“You didn’t ask Roman directly?”
“It was hard enough to get him to give up where he was. So, now you know.”
“Now we know.”
Bay sat back on the couch, thinking. Tom watched her for a moment before the realtor came in to find them. Tom smiled at the young man.
“We’ll take it—okay?” He looked at Bay, who nodded, but he could see she wasn’t concentrating.
Later at home, in bed, Bay turned to face him. “Tommy?”
He chuckled. “That’s a new one.”
“It’s the name I’ve decided to use when I’m being passive aggressive and needy.”
Tom laughed. “Your therapist teach you that?”
“She’s worth every penny.”
“What’s up?”
“I want to go to New Orleans.”
Tom squinted at her. “No shit.”
Bay grinned. “But I don’t want to go there and overwhelm her. She’s a flight risk.”
“Obviously. So?”
“So, I want to talk to Roman and find a way to show her what she is missing and how much we love her.”
Tom considered. “Okay. So talk to Roman.”
Bay looked excited and kissed him. “I will. What’s the time there?”
Tom laughed again and pulled her into his arms. “Call tomorrow, baby. We don’t have time. Tonight you have a meeting scheduled with …Little Tommy.”
Bay giggled and kissed him. “Seriously, you are not naming your cock that. Also, not so little …”
“Mmmm, you’re right. Little Tommy may be growing up fast …” He playfully bit her neck as she wriggled beneath him.
“No, really, stop. That’s so unsexy to call it that …but I have to agree …oh …yep, definitely getting bigger …oh god that’s so good, so good …”
Kym stepped out into the cold of the New Orleans morning, tensed and half-expecting him to be there, waiting. Then came the crashing disappointment when he wasn’t. Stop it. She jogged home and up to her apartment, then skidded to a halt. Roman sat, leaning against her door. She couldn’t read his expression. For a moment, they stared at each other.
“Why are you here?”
“Why have you ghosted me?”
Kym’s fingers curled into her palms, her nails biting into the flesh so he wouldn’t see her trembling. She took a deep breath in.
“I have neighbors. You better come inside.”
Inside, for something to do with her hands, she snagged a couple of beer bottles from the refrigerator and handed one to Roman.
She sat at the kitchen table and looked him in the eye. “So, I followed you home the other day. Pretty girl. When is she due?”
“She had the baby yesterday. A girl. Bailey. Polly is her mom.”
Kym’s voice cracked a little. “Congratulations.”
Roman sighed. “The baby isn’t mine if that’s why you’re mad. Neither is she someone I am currently or ever have been intimately involved with.”
Kym couldn’t help the sneer. “Is that fancy talk for screwing? She did look a bit too Mary Sue for you.”
“Don’t be a bitch.” But his words were softly spoken.
“It’s none of my business what you do,” she said, but cursed the way her voice broke. Roman tried to take her hands, but she pulled them away and put them in her lap.
“Kym …Polly is my sister. Technically, my half-sister. She’s my dad’s daughter from …his other family. He wasn’t a big fan of consecutive parenting, it seems. She’s about seven years younger than me and Otis—I found out about her last year when I was going through some papers of dad’s.”
Kym studied his face. “And the baby?”
Roman nodded. “When I found her, she was living in a halfway house, knocked up by some dude she hooked up with and never saw again. She’d been in abusive relationships before—didn’t have any reason to trust men. Apparently, her mom killed herself when she found out my dad had died—in the newspaper. Polly was one. Straight into the foster care system.”
“So when you found her …”
“I had to make it right, didn’t I? I had the means, and god knows, the responsibility. But she made me swear not to tell anyone else.”
“Not even Otis?”
“Otis idolized our dad. Me too, but I figured if Polly didn’t want anyone else to know, what was the point of smashing Otis’ picture of Dad. My Dad, although flawed, was a good man despite that. He died in a bodega shooting. Otis and I were there.”
