Unstoppable (Fierce)

by Voight, Ginger

  “Thanks,” she said, though far from convinced. “You’re the first person I ever told this to,” she said, gripping my hands in hers. “I wanted to tell Jace but I couldn’t stand if he thought I was damaged goods just because I wasn’t a virgin. After all, Amy was his first and only,” she added.

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “He told me about their relationship when we were living back at the mansion. He told me that she was his first. And as far as I know he hasn’t been with anyone else. He’s a southern gentleman. He doesn’t collect notches on his bedpost, even with hordes of groupies throwing themselves at him night after night.”

  I nodded. “He is a good man,” I agreed. “That’s why I know he wouldn’t have judged you.” He hadn’t judged me when I confessed my deep, dark secret. Instead, he had helped me see that I wasn’t to blame for my father’s death, which is what I had believed since the age of six. “A real friend doesn’t judge,” was all I said to Shelby. “They understand and they help you through.”

  She gave me a grateful smile. “I’m so glad you’re my friend, Jay,” she said. She reached for a hug and I held her close, even though I felt like an enormous shit for all the lies I still harbored. Long after she returned to her bedroom, I lay awake, tossing and turning with all the new information I had been given. She had taken me into her trust. It made the weight of my guilt even heavier.

  The next day I met up with Andy at the arena. On her hip bounced a cheerful baby with dark eyes and dark curls. Renata Carnevale was eight months old and making fans right and left with her big smile and irresistible dimples. Her biggest fan was her father, Vanni, who shut down rehearsal just so he could jump off stage and grab his wife and his daughter into a powerful bear hug.

  It made me happy just to be in their midst.

  They, likewise, adopted me. After rehearsals they would not take no for an answer to join them at Andy’s grandmother’s house for dinner.

  Unlike the Goddard residence, Lydia Foster’s home was modest. But it was tidy and well-loved, from the garden out back to the flowerbed in the front. The petite older woman with silver hair and a blinding smile took me into a hug from the moment we met, declaring herself my biggest fan.

  “I watched every show, honey,” she informed me as she walked me arm and arm into the house. “I voted every week.” She leaned closer, “I know Shelby is the hometown girl, but I was Team Jordi all the way.”

  I laughed. “Thank you, Mrs. Foster.”

  “It’s Grandma Lydia to you,” she corrected. “I hope you’re hungry,” she said as she led me to her kitchen table. It was another southern feast, this time with fried chicken piled high on a platter next to a big, heaping bowl of mashed potatoes. “Don’t you be shy,” she instructed as everyone took their place. “No one leaves my table hungry. And you look like you’ve been wasting away.”

  I shrugged away the compliment. “The camera adds ten pounds, or so they say.”

  “Nonsense,” Lydia sniffed. “There’s nothing wrong with a little meat on our bones. Isn’t that right, Vanni?”

  “The first time I came here, she fed me till my stomach bulged,” Vanni informed me with a big smile. “She even made me eat a piece of cake to top it all off.”

  “Well, it was your birthday,” Lydia said. “Who doesn’t eat cake on their birthday? Honestly.”

  “Best birthday ever,” he grinned before giving Andy a knowing little wink that made her blush.

  Lydia said a little prayer before we dug in. It didn’t have the pomp and circumstance of Coy Goddard’s prayer. It was more a friendly chit-chat with her neighbor. After that she wanted to know everything about the tour. She filled my plate for me, with generous portions that I knew I should have denied but it looked so good. And I will still feeling deprived from the night before. I pigged out while Vanni regaled Lydia and Andy with tales from the road.

  Lydia turned to me. “How’s your back, hon?” she asked. “I heard you hurt yourself some weeks back.”

  “Much better,” I said. “I think I can take over my songs by Chicago.”

  “Why Chicago?” Vanni wanted to know. “I thought Maggie said you could resume your performances by this weekend.”

  I shrugged. “Nashville is Shelby’s hometown. I want her to have the spotlight while we’re here.”

  Vanni gave me a big smile. “You’re a great friend, Jordi.”

