Liam took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh, turning back to the water as he took a drink of his own beer. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there in silence, probably long enough for Logan to give up on Liam answering.
The thing was, if there was anyone to talk to about this, it was Logan. He and Abby were a pretty recent thing, and it was nice to finally see Logan happy after all these years, because he’d been through some dark times. Eight years ago, Logan’s daughter Madison had died of leukemia. It had happened right after her fifth birthday.
That was the darkest moment of Liam’s life, too, and he missed his niece every day.
Madison’s mother hadn’t really been around before, during, or after. She’d walked out on her daughter, and Logan had been pretty careful with his relationships since. Well, that was the case until Abby.
Liam had never seen his brother in love before.
“I met someone,” Liam finally said into the darkness.
“No shit.”
“Did you know immediately when you met Abby?”
“Know what? That she was it for me?” Logan asked.
“Yeah.”
Logan was quiet for a second before he cleared his throat and spoke. “When I first met her I knew two things: that she was a pain in the ass, and that she was a hot pain in the ass.”
“Well, never let it be said that you aren’t romantic.”
Logan laughed. “But to be completely honest with you, it’s sometimes hard to see something you aren’t looking for.”
“So when did you see it?”
“That first night we spent together. But it still took me a while to figure it out after that. I’m guessing that wasn’t the case for you?”
“No.” Liam reached up and scratched his jaw, the sound of his nails on his beard rasping in his ears. “I figured it out immediately.”
“Damn, seriously? You fell in love? No wonder you’re a mess.”
A humorless laugh escaped Liam’s lips. “Understatement.”
“Who is she?”
“Someone who doesn’t feel the same way.” He took another mouthful of his beer before he started from the beginning of the story. About halfway through Logan went inside to grab more beer. He came back with a full six-pack of bottles that they started in on as Liam finished the whole long, sorted tale.
“So then I woke up the next morning and she was gone.” He was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked out into the dark backyard.
“And there’s no way for you to find her?”
“Nope, the only thing I know is that her name is Harper and she isn’t from Nashville…oh, and she has an aunt who works at a hospital there.”
“She made it pretty much impossible for you to find her. And she doesn’t know who you are?”
“No. She never said her last name, so I never told her mine.”
“So there’s no way for her to find you, either?”
“No, there is. She has my phone number. Knows the address to the cabin. She could find me if she wanted to. She just doesn’t want to. Which is why I should let this go but…” he dipped his head and stared down into the empty bottle in his hands.
“But you can’t.” Logan finished for him.
Liam lifted his head and looked over at his brother. “Which is something I can’t wrap my mind around because it’s been over a month. That’s always been plenty of time for me to bounce back…even with relationships that lasted years. Yet this woman, who I was around for thirty plus hours—some of that sleeping—I can’t bounce. So tell me what that’s about, because I’d really like to know,” he said, unable to keep his voice even.
“Shit, that makes two of us.”
“You want to hear the most pathetic part?” And this was where the anger he’d been feeling for the last six weeks started to boil over.
“Always.”
“Get me another beer and I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you what a complete and total jackass I’ve become.” What number beer was he on now? Nine or ten? He had no idea except for the fact that his buzz was making the transition to drunk.
Logan opened another bottle, passing it to Liam before he grabbed one for himself. “Okay, hit me with it.”
“I wrote a song about her for the new album.”
“Really?”
“Yup. The label wanted something more from me. Something that was different than anything I’d given them before. I showed them the song and they loved it. It’s the first one they want to release.”
“You’ve been playing it at shows?”
“Yup.”
“And how’s that going for you?”
“Reliving it over and over and over again? It’s fucking fantastic.” He took another mouthful of beer, trying to wash down the bitterness.
Didn’t help.
Singing that song made him feel like the world’s biggest schmuck. “Who knows? Maybe it will get to the point where it’s cathartic or something.”
“Or something,” Logan said with as little conviction as Liam felt. “You think she’ll know it’s about her when she hears it?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I think it’s blatantly obvious that it’s about her, but then again I thought it was blatantly obvious that there was something between the two of us. I was wrong on one account, wouldn’t be too shocking if I was on the other.”
“Okay, so let’s just say she hears it, and does figure it out, and for whatever reason finds you. What would you do if you saw her again?”
Liam had actually thought about this a lot. What would he do if he saw Harper again? What would he say?
“No idea.” He shook his head as he leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling and the spinning fan above them. “Maybe walk away like she did.”
“You really think so?” Logan asked. “I mean you’re pissed, this is evident, but you’re also in love with her. Love makes a man do stupid things.”
“You talking from experience?”
“Absolutely.”
“Well, I think I’ve already proven the stupid part in regards to her.”
“Yeah, and maybe you aren’t the only one. Could it be possible she felt the same way and ran scared? You did say she’d just recently gotten out of a serious relationship.”