Shame flooded through Kym and now it was her turn to take his hands. He didn’t pull away, instead linking his fingers through hers.
“I figured when you shut me out that you’d followed me. I came here twice, as you know, but the third night, Polly went into labor.”
“God, Roman.” All of her anger had dissipated now and she went to him. He pulled her onto his knee, buried his face in her neck for a long moment, and held her. Kym pressed her lips to his forehead. When he looked up, she could see raw emotion in his eyes.
“I love you,” he said simply, “I’m in love with you, Kym.”
Tears dropped down her face as she pressed her lips to his, feeling his strong arms lock around her. “I love you too, big man,” she murmured against his mouth. “So much. So very much.”
They never made it to the bed this time …
Bay smiled at Tom as she ended the call from Roman. “He’s in.” She went to bang on the window of the studio and beckon Pete in. Pete, dark circles under his eyes and a big smile on his face, joined them. Bay passed him a soda.
“Pete? Do you think you can bear to be away from Lucy for a night?” Lucy, the three-month-old light of Pete and Hank’s life had charmed her way into everyone’s heart in the short time they’d known her. Pete, exhausted but wiped out by love, grinned at Bay.
“You’re up to something, missy. I know that smile.”
Bay chuckled and exchanged a look with Tom. “You got me. Just wondering if you’d like to take a quick overnight trip to the Big Easy?”
Pete’s smile grew wider. “Why do I think this has something to do with our absent friend? What ya got planned, minxy?”
Roman whistled as she opened the door. “That, beautiful, is more like it.” Kym grinned shyly. She had finally bleached her hair back to its platinum blonde, gotten rid of the spectacles (although she had gotten so used to them, she kind of missed them), and was wearing a ripped Purple Rain t-shirt and skinny jeans.
Roman, of course, was in a suit that probably cost more than her rent for a month. She didn’t care. She stood on her tippy-toes to kiss him. “Let me just grab my boots and I’m all yours.”
They walked hand-in-hand to the bar. “Our third date,” she said, grinning slyly at him. “You might get lucky tonight.”
Roman laughed. “Third? More like three hundredth.”
“Doesn’t count before we, you know.”
“Oh, now she’s shy …”
They turned the corner and walked up to the Hot Tin Roof. “Only you would take me to my place of work for a date,” she grumbled, but smirked at him.
“Stop complaining, woman.”
Kym walked in and stopped. The place was clear of customers—just a few regulars and all of her colleagues. They all grinned at her as she turned to frown at Roman.
“What’s going on?”
He steered her into a booth, putting himself between her and the door. “You’ll see. Private party.” He winked at Cal and Lee who were balancing drinks and food on trays.
“We’re celebrating,” Cal told her.
“What?”
Cal chewed on his lip, thinking as Lee and Roman grinned. “Friends.”
“I’ll drink to that, buddy.”
“Me too.”
Kym looked at the three men in confusion. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Friends, food, drinks, good times …a little music. Hang on, I’ll go put something on.” Cal disappeared into the other bar room.
“You’re acting weird,” Kym said, grabbing a beer from the tray, but grinning. What the hell was going on?
Cal came back in just as the first chord of The Killer’s song, Just Another Girl, started.
“Oh, love this song. We used to …” She trailed off as someone who was definitely not Brandon Flowers started to sing. A very female, very familiar voice rang out over the speakers. For a second Kym froze. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her.
“That’s not a mp3,” she said in a monotone.
“Nope.”
The voice rang out, so sweet and so rich. Drive by your house, nobody’s home …
“That’s a live band.”
I’m trying to tell myself that I’m better off alone …
Kym stood unsteadily and looked back at Roman, her eyes streaming. “How could you? This is not what I wanted …”
She pushed past the shocked Roman and out into the street. In a flash, he was beside her, his hand gripping her upper arm.
“Get off me.” She struggled, but he held her fast.
