Unsung

by Shannon Richard

  Harper cracked an eye and looked at him. “I don’t know how good it will be. I think I’m about two seconds from passing out. An extended weekend sounds like the greatest thing ever.” Her eye fell closed again as she pulled her arms up and over her head in a good stretch. The movement caused her shirt to pull up and expose her baby bump.

  “That so?” He increased the pressure, moving to the ball of her foot.

  Her back arched up and she moaned again. Yeah, he wasn’t sure how he was going to get through this.

  “Barely had a second to sit down let alone take a break. My feet hate me…but you are pacifying their sensibilities now.”

  “Oh, am I?” He speared his fingers between her toes, stretching them just so.

  “Yessss.” She moaned the word again. “You are. Even talking is exhausting, so tell me about your day. How was dinner with Dale and Hamilton?”

  Her follow-up saved him.

  After house hunting, Tripp and Liam had gone to get burgers with the boys. As Liam wouldn’t be back in Mirabelle for a couple of weeks, they’d asked if he would hang out with them before he left.

  He relayed that part of the day, concentrating on massaging Harper’s feet and hoping she didn’t ask anything else. But he realized his worry was for nothing as she was now breathing slow and steady from her side of the sofa.

  She was asleep.

  * * *

  Their flight out of Tallahassee left just before noon the following morning. Harper hadn’t packed anything so she’d had to get up early to get all of her things in order. As it took Liam about ten minutes to get his stuff together, he went for a run.

  And then came back all hot and sweaty…which made her get all hot and sweaty. That was just par for the course really. He’d always had that effect on her…from the very start.

  There was a nervous anticipation coursing through her from the second she’d woken up, and when she walked into the cabin late that afternoon she knew why. They were returning to the place where it all began.

  But as the second they walked in the door she had to go and get changed and freshen up from the flight, she didn’t have all that much time to dwell on it.

  Since Harper hadn’t seen her aunt in months, nor had Liam met Celeste, she was pretty excited about the evening. Reed, Celeste’s boyfriend, had made a reservation at Bourbon and Brine, one of the hottest spots in town. It was just after seven when they arrived at the restaurant, and the place was packed with people lingering around the hostess station waiting for a table to become available.

  A group of people moved to the side and an excited exclamation of “Harper!” filled her ears. Celeste navigated over to her, Reed following close behind.

  “Hello, my sweet niece,” she said as she pulled Harper into an embrace.

  “Hello, my wonderful aunt.” Harper hugged her back, so ridiculously happy to see her.

  “Let me see you.” Celeste’s hands slid to Harper’s forearms as she took a step back and did a once-over. “You look wonderful. You feeling okay?” Her voice dropped low on the last question so that it would be hard for the crowd around them to hear.

  “Yeah. Everyone is doing very well.” Harper’s hand went to her belly immediately.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” she beamed, letting go before her eyes moved to Liam. “And you’re him, huh? The man who has fallen in love with my niece?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I didn’t have a chance from the second I met her.”

  “I like you already. And it’s Celeste. None of this ma’am nonsense.” She winked at him before introducing him to Reed.

  The hostess came up to them, menus in hand, and led them to their table. Liam walked behind Harper, his hand on the small of her back as they made their way through the room. Her eyes caught on a couple of the plates, the delicious smells filling her nose.

  Good Lord she was already starving. She wanted to order everything she saw. And when she sat down and looked at the menu, she was even more confused.

  “What are you going to get?” Liam asked, leaning in close to her.

  “Well, the pan-seared filet with the mushroom bacon risotto sounds amazing. But then so do the pork chops in the cherry wine reduction with the asparagus soufflé.”

  “You just want to share? Both of those sound good to me.”

  “This is why you’re my favorite.” She grinned as she folded her menu.

  The meal was perfection. Per-fec-tion. And by the time they were done eating and talking, Harper was so full it would be a wonder if she could walk out of there…especially after the caramel crème brûlée.

  But she somehow managed.

  After dinner they said good-bye to Celeste and Reed at the door. They were taking advantage of their evening out. While Harper was ready to crash, Celeste was ready to party.

  “Reed is taking me dancing,” she said as she shimmied. “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Liam had gotten three tickets for the concert he was performing at a club in downtown Nashville. It was a smaller venue than the arenas he’d been opening in, but he was the headliner for this one.

  “Tomorrow.” Harper nodded as she hugged her aunt and then Reed.

  When they walked outside, the hot summer air was still a tad bit stifling, and the crowd outside was making Harper a little claustrophobic. The two guys manning the valet station were having trouble keeping up with the current rush.

  Liam braved the crowd while Harper stood off to the side. A group of women—all dressed to the nines—moved to make way for him. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea.

  When he walked past, the brunette in the purple stilettos leaned over and whispered into the ear of the blond in the hot pink romper.

  “Nuh-uh.” Romper’s mouth dropped open as her head whipped back around to get another look at Liam. But while she was getting another look, Stilettos was telling the other girls in the group.

  Before Harper even knew it, three of the five women had pulled out their phones and were blatantly snapping pictures of Liam. At least one of them tried to make it look like she was taking a selfie.

