So he was wistful over their last cup of coffee together. And when he left, he held her longer than he should have, but he didn’t want to let her go. When he finally released her, his fingers brushed underneath her chin, turning her head up to his. “I’ll miss you, Erin.”
She looked so sad…sadder, maybe, than he felt. “I’ll miss you too, Riley.” She placed her right hand on his chest. “Know that every time the radio plays one of your songs and every time I play one of your albums—including your new one when I get it—I’ll be thinking about you.”
He had to leave. He was going to puss out if he didn’t. So he kissed her one last time—a slow, gentle kiss full of so much meaning, too much promise—and stepped out the door, out of Erin Lancaster’s life.
Brian volunteered to take Riley to catch his flight, because they hadn’t spent much time together. Riley was quiet on the way to the Colorado Springs airport, but that was okay, because Brian was feeling talkative. Riley’s chest felt like it an anvil was resting on it—unrelenting, unforgiving.
He wondered if he’d ever see Erin again.
As they got closer to the airport, he could see a plane taking off in the distance. He’d be on one of those in just a couple of hours.
The trip to the terminal was a blur, though. It seemed like all of a sudden he was inside and ready to head to the gate. He was slapping Brian on the back, trying to act brotherly, but he couldn’t keep up the act anymore. His plane wasn’t taking off for a couple of hours. He said, “Bro, can I ask you a couple of questions over a drink?”
* * *
Jesus. As much as Erin loved the kids in her classes, her head wasn’t in the game. Principal Becker had seen her in the teacher’s lounge earlier that day and told her she didn’t need to come by his office until lunch. Guess he wanted to make sure she was happy with her answer before she delivered it.
Erin spent a good chunk of the morning contemplating. Sure, she’d delivered review lectures and asked the kids engaging questions, but she was only half paying attention. She could tell from some of her brighter students that they could tell she wasn’t into it, but they didn’t make a big deal out of it.
Finally, at lunch, Erin went to Principal Becker’s office. He looked up from his paperwork and asked her to close the door. He said, “Erin, I’m sorry you were placed in this position.”
It felt like she had a knife lodged in her heart. She could barely breathe. She let out what air was in her lungs, though, and looked at the kind man across from her. “Sir, I need to say what’s on my mind before I lose my courage.” She took as deep a breath as she could and continued. “I love teaching. As you know, I love my job.” Her jaw felt tight and she tried to relax when she said, “Riley Schultz and I are no longer together.” Becker’s eyes lit up; he was obviously thrilled to keep his youngest English teacher. “However, and you can quote me, that doesn’t change how I feel. I’m angry that I was put in this position, and I don’t care how legal it is or not. I’m not happy about it.”
“I’m sorry, Erin.”
“If I could do it all over again, Mr. Becker, I would. You need to know that. If you folks feel that strongly about my carrying on with a rock star, then you should just let me go, because I don’t regret it.” Mr. Becker’s eyes were still twinkling. In fact, the corners of his mouth were twitching up in a slight smile. “What?”
Becker nodded slowly. “Erin…Mr. and Mrs. Schultz have withdrawn their objections to your relationship. Mrs. Schultz had an emergency meeting with the board sometime—either this morning or over the weekend; I’m not sure—and they’ve apparently changed their minds about your relationship with their son.”
Erin felt her eyes blink rapidly as though she had no control over them. When she regained her voice, she said, “You’re telling me I came in this morning, my job intact?”
“Apparently.”
“Then why did you tell me to come to your office at lunch?”
“I didn’t know about this until later in the morning. You’ve been in classes.”
She nodded, now numb. She wanted to scream, Thanks a fucking lot! But what good would it do? Riley was now high over Colorado, likely crossing the Rockies now, heading back to California and the life he knew before he’d changed hers forever.
But she knew it was better that way. Sure, she and Riley had enjoyed their time together, but could they really sustain it? His past held some demons—the drugs and alcohol—and after being with him, she wondered if he could stick to his guns.
No…it was better this way. She could then safely keep him on the pedestal she’d built for him. Sure, no other man would ever compare to Riley Schultz…but then he wouldn’t need to. Having Riley snug and secure in her heart would keep her safe from all the assholes in the world. She was okay with that.
Chapter Forty-two
FINALLY, THE LAST class period of the day. Erin had barely made it through. Fortunately, the kids in the class seemed to be feeling as wiped out as she. Fortunately, she knew “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” like the back of her hand, so she could discuss the story at length without giving it much thought. She could also ask questions without completely tuning in.
She and the class managed to get engaged in a lively discussion nonetheless until she heard a rapping on the door that led to the hallway. She saw Jackie peeking in the window, a wide grin threatening to split her friend’s face. What the hell was it that it couldn’t wait until after school?
Erin gave Jackie a quizzical look but her friend was insistent. Erin sighed and nodded. “Excuse me, guys,” she said, suspecting they’d erupt in conversation as soon as she stepped out of the classroom. But she opened the door just the same.
She stuck her head outside. “What?” And then it dawned on her. Jackie must have just found out she was pregnant. But couldn’t she wait half an hour? Well, obviously not. The girl was so happy, Erin thought she might wet her pants. “What?!”
