White-hot fury burned inside me. Everything in me was telling me to go find the son of a bitch and pummel him into the damn ground, regardless of how badly he was already hurt. But Rachel was more important than that waste of space right now.
“I, um…I don’t know what I’m going to do. I mean, I’m leaving him, but the house is in his name. I’ll probably end up moving in with Mom and Dad for a little bit. Just until I figure things out,” she said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. “God, I’m not looking forward to telling them about this. I can’t handle Mom’s attitude right now.”
“It’s not you that Mom will be mad at. It’s Tim.”
“Still. I’ll get the lecture on how she always knew he wasn’t good enough for me and how he was using me. Because obviously no one is good enough for either of her poor little innocent children.”
“I know,” I sighed. “If she starts to go overboard, call me. I have no problem giving her a piece of my mind.”
“Anyway, I’ll come get Ari from the city tomorrow, since I’m not doing a damned thing for Tim anymore. I just need a night to wallow in my misery.”
“Take all the time you need, Rach,” I told her. “Mom and Dad are going to come pick Ari up before they head back home when they get in tomorrow. They were flying into LaGuardia anyway. I already talked to them.”
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed.
“Stop it,” I scolded her. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Need me to go back there and kick Tim’s ass while I’m here?”
She snorted. “Nah. Wait until he’s healed a little bit first. He’s already in so much pain that it won’t really be satisfying right now.”
“Okay. But just say the word and I’ll put the fucker’s balls in a blender.”
“Ezra! Your daughter’s right here,” she sniffled, laughing a little.
“But I got a laugh. So it was worth it,” I said, kissing her head. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I was just waiting for you to get here to pick Ari up. I’m headed to buy some wine and ice cream for tonight, and I’m going to Laura’s house,” she told me.
I rolled my eyes. If her friend Laura was involved, she’d have a massive hangover tomorrow. But she’d earned it.
Instead of doing what I really wanted to do—finding Tim’s room so I could pulverize the son of a bitch—I just gave my sister another hug and kiss on her head, then led Arielle out of the hospital and ordered an Uber.
“Okay, jelly bean, you have to stay close to me when we get inside. Everyone’s working right now,” I told Arielle as we walked up to the back entrance of Madison Square Garden.
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
I chuckled. “You nervous about meeting Daphne in person?”
“Yeah,” she mumbled.
“Don’t be. She’s just a person, just like you and me. Just talk to her like you’ve been talking to her on FaceTime.”
With a flash of my badge, we walked in and were greeted by the sound of Daphne singing “All the Girls Love Alice.” I had to admit, she killed this song. Since working for her, I’d grown to appreciate her talent as an artist, and this was one of my favorite songs of hers. I liked her version even better than the original. Yeah, I knew it was one of her hits, but songs became hits for a reason, right?
“Ari!” Hector said as he walked up to us. “Hey, princess!”
“Uncle Hector!” Arielle exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his legs.
He smiled and picked her up, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
“Ew!” she groaned, wiping her face.
“Sorry we’re late getting back. I needed to make sure Rachel was okay,” I told him.
“We barely even noticed you were gone. Daphne’s ex, Chad, showed up and made a stink about not being able to get in tonight, but we handled it,” he said. “How’s Tim?”
“Not nearly bad enough,” I muttered.
“What?” His face twisted in confusion.
“His pregnant girlfriend showed up at the hospital about an hour before I got there. Apparently he’s been cheating on Rachel for over a year,” I explained. “Rachel’s moving out of the house.”
His eyes widened. “Damn.”
“Yeah. I never saw that coming,” I sighed. “I felt like going back into his hospital room and letting him taste my fist instead of the hospital food. If Ari hadn’t been right there, I probably would have.”
“You need some help kicking his ass?” he asked.
I snorted. “Nah. He’s not worth the effort.”
I was distracted from the conversation when I heard Daphne thanking everyone for a great sound check. Hector set Arielle back down.
