by Carrie Elks
“I don’t know what we are.” Rich shrugged. “But I like her.”
“I knew that weeks ago. Are you dating now or what?”
“Yeah, but we’re keeping it on the down low for a while, until Isla gets used to the idea or I mess it up.”
“Why do you think you will mess things up?”
Rich blew out a mouthful of air. “Because I always do.”
“Just because you’ve done it before, doesn’t mean you’ll do it again.”
“Sure.”
James eyed him carefully. “What part of your life did you mess up? Because right now all I see before me is a successful ER attending whose patients adore him even though he doesn’t get to spend more than a few hours with them. Whose sister is holding a show where her paintings aren’t only amazing, but covered with sold signs. And we all know that she did this thanks to your support.”
“And she had to do it without parents by her side. In a wheelchair.” Rich felt a lump in his throat.
“Jesus, man. You need to stop beating yourself up about it.” James’ eyes narrowed. “I get it, I do. Of all the people here, I get what you’ve been through. The pain, the guilt, the fucking wallowing. The second guessing when good things happen in your life. I did them all when I met Harper, and you told me to get over myself. Remember?”
“I remember.” James had lost his first wife and their baby son in a car crash. “But yours wasn’t wallowing. It was grief and it was real.” He’d been by James’ side every step of the way. Nobody had been happier than Rich when his best friend met Harper and they’d gotten pregnant. Even if the two of them had to fight for their love.
“If it can happen for me, it can happen for you. If you only let it.”
Rich swallowed, his throat thick. “I hope so.”
James opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of a bell ringing swallowed his words. They turned to look at the center of the gallery, where Carlyn was standing next to Belle.
“Can I have your attention?” Carlyn called out, her voice clear. Her gaze swept over to Rich and then away again, her expression unchanging. “I’d just like to say a few words, and I know that Belle has a few thank yous to impart. So if you could give us a couple of minutes, then you can relax and get back to her beautiful paintings.”
The murmur of conversation died down.
“First of all, I’d like to thank Belle for choosing The Sunshine Gallery for her graduation show. It isn’t often I get to be part of an artist’s journey from the beginning, and I think you’ll all agree with me that this beginning is very special.” Carlyn smiled. “Every piece that Belle paints has magic to it, and I know she’ll go far.” She looked down at Belle. “I just hope you’ll remember me when you’re famous.”
Belle blushed, saying nothing.
“I’d also like to thank Delmonico’s for providing the food and drink, and Alex, Martin, Rhian, and Stuart, all art dealers from L.A., for coming down to our little gallery to take a look at what we have to offer in Angel Sands.”
Carlyn looked over at the entrance, her face lighting up. “There are some other people I’d like to thank, too. You probably all know Danny Lawson. He’s a huge patron of the arts, and we’re honored that he came here to Belle’s show this evening. Some of you also know his girlfriend, Ellie Pritchard, and I guarantee that every one of you will know her after her next movie is released.” Carlyn smiled at the glamorous couple in the corner, lifting her glass to them. “Thank you for adding such elegance and sparkle to the night.”
Danny and Ellie nodded, unfazed by the attention they were getting.
“We have one final surprise guest. Somebody I think you’ll all know, because he’s part of the biggest band in America right now.” She beckoned at somebody in the back of the gallery. Rich glanced at the door, seeing a tall, muscled man wearing shades standing there.
“This is Dylan Nash. The drummer for Everyday Feels Like Sunday, who are riding high at number one on the billboard charts.” Carlyn’s face was alight, as she held her hand out to him. “Welcome, Dylan. We’re all so happy you’re here.”
Rich followed as Carlyn’s eyes landed on Meghan, who looked pale. Her hands were shaking, the champagne sloshing against the sides.
And he was pretty sure her reaction had nothing to do with being a fan of his band.
25
Rich closed his eyes as he remembered Meghan telling him about Isla’s father.
The bands would come in after their sets and hang out in the area. One of them – a drummer – took a bit of a liking to me. He’d stand by the line while people bought their food and talk to me.
There was no way Dylan Nash was Isla’s father. That was too much of a coincidence, wasn’t it? But then he watched as Dylan made his way toward where Carlyn was. He gave a smile and a wave to the crowd, his eyes scanning until they reached the corner.
Dylan looked over at Meghan, his expression melting into relief as he caught her eye. The drummer walked over to where she and Harper were standing and leaned in to say something in her ear. Meghan shook her head and pressed her lips together, her eyes shining a little too brightly.
He was Isla’s father. He had to be.
Next to Belle, Carlyn’s lips were curled up in a cat-that-got-the-canary expression. Her eyes were big and sparkling as they landed on Rich.
“And now I’d like to hand you over to the lady of the evening, the talented Belle Martin. But first, please raise your glasses to her amazing talent and artwork. To Belle.”
The undercurrent rushing through his brain muffled her words. Rich lifted his glass, his eyes landing on Belle. She was staring right at him, her hands trembling as she pulled a piece of paper from her side.
She was nervous as hell. He was desperate to go over to Meghan and find out what the hell was going on. But his sister needed him. He could tell by the way her eyes shone as she looked at him. Somehow he managed to smile at her, hoping to hell it looked reassuring.
