“Not if there is suspicious activity involved in the individual’s disappearance.”
Shit. What kind of suspicious activity was he thinking about? While I was positive nothing suspicious had happened to my father, I didn’t want the cop to become alarmed about the whole situation.
“Does your father have a medical or mental condition I should be aware of?”
“Not that I know of.” Regret for contacting the police began suffocating me. How the hell was I going to talk my way out of this so he would leave before my mom or dad returned?
Realizing I didn’t have a choice, I invited the cop into the house and gave him the information for the report, just to get rid of him.
After he finally left, I went upstairs to find Hailey and Sarah. Before heading to my sister’s room, I quickly ducked into mine, changed into dry jeans and a T-shirt, and grabbed a hoodie.
My sister was snuggled under the bedcovers, cuddling her stuffed tiger, when I entered her room. Hailey was sitting on the bed, her wet clothes still clinging to her body.
“Hey, squirt. You okay now?” I handed the hoodie to Hailey and sat behind her as she put it on. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen her in my clothing, and the effect on my body hadn’t changed. A tingling longing tormented me, telling me to pull my best friend into my arms and hug her for everything she was doing for me and for Sarah.
Sarah nodded at my question, then yawned.
Hailey ruffled her hair and pushed herself off the bed. “See you later. Don’t forget our date for this weekend.”
I didn’t want Hailey to leave. I wanted her to stay a while longer. But I could tell she wanted to give Sarah and me some privacy so we could talk, and then I could reassure my sister again that she would never have to worry about a repeat of what happened tonight.
I would make sure of that.
I gave Hailey a smile that said a million things: Thank you. God, you’re beautiful. I want you to be with me forever. Based on her sad expression, she’d seen none of that in my smile.
Once Hailey had left the room, I picked up Sarah’s stuffed tiger. I’d given it to her when she was six years old. She’d been suffering from nightmares that a monster was going to hurt her. I told her the tiger would keep her safe.
I was doing a crappy job of keeping my promise.
“I’m sorry about tonight.” I handed her back the tiger. She clutched it to her chest. “But I promise you it won’t happen again.”
She nodded, but this time a slight frown marred her otherwise innocent face. “Why doesn’t Daddy love me anymore?”
My heart cracked at her words. “It’s not that Dad doesn’t love you anymore. He just…” Shit. “He just doesn’t know how to show it.” I kissed her forehead and made a show of tucking her and her tiger in. “Good night. See you tomorrow.” I walked to the door.
“I love you, Nolan.”
I turned back to her and smiled softly. “I love you too, squirt.”
As I walked downstairs, Mom’s and Hailey’s voices rose to greet me. I couldn’t hear what they were saying; the words were too quiet. I couldn’t even determine if Hailey was telling my mom what had happened.
As I continued down the stairs, their words became clearer.
“I don’t understand why you don’t leave him.” Hailey.
“I know,” my mom said, her voice almost the whisper of a breeze. “Love is complicated.”
What the fuck?
I paused on the final step.
“How can you say that?” Hailey said. “This isn’t love. Not even close to it.”
I quietly entered the kitchen. She was glaring at my mom, her body tense, my mother’s face pale.
That’s when they must have sensed me. They both turned around, and the guilt and confusion on my mom’s face almost knocked me back a step. But I knew what had happened tonight wouldn’t be enough for Mom to leave my father. It would have to be bigger, something just short of him killing her.
At the sound of the garage door opening, my heart pounded loud in my chest, sending Morse-code messages to anyone within a ten-mile radius. I grabbed hold of Hailey’s hand and tried tugging her toward the front door. She stood firmly in place and yanked her hand away. Shit, what was she up to?
“Look, Hailey, I have to get you out of here.”
“Why? Is your father going to bully me like he bullies you? Is he going to hurt me like he hurts you?”
The door to the garage clicked open. Footsteps thumped from the laundry room, their sound uneven. My father was drunk enough that he stumbled as he walked.
I grabbed Hailey’s hand again, and this time she didn’t resist me. But it was too late. Before we could make it to the front door, my father stepped from the laundry room.
Fuck.
Chapter 28
Nolan
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The unexpected memory tore down the dam of emotions I’d been successful so far in holding back.
A sob broke free. I buried my face in my hands.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard the distinct clicking of a camera but ignored it. I stared at the blurry words on the gravestones, still unable to talk beyond telling my mom and Sarah I was sorry.
Those few simple words might not have sounded like much, but they represented everything I wanted to tell them yet couldn’t.
“Don’t you have any decency?” Hailey said, her voice low but fierce. She was no longer kneeling next to me. She was standing in front of a man several yards away. Based on the massive telephoto lens on his camera, he wasn’t here visiting with a dearly departed.
Hailey looked ready to introduce his face to her fist or to snatch the camera away from him and hurl it against a gravestone. Most sane guys would’ve backed away, not wanting to experience her wrath. But when it came to the paparazzi, their level of sanity was questionable to begin with.