“Guess I’d better go make sure everything’s ready for the meet and greet in a couple of hours,” he said.
“I’ll catch up with you guys in just a few,” I told him.
Daphne walked off the stage and seemed to be looking around for someone. Apparently that someone was me, because she grinned wide enough to show her dimples when she met my eyes and made a beeline in my direction.
“Hey. You’re back,” she said, wrapping an arm around me. “How’s your brother-in-law?”
“I’ll tell you later,” I said. “Long story.”
I wasn’t even sure why I felt like I needed to tell her what was happening with my family. Sure, we were friendly. A lot friendlier than I’d ever expected to get with her when I first started this job. A lot friendlier than I’d been with any of my other clients. But for me to feel close enough to her to tell her about the shitstorm that my sister’s life had just turned into? That shocked me even as the words were coming out of my mouth.
“Okay,” she said simply.
Then she looked down at Arielle, who was standing there with wide eyes, like she couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I had to chuckle. Arielle wasn’t usually shy. She was outgoing and friendly and sweet. She was the kid who found the one kid in class who was singled out and made it a point to befriend and include them. So her newfound shyness was completely out of the ordinary.
“Hey, Ari,” Daphne said. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person. Is it okay if I give you a hug?”
“Sure,” Arielle mumbled shyly.
Daphne pulled Arielle into her arms and squeezed her tight, and Arielle immediately slid her arms around Daphne’s waist. Daphne’s smile showed those dimples that were starting to drive me crazy. Every time I saw them, the desire to claim that smile with my lips was almost impossible to suppress.
And right now, watching her calm my daughter’s nerves with a simple hug, I had to swallow a lump in my throat. I didn’t know why it mattered to me so much that they were already so at ease around each other, but I couldn’t have stopped the tugging on my heartstrings if I tried.
“Oh! I’ll be right back. I almost forgot, I have presents!” Daphne exclaimed, turning around and jogging away.
Presents? She’d already autographed an entire backpack full of swag for my daughter two months ago when I first joined the tour and then sent a second package for her friend Makayla a couple of weeks later. What did she have up her sleeve now?
Daphne returned in less than three minutes carrying three VIP lanyards (two for Taylor and Alex, I assumed), a tote full of the exclusive swag for the VIP guests, and a big pink gift bag with hot pink tissue paper sticking out of it. She put one of the lanyards around Arielle’s neck.
“You’ve got the best seat in the house tonight,” she told her. “My best friend, Taylor, and his fiancé, Alex, are coming to hang out with you tonight so your dad can still work, and you guys have VIP passes to the show. This is the swag that only VIP guests get, so you’re one of only a handful of people who has this swag.”
“Whoa, that’s so cool,” Arielle giggled.
Daphne smiled and handed her the gift bag. “And this is something else for tonight. Go ahead and open it.”
Arielle pulled the tissue paper out of the bag and then retrieved what had t
o have been a four-hundred-dollar pair of noise reduction headphones. They’d already been taken out of their box, and Daphne had autographed one of the earpieces with a pink paint pen.
“It can get really loud in the VIP section,” Daphne explained. “So if it gets too loud for you, just put those headphones on. You’ll still be able to hear everything, but it’ll be a little quieter. It works a lot better than earplugs, and it looks cooler too.”
Arielle was still just standing there, mouth agape, as she eyed the headphones like they were a completely foreign object.
“What do you say, jelly bean?” I prompted.
“Thank you,” Arielle mumbled.
“You’re welcome,” Daphne chuckled, then looked back at me. “Taylor texted just now and told me he and Alex are about an hour away. They had to wait until his aunt got back from running her errands and could take Penny for the night.”
I nodded. “Sounds good. Ari, I have to go do a security sweep and make sure it’s safe to let people in for the meet and greet with Daphne in a little while. Do you want to come help me?”
