by Karen Booth
“Where’s Page?” David desperately wanted to race to Alex’s side, but it not only would bring his entire world crashing down, it wasn’t his place. Glenn was still Tyler’s dad.
“He’s staying over at Ryan’s. My car wouldn’t start after Tyler fell, so I had to call Ryan’s mom and ask her to take us to the hospital because I couldn’t get a hold of Lisa.”
Shit. “What’s wrong with your car?”
Alex sneezed. “I don’t know. Maybe the battery. I’ll figure it out later.”
“Are you okay? You sound like you’re really sick.”
“I’m fine.”
He came to a halt and his head dropped as he whispered. “Alex, honey, it’s okay to freak out. You don’t have to put on a show for me. Okay? I hate the fact that I’m not there to help you.”
“Yeah, I hate it too.” Muffled voices rumbled in the background. “Shit. Glenn’s on the other line.” She groaned. “I’ll have to call you later.” Her voice grew thinner with every word.
David’s shoulders drooped. He would never be able to disguise his distress over Tyler and technically, Glenn should have known about it first. “Love you,” he said, but the line had already gone dead. Rubbing his eyes and kneading his forehead, he kicked a few stray pebbles across the pavement. “Fuck.”
He waited several minutes, his mind racing with thoughts of Tyler in the hospital, in pain and scared. It was no secret Alex was in a state even if she’d insisted she wasn’t.
David eased the door open before climbing the stairs back onto the bus. He could hear Glenn speaking loudly. “Can I talk to him? Okay, well, tell him I love him and that I’m sorry I can’t be there. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
David slumped down onto the bench seat and raked his hand into his hair. Tyler will be fine. This will all be fine. You feel helpless because you want to be there with them.
Glenn inched toward David, stopping when he reached the kitchenette and leaning a hip against the sink. “Alex. Take a deep breath. Tyler will be okay. The doctors have it under control. They’ll take good care of him.” He placed his hand over the receiver and spoke to David. “Ty broke his arm. They’re at the hospital.” He cast his eyes to the floor and returned to the call, intently listening to Alex, nodding his head. “Okay. Sounds good. Call me later and let me know how everything went. And take something for that cough.” He nodded again. “Got it. Bye.”
Glenn pressed the screen on his phone. David’s heart sank even lower. He battled an indescribable pang of envy over Glenn being in the position to take care of everyone. Everything has to come down to Glenn. The whole freaking world revolves around him.
“What happened? Is Tyler okay?” David asked, hating the pretense of acting as if he didn’t know what was going on.
“He slipped and fell while he was goofing around by your pool.” Glenn waved it off. “He’ll be fine. He’s a tough kid. Hell, I broke my arm three times before I was out of elementary school. You know that.”
“Wow. I’m sorry you can’t be there with him. I’m sure Alex would appreciate the help.” Am I a glutton for punishment? Uttering those words to Glenn was truly painful. “Is she sick?” Faking his way through the conversation was now officially killing him.
“She’s fine. She just needed me to listen to her drama queen routine. She doesn’t actually want any help, she just wants to bitch about it.”
I need a drink. David got up and grabbed himself a beer. “You want another one?”
“Nah. I’m going to be pissing like a racehorse if I don’t stop drinking before the show.” Glenn downed what was left in his bottle.
There was a knock at the bus door and one of their stagehands climbed the stairs. “Hey, guys. You’re on in thirty. Does anybody need anything?”
“I’m good,” David said. “Glenn? Anything?”
“Nope. Guess I should go change.”
The stagehand left and David watched as Glenn walked to the back bedroom. A time when everything would be sorted out seemed worse than unlikely. It seemed impossible.
Chapter Forty-One
Lisa sifted through the bottles nestled in the wine rack in David’s kitchen. “I have no idea what I’m looking at here. I pick wine by the color and that’s it.”
“So open something red. David won’t care. I just need a drink.” A chill ran up Alex’s back and she wrapped her arms around herself. Even the cardigan she’d put on wasn’t enough to keep her warm.
“You look like hell, by the way.” Lisa opened the wine, poured a glass and slid it across the kitchen island.
“Thanks.” Alex rubbed the back of her hand against her sniffy nose. “It’s been a really long day.”
Things were quiet now. Tyler was fine once they got back to David’s and fell asleep soon after. Luckily, the orthopedic surgeon had assured Alex it was a clean break and Tyler would do just fine with a cast. A few months and he would be good as new.
They made their way into the living room and Alex grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped up in it. Her eyes felt heavy as soon as she sank into one of the leather chairs.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get your call when your car wouldn’t start,” Lisa said. “I totally would have given you a ride to the hospital.”
“I know. I’m sorry I left you that message. I was a bit panicked.” Alex felt pathetic thinking about the voicemail she’d left for Lisa.
“I’m happy to be your whipping boy.” She winked. “That’s what friends are for.”
Alex felt another pang of guilt. “I suck.” She curled up tighter and set her head against the chair arm. Her whole body ached.
