Falling Star

by Laura DeLuca

  If only Drew were here to listen to this. Maybe then, he’d understand.

  Before she knew what was happening, the first verse had already come to an end. Lainey was able to get a breather from the high notes as the recorded instruments chimed through the air. Knowing once she began the chorus her singing partner would join in for the harmony; Lainey opened her eyes to search for him. A hush had fallen over the bar. Everyone stared at her in rapt attention. At least a few other women in the audience must have related to her experience because one or two people had tissues in their hands. Even her friends were openly stunned. Sharon’s hand fluttered to her heart and Erin’s lower lip trembled while Elisa sat still and quiet, doing no more than offering her an official thumbs up instead of her normal hollering.

  Yet despite the fact that she’d done well with her performance so far—even better than usual, the reaction from the audience was strangely exaggerated. In fact, a large portion of the people in the back of the room weren’t watching her at all. They stared at something else altogether. Something she couldn’t quite make out from her position on the stage no matter how much she squinted. She felt like there was the proverbial elephant in the room and she was the only one who didn’t see it.

  “I’m definitely hoping Lainey won’t walk by me.”

  Lainey very nearly dropped her microphone. That voice, shockingly familiar, came from the far side of the bar. She was certain she was hallucinating, and she didn’t have time for it. Already the chorus had begun and she tried not to fumble over the words. Her partner was right on cue, singing alongside her soprano in a sweet gentle alto struggling to remain on key. Oddly though, it didn’t sound anything like Chuck, who had occasionally ad-libbed with her in the past. Lainey turned to the deejay and saw he still handled the equipment, checking the volume control or whatever else deejays did, but he definitely wasn’t singing. So where was that voice coming from?

  What’s going on? Lainey mouthed to the deejay during another instrumental intermission.

  Chuck only winked and went right back to his work while the mystery vocalist continued his sweet serenade. Though she’d never heard him sing before, it was a voice she recognized. A voice she loved, but she wasn’t ready to accept it. It simply wasn’t possible. Lainey had made it clear she wanted Drew out of her life. Was it possible he’d come back again and risk another verbal bashing, especially a public one?

  If he was going to try, this would be the way to do it.

  Suddenly, it all started to make sense. On the sidelines, Trevor winked at her, and she finally understood why he’d acted so suspicious. Even Sharon’s strange entrance was explained. They were all conspiring against her, working with Drew to take her by surprise in a spot where it would be impossible to ignore him. Lainey wasn’t sure how she felt about that, if she should be grateful or angry at their interference, and she didn’t have long to consider it. She was beginning to put it all together, when she saw him inching through the audience, microphone clutched in one hand. The whole world turned on its axis and she almost lost her place in the music. Her hope soared and her throat tightened to the point she was unsure how she’d ever be able to go on with the song.

  It was Drew. Her Drew. He hadn’t deserted her for the sunny shores of California. He was right there at Woody’s, serenading her.

  Lainey’s heart almost imploded on itself. An inexplicable combination of joy and pain left her frozen as Drew glided slowly down the aisle. The part of her that wanted to shield herself from any more trauma told her to flee, but listening to Drew sing, so heartfelt, so tender—she couldn’t will herself to move. The fact that he had to keep looking down at a cheat sheet that must have held the lyrics made the words no less sincere. Even though he was obviously unfamiliar with the song, his voice was strong and clear. Though a hundred or more people listened, Lainey knew he sang for her. Only for her.

  Am I dreaming? This has to be a dream.

  Lainey’s pulse raced and her palms sweated when Drew finally reached the steps of the stage just seconds before the verse ended. He struggled to step up, and she moved to assist him. Touching him was like being hit with an instant electric current that coursed through her body, filling her with longing she had to put on hold. He was obviously still sore from the car crash and it was a strain for him to limp up the steps. Trying to do this had to be difficult for him, but it hadn’t stopped him from making the effort. Lainey’s heart soared even more. She wanted to ask if he was all right. She longed to scream out a million questions that demanded answers, but until the ballad ended, she could only shout them in her head and keep singing.