  A possessiveness that was still very much new to Harper took over. She wanted to reach over and throw every one of those damn phones on the ground and stomp on them with her heels.

  Romper caught Harper’s eye, which she was doing her damnedest to not let turn into a death glare.

  “That’s Liam James,” she whispered to Harper in explanation.

  “I know.” Harper nodded. “What do you think his girlfriend is going to make of the fact that you guys were just taking pictures of his ass?”

  “Who cares? He’s hot.” The blond with the bob shrugged as she touched up her bright red cherry lips, pouting them as she looked into the mirror of her compact.

  “Isn’t he dating Kiki Jean Carlow?” The redhead in the skintight black dress looked around. “You think she’s here?”

  “Nah.” Cherry lips shook her head. “She’d be surrounded by people fawning all over her. But more is the better for me. I’m going to get him to take me home with him.”

  Oh, look at how quickly that had all morphed into a boiling rage coursing through Harper’s veins.

  “And what makes you think you’re the one he’s going to want to go home with?” Stilettos fluffed her hair as she pulled the top of her dress down more than just a little bit.

  “It’s obvious. He prefers blonds.” Cherry smacked her lips together as she closed her little compact and tossed it, along with her lipstick, into her purse.

  “Harper, honey,” Liam called, pulling her gaze away from the women. He was waiting just on the other side of the stand, holding out his hand for her. “They’re pulling the car around now.”

  The group of girls all openly gaped at Harper, and as she walked by Cherry she couldn’t help herself. “Actually, he doesn’t prefer blonds and he’s going to be taking me home tonight.”

  Liam’s eyes narrowed, studying her face as her hand slid into his. “What was that
about?”

  “Nothing, I just told her I liked her hair.” The lie might’ve fallen easily from her lips, but it felt wrong. All wrong.

  He took a step forward, his free hand going to her face. “You sure?”

  “Yes.” She nodded, forcing a smile as she leaned in and kissed him.

  But even the taste of his lips couldn’t take away the bitterness in Harper’s mouth.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Power of a Lie

  The bitterness was still lingering the next day. Harper did everything in her power to not let the little incident at the end of dinner the night before upset her. But it had gotten under her skin and was now festering.

  It was one thing to be out somewhere and see other women checking out your man. It was quite another to know that there were women out there who had absolutely no regard for the fact that he was in a relationship.

  But this was what it was going to be like if she was with him.

  No, there was no if.

  She was going to have to get used to it. His fame was only getting bigger, so this was the life she was signing on for.

  She’d been living in a bit of a fantasyland perpetuated by the bubble that was Mirabelle. That tabloid article a week ago had been a small taste of reality, and it had been just as bitter as the events of the evening before.

  But it was nothing, nothing, to what Harper went through on Saturday night.

  In the beginning she’d been excited about seeing Liam perform live onstage. It wasn’t something she’d experienced and she wondered what it would be like to be a part of the crowd.

  And as always, Liam’s music resonated through her body, settling deep in her bones. And it wasn’t just Harper who was enjoying the music. Sofia was moving, like really moving. She was kicking up a storm in Harper’s belly.

  “He’s talented.” Celeste shook her head in awe as Liam got to the guitar solo for “Music Shaker, Money Maker.”

  “He is.” Harper grabbed her aunt’s hand and pressed it to the spot that was being used like a soccer ball.

  Celeste grinned over at Harper. “She likes Daddy’s music, too, huh?”

  “Apparently. She’s having a rave in there.”

  The last chords of the guitar solo faded away and the crowd around Harper cheered, screaming Liam’s name. It was one of those moments that she couldn’t quite process. Watching him up on that stage. Seeing him, hearing him sing his heart out.

  And he was hers.

  But not all hers. Not when he was up on that stage. This was the part that she had to share. In a way, when he was performing he belonged to everyone in that room. Belonged to his fans that knew every word of his songs…and the women in the crowd who were eye-sexing him.

  Just like that Harper’s heart started beating hard and her stomach rolled, but this time it wasn’t from Sofia’s acrobatics. She closed her eyes, taking deep steady breaths.

  “You okay?” Celeste asked.

  “Yeah.” Harper nodded, opening her eyes and looking over at her aunt. “I just need to go to the bathroom.”

  “I’m coming with you.” She turned to Reed next to her and said something to him before they headed through the crowd.

  But before they could make it there, Harper saw something that made her feel five thousand times worse.

  Kiki Jean Carlow was standing at the opening of the hallway, signing autographs for the crowd of twenty or so people that surrounded her. They were mainly girls, most in frayed jean skirts, cowboy boots, and flannel shirts tied up and above their midriffs. Kiki was wearing a similar outfit.

  Harper stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move on. It was like watching a train wreck…a train wreck that was her life.

  “So it is true?” One of the girls next to Kiki gushed. “You really are dating Liam James?”

  “Just flew in from California to get here. Wouldn’t miss it.” Kiki beamed.

  “So ‘Forever’ must be about you, right?” someone else asked. “Since he just wrote it recently.”

