Violet Lane (Love is Music Book 1)

by R. M. Lynn

  Things went sour with us, when the incident happened, but I know we can work together and make it work. He’s done more than enough to make up for the hurt caused. I know he’s a good person; he always has been.

  He steps behind me, and my eyes lift to meet his in the mirror. His hands go to my waist while he ducks his head to run his lips over my jaw.

  “What’re you thinking about?” he whispers.

  “That I smell like you,” I say, withholding the majority of my thoughts.

  He kisses my jaw again and then my neck. He pulls away before I can tip my lips toward his. He gives my butt a pat and gestures with a nod out of the bathroom.

  “We should head down,” he murmurs. “Lucy will be breaking in here any minute.”

  I nod and let him take my hand to lead to his room and then out into the hallway. He leads me downstairs, and I can see Lucy running around the kitchen while Kyler’s mom cleans up the table.

  “Daddy!” Lucy calls when she notices Kyler and I enter the kitchen.

  “Hi, baby,” Kyler greets and bends down to catch his daughter as she throws herself into his arms. “Did you have breakfast?”

  “Yep,” she tells him. “Nana made me pancakes.”

  “Did you say thank you to Nana?”

  “She did,” Veronica assures him. “She’s been very good this morning.”

  Lucy gives her dad an I-told-you-so look, and Kyler smirks at her as he puts her down.

  “Hi, Livy,” Lucy says softly.

  “Hi, Lucy,” I reply with a smile. “What’re we going to do today?”

  Lucy contemplates this before finally answering with, “Can we go outside?”

  “Yeah, but you have to go get dressed,” Kyler tells her. “You can’t play outside in your pajamas.”

  She gives a doubtful look but instead of arguing, she hurries upstairs to presumably go to her room to change her clothes.

  “And make sure you brush your teeth!” Kyler calls after her.

  “Do you guys want something to eat? Tea or coffee?” Veronica asks us as Kyler pulls a kitchen chair out for me to sit down in.

  “I can get it, Mom,” Kyler tells her softly. “Why don’t you head home? Dad’s probably lost without you.”

  “Are you sure, honey? I’d be happy to stay.”

  “It’s fine,” he insists.

  He walks her out, but not before she calls up the stairs to Lucy that she’s leaving but will see her later. When Kyler returns to the kitchen, he pours me a cup of coffee, adding sugar and creamer to it. I wrap my hands around the warm mug and smile as he sits down diagonally from me.

  “I appreciate that you remember how I like my coffee,” I whisper.

  “I remember everything about you,” he murmurs and gives me a soft smile.

  I lean in to kiss him just as there’s a sound of someone clearing their throat behind us. Kyler looks up, and I look over my shoulder to see Dylan. He’s dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, and his hair is damp from a shower.

  “I borrowed some clothes,” he mumbles to Kyler. “And I took a shower. Also, your kid is playing with dolls in the sink.”

  “Great,” Kyler replies. “You feeling okay?”

  Dylan shrugs, and I look down at my mug because I can’t take the awkwardness.

  Kyler asks him, “You want some coffee or something?”

  “No, I’m alright,” he answers. “But maybe we can talk?”

  Kyler gives him a nod as the pitter patter of feet comes from the stairs, and soon Lucy is at Kyler’s legs, pulling on the material of his jeans.

  “Daddy, I’m ready,” she claims. “Let’s go outside.”

  “Did you make a mess in the bathroom?” he asks her.

  She narrows her eyes and argues, “I cleaned up!”

  “You better have,” he tells her. “If I go up there and it’s messy, you’re going to be in trouble.”

  “It’s not messy,” she insists. “Can we go outside?”

  “It didn’t look bad when I walked by, if that helps,” Dylan assures Kyler.

  Kyler lets out a breath and stands as he says, “Okay, let’s go out.”

  Lucy is at her playset before we can even get the sliding door closed, and I sit at the table with my mug while Kyler sits next to me at the head of the table. Dylan sits down across from me, diagonally from Kyler, and runs his hands through his hair as he leans back in his chair.

