, we are perfect for each other.”
“True.” So damn perfect.
“Now what are we going to do with the rest of our day?” he asked, as I pondered his question.
“It’s a shame to let it go to waste. How about we head with Ruby to the park? I can put up a picnic and we can spend the next few hours enjoying the sunshine.”
“Sounds good to me. What do you say, Rubes?”
She barked her reply and wagged her tail at the prospect of it all. We really didn’t expect anything else. She loved the park it was her favourite pastime to run around, chasing Frisbees.
We said a quick goodbye to my mother, appeasing her with the fact I would be ’round for Sunday lunch tomorrow. We headed home, filled the cooler with lots of amazing delicious snacks and made our way to the park.
Joel’s fingers stroked mine as we walked along. It was a perfect day so we knew everyone would be taking advantage of it all. I turned to look at Joel, who looked sexy in his sunglasses. He grinned knowing I was watching him but it was hard not to. He pulled me closer and kissed my hair.
“You can stop perving now.” He chuckled and I dug my elbow hard into his ribs.
“I wasn’t perving, I was staring at the man I love,” I protested.
“Aww, I take it back then.” We set up camp on the grass, scattering the rug across the grass. I quickly flopped down onto the rug with my Kindle instantly opened. I had to get in reading time whenever I could.
“Are you going to read?” Joel groaned, giving me a disapproving look.
“I haven’t read in days and I have like 20% to go.” I needed to get this book read, else I was going to go stark raving mad. I had to know it had a HEA as right now it wasn’t looking like it.
“Fine, well while you catch up with your BB, I’m going to play with Ruby.” He huffed and I rolled my eyes. He was just being overly dramatic. He knew I was a bookworm through and through. It was hardly a surprise that I’d brought my Kindle with me. I had to practically have it removed from my hand.
Thirty minutes and a satisfying ending later, I looked over to find Joel playing Frisbee with a brown-haired boy that looked around ten. The way they chatted, they seemed quite familiar with each other and Ruby seemed to enjoy all the attention as she chased back and forth.
I started to unpack the cooler, laying everything out and that caught Joel’s attention as they all headed over. I handed them both a cold can of Pepsi and poured some water out for Ruby, who gladly lapped it up.
“Iz, this is my pal Jordan.”
“Hey Jordan.” I smiled and he grinned back, sitting down as he gulped down the ice cold beverage.
“So how do you know Joel?”
“He’s been helping us train.”
“Train?” I asked, looking confused.
“Where I play Five A Side, they have a kids team that Jordan is on, the parents were struggling to bring someone in after the last guy left due to a bereavement so I said I would take over the Wednesday night training.”
“He’s really good. I hope I can be just as good as him one day,” Jordan piped up. He looked on at Joel as someone he looked up to and that made me smile.
“You are almost there,” Joel added reassuringly.
“No way.” He shook his head, disbelieving his words.
“Trust me, a few more sessions and you will be. I’ve already seen your skills sharpen. You are coming along nicely.”
“How come you never told me about this?”
Joel’s eyes returned to mine. “It was a good distraction from missing you, and I actually really like it.”
“Everyone looks up to Joel, he is the best,” Jordan added, smiling.
Joel blushed and my heart filled up at the sight of Joel being so caring as to do something that meant the world to these kids.
“I wouldn’t go that far, Jordan.” He ruffled his hair playfully.
Ruby took that opportunity to fan herself out in need of a good tickling, which Jordan was only too happy to help.
“You’re good with her.” She seemed quite content with Jordan.
“We’ve been hanging out. Joel lets me go to the park with him as I can’t have a dog. My mum is allergic, so this is the next best thing.”
“She certainly likes you.” She was definitely lapping up all the attention.
“Oh Rubes loves spending time with Jordan, don’t you, girl?”
She barked and
we all laughed. She was too intelligent for her own good.
Jordan’s eyes widened when I pulled out the sandwiches and cakes. He looked more than ravenous. I picked up a plate and filled it before handing it over. He smiled and quickly took a bite and then another. At this rate, he was going to have hiccups. Joel was now on his second one. I grabbed one myself before they all went, as Ruby tucked into her dog treats.
