by Layla Hagen
“We’re both okay,” Isabelle said.
He looked at her shoulder, then at me. “Okay, then we all need to rest a bit. I think they mixed up the rooms. They brought my luggage here. Wait a second.”
He went back out to the corridor and returned a few minutes later. “The bellboy said they took your luggage to 2201.”
“Thanks,” Isabelle said.
I wanted to be alone with her. I wanted to know why she didn’t tell me everything about last night, or all the other times fans mobbed her. I wanted her to tell me for once how she really felt. I wasn’t going to let her brush this off this time. She took out the elastic band from her hair, pulling it all to one side.
Lars took out his phone, going next to Isabelle, and holding it up for a selfie.
“Come on, Isabelle. You’re in your own cool club. The only one who got stitches.”
“This isn’t funny,” I said and started pacing the room. “I was afraid of this. I shouldn’t have asked you to come on the tour,” I said more to myself.
“Why not?” Isabelle asked.
“Come on, man, don’t be a buzzkill,” Lars said.
“Lars!” I bellowed. “Don’t try to be funny.”
“I’m not trying. It’s natural to me, but you know what? I’ll be in the bedroom. You lovebirds sort it all out.” Holding his hands up in surrender, he backtracked into the bedroom, closing the door.
“Ready to go to our room?” I asked Isabelle.
She didn’t budge from the couch. “No. What did you mean you shouldn’t have asked me to come on the tour?”
I frowned, looking straight at her. “It was selfish. I wanted you with me too much. I didn’t think about all the risks involved.”
“Yeah you did. That’s why you got me a bodyguard and everything.”
“It wasn’t enough. This shouldn’t have happened. The stitches, your ankle, the fan mobbing. And every other night you didn’t tell me about.”
She waved her hand. “It’s all fine.”
“Don’t do this. Don’t placate me. You’ve done this for weeks, and it’s driving me crazy.”
Her eyes widened and she dropped her hand. “I haven’t been placating you.”
I sat next to her on the couch. She was fiddling with her thumbs in her lap.
“I just don’t like to make a big deal out of things.”
“But these aren’t small things. When we first started dating... actually before we even started, you told me you loved having absolute freedom. That you couldn’t imagine living with the restrictions I do. So don’t tell me these things are not a big deal for you.”
She stopped fiddling, giving me a small smile. “I’m adaptable. It’s not ideal, but I’m learning to navigate this world. Yes, I admit the fans are a bit scary. Today was very scary, but you said fans are a bit too eager sometimes. I’ll get used to it.”
“I’m afraid you won’t,” I blurted, shocking the hell out of myself. I wasn’t even aware I was afraid of that, but now that the words were out, I knew they were true. And I couldn’t stop. “I’m afraid you’re going to get frustrated with everything, including me. That you’ll feel caged in and that you’ll walk away eventually.”
Isabelle’s expression froze. “That’s not going to happen.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I know how I feel about you. And these feelings are not going to go away just because things aren’t smooth.” She shifted further away from me on the couch. “You asked me to move in with you not long ago.” Her voice caught on the last words.
“I want you to. I love you.”
“And I love you. With all I have. So why are you questioning my feelings?”
“I’m not doing that.”
She rose to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re saying you’re not sure if I’ll still love you further down the road. Or that I’m going to get fed up because I have to change a few things around in my life.”
I swallowed hard. Was that how it came out?
“Fuck. Yes. I guess that’s what I’m saying.”
She transformed right in front of me. Her eyes snapped fire. She pulled herself straighter, running a hand through her hair until it was wild, sticking out in every direction. My lioness.
“I think... I think I’ve shown you every way I know how much I care about you. If that’s not enough to convince you, I don’t know what to say. Or do.” Frowning, she glanced over her shoulder at the door. “Actually, I know what I’ll do. I’m going to have a nice long nap in our room. By myself. You know where I am when you’re ready to talk. But if you’re going to question my feelings again, then we’re going to have a huge problem.”
“Isabelle—”
“Don’t ‘Isabelle’ me. It’s been a long day, and I don’t want to fight.”
She was in fight mode. Hell, I’d been in fight mode all day, but not with her, with myself. I had no idea how to fix that.
“I’m going to our suite.” She picked up a card from the table at the entrance before leaving the room.
I sat back on the couch, stunned by her loyalty and her response.
Lars came out of the bedroom. “Man. What the fuck was that?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Isabelle
My brothers always said I was a bit of a hothead when dealing with an unexpected blow. I usually calmed down after I had time to process it, but as I went into the suite, I was getting more riled up.
I wasn’t tired anymore, and I didn’t think I could sleep anyway. I liked taking long walks to clear my head, but I didn’t want to risk leaving the hotel. Besides, my ankle was still hurting, so I was limping.
My eyes were burning with tears. I wiped them away with the back of my hand while I threw myself on the bed spread-eagled and fully clothed.
“You’ll walk away eventually...”
His words bounced around in my mind, making me even more teary-eyed.
No, I wasn’t going to focus on what he said.