  “Listen, I want to say I’m sorry,” Dylan mutters and forces his eyes to meet Kyler’s. “I know I said it a million times last night, but I really fucking mean it, okay? I’m not trying to fuck anything up for anyone.”

  Kyler muses over his words a moment before he says, “I know you’re sorry that you pissed me off. I don’t know if you’re sorry that you’re using.”

  Dylan shakes his head, annoyed, and replies, “I use socially, man. It’s not like I sit around and snort coke all day.”

  “No, you used to use socially. I know there’ve been times you’ve shown up at the studio high as fuck.”

  “Fine, once in a while, but I’m not a fucking addict,” he argues.

  “I don’t care what you call yourself or what you don’t,” Kyler snaps. “What I care about is your wellbeing and the band. You’re throwing away everything we’ve worked for. Someone gets a photo of you high, getting arrested, whatever it may be, and we’re fucked. We’ll have a scandal, and what if Girardi and Staffer can’t fix it this time? We’re about to go on tour. I can’t risk you getting up on stage and being a shithead.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Dylan insists. “You have to know that. You know who I am. You’re like my brother. I made a couple of mistakes, but I’m not trying to hurt anybody.”

  My eyes water when I see him begin to get emotional. I’ve never seen Dylan so upset, and I, of course, have never seen him cry. He buries his face in his hands, to hide his tears, and I bite my lip to hold in my own emotions.

  “Listen to me,” Kyler mutters and puts his hand on Dylan’s shoulder. “I can only defend you for so long, Dylan. I can’t answer all the other guys’ questions. And I can’t make you stop doing what you’re doing. You have to do it because you want to. But, Dylan, I need you to stop. Okay? I need you with me, and I need you coherent and happy.”

  “Okay,” Dylan mumbles with a sniff and looks up at him with wet eyes. “I’ll get better. I swear I will.”

  “Just work on you, man,” Kyler says quietly. “Before we go on tour, you got to figure it out. You know I’m here for you, and I always will be. Like you said, you’re my brother, and I always have your back. But I can’t protect you from something like this. I’ll do whatever you need me to do in order for you to get help. I don’t want you to use this shit because you’re feeling… depressed or something. I mean, is that what you’re doing?”

  Dylan’s silent for a moment, and he glances down at his lap before softly saying, “Sometimes. I don’t know, man. Maybe there’s something wrong with me.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you,” I speak up and reach across the table to hold his hand. “There are people here to help you. If you want to seek help, we’ll be there.”

  “We can get you somewhere so you can talk to someone,” Kyler murmurs. “If you need something to help with whatever you might be feeling, I don’t want you to use the shit you’ve been using.”

  “I’ll look into some stuff,” Dylan mutters. “I really am sorry.”

  Kyler nods slowly. I stand up from the table and give both of their shoulders a squeeze. Kyler grabs my hand to stop me from walking away.

  “Where’re you going?” he asks.

  “I’m going to go swing with Lucy,” I tell him. “You guys should keep talking.”

  He lets me go, and I make my way over to the playset. Lucy is at the top of her wooden castle and waves down at me as I approach. I give her a wave back and climb up the ladder until I reach her.

  “Welcome to my castle,” Lucy greets with a wave of her arms. “Isn’t it bi
g?”

  It would be if I weren’t full grown, but I humor her and say, “Yes, it’s ginormous.”

  “Come this way to get some tea,” Lucy replies and leads me across a wooden bridge with rope along the sides to hold onto.

  Passing the slide, we get to the other side of the playset after crossing the bridge, and she sits down under the roof of the right column of the playground. I sit down across from her with my legs crossed and smile as she pours tea from an invisible pot into invisible teacups. She’s so cute, I have to bite my lip to not burst into laughter.

  “Your tea is delicious, Princess Lucy,” I murmur as I pretend to sip from the invisible cup.

  “Thank you, Princess Livy,” she counters and sips from her own. “My nana made it.”

  I grin. “Well, be sure to send my thanks to the chef.”

  She nods and smiles back at me before saying, “My daddy’s going to work soon. He’s going to be gone for a long time.”

  “Not too long,” I assure her softly. “And he’s going to call you every single day.”