I sat there quietly watching Joel and Jordan interact. They chatted and joked away so naturally I could see a bond forming before my eyes. It made me smile that Joel was so relaxed in hanging out. His greatest fear was that a part of his dad lived inside of him, but I could never see Joel being cruel for one moment. I was certain when our own children came along, he would go above and beyond in giving them the perfect childhood he never had.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Izzy, I’d like you to meet Chantel. She’s our amazing promoter who’s been getting us all of the extra gigs and tirelessly plugging us away. Seriously, I don’t know what we would do without her,” Joel all but gushed.
I kept the fixed smile on my face as Joel looked on in awe as she grinned, her hand stroking his bicep before giving him a playful shove.
“Oh enough with the compliments, I am seriously blushing here.”
If she was you couldn’t tell, but then again under the amour of makeup she was wearing, anything was possible. She was around my height, with red, long flowing locks down her back, dressed head to toe in black. The short black dress she wore complimented her hourglass figure, but instead of finishing off with a heel, she wore Doc Martins. Her look was vampy with a gothic edge, teamed off with a black biker jacket.
“It’s nice to meet you. Joel’s been telling me all about you. You’ve done so much—
“Oh my god, Joel, before I forget, I managed to secure a slot at the rock festival in Hull. There were barely a few slots left, but they watched a few of the YouTube vids and liked your style, so you’re in,” Chantel cut in, leaving me stunned.
“Oh my god, that’s fantastic.” He hugged her and they both jumped around for a few seconds while I stood there like chopped liver.
“There’s also another photoshoot coming up. We’re going more topless grunge.”
Joel frowned. “I don’t want to do topless again, plus it isn’t fair to Izzy having to see all the comments on the page.”
“Well, sex sells and sorry, Izzy, but you need to learn to share. A guy like Joel is going to be adored by thousands if he wants to keep doing what he’s doing. There’s no place for tantrums if your girlfriend here can’t handle a little bit of nudity.”
“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s my fiancée,” Joel bit out.
“Hmm, speaking of which, I gave a few interviews and I may have told them that you are single.” She bit her lip waiting for Joel’s response. She didn’t have to wait long.
“What?” Joel and I said together in surprise.
She rolled her eyes at our response. “It helps to sell you more if the fans think they have a chance of getting with you. You’ll have to take your ring off before you perform though as they’ll notice something like that.”
“No way,” Joel snapped and I swallowed hard trying to bite back my reaction.
“Joel, if you can trust me on this, we will be able to market the band better if you are single. You are the eye candy that everyone wants to bed.”
I was about to throw up.
“Chantel—”
“Let’s just do it for now, okay? You know I have good experience in this. I’ve been doing it for years. I know all the tricks of the trade.” She winked in delight.
“Izzy, are you okay with this?” Joel asked hesitantly.
NO!
“I—well-—
“She’ll be fine, you don’t want to hinder Joel and the band’s success over being jealous, now do you?” She gave me a smug look, and I wanted to punch her hard.
“If it helps the band, then it’s okay.” I was not going back to being the jealous girlfriend that got in the way. I would just suck it up and smile, even though right now I was seriously fighting back the tears.
“Iz, are you sure you’re okay with this? We don’t have to—”
“Joel, she’s fine. Right, we need to get you in the back to warm up. You’re on in an hour. I’m sure Izzy will be fine here. Dom at the bar will get you a drink.” She dragged Joel off before I even had chance to reply, leaving me stood there like a lemon. It was a good job Elijah and Kara were on their way else I would have been on my own. I walked over to a smiling Dom.
“Hey what can I get you?” he asked, grabbing a glass.
“A Coke, thanks.”
“You look a little stunned there, something wrong?” His eyes stayed fixed on me as he filled the glass.
“Oh I just met Chantel.”
He smiled at my stunned reaction. “Ahh, she is a little full on.”
“Only a little?”
“In her job she has to have the gift of the gab to steam roll people into her way of thinking. Don’t take offence, she’s good, if a little tactless at times.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t mince her words, that’s for sure,” I added bitterly.
“Here, it’s on me. Which band are you here to see?”
“Phoenix. The lead singer is my fiancé.”
“Oh he is hot, I will be totally checking him out on stage.” He winked and I rolled my eyes.
“I think the whole room will be checking him out,” I huffed. I could guarantee he’d be the centre of everyone’s attention.