“First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Carlyn for putting on such an amazing show. I never dreamed my paintings could look this good, but she’s a natural. None of us would be here tonight without her.”
She smiled up at Carlyn, who looked distracted. Her eyes were trained on Meghan and Dylan.
“Secondly, to my tutors, Alice and Ryan. You guys are everything to me. You never let me give up, even when I think a piece is going nowhere. You made going to college a joy. I can’t believe I won’t be coming in next year.”
“You can still come if you’d like,” Alice called out. “You’re always welcome.”
Carlyn walked over to where Meghan and Dylan were talking, whispering something into his ear.
Rich tightened his hold on his glass. Belle kept looking at him, and he kept smiling.
“But there’s one person in this room who I owe everything to. He’s the one who picked me up when I was at my lowest. Who made me get up every morning when all I could see was darkness. Who brought such color back into my life that I had to express it by putting it on canvas. He’s not only my brother, he’s my father, my mother, my best friend, too.”
James touched his arm, and Rich flinched. This was all such bullshit. He hadn’t done anything except steal Belle’s future away from her. The rest was pure guilt.
“To my big brother, Rich.” Belle lifted her glass. “My patron and my muse.”
To his horror, everybody joined in the toast. Everybody except Meghan, Carlyn, and Dylan who were talking in the corner. Carlyn said something and Meghan nodded, her skin blanched. She led Dylan and Meghan to the back of the gallery, the three of them disappearing into Carlyn’s office.
“Please help yourself to more drinks and food. And enjoy your evening. If you have any questions about my artwork, I’ll be around to answer them.” Belle smiled shyly.
Harper touched Rich’s arm. He had no idea she’d even walked over to him. “Can we go outside? I need to talk with you.”
James frowned. “Who
was that drummer guy and why did Meghan walk away with him??”
Harper ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “We can’t really talk about it here.” She gave Rich the softest of smiles. “Can we go?”
“I need to stay here for Belle.” He didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want to acknowledge it.
“She’s fine. She’s got her friends with her.” Harper shot a worried look at James. “Come on, let’s get some fresh air.”
“I don’t understand. I thought you wanted me to come here.” Dylan was frowning at her. Meghan twisted her fingers together, trying to stop her heart from hammering against her chest.
She shook her head. “I had no idea you were coming tonight.”
Dylan turned to Carlyn, who was standing by the door, next to a big, muscled guy that looked like a bodyguard. “You told me that Meghan wanted to meet me here. That she was ready to talk about our daughter.”
Carlyn shifted her feet. “I just thought it would be a good time for you to talk, that’s all.”
“You did this?” Meghan asked her. Her stomach felt all twisty and sick. She shouldn’t have drunk that champagne, because it was almost impossible to think straight.
“Yes.” Carlyn gave a small smile. “I just thought it would be wonderful for you to be reunited. This is romantic, isn’t it? Two long lost loves meeting for the first time in years?”
The bodyguard cocked his head at her, his expression incredulous.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Dylan asked. “I’m engaged to another woman. I’m just here to talk about my daughter.”
Meghan blinked, looking from Dylan to Carlyn. She had no idea what to say. Carlyn was so completely out of line it was almost funny, except this was her life.
The bodyguard caught Meghan’s eye. He looked almost sympathetic.
“But now that you’ve seen Meghan again I bet that’s all changed, hasn’t it? You can be a family. Isla will love that.”
“You’re unhinged.” Dylan turned to look at Meghan. “I had no idea you didn’t know I was coming. I wouldn’t have turned up like this if I’d known. I promise you.”
“It’s okay. I believe you.” Meghan’s voice was thin. There was no way she wanted to tell this man about Carlyn’s obsession with Rich. Not when he was here to talk about Isla. What if he wanted custody? What if he used this crazy woman against her? She needed to think about this… somehow.
“There’s a chance for him, right Meghan?” Carlyn persisted.
“Can you get her out of here?” Dylan asked his bodyguard, who gave a quick nod. “I’d like to speak with Meghan alone.”
“Come on, ma’am, follow me.”
“But this is my office,” Carlyn protested. “I should stay.”
“And I should call the damn police because this is fucked up,” Dylan said. “Now get out of here, before I get Ger to carry you out.”
Carlyn blinked and looked at Ger, then pressed her lips together. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” she told Meghan.
Yeah, she really was unhinged. Why would Meghan ever need her? She never wanted to see her again.
“I’ll wait outside, too,” Ger said. “Make sure you have some privacy.”
When he closed the door behind him, Dylan sighed heavily and propped himself against the desk. His eyes met Meghan’s. “I really am sorry about this.”
“It’s okay.” She exhaled heavily. “I just wish I’d known you were coming. I’d have been a little more prepared.”
“I did try to contact you. My lawyer went to your place in White City.”
“My place?” she frowned. “I live in Angel Sands.” She blinked, realization washing over her. “Oh, god, you mean my parents’ place. My dad gave me a card and I forgot all about it.”