  What are you doing here? Why aren’t you on a plane back to California?

  Lainey breathed deeply as the second verse ended, blending instantly into the third. With their hands still clasped and standing mere centimeters apart, their voices rose and joined in perfect unison, meeting with a climatic crescendo that matched the passion they’d shared in their bed. Lainey was certain her voice had never been more powerful. Faith Hill herself would’ve been proud of her cover that evening. Drew held his own too, managing to hit most of the higher notes with ease. He wasn’t a natural singer but must’ve had some training in acting school. Though it obviously pained him every time he had to take a deep breath, he struggled through it, never faltering and never allowing his gaze to stray from hers.

  When they reached the final verse, Lainey stared deep into those brown eyes she’d come to know so well, and she found the answers to all her questions waiting there. The lyrics of the song didn’t even matter anymore. In his eyes, she saw the devotion and love she’d always felt for him reflected back at her a million times over. An emotion so deep, so intense, so sincere, no amount of acting ability could ever duplicate it.

  When the last notes of the song finally faded away, Drew lifted a hand to touch her cheek. Lainey hadn’t even realized she quietly wept until Drew wiped the tears away. With that one simple gesture, he pleaded for forgiveness, declared his undying love, and promised forever, without ever having to say a single word. Lainey was afraid to break that silence with meaningless words. She wanted to stay frozen in that moment in time forever, but when Drew finally did speak, what he said only solidified their unity even more.

  “Lainey,” Drew whispered, his voice reverberating through the microphone. “Please don’t walk on by. I can’t forget our rise and fall, and I don’t want to go back to the life I knew before you. Forgive me and I promise this is the last time you’ll ever shed a tear because of me. “

  The music had ceased and Drew waited in the heavy silence. Everyone in the audience held their breath, watching, waiting to hear her choice. Seeing Drew there on that stage with her, knowing what he must’ve sacrificed to be there at that moment, there was only one decision she could make. He’d proven in the most amazing way possible that she was the one he loved.

  Taking words from the song as he did, and making them her own, Lainey gave her answer. “You know I still have feelings left for you,” she admitted. “I can’t pretend we never loved at all.”

  With the spectators applauding in the background, Drew used his one good arm to dip her. When his lips touched hers, even in full view of the spectators, Lainey was able to loose herself in his embrace. It was by far the most magical moment of her life.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  As enchanting as it was, the moment couldn’t last forever. Eventually the applause died down, people went back to their drinks, and Drew had to let Lainey go. The newly reunited couple stepped off the stage to make room for the next daring soul. Lainey clasped Drew’s hand and helped him down the steps. It was a good thing she did because he wasn’t sure how much further he could push himself. His head throbbed and taking a breath wreaked havoc on his ribs. It had been a long day, but he couldn’t wait to fall asleep with Lainey beside him. His mind already strayed to ideas his body couldn’t physically keep up with in his present condition when they bumped right into Dwayne. Drew introduced him
to Lainey and the two shook hands.

  “Girl, you’ve gotta set of lungs on you.” He slapped Drew’s back in approval which made him grunt and hold back a moan. “Brother, you sure do got good taste.”

  Lainey blushed, but Drew grinned with pride. “I told you my Jersey girl was something else. So what are you doing now? Getting back on the road?”

  “Actually I was thinkin’ about making some real music before I head back to my cab. That country stuff is okay, but if you ask me, it’s time for some Bob Marley. After that we’ll have to get your bags out of my trunk before I head out of here.” He winked at Lainey. “Looks like you found another ride and I ain’t ashamed to say, it’s a lot sweeter than the one I have to offer.”

  “Thanks for everything, man,” Drew told him as they bumped knuckles in farewell. “I hope to run into you again around town sometime.”