“You can totally help your dad if you want to, Ari. But if that sounds boring to you, do you want to come hang out with me in my dressing room while I get my makeup on?” Daphne asked.
Arielle looked up at me with hopeful eyes. “Daddy, can I?”
“It’s not every day that your favorite singer wants to hang out with you,” I chuckled. “Go for it.”
“I promise I’ll take good care of her, Ezra,” Daphne said.
“I know you will,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against me. “Thank you.”
I headed to Daphne’s dressing room after my sweep to take Arielle off of her hands, and I found the door cracked open. Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” was blasting from Daphne’s iPod dock and I heard her and Arielle both singing along at the top of their lungs. When I pushed the door the rest of the way open, I melted into a puddle.
Daphne was using a can of hairspray as a microphone while Arielle used a hairbrush as they sang along to the song and danced in front of the mirror. Upon closer inspection, I saw that Arielle’s makeup was done exactly like Daphne’s too. And the grins on their faces could have lit up Madison Square Garden all by themselves.
“Daddy!” Arielle giggled when the song was over.
“Hey, munchkin,” I chuckled. “Looks like you and Daphne had fun while I was working.”
“We did our own concert!”
“I saw. It was awesome,” I said, smiling.
“And she did my makeup just like hers!” Arielle exclaimed.
“I opened fresh stuff for her and put it all in her gift bag,” Daphne told me. “Because what did we learn this afternoon, Ari?”
“You don’t share makeup. It’s not sanitary,” Arielle recited.
“Yep. Good memory. You didn’t check your phone, did you, Ezra?”
I shook my head and pulled my phone out my pocket, finding a text from Daphne containing a selfie she’d taken with Arielle after their makeup was done. Pink eyeliner, glittery eyeshadow, the whole nine yards.
I couldn’t really say it surprised me that Daphne had been so amazing with Arielle. I’d seen her with the little girls at the stage door, and she was always sweet to them: taking pictures, signing autographs, talking to them. But for her to make this kind of time investment in my daughter when she barely had any time for herself blew me away.
I would have moved heaven and earth for Arielle, but she needed a woman in her life besides Rachel. Someone she saw every day. Someone to do hair and nails and makeup with. Someone to be goofy and have fake concerts in front of the mirror with. Someone to talk about boys with when she got older.
When Katelynn left us, she’d left a huge hole in Arielle’s life. A hole she probably didn’t even realize was there, because I made sure that her life was still full and that she knew she had a whole family of people who loved her. But the simple fact of the matter was, she needed a mother.
Not that I was going to say that to Daphne. And not that I saw Daphne in that role. But just watching them together made me realize what Arielle was missing out on.
A knock on the doorframe pulled me from my thoughts. I turned around to see a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes and another man with slightly darker complexion, brown hair, and brown eyes.
Daphne grinned. “Hey, T. Hey, Alex.”
The blond man gave her a bear hug and picked her up a foot off the floor.
“Well, hello there, teenybopper,” he said in a thick British accent. So apparently he was Taylor.
She groaned. “Are you ever going to let up with the short person nicknames?”
“You should know him better than that, Daph,” the other man, who had to be Alex, said in a Southern twang.
“At least you call me by my normal nickname,” Daphne chuckled as she turned to hug him. Then she turned back to me and Arielle. “Ezra, Ari, this is my best friend, Taylor.” She gestured to the man whose identity I’d already figured out, then gestured to his partner. “And this is his fiancé, Alex. T, Alex, this is Ezra. And this is your concert buddy for tonight, Arielle.”
“Hey there, pumpkin,” Alex said. “Looks like you and Daph have already been having fun. You excited for tonight?”
“Yeah,” Arielle said shyly.
“Have you been to one of D’s concerts before?” Taylor asked her.
“No,” she told him.
“You’re going to have a blast. We’ve got the best seats so she can hear us scream the loudest. And she’ll spoil you rotten at the meet and greet. Oh, and you’ll get a professional photo to show off to all your friends. They’re going to be so jealous.” He grinned.
