by Lori Ryan
“We’ll catch you up, introduce you to everyone, don’t worry.”
“I’m not really staying long,” she said.
“That’s okay.” He smiled, knowing if his plan worked, she’d be staying a lot longer than she knew.
Chapter Five
Sophie stood in the circle of Grant’s family feeling like a complete outsider.
Over the past year, he’d gained a niece, two of his brothers were married, and his brother had a beautiful girlfriend with what sounded like a large, extended family. Why did the thought that she’d missed out on a lot feel like a kick to the chest?
She had no one to blame but herself. Leaving Grant had been her decision, not his. Had she really expected his life not to move on?
“Thanks so much for doing this concert,” Lina said.
“Oh, my pleasure,” Sophie said. “When Jackie told me it was for the volunteer fire department, I was all for it.”
“Yes,” Lina said. “We received a cost-share grant for a new tanker truck so we’re trying to raise funds for the new vehicle and an expansion to our fire and emergency services building.”
Sophie stared at her for a moment.
“Oh, sorry,” Lina said, “I’m on the town council so this was all kind of my brain child. I mean the fundraising aspect. Devlin has done a wonderful job with the calendars. We’ve already got over a thousand ordered online.”
“Seriously?” Grant and Jake asked in unison.
“What calendar?” Sophie asked.
Grant groaned. “Please don’t tell her.”
“My Uncle Dak and Uncle Cam are taking their clothes off for my Aunt Devlin to take dirty pictures,” Becca said as if it were the simplest concept ever, and one every five-year-old encountered.
“Becca,” Jake warned.
“Excuse me?” Sophie’s gaze traveled between the three of them.
Becca shrugged. “That’s what Aunt Devlin said.”
“They’re not taking off all their clothes,” Lina corrected.
Becca turned to face Sophie. “Uncle Dak said he’s going to kill Aunt Devlin and said I can’t see the calendar. But I hope he doesn’t kill Aunt Devlin because she has two babies in her tummy. Did you know that, Sophie?”
Sophie kept her face carefully neutral. “No, I didn’t. I’m sorry, who’s Devlin?”
“That’s Max’s wife,” Grant said. “They were just married.”
“And they’re expecting twins?” she asked.
“Yes,” Becca said, a huge smile spreading across her face. “Aunt Devlin didn’t want to look like a whale when she got married so my cousin Holly made her a pretty dress and she didn’t look like a whale at all, did she Daddy?”
Jake shook his head.
Sophie bit back a laugh. Obviously everyone was used to this little girl’s excited ramblings.
“I got to throw out flowers. And we all walked down barefooted because my aunt’s feet were too puffy so—”
“Okay, Half Pint,” Jake said, covering Becca’s mouth.
“Daddy,” she mumbled under Jake’s hand.
Sophie laughed. “That all sounds wonderful, Becca. Thank you for sharing.”
Becca pulled Jake’s hand from her mouth. “I asked Aunt Devlin to name one of them Becca after me. She’s having girls, did you know that?”
Sophie shook her head. “No I didn’t. That’s amazing.”
Girls.
She swallowed down the taste of jealousy and focused on the adorable child in front of her, who seemed as full of life as twins all by herself.
“Girls are special,” Becca beamed, looking up at Jake. “My daddy said so.”
Sophie’s heart squeezed but she tamped down the disappointment. “Well, I’m sure your dad would know.”
“Anyway,” Lina said, “thanks again for doing this. Between the concert and the calendars, I think we should more than cover our fundraising goals.”
“I’m always happy to help,” Sophie said, even though she was dog tired. They were only three-quarters done with the U.S. tour and then she’d be back in the studio to cut a new album. Although she had no idea what she’d be recording. Words and music had escaped her for the last year.
“I hope you don’t mind being outside,” Lina said.
“Oh, no, not at all.” Sophie glanced around the area. Canyon Creek ran behind them, just beyond the park, and the mountain stood majestic in the background. “It’s an amazing venue.”
Becca tilted her head and stared at her father. “What’s a venue?”
“It’s a place where something happens,” Jake answered.
“Oh,” the little girl said, pondering the explanation. “Kind of like Uncle Max’s bedroom?”
“What?” Jake choked out.
“I heard Uncle Max tell Uncle Ben that his bedroom was where all the magic happened. That’s special, isn’t it Daddy?”
Sophie put a hand up to cover her laugh, not surprised that Grant and Lina were unable to. They burst into laughter.
Becca stared between the four of them. “What?”
“Nothing,” Jake said. “Please don’t repeat what Uncle Max says anymore. Promise me.”
“But I love Uncle Max. And he always says funny things.”
“Exactly,” Grant whispered under his breath.
“And, we’re out,” Jake said, turning to leave. “Good to see you, Sophie. Looking forward to your concert later this evening.” He reached out and hugged her and she felt small arms wrap around her neck.
“Bye strange wife,” Becca said.
“What?” Sophie asked.
“Rebecca Anne,” Jake said, pulling away.
She covered her mouth. “Oops. Sorry, Daddy.”
Jake dropped his daughter on the ground and grabbed her hand.