“Possibly.” Liam closed his eyes, the spinning of the fan not making his head feel any clearer. “Doesn’t matter now. The only thing to do is move on.” He waved his hand blindly in the air. But his words came out hollow, no conviction. Because at the end of the day—infuriated with her or not—it didn’t feel done. He wanted to tell himself that was the alcohol thinking for him.
It wasn’t.
“I don’t believe that.” And apparently neither did his brother. “If you really thought it was done, you wouldn’t be this angry about it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Oh no, of this I know. There are few women in the world that can inspire that much passion in a man. And I’ve never seen you like this before.”
Liam pulled his head from the back of the chair and opened his eyes. “Because nothing like this has ever happened to me before.” And as he stared out into the darkness he had a pretty good idea it never would again.
So really, anyway he looked at it he was fucked.
Royally.
* * *
Liam adjusted his tie for about the fortieth time that night as he scanned the packed ballroom of the Brogan-Meyers Hotel. What he was looking for? He had no idea.
The hundred or so tables filling more than half the room were covered with black tablecloths and gray roses. Fitting as black and gray were the Stampede’s colors. A deep male voice crooned through the speakers that surrounded the space, giving the people on the dance floor an excuse to pull their partners close. Waiters with trays of alcohol and the tiniest food he’d ever seen circled around the room.
“Stop doing that.” Adele swatted at Liam’s hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man fidget as m
uch as you.”
Well what did she expect? He was not a suit kind of guy, and the long gray noose around his neck was beginning to get to him. But his sister had been insistent on the tie, saying he’d stick out like a sore thumb without one. His only consolation was that she’d let him wear his cowboy boots.
And yes, he did mean let him.
But really, arguing with her was pointless. One, she always won. And two, when it came to fashion, she was always right.
The girl had the unmistakable talent to capture any time period with a skilled perfection, and she tended to bounce around eras when it came to her own style as well. Tonight she had on a black and gold lace dress that he suspected was from somewhere around the fifties, though he wasn’t sure if she bought it or made it. Either was a possibility.
At the age of twenty-five, Adele was the head costume designer on one of the most popular shows on television. Ponce was the Florida version of Downton Abbey, taking place at the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine during the early nineteen hundreds. It was full of more drama than anything he’d ever watched before, and yes, he did watch it.
What? It was his sister’s show. Plus, he wanted to know if Beauregard was going to end up with Abigail or Rosamund. His money was on Rosamund.
“Champagne?” A waitress stopped in front of them offering a tray of glasses.
“Please.” Adele smiled as she reached up to grab one. Liam’s eyes focused on the tattoo on her right wrist of a threaded needle and a stitched heart. Much to their mother’s dismay, he wasn’t the only James with an ink addiction.
“I’m good, but thank you.” Liam held up his glass of bourbon before he took a sip. The waitress moved on to the people next to them and he found himself scanning the room again.
“What are you looking for? An escape route?”
He turned back to his sister and shook his head. “No. Just looking around.”
“Mmm, hmm.” Her eyes narrowed and he suddenly found himself under the type of scrutiny that would make lesser men cower. Adele had taken more after their mother’s Spanish side of the family than their father’s Irish side. Her sharp golden brown eyes missed next to nothing, and baby of the family or not, she had the ability to make him squirm. “What’s going on with you anyway?”
“What makes you think something is going on with me?”
“Because I’m not stupid. And you and Logan sat out on the porch last night getting drunk.”
“We do that all the time. Besides you and Abby sat inside getting drunk. What’s going on with you?”
“Nice subject change.” She frowned at him before she reached up and pushed a dark brown curl behind her ear. Her hair was naturally straight, but she’d done something ridiculously complicated with it tonight. Some kind of fancy, curled and pinned just right, up-do thing that no doubt matched the era of her dress. And she pulled it off elegantly even with the tiny diamond sticking out of her nose and the streaks of bright red in her hair.
“I like to think so.”
“You’re a pain in the ass you know that?” Her frown deepened. “And I’m not going to be distracted, so what’s going on with you?”
“How do you know that it wasn’t Logan needing a drunken conversation? Something could be up with him.”
“How do I know nothing is up with our brother? Because he looks like that the majority of the time now,” she said as she pointed across the room, and Liam’s gaze followed automatically.
Logan was standing behind Abby, one of his hands on her hip as he bent his head low to whisper in her ear. He was about a foot taller than her, but she made a little bit of an effort to close the gap with her heels. She was stunning in her red dress, and there was no doubt she’d worn it in an effort to tempt Logan as he had a thing about seeing her in the color. He had nicknamed her Red after all, though that had more to do with her hair than anything else.
Abby turned to face Logan, both of his hands now gripping her waist as she ran her palms up the lapel of his tux. Whatever she said to him had him grinning down at her like a fool.
“Logan is so beyond happy that it’s ridiculous,” Adele continued, and Liam turned back to face her. “Not only because he’s in love, but because his team just won the Stanley Cup. Yet you,” she poked him in the shoulder, “spend a few hours outside on the porch with him getting drunk and he comes inside looking somber. So yes, I know it’s you. Who is she?”