“When a singer is as sexy as that, it would be rude not to.” Dom grinned before heading off to serve the next customer.
I sipped on my Coke and smiled when my text chimed, Kara and Elijah were here. I headed towards the door.
“Hey Iz, looking cute in your little outfit,” Kara remarked, giving me a hug. I was dressed in grey skinny jeans and a stripy vest teamed with a red leather jacket.
“See, this outfit all me, I’m her personal stylist. I live to shop.” Elijah beamed, taking all the glory for it.
Kara’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oh my god, Elijah, you need to style me. I’m in a rut at the moment. I’m trying to be more adventurous.”
“That I can do. I’m hitting the shops tomorrow. If you fancy tagging along, I can get a feel for the things you like, but if you want to be more adventurous and trust me that I will push you into trying trends that you’ve maybe ignored before.”
“Seriously, I’m bored. I need a revamp, but don’t tell Mike, he will go ape shit at the thought of me spending. Having a home together, most of the money goes to pay the bills, but he still goes to football matches and nights out so I’m buying some clothes.”
“It’s only right. It’s going to be a fun day, you fancy coming, Iz?” Elijah asked, grinning.
“Yeah, righto.” I snorted.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Izzy avoids shopping like the plague.” He laughed looking thoroughly amused by my reaction.
“Well, it’s a good job I have you then.” I stuck my tongue out playfully.
“Anyway what time is sex god on?” he asked, suddenly changing the conversation.
“In forty-five minutes. Oh by the way I met Chantel.” Yeah, that caught their attention.
“Oooh, what was she like?” Elijah asked, looking intrigued.
“A bitch.”
“No!” they both replied together.
“Yep, she cut me off all the time. Basically said Joel has to pretend he’s single and to remove his ring to keep the fans happy, and that I should suck it up because it’s the least I could do for Joel.”
“What a cow,” Elijah exclaimed.
“Yeah.”
“So you’re not going to do it, right? Because that’s a joke to make out he’s on the market,” Kara asked, looking equally as pissed.
“I’m going to have to.” I sighed. Despite the fact it broke my heart.
“And Joel
, what did he say?” Elijah urged.
“He asked me if it was okay. What else could I say?” I trailed off.
“Err no, for starters,” Elijah barked.
“I don’t want to be that person again. I don’t want to be jealous, and I definitely don’t want to hold Joel back. You see how good he is performing. He loves being on stage. I don’t want to take all of that away from him.” I would bite my tongue if I had to if it meant Joel could be happy, enjoying his success.
“But, Iz, he should be able to do all that and still say he’s engaged. Girls will think they can hit on him and fuck him if they think he’s single.”
“Thanks for pointing that out, Elijah. I am quite aware that as I’m at the other end of the country he’ll have girls throwing themselves at him, but I know Joel. He wouldn’t do that to me, not now, not after all we’ve been through.” He’d never cheat on me with something so meaningless as a quick shag. Those days were far behind us now. Not that girls wouldn’t constantly make it there mission to prove me wrong.
“Joel loves you with every bone in his body, anyone can see that,” Kara soothed, trying to make me feel better, but Elijah had planted the seed and now my mind was going ten million times an hour.
“Come here, Iz, I’m sorry.”
I walked into his arms as he kissed my hair. I breathed in his delicious scent and closed my eyes trying to shut my mind off from all the insecurities that were raging in my head.
“Let’s grab a table and you can get me up to speed on all the Josh and Corinne goss,” he said, trying to turn my attention elsewhere.
I nodded and we made our way over to the last empty table. Forty minutes later, the act announcer came on stage to intro Joel’s band Phoenix. We all whooped and screamed, Elijah more than the rest as Joel winked over at me before launching into the first song.
“I think that wink was intended for me,” Elijah joked as I gave him a playful shove.
Joel sang his heart out, losing himself in the moment and I sighed at his words. They were breathtaking, straight from the heart. I knew every girl in the room was secretly wishing he was singing about them. A smile crept over my face as I realised just how lucky I was. He was doing something he loved best, and I knew I couldn’t be the one to take it away from him. I would just have to grin and bear it while Joel’s popularity climbed, after all, we’d be getting married soon and you couldn’t hide that fact.