“I figured you didn’t want to see me, and I respected that. But then that woman called and said you wanted to meet me here tonight. I jumped at the chance.”
“You did. Why?”
“Because I want to meet our daughter.”
Meghan’s hands shook, but she said nothing.
“I know I don’t have a right to. And that I fucked everything up from the start. But to be honest, she was probably lucky not to know me for the past few years. We hit it big and we partied even bigger, and I became a bit of a dick.” He pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “I was full of myself and thought I didn’t need to be a father. But that all changed when I met Natalie.”
“Your fiancée?”
He nodded. “Yeah. She’s a good woman who made me take a hard look at myself. In the past year I’ve cleaned myself up, gone to counseling, and tried to become a better person. So when I was contacted by a PI I thought it was my chance at finally meeting my kid. My chance at redemption.”
“Wait a minute,” Meghan said, confused. “You paid a PI to find me?”
“No. The PI was paid by somebody else to find me. Said he had information about my daughter.”
Carlyn. There was nobody else who could have paid somebody to do this. Ugh, what a mess.
“I spoke to my lawyer who suggested he contact you first. And I’ve been waiting on tenterhooks in hopes to hear from you because I go on a tour in a week and a half and won’t be back for six months. So when this woman called me about tonight, I thought it was meant to be.”
He sighed again, looking down at his hands. “I guess I should leave now, huh?”
“No.” Meghan shook her head. “You can stay. We can talk about Isla. She is your daughter, and she knows all about you.” And that was almost certainly how Carlyn found out. On that day by the pool when she’d been sitting next to Isla.
“Are you sure?” he asked her.
“Yeah.” She nodded. This wasn’t how she’d ever envisaged introducing Isla to her father, but her daughter deserved to know who he was. There was no way she was going to send him away if there was a chance for them to bond.
He gave her a soft look. “Does she know my name?”
“Yeah.”
He blew out a mouthful of air. “Well that’s a start. Does she know I didn’t want anything to do with her?”
Meghan blinked. “No. I’d never tell her that. I told her you’re a drummer with a band and were busy right now. That maybe one day you’d meet.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Do you think I can meet her soon?”
Meghan pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She would have liked longer, but if he was leaving to go on tour in a week and half, time wasn’t a luxury they had right now. “She’s at a friend’s tonight. And I’ll need to talk to her first. Maybe you can meet her tomorrow if she’s ready for it?” She didn’t want to steal this chance from Isla. Not when he was leaving the country for six months. But she had to protect her daughter’s heart, too.
“I understand. And I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” A hopeful smile pulled at his lips. “Do you have any pictures of her?”
“A couple.” Meghan pulled her phone from her tiny purse, scrolling through it until she found some she’d taken of Isla on the beach. “Here she is.”
Dylan stared at them, his eyes shiny. “Fuck, she’s so big.”
“Kids grow. That’s what they do.”
He exhaled heavily. “I know. But I’ve missed so much time. Do you have any photos of her when she was younger with you?”
“I have some back at my apartment.”
He shifted his feet. “Can I look at them?”
“Now?”
He looked almost embarrassed. “Yeah. I know this has all come out of the blue, but I don’t have much time. I want to know about her. Maybe you can help me learn a little more before we meet.”
He seemed sincere, even if this was all so rushed. Meghan was trying to think it through, but the mess of thoughts in her brain were making it impossible.
She needed to get out of here. To somewhere quiet where she could actually think about what to do next. “Okay, we can go back to my apartment. I’ll show you the photographs there.”
“Isla will be back tomorrow morning. I’ll talk to her and then we can go from there.”
Dylan nodded. “I get it. I’ll follow your lead. You’re the one that knows her.”
“Let me get this straight.” Harper’s expression was so tight it looked like she’d been sucking lemons. “You employed a PI to find out about Isla’s father, then invited him to the show.”
Carlyn blinked. “I didn’t employ the PI to find out about him. Isla told me herself. I just used the PI to contact Dylan Nash’s lawyer.”
Rich’s hands were curled so tight he could feel his nails biting into his palm. James murmured something to him, but he couldn’t make out the words through the rush of blood through his ears.
“So you staged this whole thing?” Harper asked, incredulous. “Jesus, you need help.”
“Why?” James’ brow wrinkled. “Why would you do this?”
“Because that little girl deserves a father. Her real father.” Carlyn’s eyes flickered to Rich. “You know that, right?”
“You need to keep away from her.” His blood felt like it was boiling. He was holding onto his temper by a hair. “And away from me.”
Carlyn blinked, stepping closer to Rich. “I understand why you wanted to help them. But they don’t need your help anymore, darling. I did this for you. For us. Now we can be together.” She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes. “You deserve better than being a crutch for a single mom.”
His anger finally boiled over. “What the hell are you thinking? We’ll never be together. I’m not fucking interested.”
James put his arm on Rich’s biceps. “Cool it.” He inclined his head at the two burly bodyguards standing next to the gallery entrance.
The door opened, and Dylan Nash walked out, giving an almost imperceptible nod to the bodyguards. Meghan was with him, her face paler than ever as her eyes met Rich’s.