  I shrugged it off. I didn’t feel like a good friend. I felt like a louse. Giving her my set seemed like the very least I could do.

  Being with Andy, Vanni, Renata and Lydia did help though. Lydia made Vanni and I perform for her, using her antique piano. After that I held Renata until she fell asleep in my arms, the warm, cuddly body tucked up on my shoulder.

  I watched how Andy and Vanni related to each other, in perfect rhythm. She sat next to him, his arm curled possessively around her shoulder, as if she were a part of him. They shared intimate looks and private jokes, and there was just something magical that passed between them. His love for her was evident every time his eyes fell over her, and she seemed so sated with complete joy.

  I envied them so.

  They all wanted me to stay with them for the night, but I wanted to get back to Shelby. After the revelations from the night before, I wanted to be with my friend to stand strong against her formidable father.

  Now I understood why she invited me to stay.

  Lydia finally relented, but only after I had a piece of her hummingbird cake, bursting with pecans, pineapple and spices, and topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. I gained about two pounds just looking at it, but Lydia Foster did not take no for an answer. “It’s not her birthday,” Andy chided lovingly.

  “It’s somebody’s birthday somewhere,” her feisty grandmother retorted.

  After that she made sure we traded contact information so that she could send me care packages. “Can’t have you getting too skinny,” she winked. By the time I walked out the door I felt as though I finally had a grandma of my very own.

  The surprise was on me when the hired car dropped me off at the Goddard homestead. To my dismay Eddie had joined the festivities, flown in by special request as a surprise to me, courtesy of Shelby, and had joined Shelby’s family for dinner.

  “I didn’t want you to lose any time with your husband because of me,” she explained.

  “You’re a sweetheart,” Eddie told her as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I miss my Jordi when she’s gone.”

  He made sure Jace was looking on as he bent to kiss me on the mouth.

  “So what are your plans for the future, Eddie?” Coy wanted to know. “I personally don’t know if I could allow my wife to support me.”

  Eddie rolled right along with the punches. “Well, this isn’t a long-term situation,” Eddie assured. “She’s going to have her time in the sun while it lasts, but we plan on moving back to settle in Iowa.” He turned to me. “Near our families,” he added as his eyes dared me to defy him.

  “Family is good,” Coy agreed. “The cornerstone of society. We have to do whatever we can to protect it. You will be having children, I assume.”

  Eddie grinned. “As many as the good Lord gives us,” he confirmed. “Once Jordi tackles her weight problem, of course. That way she’s as healthy as she can be, and the babies are healthier, too.”

  I felt the blood rush to my face as I sat there. I couldn’t even look at Jace, but I suspected he was biting back any retort.

  “You’re a smart man,” Coy replied. “I’m glad at least someone has their priorities in order.”

  I’m sitting right here, I thought to myself.

  “I would think the main priority is a happy mother,” Jace interjected.

  Coy leveled a gaze on Jace, increasingly annoyed this vet he had previously respected was squandering all his good will. “A healthy mother is a happy mother,” he said. He then looked at me. “You’re not happy like this, are you?”

  Now? Not even re
motely, I thought to myself. “There are definitely some things I would like to change,” I said as I glanced over at Eddie. “Once this tour is over I’m planning on dumping a lot of dead weight.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jace suppress a grin.

  The topic thankfully changed after that, circling back around to politics – one of Coy Goddard’s favorite subjects. “Hopefully by November we’ll see a changing of the guard in Washington,” he commented as he packed some tobacco into his pipe. “Can’t happen soon enough if you ask me. These last four years have been disastrous for our country.”

  Sherry preened. “Coy is debating another run for office.”

  “Really, Daddy?” Shelby asked. “I thought you were through with that.”

  “Someone has to do something to take our country back. We’re heading right toward a hedonistic downfall. We have to protect the strong moral code that this country was founded upon, and several high-dollar donors think I may be the man for the job. We believe that America needs to return to more traditional family values where people know their roles in society and stop trying to force their bad decisions on the rest of us.”