“How the hell?” He looked at her, shaking his head.
“I really wish you and Logan would give me more credit and stop trying to hide things from me.”
Yeah, maybe that was his own fault. Underestimating Adele was never smart.
“Her name is Harper. I met her a few weeks ago in Nashville.”
“Groupie?” she asked, narrowing her eyes in that intimidation stare he was so used to.
Again, Adele might be the baby of the family but she was just as protective of Logan and Liam as they were of her. She in no way approved of the hangers on, using her brothers because they were somewhat famous. Though, Logan had a lot more stardom than Liam did, and the rink bunnies were more prolific than the music groupies.
“No, not a groupie.” Liam shook his head.
Adele opened her mouth to ask something else but was interrupted as they were joined by Logan, Abby, and two teenage boys.
Apparently the rest of this conversation was going to have to wait.
“I wanted to introduce you guys to Dale Rigels,” Logan said, patting the back of the shorter, and slightly thinner of the two. “And Hamilton O’Bryan.” He then patted the back of the taller boy with thick black-framed glasses and a goofy grin.
The names immediately registered in Liam’s brain, and he forced himself to switch gears from the conversation he’d just been having with his sister to focusing on the two boys.
Last February, Logan had gone to visit a kid in remission. It was something Abby had set up when she’d still worked for the Stampede PR department. Abby’s best friend lived in the same small Florida town as the two boys, and they were all family friends.
Logan was never one to jump in the spotlight. He liked his private life private and wasn’t about being exploited, or exploiting anyone else for that matter. He firmly believed that just because he was semi-famous didn’t give anyone the right to know about his personal business. It was one of the reasons he and Abby had butted heads so hard in the beginning. He’d been pretty unwilling to work with her.
But when she came to Logan and asked him to visit Dale, he’d said yes without hesitation. If there was one thing that he couldn’t say no to, it was a kid in need. And he hadn’t stopped with that one visit, either. He’d developed a relationship with Dale and Dale’s best friend Hamilton. Keeping up with Dale’s treatments, knowing that the kid was in remission, inviting him to Stampede events, and even paying for the kid’s medical bills.
That was just the type of guy Logan was, biggest heart on the planet.
“It’s great to finally meet you,” Liam said, shaking both boys’ hands in turn. Adele did the same, smiling warmly at both of them, clearly knowing exactly who they were as well.
“You know who we are?” Hamilton asked in awe.
“Yeah, Logan talks about you both all the time.”
“But you’re…you’re Liam James.”
“Hamilton here is a bit of a fan,” Logan explained.
“Are you kidding? What you can do with an electric guitar is ridiculous. That part in the chorus of ‘My Kinda Summer’ is genius.”
“Genius?” Adele raised her eyebrows. “I believe that’s a first.”
“Thanks.” Liam shook his head at his sister. “You play?” he asked, returning his focus to Hamilton.
“Guitar? A little. I’m not that great.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Dale said. “He plays about ten different instruments.”
“Really? Which one is your strongest?”
“The piano.”
“Nice.” Liam
nodded. “Well, next time we’re in the same area be sure to have your guitar. We can play together.”
“You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.”
At that moment another guy joined the group. He had about an inch in height on Liam, and his arms were massive and looked to be testing the jacket of his navy blue suit. The short dark blond hair on the top of his head matched the length of the beard on his face.
Abby stepped in, making quick introductions. “This is Bennett Hart, Hamilton’s brother-in-law. And, Bennett, these are Logan’s siblings, Adele and Liam James.”
“Nice to meet you.” Bennett shook Adele’s hand first before he turned to Liam. “Liam James, the singer? I didn’t realize the family connection.”
“That’s because I only claim him every once in a while,” Logan said before he took a sip of the same bourbon that Liam was drinking. They both were whiskey drinkers.
“You know I don’t know what I ever did to the two of you.” Liam shook his head.
“You want a list?” This coming from their mother, who was hand in hand with their father as they joined the group. “Because I can give you one in alphabetical order.”
“Oh great. This is going to be fun. I think I’m going to need another drink before the roast begins.”
“Hmmm.” Adele narrowed her eyes. “With the stuff we’ve got on you, you might need two.”
“Don’t worry.” Logan clapped Liam on the back. “We won’t embarrass you in front of everyone. By the way, Mom, Dad, let me introduce you to Dale, Hamilton, and Bennett.”
Dustin and Edie chatted with the three men, both of them knowing the story behind Dale just as much as Liam and Adele.
“So is it just the three of you that were able to make it to tonight’s event?”
“No,” Bennett answered. “My wife and our friend are here. But they seem to have disappeared.”
“We didn’t disappear,” a blond with curly hair bouncing around her shoulders said as she joined the group, leading a woman who followed behind her. “I was just getting a drink for Harper and me.”
Unsung Page 10
