“How so?”
“They used to be more like flashes of images, at least that’s how it felt when I woke up, and I was left with a bad feeling but couldn’t really remember anything specific.”
“And now?” He wanted to hold her, to love her, but he resisted.
She turned away from him. “These are very vivid, and after I wake up, I can’t get them out of my head.”
“Are you reliving the accident?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. I have no memory of the accident.”
Jack rolled onto his back. Wow. He wanted to know more but didn’t want to upset her. She rolled over and into the side of his body, resting her head on his shoulder and her left leg across his legs. He loved when she did that.
“When I woke up in the hospital, I couldn’t remember anything. The doctors told me I’d been in a car accident.”
Jack tightened his arm around her.
“It was a horrible feeling, not knowing anything about myself. Even my name didn’t sound familiar.”
Jack’s head spun, and his heart constricted in his chest. He wished he could take away all her pain.
She swallowed hard as he felt the first drops of tears on his skin. He bit his tongue to keep from asking her any questions or even encouraging her to go on. Elliot’s voice echoed in his head, mocking him. “See, buddy, this is what happens because you have to know everything.” He told Elliot’s voice to shut the fuck up. But the bastard was right.
“The last thing I remembered was Riley coming home from college in May. I’d missed him so much. It was our last summer together before he’d move out for good, and I hated that so much. I didn’t understand why he was in such a hurry to leave us.”
Something popped in Jack’s memory about Jimmy. The longer he’d been away from home, the worse their relationship had gotten. At first, Jimmy was always excited to see him when he visited, but after a few years, he’d stopped talking to him. Jack had chalked it up to moody teenage bullshit, but maybe it was something else. Their relationship was still strained, and Jack had no idea how to make it better. He didn’t know why his brother hated him so much.
“Eventually, I remembered everything leading up to the accident, even driving away from the house, but never any details of the accident itself. They told me it might never come back.”
Jack handed her a tissue. “Do you think these are memories pushing their way to the surface?”
Emily sat up. “Why now?”
Jack felt her pain. “I don’t know, baby.” He wished he could offer her more comfort, or any, but he didn’t know what to say. “You need to get some sleep.” Em’s head rested on his shoulder. He was relieved she didn’t move away from him. He’d take that as progress. “Em?”
“Yeah?”
“Next time you have a nightmare when we aren’t together, I want you to call me. Okay?”
Her body tensed. “I’ll be waking you up.”
“I won’t be able to sleep at all if I’m worried about you. Please?”
“Okay.”
Jack let out a breath.
“Jack?”
“What?”
“No bodyguard.”
Jack sat up and turned on the light. “Em, be reasonable, I need to be sure you’re safe.”
Emily sat up and faced him. “Is it reasonable to have someone follow me around without talking to me about it first?”
Shit, she had him there. He hadn’t asked because he’d known she’d say no. “I need to know that you’re protected. If this stalker bullshit were to spill over on to you, I’d never forgive myself.” The muscles in his jaw tightened.
Emily’s eyes darkened, and her chest rose and fell. “Jack, I’m not going to be followed around by a bodyguard. That isn’t normal.”
His heart pounded in his chest and heat spread throughout his body. “Emily,” he said through tight lips. “I need you safe.”
“Jack,” Emily said through equally tight lips, “I can take care of myself.”
“But you shouldn’t have to because of me.” His pulse pounded in his ears. “I’m not convinced that what happened to your car yesterday wasn’t connected.”
Emily’s smile leveled him. “Baby, listen, don’t you think you’re going off the edge here? I left my lights on, and my battery died. It happens.”
Jack found it hard to stay angry. He didn’t want to fight about this, and Em was right. Jeff was re-checking backgrounds, but nothing even hinted that the stalker was among them.
And Nicki was on tour with them. She was smart and diligent. She’d made friends with their crew, and she didn’t think the stalker was one of them either. Jack felt bad that he’d judged her based on her appearance. “Okay, no bodyguard. But I need to know if anything happens even if you don’t think it’s related.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed briefly, but she nodded.