  “I agree wholeheartedly,” Eddie piped up. “We grew up in a very conservative area of Iowa where God is the cornerstone and family is the foundation.” He turned to Jace. “That’s what you sacrificed your leg for, isn’t it, Chief?”

  Jace took a deep breath. “I sacrificed my leg in a roadside bomb. Not necessarily a value of any family I know.”

  Coy’s eyes hardened as he stared at Jace. “Are you questioning America, son?”

  Jace did not back down. “I question any action that kills young men with little to no accountability, sir. I do believe that’s my American right.”

  Coy was flabbergasted. Red crept up his neck as he struggled for something to say, but Jace wasn’t going to give him any opportunity.

  “I should probably get going,” Jace said as he stood from the sofa. “We have a long day tomorrow.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Shelby said as she hopped up to join him.

  After Jace left, I could tell that Dr. Goddard had taken a particular preference to Eddie. And why not? Eddie knew how to turn on the charm. He was a football hero, which – in the south, at least – held a lot of value, second only to serving in the military in some circles. He also knew just what to say, and he was quite invested in earning Coy’s favor. Unlike Jace, Eddie passed all of Coy’s questions with flying colors. He was the right religion, the right political affiliation, and couldn’t understand how any man wouldn’t want to shoot a gun.

  It was more than I could stand. I stifled a yawn and excused myself.

  Eddie joined me a half hour later, grinning triumphantly as he shrugged out of his shirt. “Nice digs,” he commented as he looked around the stylish room. “Who knew that Shelby’s family was loaded?”

  I shrugged. I didn’t care about that stuff.

  He unzipped his pants and I turned away. “What’s wrong, baby? Aren’t you happy to see your loving husband?”

  “You know the answer to that,” I said as I pulled the covers up to my chin.

  “Thought you’d get some uninterrupted time along with Bionic Boy, huh?” he chuckled as he crawled into bed next to me. There were no separate sleeping arrangements under the watchful eye of the Goddards, and I was not stubborn enough to risk my back by sleeping on the floor. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  I glared at him. “No, you’re not.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed happily. “I’m not.” He ran his finger along my arm, which made me jerk away like I had been touched by a snake. “But there is good news, my sweet. Your time with me may very well be coming to an end before you know it.”

  I eyed him suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t you know? I’m prime, son-in-law material for the good doctor. Shelby may want Jace, but Coy thinks he’s a whiny, liberal, pansy-ass now that he’s been injured. Not go shooting? Are you kidding me?” He laughed. “But guess where Coy and I are going tomorrow while you all go play rock star?”

  My stomach dropped. “Eddie, please leave Shelby alone.”

  He bent closer. “Why? You jealous?”

  “No. She’s my friend. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  He laughed out loud. “Yet you’re fucking her beloved every chance you get. God, you’re a piece of work, Jordi.”

  “I’m not perfect,” I agreed. “But neither are you.”

  “You know, you should be thanking me. I could easily make her hate the both of you just by showing her that video and those photos. And who would she turn to for comfort then? The two-faced slut who called herself her best friend? Or the husband who was betrayed by the woman he loved most in the world?” He fluttered his eyelids dramatically.

  “So why don’t you?” I snapped. The only thing worse than his having the blackmail tape was how quick he was to lord it over me.

  “In a hurry for the whole world to get a peek at the goods?” he asked as his eyes traveled lower across my body, effectively shutting me up. The thought of my naked image splashed worldwide struck terror in my heart and he knew it. He pulled out his phone and cued up a number that simply said PING. “Because I can do it any old time I want. Wonder if Dr. Goddard will let me stay here in the house after they take your slutty ass out with the garbage?”

  “I hate you,” I hissed.

  He laughed as he scooted even closer. His hand landed on my thigh. “So does that mean you don’t have some sugar for your better half?” he crooned as his hand slid slowly up my leg.

  I wrenched away. “Don’t touch me!” I snapped. It only made him laugh harder.

  “Don’t worry,” he finally said as he leaned back on his side of the bed. “I leave sloppy seconds, I don’t chase them. Hopefully your man will stay faithful and not sully Shelby before I get a chance to wreck that sweet ass.”