“Let’s go, topolina.” Lina took her other hand. “Bye, Sophie, it was nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Sophie waved as the three moved away, with January turning to leave with them. “Bye, January.”
The girl swung back around to look at her, her brown hair blowing in the wind, her eyes wide, mouth hanging open.
“I like your sweatshirt.” Sophie pointed from the girl’s shirt to her ball cap, both of which had the Colorado Rockies logo.
The girl pulled it away from her body and stared down at it as if she’d forgotten what she’d worn. “Oh, um, thanks. It’s my brother’s.”
“I used to borrow my brother’s stuff too,” Grant said. “Apparently it got him in a shit ton of trouble once.”
“Uncle Grant!” Becca shouted. “I heard that.”
January laughed and Sophie was taken by how different she looked, as if a wall had been lowered.
“Bye, Sophie!” Becca called over her shoulder, her dark curly hair blowing in the gentle breeze.
“Bye, sweetie.”
“It was nice to meet you both,” January said, ducking her head.
“You too, January,” Sophie said. “Let me know if you’ll be at one of my concerts. I’d love to give you backstage passes.”
There was sadness mixed with disappointment that Sophie didn’t understand in the girl’s eyes.
“Thank you.” She paused as if about to say more. “I’ll let you know.”
“Come on January,” Becca hollered. “I want to swing again with you.”
January waved to both of them and jogged to catch up with Becca, who was already halfway to the swings.
“Becca’s a hot mess,” Grant said, stepping up next to Sophie.
“She’s adorable.”
“She is. But she’s also a hot mess.”
Sophie stared up at Grant. “Some would call her precocious.”
“Which is another word for hot mess.” He laughed.
“What did she mean when she said ‘strange wife?’”
Grant snorted and shook his head. “She overheard my Aunt Sally talking.”
“Oh, heavens.” Sophie pursed her lips. “No telling what Sally was saying.”
>
“She said you were my estranged wife. Becca didn’t know what that meant.”
Sophie’s shoulders slumped and her smile fell. For just a few precious moments she’d forgotten that she and Grant were separated.
“Will you go for a walk with me?” Grant nodded toward the trail down close to the creek.
“Um, sure,” Sophie said, not really knowing what to say. She noticed the security guards trailing behind them.
“What’s up with the extra security?” he asked.
She shrugged, not wanting to get into it with him. Grant had always been hyper-aware of her safety in her dealings with the public.
He stopped and turned her to face him. “Soph. What happened?”
She stared behind him, not wanting to have this conversation. It felt too intimate, something they hadn’t been—emotionally or physically—in a long time.
“Sophie, tell me.”
She blew out a sigh. It was impossible to keep something from Grant if he stuck his nose into her business.
“I was having a private signing before a concert in Chicago for the Day-Lees.”
“Your fan club members, I remember the name,” Grant smiled. “Jackie came up with it, didn’t she?”
She nodded.
He smiled. “I joined the day after I met you.”
Sophie laughed out loud at his admission.
“So what happened?”
“I was signing and taking photos like I always do when Oscar came over and told me I needed to leave.”
“Oscar, the head of your security?”
She nodded. “I didn’t know what was going on and the fans were super bummed to see me go. I was about to promise to come back but Jackie came out and told the fans unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to return but promised them lots of swag and stuff.”
Grant stood straighter, his eyes darkening. “So what had happened to make Oscar take you away?”
“Two concerts before that, in Cincinnati, I’d noticed this creepy dude standing at the back of the Day-Lee’s meet-and-greet. Fans are allowed to come if they’ve raised money or awareness in communities for causes that are important to them, so I wasn’t really concerned about it. I figured the guy had done his part and raised money. And I didn’t want to judge.”
Grant stepped closer. “But?”
“Two shows later he was back, wearing the same clothes.”
“What was he wearing?”
“A dark sweatshirt with the hoodie over his head and black pants, black shoes. He looked like he was about to rob a bank or something. Most of my fans are young girls, dressed in bright colors, so he definitely stood out.”
“Did Oscar pull you away?”
“No, but he kept a close eye on the guy, actually put one security guard on the man the entire time.”
“Did anything happen?”
“He came up to the table and asked me to sign an album cover and a calendar. He seemed nice enough so I did. I thanked him for his contribution.”
“He said ‘My pleasure,’ but the way he said it made the hairs on my neck stand up. Then he slid a single red rose and an envelope with my name on it toward me. He had a tattoo of a scorpion on his right pointer finger.”
“You hate scorpions.”
“Who doesn’t,” she said, shuddering at the memory of the creepy image.
“Jeez.” Grant raked a hand through his hair. “What did the note say?”
“Jackie took it from me before I could open it and the guy walked away. I just figured it was regular fan mail stuff and forgot about it until later that night on the bus when she finally showed me the note.”
“What did the note say?” he asked in a barely contained growl.
“It said, ‘When you dress like a slut you get cut.’”
“Fuck, Sophie,” he gasped, dragging her close as he scanned the field.
The note also included a picture of Sophie on stage with her face scratched out, but she didn’t think Grant needed to know that part. “It’s okay, Grant,” she said, shrugging from his hold.