Jack sighed, turned off the light, and silently prayed this wasn’t a mistake.
J
I throw the phone on the bed, and it bounces to the floor. “Fuck! Why won’t that stupid whore leave Jack be.” Following him to Hartford, how pathetic. At least my week in New York wasn’t wasted. I’m not the only one who’s concerned about him.
That stupid whore lives in New Jersey, so now Jackie’s only a few hours away. Soon his tour will take him farther and farther away, then she’ll find a meal ticket closer to home.
Our meeting in New York would’ve been the perfect story to tell our children. After waiting all these months, I’d have played hard to get. Jackie would fly to spend every minute he could trying to convince me that we belong together.
“If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” he’d say. Then I’d say, “I knew the second I laid eyes on you that you were different.”
He’d look into my soul with his deep blue eyes and realize that I’ve loved him forever. He’d take me in his arms, and just before our lips meet, he’d pause and say, “I was stupid for not seeing it all along. For not seeing you.”
Our lips touch, gently at first. Then Jackie takes my mouth in a passionate assault. He picks me up and carries me into the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind us. Fade to black… End scene.
It’s our time. And it’ll be forever.
chapter
FIFTEEN
Their weekend flew by, and Emily walked into work Monday morning feeling better than she had in a long time. Due to his schedule, Jack wouldn’t be able to fly to see her for over two weeks. On the bus ride up Friday, that hadn’t seemed so bad, but she found herself losing focus on her work wondering how they’d move forward like this.
She’d asked Jack not to call her while she was at work, but they could text. He’d sent her a goofy selfie this morning when he first woke up. His hair was all messed up, but that somehow added to his gorgeousness. They’d argued over who looked worse in the morning, and this was his proof. She texted back that she’d taken a selfie, but the screen cracked, so she didn’t send it so his phone would be saved.
His next text contained a picture of him and Buzz in the gym and a video—narrated by Elliot—of Buzz and Jack boxing. According to Elliot, Jack was trying to impress her with his half-naked body. Elliot then turned the phone to himself and told her not to be jealous.
She liked Elliot. He was funny, and he smiled a lot now that he and Siobhan were working things out. She liked Curt and Buzz too. Nicki was happier than Emily had ever seen her. But she worried about Buzz. He seemed to be withdrawing into himself. She’d voiced her concerns to Jack, and he promised to be extra diligent in looking out for his friend.
Every time Ben or Jerry stopped by her office, they had grins on their faces. She’d expected them to tell her some good news, but they were just “checking in” as they called it.
She’d missed two calls over the weekend from a number she didn’t recognize. Whoever it was hadn’t left a message, so she’d forgotten about it until Tuesday
during her lunch. She was in the office lounge eating when the mysterious number rang on her cell.
“Hello?” she said.
“Emily?”
“Edward.” The only things Sully had in common with his father was his voice and his blond hair. The only distinction was Edward’s voice carried an authoritative tone, where Sully’s had a more playful quality.
“I know it’s business hours, but do you have a moment? Gail and I have been wanting to talk to you. If now isn’t convenient, maybe we could meet for dinner.”
What the fuck? They’d never called her while she was dating Sully. She’d called them once, after Sully had finally introduced her to them, to see what he might like for his birthday. Gail had responded that she had no idea what her son wanted. It was the last time Emily made that mistake.
She absolutely did not want to have dinner with them, so she went into the empty conference room. She closed the door and paced. “Now’s good.” Better to get it over with than obsess over the possibilities especially since she couldn’t enlist Nicki’s help. She’s gone.
There was a long pause. “Emily, Edward and I…” Gail hesitated. The double-team really freaked her out. Gail never had a problem voicing her opinions while she’d known her, and her hesitation now had Emily sitting in the nearest chair.