I remembered what Jana and Donna had said about him pulling away from his family after the incident with the fans in Blue Falls. Deep down, I knew this was just him reacting out of fear. Coupled with how his last relationship ended, the belief that things couldn’t last was still there, tormenting him. As a counselor, I’d seen this before. But Brayden wasn’t a client, he was the man I loved, and I couldn’t judge things in a rational manner the way I did with my clients.
I glanced around the room, searching for a distraction. The suite was elegant, with carpeted floors and thick curtains in an elegant shade of dark red. The huge bed had four posts made out of black wood, like all the rest of the furniture.
I needed to do something. I couldn’t just sit inside here.
In the living room, I checked out the minibar. It was poorly stocked for such a fancy hotel: mostly M&Ms and similar sweet treats, a pack of almonds, and some dried fruit.
I closed the door to the bar again, sighing. Next to it was a closet with robes and a cream-colored bag with burgundy stripes for the spa. Oh good, that was one area of the hotel I could explore. I remembered the hotel employee saying there was a special spa section on the VIP floor, and no one would have access to it during our stay. Only the band and those working for them were up there.
I quickly changed into comfortable shorts and a tank top, throwing the robe over me. Armed with the hotel bag and my phone, I headed to the spa. My heart felt so heavy. I almost went to Lars’s suite, but what good would that do?
I really couldn’t take more of that conversation. Not yet, anyway.
The spa area was completely empty, as expected. It had several saunas and even a small swimming pool, but I hadn’t brought a bikini, and I couldn’t swim now with my injured shoulder blade and the stitches anyway. I also couldn’t check out the saunas.
Just being here helped me relax though. The color scheme—all shades of beige and brown, mimicking natural stone—had a calming effect on me. There were plants l
ike ferns and ficus trees in every corner.
I discovered a room with loungers surrounded by glass walls. Since we were so high up over the city, I only saw the expanse of clear blue sky out the window. In one corner was a table with fruit and assortment of tea.
I lay down on one of the loungers, loving the feeling of the fancy leather cushion on it against my body.
The silence was weighing on me though. As someone who grew up with three siblings, quiet time was unusual. Even in college, I’d loved living in a shared apartment because there was always something going on.
Taking out my phone, I texted my brothers separately, and Josie too, asking them if they had time to talk; I didn’t send the text in our shared group because I didn’t want to alarm them. It was Saturday afternoon, so my brothers were probably out and about in the city, and I thought Josie was getting together with Tess, but maybe one of them could spare a few minutes.
No one replied. I pouted, staring at the screen.
Three minutes later, Dylan called. Yessss!
He was using the camera, so I answered with the video option too. To my astonishment, Josie and Ian were already in the call too, all with their cameras.
“Why are you all in the call?” I asked.
“Because when you messaged me, I messaged the boys to ask if they also heard from you. Something felt off in the message. You weren’t using any emojis but had three exclamation marks,” Josie said.
Ian nodded. “So obviously once we realized you’d messaged all three of us, we thought something big was up.”
“Especially since you didn’t message the group. You only message us individually when you don’t want us to panic,” Dylan added.
My mouth hung open. “Wow.”
“You might be the therapist in the family, but we’re your siblings,” Josie said. She was in a room I recognized as Tess’s bedroom by herself. Ian seemed to be in a dark corner of a restaurant or a coffee shop. There was a chorus of voices in his background. Dylan was in his office. Yet they all called me.
Awww, the sibs loved me so much. This was really cute, and exactly what I needed.
“You’ve been crying,” Josie said in a dismayed voice.
Ian grimaced. “Crap. I don’t know how to deal with tears.”
“Who’s responsible for them? I just need a name,” Dylan said, making me laugh. I knew he wasn’t really joking though.
“It’s been a long day. We had an incident with fans at the hotel,” I began, wondering if I should tell them the whole story. I was 100 percent certain they’d be very worried. I couldn’t keep it from them though. It wasn’t in my nature. I liked to tell them everything and have them poke their noses in my business, giving me their opinion. I tried to downplay the whole thing, making it seem like a minor incident, but as soon as I mentioned the stitches and sprained ankle, they realized what I’d been trying to do.
“How hurt are you?” Dylan asked.
“It’s not bad at all. Look, I’ll show you.” Pushing off my robe, I rearranged the strap of my top so it didn’t cover the shoulder blade and held the camera so they could see it.
“Okay, that isn’t so bad,” Josie agreed.
My brothers said nothing. Yeah, the overprotective gene was strong in the male members of my family.
“You want us to come to the hotel?” Dylan asked.
“No, absolutely not,” I said fiercely. I wasn’t sure it was safe, what with the fans camped out. I focused the camera on my face again, biting my lower lip, unsure how to explain what happened next.
“There’s more,” Dylan said. He leaned back in his office chair, frowning.
“You’re freaking me out lately with your deductive abilities,” Ian said.
Josie said nothing, just watched me intently.
“So... after the doctor left, Brayden started saying things like he shouldn’t have brought me with him on the tour and that this was all going to be too much for me one day. That I’ll feel caged in, and I’ll want to break out and I’ll leave him. Which is absolutely not true. I love him.”