“This is a public place,” the douchebag said, leering at her. “Which means I have the right to take photos if I want.”
I scrambled up from the snowy ground and, before the situation could escalate, placed my body between Hailey and the asshole.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I recognized him and was positive he was responsible for the photos that had shoved Alyssa and me into the spotlight as a romantic couple. Just one more reason for me to want to slam him against a gravestone and tell him where the hell he and his sleazy lies could go. But I knew better. Experience was a bitch.
The leer on his face transformed into an ugly smirk. “Does Alyssa know about you cheating on her?”
“There’s nothing going on between Alyssa and me,” I ground out, purposely avoiding the question about Hailey. I didn’t want to drag her into his twisted lies.
Before I could stop myself, I launched my body at him. But he was quicker and eager for the lawsuit shot. He lifted his camera and before I had a chance to yank it away, he snapped photo after photo.
Hailey threw herself between us. It was too late. Unless I was willing to destroy his camera and memory card, there was nothing I could do—other than make things worse for Hailey. She didn’t need me dragging her into this, destroying her career along with mine. My career would bounce back. Hers might not. The media would always be in her face and business, rarely giving her a moment of privacy, constantly putting her and those she worked with on guard, disrupting her life.
“Does Alyssa know you’re the son of a mass murderer?” the asshole taunted. “Does she fear for her own safety when she’s with you?”
As much as I wanted to pound on him, I kept silent and turned away, doing my best not to react to his questions.
Does she fear for her own safety when she’s with you? His words echoed in my head, twisting with my own fears.
“Hailey, is your recent attack linked to what happened to Tyler’s family?” he called out.
I froze at his comment for many reasons. First, the asshole knew her name and knew what had happened to her. Second, was it possible the two even
ts were linked? Third, I wasn’t sure what game he was playing by using my fake name, but I had a feeling it wasn’t good. This was his way of telling me he was content with the idea of destroying my career and the life I’d built for myself since moving to L.A.
The asshole must have gotten everything he’d come for. He didn’t follow us. Hailey was so pale and visibly shaken, I wanted to hug her and tell her it would be okay. But I also didn’t want to risk that he was still lurking around, taking photos of us, so I kept my arms plastered to my sides.
“How did he know my name?” Hailey asked as we drove away, her voice bordering on panic.
I gripped the steering wheel, imagining it was the scumbag’s neck. “You’d be surprised at what these guys discover. Nothing is sacred to them.”
“But how did he even know where to find you?”
“I have no idea. But don’t underestimate these guys. Their hunting skills put the CIA to shame. I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Forget-Me-Not.”
She shook her head. “He hasn’t done anything to me. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s not that simple. Based on his reaction back there, I wouldn’t be surprised if he plans to use you to drive a wedge between Alyssa and me.”
“But…but I thought you said there was nothing going on between you two.”
“There isn’t. But because of assholes like him, it will look like I cheated on her with you.” I checked the rearview mirror to make sure we weren’t being followed.
“Me? Why? Because I was with you in the cemetery? That’s crazy.”
“Doesn’t matter. And I wouldn’t be surprised if those weren’t the only photos he took of us today.” I quickly glanced at her to see if she was putting it all together.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, God! He saw us kissing at the sports center?”
“There’s a chance he didn’t.” A fairly nonexistent chance. “Or he might just focus the story on my father and leave you out of it.”
“But you don’t think he will, do you?”
“I think he’ll find an angle to twist both together. I don’t know how he’ll do it, but by the time he’s finished, it will be as far from the truth as possible, yet at the same time very believable.”
“But if you’re not dating Alyssa, his story will fall apart. No one will believe it.”
“I wish that was true. But the reason tabloids are still around is because their readers do believe everything they read.” But maybe now Alyssa would finally issue a statement confirming what I’d been saying all this time—she and I weren’t romantically involved and never had been.
“Why do you even put up with it?” Hailey asked.
“There’s not much you can do about it. It’s part of the business. All I can do is ignore it. In a week’s time, someone else’s news will upstage mine, and the lies about me will be forgotten.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“I’ll talk to the record label.” And see what they could do…after they killed me for screwing up.
But that was if the guys didn’t kill me first for fucking things up for them.
Chapter 29
Hailey
I knew things had changed for me the moment the reporter insinuated I was nothing more than a hussy bent on destroying Tyler and Alyssa’s golden relationship. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was blamed for her losing the fictitious baby that was supposedly Nolan’s. What then? Would the world turn on me even though none of the rumors were true? Would fans of their relationship hunt me down like the paparazzi and try to hurt me? Or would Alyssa finally issue a statement and set the record straight about their relationship?
But while I was nervous about what might happen if an upset fan confronted me, I was even more nervous about my future. To get into the physical therapy program, I needed a reference from the therapist I worked with in the playgroup for kids with special needs. Without it, my chances of getting into the education program were much lower. But a scandal like this might hurt me when it came to the reference.