“What Gail is trying to say is how disappointed we are in Sean. His behavior toward you has been atrocious. The whole situation is mortifying. Cheating is so lowbrow.”
Emily was glad she sat; otherwise, she would’ve collapsed.
“We were so very happy when Sean brought you home. You were like a breath of fresh air in our family,” Gail Said.
Emily leaned forward to rest her arms on the table, mostly to avoid falling out of her chair. Holy shit. “Thank you.” She’d never pegged the Sullivans as liars, and if anything, they were brutally honest, usually when something didn’t require complete honesty, let alone the brutal kind.
“As I’m sure you can imagine, the last month has been extremely humiliating for us,” Gail said.
Humiliating for you? Emily bit her tongue. Her parents had taught her to be respectful even when people didn’t deserve it.
Edward cleared his throat. “Even though you declined our extremely generous offer to pay for the entire wedding, since your family was unavailable to.”
Ahh, that was the Sullivans she knew. Recriminations were their second-favorite pastime. This conversation had already lasted too long. Edward droned on, so she cut him off. “Is there something I can do for you?” Emily stood and paced in front of the windows.
Edward huffed loudly. He didn’t appreciate being interrupted, but Emily no longer cared. “Yes. I understood from Sean that you had also declined his offer to pay because you didn’t want a destination wedding. You shouldn’t be too proud to accept help from people who are better off—”
“Edward, the point, please.” She should’ve just hung up, but that wouldn’t work with the Sullivans; they’d keep after her until they had their full say.
“You can allow us to repay your outlay for the wedding. Gail and I feel it’s the least we can do.”
She leaned against the windows, and the blinds protested loudly when they clattered into the glass.
A loud knock sounded on the adjoining door to Ben and Jerry’s office. “Emily, are you okay?” Ben asked.
She wasn’t; she was in shock. “Yeah.” She moaned. Those codgers could be downright intrusive when they caught a scent.
“Emily, are you still there, dear?”
She hated it when Gail called her dear. She called the maid dear, too. Who even had a live-in maid these days? Bet Edward had a valet, too. “Yes, sorry, someone knocked on the door.” What the hell was going on? “I don’t…”
“Please don’t let your infernal pride get in the way of our gesture. We are well aware of your circumstances.”
That also sounded more like the Edward she knew, so the earth resumed its proper rotation. She wouldn’t be surprised if they’d had her investigated. Shaking her head, Emily wished she could say they meant well, that they were looking out for Sully, but they looked out for what they cared for most. Their wealth. Apparently, they’d feared that Sully would marry a gold digger, who, after they died, would flit away their fortune on whatever it was gold diggers flitted away someone else’s hard-earned inheritance on. “I’ll think about it. I have to get back to work.” She disconnected the call.
She was sure they expected an immediate answer, but she didn’t care. Right now, she had to sneak back to her office to avoid the gruesome twosome. Emily opened the door to the conference room and groaned. Ben and Jerry stood there, tapping their feet.
Fuck me.
J
“Young lady, we’d like a word,” Ben said, as Jerry ushered her into their office and closed the door. Ben turned to face her, relieved that she wasn’t hurt. “What was that all about?”
“What was what all about?”
Ben snickered. Emily wouldn’t open up easily; she never did. After the crash from the conference room, they’d listened at the door, but the damn wood was too thick. “We heard a loud crash. What was that?” Emily didn’t fidget. She was a cool customer, probably got that from her father. He’d known a few Marines when he’d served in Vietnam. From what their friend had found out after they’d hired Emily, she was a lot like her father.
“Sorry, I leaned against the blinds. They’re undamaged.”
“We don’t care about damage to any thing. We are concerned for you, young lady.” Jerry sat on the corner of Ben’s desk. Bastard was getting back at him for him doing that last Thursday. He loved his brother, but ever since they’d met, it was always tit for tat.
“I’m fine.”