Jackie started giggling. “Get out here!”
Erin propped the door open so she wouldn’t get locked out of her room, but she dropped her voice so Jackie’s news would be safe. “What already?”
Jackie kept giggling and Erin heard the strum of an acoustic guitar. She turned around but couldn’t see anyone. It was around the corner. She turned back around, hoping to get an answer from Jackie but the girl had her hands up to her mouth. She was still snickering, and at this point it appeared to be uncontrollable.
Erin furrowed her brows. She was not amused. She had to get back to class. But the guitar tune, an insistent melody, continued and then she heard a voice she’d heard before. “Sweet Erin…I thought I could live without you,” the song started, and then Riley walked around the corner, an acoustic guitar hanging from his shoulders. He continued singing. “But I couldn’t get away. You’ve captivated me…” He looked her in the eyes, grinning, and kept walking.
Erin lost the rest of the words as she felt perspiration form on her brow. She felt rather than saw her students behind her. She was frozen. She heard Jackie continue giggling and she heard some of her students tittering too. One of the girls said, “Holy shit. That’s Riley Schultz. It was true.”
Riley continued strumming and singing until he stood directly in front of Erin. She was still standing in place. He took the guitar and slung it over his shoulder, then took Erin’s cheeks in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She didn’t even care when she heard the kids behind her cheering and catcalling. Riley started smiling as he ended the kiss.
Erin smiled back. “You sure do know how to make an entrance.”
“That’s part of my job.” He inhaled a deep breath and said, “You know, I couldn’t even get on that plane. I can’t just leave you. I tried. But the last few days…” He shook his head. “I can’t just go.” He took another breath and lowered his voice. “Unless, of course, you want me to go.”
And then Erin was able to completely snap out of her trance. “No. No, I haven’t been able to do any
thing since you left.”
One of the kids behind her said, “It’s true. She was totally out of it in there.”
Several other kids agreed and they all started laughing. Riley laughed along with them, his eyes warm and loving. “Then let’s find a way to make this work.” He searched her eyes. “Or…uh…what about your job?”
“It’s okay now, but…what are you thinking? Do you want to move back to Winchester?”
“Or would you want to move to L.A.? Then go on tour, maybe track down your parents while we’re traveling across the country?”
Erin felt a huge grin envelop her face. “Is that what you’re thinking?”
“All I know is I can’t live without you. I know we haven’t been together that long, but it’s been long enough that I know I can’t go on without you. If that means I move here, then fine. I’ll figure out how to do what I’ve gotta do that way. If that means you come with me to California, then great. But I want you with me.” He exhaled. “I need you.”
The kids started clapping and Erin couldn’t ignore them. She started laughing. Then she nodded her head. “Yeah…let’s find a way.”
Riley kissed her again and then leaned his forehead on hers, gazing into her eyes. “I love you, Erin.”
She brushed her lips on his. “I love you too, Riley.” She grinned, a twinkle in her eye. “I’m just glad you aren’t the egotistical rock star I thought you were.”
“I’m glad you’re not a boring, stuffy English teacher. Guess that makes us even.”
“I think it does. But I’ve got a class to teach.” She turned around and looked at her students. “Would you forgive Mr. Schultz if he entertained you for the rest of the class period?”
One student said, “Hell, yeah!”
A girl said, “I think you guys should leave and let Ms. Cole teach the class.”
Jackie grinned. “I could do that.”
Erin laughed. “Nope. Mr. Schultz and I have to start learning how to do things together. So think of this as practice.”
He draped his arm over her shoulder. “Sounds like a plan.”
While the kids (and Jackie even) were shuffling into the classroom, Erin and Riley stood by her desk. Erin leaned close to Riley and he tilted his ear to her. She said, “By the way, pretty cheesy lyrics, don’t you think?”
Riley grinned. “Hey, I was rushed. Besides, that’s probably the only kind of thing I’d be able to write without you around.”
Erin looked in his eyes. Yeah, she could spend the rest of her life with this man. No question. She said, “Well, I guess I’ll sacrifice for art.”
A few kids were still getting situated when Riley said, “I hope it’s not just sacrifice.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Not even close.” She whispered in his ear. “You know, Mr. Schultz, I was prepared to give you everything…everything but…”
“Love?”
“Yeah…but I think you even got that out of me.”
“Only fair, Ms. Lancaster, since you managed to get that out of me too.”
Bonus Story #2
Alternate POV: Riley is Intrigued by Erin
When Riley had attended the lame high school date auction that was to benefit the WHS cheerleading squad, he hadn’t expected to actually enjoy it.
He hadn’t expected to be intrigued by someone there but holy hell. Miss Erin Lancaster had definitely caught his eye, and while nothing serious would come of it, he wanted to get her attention and enjoy her company while he was visiting his old hometown. So, when he caught her just outside the auditorium, he caught her attention and asked, “Can I walk you out to your car and get your phone number, address…?”