  The cabby laughed. “If you plan on sticking around Cape May County, it’s bound to happen eventually. Can’t sneeze in Wildwood without the folks in Cape May calling out God bless ya.”

  Leaving Dwayne to hash out the details with the deejay, Drew and Lainey weaved through the crowd. Now that his secret was out, Drew was worried there might be one or two stalkers lurking around. Thankfully, the reporters hadn’t caught on to the fact that Drew hadn’t returned to Los Angeles with Catherine. But he was sure a few people at the bar had spotted him. No one had accosted him for an autograph, but Drew had a feeling Trevor played a role in that by sending the bouncer after anyone who moved in Drew’s direction. Hopefully, once the headlines died down, he could go back to blending in with the crowd. And with Paulie out of the way, it should stay that way.

  Knowing they needed some time alone to talk things through, Drew intended to lead Lainey someplace private. He should’ve known there was no chance of getting away without being tackled by her friends. Drew wasn’t sure whether to smile or duck when Elisa approached them first, her hands on her shapely hips and a glint in her narrowed eyes.

  “You got off easy,” she warned Drew, pointing a finger at his chest. “You’re lucky you’re already bruised up and I don’t hit people when they’re down. I’m still tempted, but ... I know you make my girl happy, so I’m giving you a one-time only pass. But if you ever, and I mean ever, mess with her again, you’ll find yourself in a full body cast next time around.”

  “I have no doubt you’d make good on that threat.” Drew wrapped his arm around Lainey’s waist. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not about to let a good thing get away twice. I’ve learned my lesson. Full disclosure from this point on.”

  “Now that we have that all settled.” Lainey crossed her arms. “Do you have anything you want to fess up to, Sharon?”

  Sharon’s eyes widened in innocence. “What would I have to confess?”

  Lainey let go of Drew’s hand and moved closer to the table, her face serious. For a moment, Drew worried he might’ve gotten Sharon into trouble with their scheme, until Lainey broke into a huge smile. “Oh, I don’t know. You might want to admit to being one of the most amazing friends I’ve ever had. To never letting me give up even when I wanted to. To helping fix something really special that I thought was broken forever. And for the record,” she turned to Drew. “This is at least the fifth time Sharon has done all of those things. Sometimes I think she’s my only lifeline.”

  “Lainey, you’ve always been your own lifeline.” Sharon squeezed her hand. “You’ve never needed me to fix your problems. Occasionally, you need to be pointed in the right direction, but we all need guidance sometimes.”

  “You’ve done more than you’ll ever know,” Drew added. “I don’t think I would’ve had the strength to do any of this without you ... and Trevor ... and even Dwayne ... well, let’s just say I’m the only one here who needed a lifeline.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you have one now.” Sharon patted Lainey’s arm, but she didn’t argue with him. Fair enough. Instead, she gave him a stern stare. “But you better take good care of her.”

  “You know, you’re not so bad either, Mr. Palmer,” Erin admitted. “I was always on your side.” When Lainey raised an eyebrow, she cleared her throat. “Well, most of the time. But I was definitely in your corner after I found out about the literary agent. Anyone who helps my best friend get published is a hero in my book.”

  “She’ll get herself published,” Drew corrected. “She doesn’t need me for that.”

  After each of the girls had their say, they finally let Drew and Lainey sneak away for some much needed private time. With Dwayne on stage bellowing out some rockin’ Bob Marley, it was too hard to hear inside, so they slipped out the front door. There they could still make out the thump of the base, but the music seemed far in the distance. Luckily, the smoking area was empty. In fact, the whole street was nearly deserted even though the bar was overflowing. An occasional car buzzed past, but they were few and far between. It was peaceful, but chilly outside and Lainey wore nothing but a spaghetti strap top and a skirt. When she shivered, Drew went to remove his sweater since he had a T-shirt on underneath, forgetting for a second about the sling on his arm. A sharp pain paralyzed him momentarily and he had to fight to catch his breath.