Short answers were her trademark when she didn’t want to talk. Most women talked nonstop, and like most men, he’d learned to tune them out, but Emily was different. “You were peacefully eating lunch in the lounge when a phone call had you running into the conference room for privacy. What’s going on.”
Jerry sent him a look that said he was a dumbass.
“Since you realized why I went into the conference room, then you’ll understand if I say it’s a private matter.”
I am a dumbass. Fuck. No chance of getting her to talk now. Ben hung his head in defeat. “Very well. We’re done here. Take an extra fifteen minutes to finish your lunch.”
Emily smiled. “Thank you, sir.”
He loved that girl like one of his own, but only she could get away with taunting her victory over him by calling him sir. At least she’d held her smirk until her back was turned, and Ben was sure Emily smirked.
As soon as the door to their office closed, Jerry said, “Nice going, Ben. You know you can’t come at her head-on.”
Ben gave his brother the finger. “And you know that she’s not going to share until she’s damned well ready to. It pisses me off. We could help her, but she’s so damned stubborn.”
“That’s one of the things we love most about her. Nothing keeps her down. She’s gets that stubborn Irish streak from her father.” Jerry hoisted his ass off Ben’s desk and sat behind his own.
“Her mother was half Irish too, so a double helping of stubborn. I’m glad she had it but sad she’s had to use it so often.”
“Yes, seventy-five percent Irish, one hundred percent stubborn.” Jerry laughed. “Did you get in touch with that guy?”
Ben shuffled the papers on his desk. “What guy?”
“The guy about…”
“Oh, that guy.” Ben smiled. “Unfortunately, he has standards, and tar and feathering isn’t on the list of his services.”
“What about maiming?” Jerry asked.
“That he could do.”
“That bastard Sullivan has it coming. Can’t even count on a background check anymore. People suck.”
Ben sighed. “They sure do.”
chapter
S
IXTEEN
The guys had Friday night off, so Nicki and Curt spent the day sightseeing, while Jack, Buzz, and Elliot dealt with some radio interview. It had been Jack’s idea for them to take full advantage of a day off together. Nicki liked Jack. He was in love with Emi, so that proved he had good taste, but she kept her eye on him though. He’d better keep it in his pants. The next person who hurt Emi would end up dead, and Nicki’s conscience would be clear.
The three-hour drive to Gilford, New Hampshire from Springfield, Massachusetts was beautiful. Jeff had deemed it safer for the band to travel in a convoy of SUVs than a tour bus. Nicki didn’t mind since hotels had room service and the tour buses didn’t.
The crew left Thursday night after load out and had the full day off to rest. Most of the crew were from New York or California, but a ten-hour drive to see family for a few hours wasn’t viable.
Sunday was Mother’s Day, and she and Curt would be apart for the first time since they’d met. The guys were all going home for the day and then flying out Monday to meet the crew in Buffalo for their gig at the Key Bank Arena.
The hotel they were staying in wasn’t as elegant as The Yorkshire had been, but she didn’t care. Life on the road wasn’t glamorous, but she loved being with Curt. They’d had an amazing time today, and shopping hadn’t even been involved. They walked around Elacoya State Park, watched a crystal artist cut some Christmas ornaments, had a wine tasting at Star View Vineyard, followed by dinner at The Crow and Lion Tavern and Grille.
It was dark by the time they returned to the hotel. As they passed the hotel bar, she saw Jack sitting alone, so they went in to have a drink.
“Hey, man,” Curt said as they sidled up to Jack.
Jack stared into his drink, which based on the condensation on the glass and the napkin, had once contained ice. It didn’t look like he’d even taken a sip. At Curt’s greeting, his head shot up. The sad look on his face reminded her of the time she’d run into Sully at a bar. She’d been on a date and saw him looking the same way Jack looked now. Lost. She knew better than to interfere, but that didn’t stop her.
No More Yesterdays: A Rock Star Romance (Rocked in Love Book 2) Page 15