“You mean like you’ve got a collection of now?” Daphne giggled.
“Fuck yes. They’re on our wall to show off to everyone. Plus, Penny likes to see her Auntie D.”
“Taylor! Language!” Alex nudged his shoulder.
“Oh, fuck. Sorry,” Taylor chuckled.
“Oh, Lord. You did it again. I swear, I’m surprised Penny hasn’t started dropping the F-bomb yet,” Alex groaned.
“Give her time.” He winked.
Alex pecked him on the cheek. “You’re lucky I love you.”
I laughed. “It’s okay. Ari’s used to the language. My whole family are native Long Islanders. We all talk like sailors.”
“Here’s your lanyards,” Daphne said, handing each of them a VIP pass. “And I ordered pizza for everyone a little while ago. Josh can show you where the green room is if you’re hungry.”
“Aww! You do love us! Hey, Ari, how about we go stuff our faces with pizza and let these old farts get back to work?” Taylor asked.
Arielle looked up at me, obviously a little nervous. But I could already tell these guys were going to take good care of her. I couldn’t explain how I knew that. Maybe because I knew that Daphne wouldn’t have asked them if she wasn’t one hundred percent sure that my daughter would be safe with them. Or maybe because I could just tell they were good guys.
I picked my daughter up so I could get a real hug. “Have fun with Taylor and Alex. I’ll see you in a little bit at the meet and greet, and then after the show. Promise me you’ll behave for them?”
“I promise,” she mumbled.
“Good girl,” I said, kissing her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you, Daddy,” she said, tightening her arms around my neck a little.
I set her back down, and Alex held his hand out. She hesitantly accepted it, and the three of them walked out of the room. As soon as they were gone, I turned to Daphne.
“Sorry if I crossed a line with the makeup,” she said. “I know she’s a little young. I didn’t even think about that until it was already done.”
“Why the hell are you apologizing?” I scoffed. “I honestly don’t know what to say. I could say thank you a thousand times and it wouldn’t be enough. But thank you. For calling Taylor. For the VIP passes and
the headphones and the makeup. And for spending so much time with Ari this afternoon.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Daphne smiled. “Really. Ari’s a sweetheart. And she loves you so much. You’ve done a really good job with her, Ezra.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t feel like it sometimes. Sometimes it feels like I’m doing everything I can and it’s not enough. We get by, but sometimes it hits me how much Ari needs a mom and I want to yell at Katelynn for leaving the way she did.”
“It’s her loss. She’s the one who doesn’t get to know that sweet little girl and be a part of her life. And she missed out on the opportunity to be with a pretty great guy too.”
Hearing her say that, something inside me snapped. I didn’t even think. I just acted. I shut the dressing room door and backed Daphne against it. And I crashed my lips against hers.
Nothing could have prepared me for the floodgate of emotions that overtook me when Daphne not only returned the kiss, but wrapped her arms around my neck and deepened it. It was like every other woman I’d ever kissed was wiped from my memory. Because the only one who mattered was her. I slid my tongue out and traced the curve of her lip, and she immediately opened for me, meeting my tongue with hers and whimpering quietly. The noise went straight to my cock and I groaned, tangling my fingers in her hair as I tilted her head so I could get a better angle.
And then I regained my wits, for just a moment. What the fuck was I doing? I was here to do a job. I wasn’t supposed to kiss the woman I was supposed to be protecting. And I definitely wasn’t supposed to let myself get in even deeper than I already was with her as I watched her play with my daughter. I pulled back, panting as I tried to re-orient myself.
“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “I…that…”
“I’m not complaining,” Daphne breathed.
“I’ll let you get dressed,” I mumbled, taking a few steps back.
“Ezra…” she trailed off.
I couldn’t be in this room anymore. I needed to leave. Before I broke. So that was what I did. I opened the door and walked out without another word.
Falling Angel Page 13