“Don’t say that. I’m sorry. I hate seeing you like this.” Lisa’s eyes softened and her head cocked to the side.
“Like what? Sick?”
“Among other things. How long before you start to lose it?”
“What do you mean?”
“How long before the band being on the road makes you crazy? You only kept it together for three days this time. I remember the last big tour they did. You were a wreck by the end of it.”
Alex huffed, dragged down by her fever and the tone of the conversation. “I have it together. Today wasn’t a normal day. I’ll be fine.”
“If you say so.” Lisa kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her butt. “I just worry about you getting yourself back into the same situation again. Being the single parent when the band is on the road. I mean, if you and David decide to be together.”
“Why would you say that?” The discomfort of the fever was now eclipsed by Lisa’s suggestion.
“I’m not saying you won’t. It’s just that it seems like everything is really complicated. Don’t you need a break from complicated? I don’t want you to get hurt again and I really don’t want you back in the same situation you were in before.”
“It’s different with David.” She took a sip of her wine and curled back up again. “He loves me.”
Lisa’s lips spread to a thin line. “How much longer are you two going to be able to keep your secret? That can’t be helping your stress level.”
“I have no idea.” She sighed. It felt like everything was holding her down. “David doesn’t want to do it now, things are so fragile with the band and that comes first right now. They don’t know if this resurgence is real or if it’s a blip on the map.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s pretty important, isn’t it? Glenn and David have been waiting for this for years.”
“Yes. For years.”
****
When David came through the door the following morning, Alex felt as if a light had been switched on. That light was quickly extinguished as Glenn followed him into the kitchen. They both looked tired, but were deep in a conversation that was apparently quite humorous.
“Oh, man,” David said. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.” His eyes settled on her and he slyly winked, dropping a black backpack on the kitchen island. “Alex, hi.”
&nb
sp; “You’re home.” She and David continued the conversation with looks and glances.
Glenn hitched his sunglasses on to the neck of his T-shirt. “I wanted to check in on Ty before I head to the condo. Is he in his room?”
Alex nodded as she tried to disguise the way her eyes only wanted to wash over David. It was as if the devil perched on her shoulder, whispering in her ear, prodding her to yank David into the laundry room and rid him of his shirt and pants. “He’s in his room. Page just got home from a sleepover.”
She and David watched in silence as Glenn walked away. Electricity seemed to arc between David and her. It made impulses impossible to ignore.
“Hi.” David inched closer.
“I’m really sick.” Alex leaned back against the counter as she battled the urge to touch him. “You might not want to get too close.” Her heart thumped in her ears.
“I’ll take my chances,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder in the direction Glenn had gone. He closed the gap between them. “How’s Tyler?” His hip grazed hers as he reached into the cabinet for a coffee cup.
Alex’s eyes fluttered. “Better. Good.” She watched him wrap his hand around the handle of the coffee carafe.
Steam swirled as he filled his cup. The mug nestled against his perfectly full lips. “I’m glad. I feel awful that I couldn’t be here to help. I’m sorry you’re sick.”
“It’s okay.”
David took another sip of his coffee and his thick hair swept across his forehead. “I missed you,” he whispered. He reached out and gently rubbed her elbow. “A lot.”
Her knees turned to jelly. She grabbed the edge of the counter “Me too.” She spoke as softly as a puff of air.
“Do you think we can get Glenn to take the boys out tonight?” He raised his eyebrows and rolled his shoulders out of his jean jacket.
Why didn’t I think of that? “Are you sure? I don’t want you to catch my cold.”
“I can live through a cold.”
“It’s a bad one.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“I’ll ask.”
“Good. I’m going to go hop in the shower and get into some clean clothes.”
Now Alex felt light-headed, but decided the truth was worth it. “I wish I could join you.”
“I can take more than one shower in a day.” He unleashed a seductive smile.
“God, I missed you.”
It was torture to watch David walk away, especially when Glenn walked in seconds later.
“Ty seems like he’s doing fine. I signed his cast for him.”
Ah, yes, an autograph from Daddy, the rock star. “How were the shows?”
“Incredible. It sounds like such a cliché to say that it was like the old days, but it came pretty damn close. I forgot how much fun it is when you’re riding high.” He shook his head and grinned from ear to ear. “David was on fire. I haven’t seen him this happy in years. I can’t believe how smoothly it’s going.”
“Well, I guess congratulations are in order then. I’m really happy for you guys.” Her voice feathered away as it sunk in what a mixed blessing it was for the band to be doing well.
“David and I were talking on the bus this morning. What if you brought the boys to one of the Vegas shows next week? They’ve never really seen us in action. They were so little when the band was as its peak.”
“Uh, yeah. I need to get my car fixed, but I think I can make that happen.”
“Great.”
“Do you want to take the boys for a few hours tonight?”
“I’m pretty tired, but I guess I could come back. Got a hot date?” Glenn’s eyes narrowed, he let out a dismissive laugh.
Alex pursed her lips. “What if I did?”