  I make a mental note to discuss this with Kyler. I know Lucy is starting kindergarten soon. I also know that Kyler has been struggling with the decision for months. He knows she would benefit from public school, but he also knows that she’ll be seriously effected by his absence. While editing the album at the studio a while back, I’m pretty sure I caught him googling homeschooling and viewing profiles for potential teachers for him to hire. As far as I know, Kyler’s struggled with trying to figure out what to do and how Lucy feels about the whole thing.

  “Maybe I can go with,” she whispers.

  I bite my lip, not knowing what to say and not wanting to get her hopes up.

  “You know, I could go for another cup of tea, Princess,” I finally say with a small smile. “Mind filling my cup up?”

  She smiles, fills my cup up, and thankfully continues to chat with me, but doesn’t bring up the tour again. We’re up there for at least another twenty minutes playing tea party. At some point, Kyler steps up to the bridge, his arms resting on the wooden planks as he looks into the tower at us with a small smile on his face.

  “Hi, ladies,” he murmurs. “What’re you guys going?”

  “We’re princesses, Daddy,” Lucy corrects him. “And we’re playing tea party.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Kyler chuckles out. “Can I join?”

  “Nope,” Lucy smarts back. “Maybe next time, though, okay?”

  I raise a brow and smirk as I look at Kyler, who frowns. I set down my invisible teacup and look at Lucy.

  “How about we go swing?” I offer to her. “I think that would be a great end to our tea party, don’t you think?”

  She thinks about it for a moment before finally nodding and standing up. “Okay, let’s swing.”

  She walks past Kyler and slides down the slide next to him, and he watches her go. I follow, but I climb down the ladder instead of going down the slide. I meet them at the attached swing set, and sit on the swing next to Lucy as Kyler begins to push her gently back and forth. Every time she comes back to him, he tickles her sides causing her to squeal loudly in delight and fall into a fit of giggles. I smile as I watch them, all the while swinging slowly back and forth.

  “Is Dylan okay?” I ask softly.

  Kyler nods and pushes Lucy again as he says, “Yeah, I think so. He will be. Eventually, right? He’s going home, so hopefully he looks up some people to help him in a way I can’t.”

  I give a small nod, and I turn my attention to Lucy as she continues to switch between laughing with Kyler and chatting up a storm. Eventually, Kyler wrangles her up, and we head inside. We spend the rest of the day spending time with Lucy, playing with her toys, watching movies, and coloring. We even spend some time outside again before dinner, which is a pizza Kyler orders. Once dinner is over, Kyler sets up a movie for the three of us. I sit in the middle of the couch, and Kyler pulls me back against his chest while Lucy sits next to me, leaning her back into me. She keeps her little hand on my knee, and I smile at her as the movie begins, her eyes fully engrossed in the film.

  I feel Kyler’s lips slide over my neck and jaw, and I move into his touch. I feel him smile against my jaw, and I smile back even though he can’t see me. He’s happy, and even the idea of him being happy makes my heart soar. Once we finish the movie, Kyler says it’s time for Lucy to head for bed. She climbs off of the couch with Kyler and grabs my hand.

  “Livy, you want to come?” she asks softly.

  “Sure,” I murmur once I get an approving nod from Kyler.

  She holds my hand all the way up the stairs and to her room. Once there, she asks for my help in picking out her pajamas. We decide on a blue pair with kittens running down the legs and arms. Kyler takes her to the bathroom to get changed and to brush her teeth before bed. When they return, Lucy climbs into bed, and I cover her up and tuck her in as Kyler pulls the rocking chair over as well as the guitar in the corner. I know he does this, because he’s mentioned it in passing, but I’ve never actually had the privilege to watch.

  “Livy, sit and listen,” Lucy orders quietly and pats her bed.

  I smile and sit on the edge of her bed and grab her toes teasingly. She jerks her feet awhile and giggles. Kyler tunes up the guitar as he smiles down at his daughter.

  “What’re we going to sing today, baby?” he asks her softly. “The sun song?”