  “Agh.”

  “Drew, look at you,” Lainey fussed. She forced him to hold his arm still before he could make another effort at doing the chivalrous thing. Her lips pressed together in concern as she studied him, her fingers running gently along his bruised forehead. “I can’t believe you got on the stage in this condition. Are you sure you should even be out of the hospital? You look like you might keel over at any minute.”

  He tried to shrug it off. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine.”

  “Not if you aren’t careful. Here.” With her teeth still chattering, Lainey led Drew to the bench and laced his good arm around her shoulders, snuggling in close to his chest. “See? Now we can both be warm without causing any additional bodily injury.”

  It was a comfortable position. Drew found himself sighing as he held onto her, both of them staring up at the moon. It was only a sliver away from full with a ring of clouds outlining its circumference. That was the sort of beauty Drew would’ve been completely oblivious to a few months earlier. It was Lainey who taught him to look for simple beauties in everyday life, and to appreciate every single one of them.

  “I was afraid I’d never sit like this with you again,” he whispered, leaning his head down to drink in the scent of her hair. “I thought I’d screwed things up forever. Who would’ve believed a simple song would bring us back together. I guess you could say we’ve come full circle. After all, seeing you sing on the swings captivated me in the very beginning.”

  Lainey glanced down at the ground. “Drew, I’m glad you’re here too. I really am. But I have to ask. What made you stick around? What about the movie premiere? You said that was something you couldn’t miss.”

  “I’m not supposed to.” Drew squeezed her tighter. “I’m sure the producer is going to have a fit. But there are some things more important than box office ratings. I couldn’t leave, Lainey. Not without explaining everything. Not without making sure you knew everything Cat told you was a lie.”

  Lainey sniffed and made quotation marks with her fingers. “She said you had an open relationship.”

  Drew shook his head. “We had a non-existent relationship everywhere but onscreen. And maybe in her head. She was trying to hurt you—to scare you away so she wouldn’t have any competition.”

  “It worked,” Lainey admitted. “When I left the hospital that day, I never felt like such a naïve little girl.”

  “You aren’t naïve.” Drew cupped her chin with his hand, forcing her to meet his steady gaze. “You’re sweet, compassionate, intelligent, and a thousand other things Cat will never be. She doesn’t compare to you, Lainey. You’re not even on the same playing field. The only woman I love—the only woman I’ve ever really loved—is you.”

  “I love you too, Drew, but there are sti
ll a few problems we need to iron out.” She punched his arm, the one that wasn’t in a sling. “First of all, I want to make it clear that if you ever lie to me again, you don’t have to worry about Elisa because I’ll kick your butt myself.”

  “I guess I deserve that.” Drew rubbed his sore arm. “And I promise. No more lies. No half-truths. I’ll be completely upfront about everything and answer any questions you have about my life in Hollywood. I know it’ll take time to get back to where we were before all this happened, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right with you. I’ll give up acting altogether if you say the word. It’s not like I haven’t already made enough money to retire.”

  “No way.” Lainey was adamant. “I’d never ask you to give up your dreams for me, especially not when you helped make mine come true. Which reminds me—I haven’t thanked you for finding that agent. Though in my defense, I only discovered the letter a few hours ago and I did try to call but your old number was disconnected.”

  Drew exhaled. “That’s a long story which involves my agent getting his ass fired,” Drew told her. “We can talk about that another day. Right now, the important thing is that you know it was your talent that won that literary agent over. I was just playing mail boy for the day.”

  Lainey giggled. “You’re one pretty fantastic mail boy.”

  “One that definitely gets a second chance?”

  Lainey pressed her lips together. “I do have one more condition.”

  “Anything,” Drew promised.

  “That business trip you mentioned—the one that would take you away to Europe for months—I’m not sure I can handle that long of a separation at this point in our relationship.”