  “She won’t sleep with you,” I told him, hoping against all hope that would prove true. The last things she needed was to be put through the emotional wringer known as Eddie Nix.

  “Of course she will,” he responded, self-assured. “They all do. Eventually,” he grinned as he reached over and honked my breast.

  I slapped him away and turned my back toward him.

  A little after three that morning, something woke me up from my fitful slumber. I couldn’t fully rest knowing Eddie was sleeping right next to me, and I trusted him about as far as I could throw him. After all that had happened with Shane, I was wary of being so close to a man who had done nothing but systematically hurt me every chance he got.

  I slid out of bed, making sure I didn’t rouse him in the process, then slipped soundlessly out of my door. I heard the sounds again, horrible, violent, sounds coming from Shelby’s room. I knocked lightly but no one answered. I hesitated a moment before I opened the door and entered the dark room.

  The retching sounds were coming from the adjoining bathroom that had a sliver of light under the door. Cautiously I approached. “Shelby?” I called out softly.

  “I’m OK,” she called out. “Don’t come in.”

  Undaunted, I opened the door. She was sprawled out by the toilet, which was full of vomit. I was on the floor next to her in an instant. “Are you OK?”

  She nodded. “Just something I ate,” she dismissed as she flushed the toilet. I reached for a wash rag and dampened it with cold water.

  “That happens a lot,” I noted softly as I bathed her face.

  She shrugged. “My system is sensitive, I guess,” she said without looking me in the eye. She struggled to stand, and as I helped her I could feel how frail she was.

  “Should I go get your father?” I asked but she shook her head wildly.

  “No!” she said, panicked that I could suggest such a thing. She smiled quickly, “I’m fine. Just help me get to bed. I’m sure I’ll feel better by tomorrow.”

  I could almost feel her rib bones against my hands as I guided her ba
ck to her cheerful pink bed. There were two bowls on the nightstand, stacked inside each other. I could tell by the smell they had been full of her mother’s rich bread pudding. I could also tell they were emptied recently, thanks to the moist remnants that remained.

  “No wonder you got sick,” I said with a smile.

  She grinned half-heartedly. “Yeah, I guess I overdid it.” Her bloodshot eyes met mine. “You won’t tell my folks, right?”

  I paused. “Not if you don’t want me to,” I finally said.

  She nodded as she snuggled under the covers. “Jordi?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Stay?”

  I looked down at her. She looked like a tiny child under all the covers. Her eyes were big and blue and terrified. “Okay,” I said as I slid into her bed next to her. She cuddled up to me.

  “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” she declared again. “I love you.”

  I gave her a hug and held her until she fell asleep.

  Meanwhile I stayed wide awake, wondering how the hell I was going to extricate us all from this big, tangled mess.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  February 29, 2012

  The next ten days followed the same annoying pattern. Eddie decided he liked being a part of the tour and joined us at the next stop in Chicago, so I ended up traveling with him, staying with him and even sightseeing with him, to ensure that PING wouldn’t have any more ammunition against his character. He insisted that Jace, Shelby, he and I all hang out together, which Shelby thought was a fine idea. So we ended up a fearsome foursome, which felt most days like juggling wet dynamite.

  Jace and I ended up sublime actors in a macabre play, which meant we could be together but not. It was torture, though Eddie and Shelby were blissfully unaware.

  Most of all, Eddie enjoyed the party life that came with touring. He managed to get whatever he wanted, even discarded groupies who wanted one night with someone – anyone – famous. This helped me keep him at arm’s length, but he was getting even more and more brazen with me as well. Of course, most of it was to piss off Jace, rubbing it in his face that he couldn’t be with me. But it also played into Eddie’s plan to get Shelby. He wanted to show her how romantic, loving and passionate he could be with me, to plant it in her head that he was a romantic, loving and passionate guy. When the day came, he would cry on her shoulder over my betrayal with Jace, and she would realize what a great catch he was, giving herself over to him before his tears dried on her shirt.