“Kymberly, stop. Look at me.” She had never heard that tone from him before—fierce and commanding. She stopped struggling.
“Why,” he said. “Why are you running away? Tell me.”
“Because …”
“Because what? Because you love your friend? Because you miss her? Miss Pete? Miss getting up on that stage and belting your heart out? Yeah, big fucking news. I know you miss all of that. So why the fuck do you keep …Jesus …” He let her go and span around, breathing heavily.
His outburst shocked her and she reached out to touch him. He shook her hand off.
“Do you know what gunshots sound like, close up? Like your ear drums bursting. Like your heart exploding. Do you know what it feels like to have hot metal rip through you—to know that someone hates you so much that they could do that to you? My dad did. That girl in there did. And none of it, none of it, was your fault. Dad getting shot wasn’t my fault or Otis’ fault. Stu shooting Bay is all down to that pathetic slug. Not you.”
Kym was trembling so hard that Roman, his eyes still burning with passion, wrapped his arms around her.
“Do you know what I would give to be able to speak my dad again? To hold him? Please don’t waste this, Kym, please.”
Kym couldn’t help the tears that came then and his arms tightened around her, holding her.
“Kym?”
Kym heard her calling out her name so hesitantly—so unsure of the reaction she would get. She turned to face her best friend, the girl who nearly died, her Bay. Kym took one stumbling step toward her and then they were in each other’ arms, crying and laughing at the same time and telling each other over and over how much they loved each other.
Roman smiled and, stepping around them, left them alone, going back into the bar. He went to the room where they had been playing and saw Pete, complete with his family, enjoying a beer. He gave him a thumb’s up. Tom looked relieved and Dash and Emily clapped with delight. Otis and Shae hugged him in turn, then Roman looked at his brother.
“Otis …we need to talk.”
Otis’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”
Roman half-smiled. “It’s about dad …and our sister.”
Epilogue…
All of them watched as Norah Jones and Eddie Vedder crossed the stage to read the nominees. Bay, Pete, and Kym could barely believe that they were there—the Grammys.
Pete grinned and nudged Tom. “I think you’ve lost her.” He nodded at Bay, who was staring, completely and utterly star-struck, at Eddie Vedder, her hero—Pearl Jam’s legendary singer.
“I hope he's the one who says our name,” she said, sounding like a kid. “Not that I don’t love Norah, but, y’know, it’s Eddie.”
Kym was laughing. “Hey, remember your boyfriend? That tall, handsome man sitting next to you? Tom?”
Bay grinned, then looked around wildly. “Who? Tim, was it? I have no idea who you mean.”
“Funny girl.” Tom was laughing as he kissed her. “Girl done good,” he whispered. She grinned, then put her hand over his mouth.
“Hush now. My future husband is about to speak.”
Tom shrugged good-naturedly as the others laughed.
As the two superstars read out the nominees and the audience was treated to a snapshot of their music, Kym felt Bay’s hand slip into hers. She leaned against her best friend. Their name was the last to be read out—by Eddie. Bay squeaked in delight.
“And the winner is …” Norah handed the envelope to Eddie, who opened it and bent his head, speaking in that low growl of his …
“Seattle’s –finest--The 9th & Pine!”
Bay, Kym, and Pete all froze as the crowd erupted around them. Hands were pulling them up, then pushing them towards the stage. Bay felt Tom kiss her, but couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Kym cried and Pete high-fived everyone on the way down to the stage.
Finally, stumbling and incoherent, they made it to the stage to be presented with their Grammy. Bay nearly fainted when Eddie hugged her. Later she would tell Tom, “I think I might have said ‘I love you’ to him. God, I hope I didn’t,” as Tom cried with laughter. Kym raised her Grammy in the air as Pete, the only person who could form an entire sentence, said most of their thank yous. Neither Bay nor Kym, however, forgot to announce their love and their thanks to their partners.