“The hell it is,” he grumbled.
“I get my fair share of hate mail, you know that. It’s no big deal. A lot of people don’t like the way I dress or dance on stage.”
“But have any of those assholes ever shown up to one of your concerts with a note?”
No, they hadn’t, and that’s what had worried Sophie and her team the most.
“So Jackie decided to double your security?”
“Yeah, especially at an outdoor venue.”
“That’s it,” Grant said, “I’m calling it off. I don’t want you in harm’s way.”
Sophie laughed him off. “Don’t be silly. I’ve done several outdoor venues since then. I’m not going to let some loser stop me from doing what I love. I trust Oscar and his team.”
“Shit,” Grant said scrubbing at his hair with his hands. “We didn’t set up any metal detectors or anything for this.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Oscar and his team will check things out. Plus, this is a small concert. They’ve got people watching the crowd. I’ll be fine.”
She watched Grant’s chest rise and fall as if he’d run a marathon.
“Grant,” she said, laying a hand on his arm, before realizing that had been a mistake. The familiar feel of his muscles beneath her hand tempted her in a way she had hoped they wouldn’t anymore.
He stared down at her hand for several moments before his eyes met hers.
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
“Why didn’t you call me? Why didn’t Jackie call me?”
“We’re not together, Grant. This isn’t your problem.”
“The hell it isn’t,” he said. “Come on, let’s walk.” He reached for her hand but she pulled back, wrapping it around her waist.
He stared down at her. “Please?”
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said.
His brows knitted together, confusion marring his beautiful face.
“I’m sorry Grant, but I don’t want to start this up. I’m just here for the concert.”
“Then why haven’t you signed the divorce papers?”
She stared down at the ground, unable to answer. Why hadn’t she? She’d brought them with her but had been unable to send them to Grant for a number of reasons, none of which she could think of right now. That’s what happened when she was near Grant, she lost her ability to think straight.
His finger slid under her chin and lifted her face. An adorable grin that always stopped her heart spread across his face. “Give me the weekend, Soph.”
“For what? Why are we doing this, Grant?
“Just,” he paused, staring at her intently, “just be with me for the weekend. Don’t think about the past or the future, just be with me. In the moment. For the weekend.”
His eyes captured hers, his expression so genuine it made her heart ache. She could tell by the set of his jaw that he wanted to say more, but was holding back.
“I need to get back,” she said. “Jackie’s waiting on me to go over tour dates for the rest of the week.”
“Soph,” he said softly, stepping closer. “Please.”
She wanted to believe him, take a chance and live in the moment. But she knew better than to dream with Grant. He was a free spirit, a human vortex that would sweep her up and destroy her again if she let him.
She stepped back, breaking the hold he had on her. “We want different things, Grant. That hasn’t changed.”
“Sophie, I—”
“I have to go.” She turned on her heels, racing back toward the stage.
“I’ll see you tonight, Sophie,” Grant called behind her.
The cocky tone in his voice warned her not to turn around but she’d always been a rebel. Or so she thought. She glanced over her shoulder.
Grant stood, one hand in his pocket, the other waving as he grinned wide, that panty-melting smile that said he was going to get his way.
Not this time, she thought.
Without another word, she turned and focused on the trail in front of her. She couldn’t afford to get swept up in the hurricane that was Grant Sumner. He’d broken her heart once. If she let down her guard, even for a weekend, she knew she’d never survive.
Chapter Six
Grant stood off to the side of the growing crowd, scanning the audience. Sophie’s revelation from earlier had scared him to the core. What if something happened to her, what if someone really hurt her? The thought had him rattled all afternoon.
Loving Sophie hadn’t been something he’d eased into or come to over time. He’d fallen head over heels the first time he’d met her in the recording studio. He’d been doing voiceover work for his latest movie and she was recording an album. As soon as he saw those bright blue eyes and warm smile, he’d been hooked.
Like a total dumbass, he tried his Movie Star charms on her, but she was smarter than most girls and he had to work hard to win her attention. He’d asked her to dinner that night, presenting the cocky, arrogant personality that had never really been his own but had won him lots of parts—and women if he were honest.
Sophie was different. She hadn’t fallen for his bullshit, or his smile. She was the first girl in a long time who’d actually made him work for her affections. Eventually, she caved but only after he’d shown her the real Grant Sumner, the one who grew up in a small town like her, dreaming of something bigger.
After what the papers had called a whirlwind courtship—two months—they were married in Vegas after a New Year’s Eve concert. Yes, it had been wildly impulsive and both of them had been chewed out by their managers and staff, but for him and Sophie, it had been perfect. Had being the operative word.
“What’s up, little brother?” Jake hit his arm.
“Just checking out the crowd.”
“Your girl’s about to go up on stage.”
Grant’s gaze went from scanning the crowd for psychos to the stage where, sure enough, Sophie was about to make her way up.
The crowd spotted her and erupted into cheers that were deafening. He’d watched many of Sophie’s concerts and it never ceased to amaze him how much the fans loved her. Obviously, a little too much if this creeper dude was any indication.