  “You guys don’t miss anything, do you?” she asked as she grabbed another picture and scrawled her signature across it.

  “That’s so cool.”

  “Gawd, you’re lucky.”

  “The luckiest.” Kiki’s gaze came up and landed on Harper. The look of cold recognition was clear; she knew exactly who Harper was. “Did you want something signed, darlin’?”

  Darlin’.

  Ohhh, Kiki could sign something all right. Harper’s fist…right after she threw up.

  She said nothing. She couldn’t open her mouth. A sick queasy pressure tightened her stomach and her feet were moving before she was even conscious of it. Her heart was now pounding out of her chest and there was a ringing in her ears. The ability to pull air into her lungs was nearly impossible as the people pushing in around her increased.

  She had to get out of there. Stat.

  There was no way she was going to last long enough to get through the line that snaked out of the women’s restroom, so she bypassed it, pushing through the doors at the end of the hallway and outside.

  She made it about twenty feet past the entrance, and away from the people gathered around getting a smoke, before she’d gotten to the limit. She reached for the wall, holding her balance as she leaned forward and threw up against the side of the building. Hands were moving across her back, pulling her hair back as she emptied her stomach.

  Celeste.

  When the heaving stopped, she held on to the wall and tried to keep herself upright while she started to hyperventilate.

  “Come on.” Celeste helped guide Harper away from the wall and to the curb. The second her butt was on the ground she dropped her head between her knees. Celeste’s palm rubbed across her lower back in slow circular motions. “You need to breathe, babe.”

  Breathing. That would be good. Maybe if she got some air into her lungs the black spots on the edge of her vision would go away.

  Maybe.

  She had no idea how long they sat there, but it felt like forever for her to catch her breath. When she was finally able to pull her head up, she looked over at her aunt. “I need to get out of here.”

  “I think that’s the best idea.”

  “I need to tell Liam.”

  “I’ll take care of that when we’re in the car. Let me see if I can get ahold of Reed.” She pulled out her phone and dialed, her hand not stopping with the slow steady circles at the small of Harper’s back. “He isn’t answering.” She frowned after a minute. “I’m going to need to go in there and get him. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah.” Harper nodded. “It isn’t like I have anything else to throw up.”

  Celeste’s mouth formed a concerned line. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  Harper sat by herself for a couple of minutes before sitting still became too much to do. She needed to stand. Walk around a little. Get the feeling back in her legs.

  But when she stood and turned around she wished she hadn’t. She suddenly didn’t have legs anymore. Kiki was standing there, arms folded across her chest, making her breasts pop over the top of her low-cut shirt.

  She was alone. Her little entourage hadn’t followed her outside.

  “So you’re the girl?” Kiki asked, a slight sneer in her eyes as she looked Harper over. She clearly wasn’t impressed. “I saw your picture pop up on his phone when you called him once. We were in bed at the time—”

  “No, you weren’t,” Harper cut her off. “You think we haven’t discussed this little game you’re playing? Think again. You aren’t going to get in my head.”

  The flash of delight in Kiki’s eyes said wanna bet? “At first I wasn’t sure if he’d fallen for a chubby girl. Or if he knocked you up. A little bit of both it seems.”

  “Go to hell.”

  “Oh, darlin’, is that any way for an expecting mother to talk?” Her gaze dipped to Harper’s belly, and the malevolent delight behind those icy blue eyes was unmistakable.

>   On instinct, Harper’s hand went to her little bump, shielding Sofia and confirming Kiki’s assumption in one fell swoop.

  “Oh, this will make for a fascinating story. I couldn’t have written it better myself. A love triangle. I’ll be the woman scorned, and you’ll be the tramp who stole my man. And even though Liam is meant to be with me and he wants to be with me, he can’t be, because he got you knocked up. It’s kind of perfect actually. Everyone will love me, and hate him…but oh, they will despise you.”

  “What’s your problem?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t have one. This is just fun.”

  “So this is all just a game to you?”

  “Pretty much. And since I can’t have what I want, why should you?”

  It was at that moment that Celeste was out the door, her eyes narrowed as she looked between Kiki and Harper, and she made a beeline to them. “Why don’t you go somewhere else and spread your poison?”

  “Maybe you should talk to your little friend over here about not spreading hers. Though, getting knocked up is an interesting strategy on getting a guy. Not what I would use, but different strokes for different folks. Good luck with”—she motioned at Harper’s belly—“that.”

  And then she was walking away, heading back to the building and disappearing through the side door.

  “Harper—”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned, staring down at her shoes and trying to breathe again. The panic was simmering just under the surface and she needed to push it down. “I just want to get out of here.”

  “Reed is getting the car.”

  “Okay.” Harper nodded, chewing on her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her mouth closed. She couldn’t stop replaying the last few minutes, and it was just making her want to start vomiting again.

  Was this really what it was going to be like? Was this the price to pay for being with Liam? Her name in the tabloids as his popularity grew. Combating lies. Dealing with other women wanting him.

  Her lip fell from her teeth, trembling as the sob broke out of her mouth.