It was a crazy whirl of interviews and shaking hands then, until they finally made it back to the penthouse suite Quartet had rented, where Shae, Otis, Emily, and Dash were waiting, along with Hank and Lucy. Their Grammy’s took pride of place on the long glass table as they relaxed. Tom popped the first of many champagne bottles.
“Well, kids, we made it. The last two and a half years have been …tumultuous, to say the least. Pete, Kym, and Bay,” he grinned down at his lover, who reached around and grabbed his butt, making the others laugh. “Despite everything that’s been thrown at you, you did it. And you deserve every bit of your success. Guys, raise your glasses to The 9th & Pine …”
Kym and Roman flew back to Seattle that same night, wanting to be alone. As they lay in bed together, damp skin from making love, Roman trailed a leisurely finger up and down her spine.
“You know what’s weird?”
“What’s that?”
“Even in this, quite frankly, way over the top house of yours,” she grinned and he chuckled, “I still miss that little apartment in sweaty, dirty, New Orleans.”
“You know,” Roman said. “Me too. It was tiny, but god, we had some good times there.”
Kym kissed him. “I fell in love with you there.”
“And I you, beautiful.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Thank you for giving me my life back, even though I was so sure I didn’t want it. You knew better.”
Roman cupped her face with his big hand. “It was the life you deserved, Kym. I would do anything to give you the world.”
Kym sighed happily. “Roman? Maybe Polly and the baby would like to come stay here for a while. She and Otis seem to have connected amazingly.”
Roman pressed his lips to hers. “See? See what you’ve done for me?”
And silencing her with his mouth, he rolled her onto her back, covering her body with his. Kym stroked the hair above his ears and smiled up at him as they began to make love.
“Forever?” She whispered and Roman nodded, the love in his eyes unmistakable.
“Forever,” he agreed as they made their way, with love, into that forever.
The End
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Focus
A Bad Boy Billionaire Contemporary Romance Series
By Michell Love
Ryker Crawford is a new billionaire who’s taken over the CEO position of his dearly departed grandfather’s company, Apollo Engineering.
Gia Flynn is a young woman who’s a talented engineer. She’s been lying dormant for three years as she’s becom
e the girlfriend of space engineering magnate, Damian Markov.
When Ryker lays eyes on her at a fundraiser, he finds her boyfriend ignoring her as he pays attention to his cell phone instead of the young, dark haired beauty.
Can Ryker lure the brilliant woman away from the Russian Billionaire?
Part 1 - The Spotlight
RYKER
Flames explode out of the bottom of the new rocket boosters that Ian has developed. Applause spontaneously begins as we all watch the large screen at the front of the meeting room. We’re one step closer to making getting to Mars a reality.
Apollo Engineering was started by my grandfather ten years ago. He passed away a little over a year ago, cancer took him from us, before he could see his dream of becoming one of the first settlers of Mars, come true. He’s turned that dream over to me.
“Ryker, tell me what you think,” Ian says as we all sit back down after watching the video he recorded when he tested the rocket booster in Cape Canaveral.
“I think you’re a genius. But what else is new?” I ask, drawing chuckles from the other board members. “My one question is, when can you get this into production? With fifty ships to build, we need to get at least one of them done within the next three years, so we can test before sending people off to outer space in the things.”
“Here’s where you’re going to decide to give me a monster bonus, Ryker,” he says with a smile. “I’ve got the approval to produce these things in Russia. The government is willing to let us use their facilities in exchange for the technology. It’s a fair trade, I think. But what matters is what you think, Ryker.”
“The Russian government, huh? I’ll have to consider that. There’s a fundraiser tonight. I might be able to pick the brains of some of the privately owned Russian space exploration companies’ top guns, to see how much they would trust their government with their own technologies. So, I can get back to you on that soon, Ian.” I look around the board table. “Does anyone have anything they’d like to add to Ian’s presentation?”
Rockstar Untamed: A Single Dad Virgin Romance Page 100