“Last time I checked, you get to do whatever you want.”
“Gee, thanks for your permission.”
Glenn rolled his eyes. “It’d be good to see you move on. Although you should probably have some crazy fling before you get serious with anybody. You know, sow your wild oats before it’s too late. Just don’t embarrass yourself or let the boys know about it.”
Glenn’s delivery of love-life rules brought a familiar boil to Alex’s blood. He’d spent the last ten years doing exactly what pleased him. “I don’t need a fling. I’m not that shallow.”
He looped his keys onto his finger and swung them around. “I’ll be back at six. Just tell the boys to be ready.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Alex and David stole away to his room within seconds of Glenn leaving the house with the boys that night. Without any patience, they stripped each other of meddlesome clothing. And collapsed on to the bed with limbs tangled.
Alex’s hands eagerly roved over his shoulders, down his back. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t want to be sick next week.”
“You’d have to have the plague for me to keep my hands off you.” He buried his face in the velvety skin of her neck.
“I missed you so much.” Her nose was so stuffy, she sounded like a child.
“I missed you too, sweetheart.” His hands wove through her silky hair and she snaked her leg around his. He knew it wouldn’t take much for her to get him off. He was already perilously close to being there just from being naked with her.
“I thought I was going crazy while you were gone,” she said, her voice plaintive. Her lips moved against his, her breathing heavy.
“Me too.” His hands slinked around her waist and up her back. He pressed between her shoulder blades to muscle her closer.
“I hated not having you here when Tyler got hurt.”
“I know.” David cupped her face with both hands. “But I’m home now. Let’s make the most of that.”
The look in her eyes lightened and she grinned. “Deal.”
With that, he flattened her against the bed.
Their lovemaking passed by as a flurry of hands and legs, skin against skin, elated mutterings and sighs of relief. They lay side-by-side holding hands as their breathing returned to normal.
David pecked her on the shoulder. “Did you really miss me that much?”
“I did. I haven’t felt that lonely and lost in a long time.”
His hand smoothed across her stomach. He didn’t like hearing she was unhappy, but it felt incredible to hear her say that she missed him so much. “You probably just need to get used to it again. I mean, the band being on the road.” His brow furrowed. “Is this bad? You hated it when Glenn was on the road all of the time.”
“I just don’t like being by myself, but it’s okay. It’ll get better. You guys need to do what you need to do. Glenn seemed really excited.”
“He was definitely pumped for the last four days. And I have to hand it to him. He puts on a show like a guy in his twenties. He’s pretty unbelievable up there.”
“Were you loving it just as much as Glenn?”
David noted the anticipation in her eyes. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned this conversation. He’d always thought the band taking off again would be good for everyone. He could see Alex wasn’t quite as enthused. “It was fun. But I know it’s not going to last forever. I’m trying to remind myself of that.”
She shook her head. “I think it’s only going to get better from here for you guys.”
“That would be great, but I’m not counting on it.”
“You need to stay positive.” She curled into him and spread out her hand, delicate fingers playing with his chest hair. “You deserve every minute of this success.”
****
David had but three short days at home with Alex before climbing back onto the tour bus. The show in Phoenix had gone so well that the fire marshal had threatened to shut it down when word spread around town that the club had sold two hundred extra tickets. He had a change of heart when he heard Double Damage was playing. They’d been his favorite band in high school. He brought his wife to the show, went backstage afterward, and bought tour shirts for all three of his kids.
> The Vegas shows were a much bigger deal, two sold-out nights at the Hard Rock. Not only was it a hefty payday, these were by far the most high profile of the gigs. Their manager Marty was flying in, as was Lori White, a freelance music writer who was making quite a name for herself with some epic tell-all magazine articles. She was pitching a feature on what she was dubbing the biggest rock ‘n’ roll comeback in twenty years to Rolling Stone.
David spent the morning waiting for a text from Alex to let him know she and the boys had arrived. He was snaking his way through the Hard Rock complex after sound check when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
The eagle has landed. Boys want to go swimming.
Cool. Meet u at the pool in ten?
Sure. Have to let G know we’re here.
G doing interview rt now.
Perfect.
David spotted Alex and the boys as they came out to the pool area, wondering if Page and Tyler would think it was suspicious they happened to be running into him in a place where there were hundreds of people milling about. Alex was stunning in a black cover-up that showed off her slender legs. It took everything David had to keep from telling the boys he needed ten minutes alone with their mom.
“Look who’s here.” Alex fought a smile, her sweet lips contorting into a twist.
“Hey, David.” Page offered him a fist bump. “Is my dad with you?”
“No, he’s doing an interview.” He glanced at Alex. “Rolling Stone.”
“Seriously?” Alex asked, her eyebrows popping up above her Jackie O. sunglasses.
“It might be the cover story.”
She slid her shades down her nose and their eyes connected. “Wow. That’s huge.”
“Tell me about it. Hey, there are some empty chairs over here. Let’s dump our stuff so we can get in the water. It’s hot out here.”