We rode the rest of the way home in silence, both lost in thought over what this could mean for us. And by us, I meant our careers. Nothing had really changed when it came to what Nolan and I had between us. He hadn’t indicated if there could be a him and me if I moved to L.A. Nor had he indicated he wanted me to move there. As far as I could tell, what we had between us was only short-term.
I almost expected to see photographers gathering outside my building when we pulled up. When I didn’t spot any, I let out a relieved breath. The one at the cemetery had been bad enough. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with more than that.
But as much as I didn’t want to imagine it, I wasn’t deluding myself into believing no one else was interested in Nolan’s real past. He already had the bad-boy reputation, so why walk away from the possibility of even juicier secrets in his past? And once his story hit the tabloids, it was guaranteed to be the end of my privacy, at least until the next news story broke about another celebrity.
Nolan was still tense when we walked into the building. He held my hand the way he had in the cemetery. But unlike then, his grip was tighter. I didn’t think he realized just how tense he was. He’d never be able to write lyrics in his current state.
I needed to help him relax and forget everything. If his label didn’t dump him because of all the controversy that would soon suck him into its vortex, it certainly would if he wasn’t ready in time to record the band’s album.
I let us into the apartment. Before I could say anything, he stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door. Less than a minute later, I heard him talking to someone on the phone. The conversation lasted a few seconds and was followed by a long silence.
The muffled sound of him pacing slipped from under his door. He was so tightly wound from what happened at the cemetery, he couldn’t focus on his work. This wasn’t the Nolan I knew.
It was all my fault. I had insisted that Nolan visit his sister’s and mother’s graves so that he could take a step toward healing. As long as he kept away from their final resting place, he’d never move on. He’d never live the life they would’ve wanted him to have.
I knocked on his door but didn’t wait for him to answer. I opened it. As expected, he was pacing back and forth. Not an easy feat in the room’s small confines, even with the lack of furniture.
“Have you told the record label what happened?” I figured that was whom he’d been talking to on the phone.
“I left a message with the band’s PR person. It’s the weekend, so she gets to have a break from me and my stupidity.” His jaw tightened. He really did believe this was all his fault.
I entered the room, my movements slow and cautious. “This isn’t your fault, Nolan. None of it’s your fault. And the people at the record label are idiots if they believe otherwise.”
“But if I’d stayed in L.A. to work on the songs like I was supposed to,” he said, “none of this would’ve happened.”
I tried to block the sting in my heart from his words. I hoped he didn’t mean it. I hoped that the words had been said in the heat of the moment and not because he regretted coming here when I was in a coma. And not because he regretted what was happening between us.
I must have failed to keep the pain from his words off my face. One second I was staring at him, doing my best to blink away the burning tears, and the next I was in his arms.
“I’m sorry, Forget-Me-Not. That didn’t come out right.” He kissed the top of my head and tightened his hold on me. “I don’t for a second regret coming back here for you. I couldn’t have worked on the album not knowing how you were doing. I needed to be here for you.”
“I know, but maybe it’s time you return to L.A.” The sting in my heart shifted to a dull burn. I did my best to ignore it, and pushed on with what I needed to say to convince him to return home, for all our sakes. “I’m no longer in a coma, and whoever attacked me hasn’t tried to hurt me again. It was just a random attack. You don’t need t
o be here anymore. And as long as you are here, the media will constantly hound us. All they want is a story. As long as you stay in Northbridge, they’ll have one. And they won’t stop there. They’ll keep digging into your old life here, hunting for secrets to damage your reputation.”
They’d be wasting their time. There were no more secrets. But who knew what other people would say about him, all for their fifteen seconds of fame.
“I’m not going back yet,” he said, his tone the same stubborn one I remembered from years of being his best friend. “And even if I did return to L.A., nothing would change. Then the media would wonder what I was running from and would still dig deep.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Fuck. All I wanted was for people to hear my music and not think about my past. I wanted to keep the two separate. And I didn’t want them questioning whether some part of my father was also part of me. I should have known better. You really can’t escape your past.”
I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He needed to forget what had happened this afternoon, and I needed to help him so he could go back to what was important to him—his music.
Without saying a word, I grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him out of the bedroom. He didn’t ask where I was taking him and he didn’t resist. His eyebrow did jerk up when I led him into the bathroom. A hint of a smirk touched his lips. I turned the shower on, needing to wash away the ugliness of what happened in the cemetery. Steam quickly filled the bathroom.
Next I pushed my hands under his T-shirt, appreciating the valleys and smooth muscle. I peered at him through hooded eyes, my heart beating an eager rhythm. “I want you,” I whispered. I didn’t just mean I wanted him now. I meant I wanted a forever with him. But if this was all I could get of him, then I’d make the most of it.
I slipped the button free on his jeans. My hand purposely brushed against his thickening length. He groaned.
Needing to see him without his T-shirt on, I pushed the hem up, exposing his tight abs. Being the wise man that he was, he got my not-so-subtle hint. A moment later, the T-shirt was making nice with the floor.
This One Moment Page 14