“But you did tell him you didn’t think your lifestyles are compatible at one point,” Josie said slowly. “I don’t think it’s so far-fetched for him to worry about it.”
Dylan was silent for a few beats, but I could tell it was only because he was searching for the right words. “Well, as someone who was dumped by his girlfriend because her feelings for me had changed, I can’t say that I don’t understand his point of view.”
I couldn’t believe he used himself as an example. I knew how difficult it was for him to talk about this. My heart was hurting for my brother.
Ian cocked a brow. “I’m no expert, but you two make no sense. Dylan, this isn’t the same situation. Isabelle was leery in the beginning, but she even told us this isn’t as difficult as she thought. So what’s the problem?”
Dylan laughed. “I wish the world were as black-and-white as you think, brother. Lina—”
“She didn’t break up with you randomly because her feelings changed, okay? Or because of anything you did. She was sleeping with a coworker,” Ian said, throwing a hand in the air.
I gasped, sliding lower on my lounger. Josie covered her mouth. I’d been certain Ian was keeping something to himself when Dylan had opened up during that breakfast, but not something this big.
Ian closed his eyes briefly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt that out,” he said.
Dylan was quiet for so long that I could practically feel him raising walls around him.
“How do you know?” Dylan asked eventually.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ian replied, glancing at me in the camera. His gaze moved briefly lower, probably at Josie on his screen. This was sibling code for “Help me out.” Ian always had zero tact, but this time, I didn’t know how to help him.
“Yes it fucking does.”
“Her sister mentioned it to a common friend, and...” Ian shrugged.
Dylan’s expression darkened. “Let’s focus on Isabelle. The call is for her.”
I wanted to reach out through the phone and hug him.
“Isabelle, this is a tough period for you guys. The press and fan attention is overbearing, and I think at the end of the day, he wants to protect you,” Josie said, then added, “You haven’t changed your mind about him... have you?”
“No I haven’t. I love him even more.” The collective gasp from my sibs almost had me laughing. Oh, well, cat’s out of the bag now.
“Well, then, man up, Sis. Pull up those big girl pants and put Brayden on the straight and narrow,” Josie said. Now that had us all laughing.
We chatted a little bit more about Sophie and what happened since I’d been gone, though I noticed Dylan didn’t add anything, and Ian hadn’t spoken since apologizing, which was probably for the best.
“Thanks for taking my call, folks. I don’t want to keep you any longer,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Dylan asked.
I nodded, and after he said his goodbyes, he disconnected right away. Josie and Ian didn’t. I’d always been grateful that we were very good at wordless communication, but never more than now.
I stood up from the lounger because I couldn’t lie down any longer; I could think better when I was moving around. I went to the snack table, hoping something tasty might have magically popped up. Nope. Still just apples and nuts.
“Ian, for the love of God,” Josie exclaimed.
“So... how long do you think he’s going to be mad at me?” Ian asked.
“A while,” I answered. “A long one. Ummm... Josie, I think Dylan’s in need of some sisterly love.”
“I agree 100 percent. I’m going to pay him a visit with Sophie in tow. She always seems to cheer him up.”
“Well, she’s tiny and pink, and when she smiles, everyone turns into goo. Including Dylan.” I leaned against a window, enjoying the cool feeling against the back of my head.
“I’m guessing I should stay out o
f his way today,” Ian said, frowning. The sounds in his background kept getting louder. I wanted to comfort him too, but before I could say anything, he added, “I’m going to hang up. This large group came in, and I can barely hear you.”
He disconnected right away. It was just me and my sis now.
“Isabelle, I’m taking care of our brothers, okay? You have enough to worry about.”
“I know, but I don’t like seeing them like this.”
“I promise you I’ve got this. How are you holding up? What are you going to do?”
“I want to talk to him. Go take care of our brothers,” I said.
“I will. Good luck.”
“Thanks, I really need it.”
“Sis, you can figure out anything. You kick ass. And you’re the only person I know who doesn’t resort to comfort food when she feels down.”
Should I confess that I was only eating an apple because there was no tastier alternative? Perhaps I should have... but I didn’t.
“Love how much confidence you have in me.”
Josie smiled. “Always.”
After the call ended, I realized the ball was in my court. My hero was hurting, and it was my job to change that.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brayden
“Lars, this isn’t helping,” I exclaimed. He’d been talking my ear off since Isabelle left.
He snapped his fingers, as if he had a light bulb moment.
“Of course it doesn’t. I suck at giving relationship advice. But you know who’s good at it? Thomas. I’ll call the guys.”
I cocked a brow. “What’s Harvey’s input going to be?”
“Nothing. He just doesn’t like being left out.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. When the band was on a tour, we dealt with everything together. Well, almost everything. I’d always liked dealing with personal matters on my own, but right now, I didn’t mind the guys rallying around me. This was all Isabelle’s influence on me. Something fundamental had shifted inside me since she became part of my life.
I was pacing the suite, rotating my injured shoulder. The Advil hadn’t kicked in yet. Thomas and Harvey barged in a few minutes later.