  I’m not sure what the sun song is, but as I watch her face, it doesn’t seem like she’s in the mood to hear it. She frowns and shakes her head.

  Kyler’s head goes back in surprise, and he murmurs, “But you love that song. What do you want to hear?”

  Lucy shrugs and mutters, “Something new, Daddy.”

  He smiles and gives her a small nod. “Something new. I can do that.”

  He strums his guitar, and I instantly recognize the tune. Soon, he’s singing Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, and when his eyes land on me, I bite my lip to hold in my huge smile. When Lucy falls asleep halfway through the song, Kyler still serenades me softly. I smile the whole time, simply because he has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. It’s also been so long since he’s done this, and since I lost it once, I don’t ever want to lose it again.

  Once he finishes, I stand slowly from the bed, and he puts the chair and guitar back in their rightful places. We slowly slip out of the bedroom, and Kyler turns the lights off and shuts the door quietly behind us. His hand goes to my jaw and wraps around the back of my neck instantly, and he leans down to press his lips to mine. My hands run up his chest as I feel his other hand press into my back to pull me tightly against him.

  I pull away breathless and whisper, “I should get going.”

  “Stay,” he whispers back instantly.

  “I thought we were taking this slow. Remember? For Lucy.”

  “I want you. Come to bed with me.”

  I bite my lip, and he uses his thumb to pull it from my teeth. I let out a breath and look him over.

  “Fine, but I’m setting an alarm, and I’m getting up and leaving before Lucy wakes up. Deal?”

  He kisses me in a silent agreement. His hands move down, and he lifts me up. My legs wrap around his waist, and we kiss as he walks us to his bedroom. As soon as he lays me down on the bed, he pulls his sweatpants down my legs and maneuvers himself in between them. I cry out when his mouth runs over my clit, his tongue flicking out over the sensitive spot. He throws my legs over his shoulders to get better access. My hips buck against his mouth, and his hands wrap around my thighs to hold me in place. As soon as he enters two fingers into me, his tongue flicks harder, and I begin to tremble as I come around his mouth. I cry out his name in a moan, and before I even come all the way down, he has my shirt off and his, and his jeans are unzipped. He crawls over my quivering body, licking and kissing along his path. He stops to pay attention to my nipples, and as he settles his hips between my legs, I lean up to kiss him deeply. My fingers find his hips
, and I shimmy his jeans down far enough to retrieve his cock from his boxers. Elbows on either side of me, he cradles my head in his hands as I tip my hips up and he enters me fully in one thrust.

  He lets out a low groan as he buries his face into my neck, and I run my nails up his back to hug him around his shoulders. Tears hit the back of my eyes as emotions fill my chest. When a stray one slips down my cheek, he kisses it away as he moves slowly in and out of me.

  “What’s wrong?” he whispers and stills momentarily.

  My legs wrap around him as I murmur, “I just missed you.”

  He begins to move again and kisses me deeply, conveying all of the same emotions in the kiss. My hips lift to meet each thrust, and a moan slips past my lips as he begins to pump harder. He kisses along my jaw and whispers to me how beautiful I am, how much he’s missed me, and how he never wants to lose me again. Moments pass before his body tightens, his face burying into my neck, and he comes. My lips run over his forehead, and I tighten my hold around his shoulders. We stay like this for a moment before he pulls out and rolls over to lay next to me. He tucks himself into his boxers before kicking his jeans off and tossing the black t-shirt back to me. I slip it over my head and join him under the covers a second later. His arm slips under my neck as I press my front to his side and lay my head in the crook of his arm. His lips kiss my forehead as his hand comes up to run through my hair.

  “I loved seeing you with Lucy today,” he whispers into the dark suddenly. “She adores you.”

  “I adore her back,” I tell him quietly. “She talked about the tour today.”

  “Yeah, my mom told me she’s been asking about it a lot,” he mutters. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I want her with me, but I know school is important. My mom loathes the idea of me having someone in to homeschool her.”

  “Maybe when she’s older, and she can make the decision to stay here with your mom,” I say. “Maybe that might be more beneficial. I just know she’s obsessed with you, and I don’t know what those months away from her will do to her.”