The lovely green-eyed blonde Erin’s reply seemed friendly enough. “Yeah…about that. Actually, I have a small meeting here once the crowd has filtered out. Last minute stuff.” And why the hell would a famous rock star take being blown off by a high school teacher personally? As if she could read his thoughts, she shook her head. “Oh, but I can give you my info right now if you want it.”
“You sure?” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
A slight blush colored her cheeks before giving her his info, and then she apologized for having to run. He didn’t need her adoration, much as his ego would have liked it, but he knew there was a throng of excited girls just outside the front doors, waiting for his exit. “Bye,” he said as she scooted off, and he took his sunglasses out of their resting place in his shirt and slid them over his eyes. No one would ever know he used that opportunity to check out her ass. Hmm. Cute. No…sexy.
He took a deep breath, getting himself ready to be attacked, and strode toward the front doors. One thing he’d say about female fans—they definitely made him feel appreciated. Sometimes he was sure it was based solely on looks and not on his prowess as a vocalist, but he wasn’t going to complain. Riley wasn’t exactly sure if he’d completely freaked out the English teacher by bidding on her to be his date, but she didn’t seem to be too thrilled—shocked was more like it. He needed a little something to fuel his pride…and the screaming crowd of girls he walked into did just that.
They all screamed and hollered and called him by name, circling around him, each one trying to snag his attention from the other females around. He did his best just to keep up, signing one thing after another and, aside from the red cheerleading bottoms (he almost freaked out, thinking they were panties at first), he wasn’t sure what all he signed or how many items. He only knew he was tired by the time he spied Erin walking out of the gym and into the lobby.
He was trying to move but they were very much like a sand dune—you could move a scoop, but you couldn’t move the whole damn hill. Still, he had to try when he saw the gorgeous blonde making her way across the empty space away from him. “Excuse me, ladies. Excuse me,” he said, trying to press through the throng of teenagers, and he noticed that Erin was pulling her phone out of her purse. So there was no way she could save him.
He’d just have to force his way out of there.
Shock. Shock could do it. When he handed another girl her signed piece of paper, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He could feel her go limp as he laid a kiss on the back of her hand. He’d only known it would work because he’d been around enough teenage females in the past. All the other girls screamed, staring at the blessed girl’s hand while Riley used the incident as leverage to make his way out of their circle. “Ladies,” he said, backing away from them as if they might tackle him if he kept his back to them, “Nice chatting with you, but if you’ll excuse me…” And he broke completely free, making a beeline for the lovely teacher. She was completely absorbed in her phone when he approached her, but she looked in his eyes and tossed the phone in her purse when he grinned at her and caught her attention.
She said, “Long time, no see.”
Good. She was fully engaged and talking, and he wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. “Can I walk you to your car?”
She smiled back at him, and it was lovely. Her pale skin framed soft pink lips and shiny teeth, but the pleasure on her face was reflected even more by the glimmer in her green eyes. That alone meant more to him than any words she might have to say, because he could sense the genuineness in her response. “If you really want to.”
He stepped in front of her so he could push the door open to allow her to walk through. He lowered his voice to avoid being overheard—he didn’t want to hurt any of his fans’ feelings—but he also didn’t want to give away just how intrigued by this blonde he was. “Yeah, I do, but I also need an excuse to get away, if you catch my drift.”
She nodded as she stepped through the door. “So…do you ever get used to that?”
“What? The girls?”
“Well, yeah, but also the attention.”
“Yes and no.” They started walking down the stairs in front of the school to head toward the parking lot. What a relief that they were engaging in a real conversation—he hoped it would ease any an
xiety she might have—and it would also help her realize he was a real guy…not just a rock star…which was likely what they had all been thinking. “I mean…at first, it was cool. Crowds of people surrounding us, and, yeah, mostly girls. And I got more of the attention than the other guys, because I was the face for the band, if you know what I mean. But after a while, you realize you have no privacy anymore, and people don’t respect your need for it. They figure you’re famous; you deserve the attention you get. And sometimes I’m cool with that. It comes with the territory. But a lot of times it’s unwanted. Sorry, but if I’m buying my niece an ice cream cone, I don’t want someone with a camera snapping pictures of it, and I sure as hell don’t want a bunch of girls screaming and pawing at me when I need to keep my eye on a four-year-old child who’s trusting me to take care of her.”
Her voice was quiet but he could still hear her fine when she answered. “Understandable.”
He hoped she would realize that he was just a guy, just like any other male who might be interested in dating her, but he also knew how girls melted when they saw a guy with a baby or a cute kid. He didn’t know that talking about it would help, but it couldn’t hurt. He wanted her to see him as more than just a hot guy in a band. He wanted her to see him as real. More than anything, though, he needed to keep her engaged in the conversation, so—after they’d walked a few more feet across the parking lot—he said, “But, hell. You didn’t want to hear me whine about how my life sucks.” No way did he want her thinking he didn’t love his life, because he did. In spite of all the tribulations that had come of it over the years, he wouldn’t trade it for anything, and he couldn’t even imagine doing anything else.
Erin laughed. “I asked.”
Riley wanted to move the conversation away from himself, so he nodded and said, “True. You did. But what about you, Ms. Erin Lancaster? What’s your life like?”
Tangled Web Series Box Set Page 38
