Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 (21 page)

Eva hadn’t been the same since the wedding, and Sebastian was concerned. He kept asking her if anything was wrong and she kept shaking her head and saying no. But Sebastian could see it in her eyes. The sparkle was missing when she looked at him. Was she pulling back already?

He hadn’t gotten another visit from Herr Baumann, but that didn’t mean he’d given up on seeing his daughter break free of him. He asked Eva about it, if she was being pressured by her parents to end things, but she insisted that she wasn’t.

Something was scaring her and if it wasn’t her family, then he needed to find out what it was.

Maybe it was the tour coming up? He’d be gone for two weeks. Was she worried about that? He knew what they said about him in the tabloids. That he was a womanizer. Maybe that was what had driven Yvonne to cheat.

Did Eva believe he’d cheat as well?

It must be so hard for her, being bombarded with mixed messages and untruths from every side. He didn’t blame her for feeling confused. What could he do to assuage her fears?

He’d love to take her along on tour but never asked because he knew what kind of fallout that would have with her family, and he didn’t want to put her in that position again.

But maybe she wanted to be put in that position. Maybe she needed to know he wanted her with him, even if she had to say no.

The pressure in his chest eased a little. That had to be it. He just needed to give her the option to say no. Then she’d know she could trust him. Two weeks wasn’t that long.

He grabbed his phone and texted her:
Come with me on my tour
.

Mama and Papa were killing her. Now with Gabriele married and in Greece on her honeymoon, Eva was the sole point of attention. It seemed they were everywhere, watching, probing, frowning. Even the needs of the house church didn’t seem to distract them from her life. Or rather, her love life.

Eva had spent most of her twenty years envying her sister and there was never a time when she envied her more than now. What she’d give to run away with Sebastian. She was willing to go anywhere just about now.

But she hadn’t forgotten what the girls in the WC at Gabriele’s wedding had said about her. Maybe her parents were right about her and her “obsession with the rock-star boy.” Maybe she was just making a big fool of herself, and her father’s premonition would come true, that this relationship was bound to end in heartbreak and disgrace. Her heart felt like it was on the verge of exploding right now. What would she do if Sebastian ended it? He might. He was leaving soon. Maybe she had just been a distraction for him while he licked his wounds over Yvonne’s betrayal. She couldn’t get the thought out of her head. Maybe she
was
a PR stunt.

Her stomach rolled so much these days she could barely eat, but she had to fuel herself sometime. She pulled herself off her bed and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. She heard her parents talking in low tones and stopped when she heard her name.

“We’ll only make things worse if we try to force her to leave him,” her mother said. “We just need to let it run its course and pray it doesn’t go on for too long.”

“He told me he’d end it,” Papa said.

“What do you mean?”

“I went to see him shortly after he started coming around to see her. I asked him to be reasonable. To imagine the future and how it could only end badly for our Eva.”

“And he promised to end it?”

“Well, not in so many words.”

Eva felt sick. Her father had asked Sebastian to end things? Anger stirred hot in her gut. She couldn’t believe he would stoop so low. She could barely breathe. She inched back to her room quietly and folded into her chair. She was trapped. If only she hadn’t dropped out of university, she could be well on her way to acquiring a career and a way to provide for herself. As it was, she depended on her parents for the roof over her head and food in her belly.

Her phone buzzed. She hobbled to her night table wanting to see one name. Part of her was scared to death that he was texting to end it, that her father had gotten to him somehow. But instead she read his invitation and her heart leaped with relief. She didn’t give herself a chance to think it through, to talk herself out of it. She typed one word.

He sent the text, and she responded two seconds later. His heart stuttered to a stop. No argument. No questions. Just one word.

Okay.

Things must be really bad over there. The tour started tomorrow. The guys were busy today packing up gear and the personal stuff they’d need for the duration. He had booked off a couple hours in the evening to say good-bye to Eva. Looked like he didn’t have to do that now.

Sebastian Weiss

We leave at eight tomorrow morning
.

Eva Baumann

Can you pick me up?
I need help with my bag.

Sebastian Weiss

Yes. For sure. See you then.

He stared out the window feeling stunned. Everything had changed again. So fast. Eva was coming on tour with him. It could mean sharing a hotel room. Heat burst through his body at the thought of that. They hadn’t even slept together yet. He worried that things were moving too fast for her, even if she didn’t realize it herself. He’d let her set the pace. If she wanted her own room, he’d spring for that, his own personal expense.

He rubbed his face hard. His door chime rang, and he buzzed to let in Markus.

“Hey,” Markus said, heading straight for the gear Sebastian had packed up. Sebastian grabbed two guitars and followed Markus out. Most of the gear was stored at their rehearsal space, and that was where the tour bus was parked.

“I need a favor tomorrow morning,” Sebastian said.

Markus gave him a bored look. “Let me guess. You need a ride to the bus.”

“Well, yeah, but then we need to pick up Eva. She’s coming along.”

Markus shot him a hard look.

“I don’t care about the ‘no girlfriend’ rule. If you remember, I never voted for it.”

“Yeah, sure, but… hell, why do I have to be the one to break the news.”

“Break what news?”

“Karl is bringing Yvonne.”

Sebastian felt sucker punched. “What?” He didn’t even know the two of them were still seeing each other.

“Yeah, it’s true. Sorry, man.”

Sebastian let his head fall back and groaned. Just what he needed. More drama. Now the question was should he tell Eva before or after he picked her up.

He better call her right away. The sooner she knew the better. She might change her mind about coming and he didn’t want to deal with that scene in the morning. He pressed her number, but she didn’t pick up. He texted her instead:
Bad news. Karl is bringing Yvonne. In case that changes anything.

Markus eyed him again. “You look like
Scheisse
.”

“Thanks. I feel like it, too.” He kept his phone in his palm, hoping Eva would respond soon.

They arrived at the warehouse and Sebastian could see Dirk and Karl loading gear onto the bus.

“Don’t say anything to them about Eva coming along, okay?” he said to Markus. “She might change her mind now.”

He snorted. “No problem. I wasn’t planning to step on that landmine anyway.”

Sebastian kept silent as he joined in with loading the gear. If he said anything to Karl he might end up punching his face in. Instead, he kept his ill feelings to himself. The bus had several rows of forward-facing seats behind the driver, a small kitchen area behind that with a little fridge, microwave and food storage space. A closet-sized bathroom was tucked in behind that and then a section of cots, two deep on each side. That was where they packed the gear. None of their trips necessitated sleeping overnight on the bus, which was a good thing since there were more people than cots.

He jumped out of the bus just as he felt buzzing in his pocket. His breath hitched as he pulled it out. The moment of truth. Was she coming or not?

Eva Baumann

I’m coming for sure now.

Sebastian grinned. He loved it when she got territorial with him.

Sebastian Weiss

That’s my girl.

Eva Baumann

:)

Sebastian pushed the phone back into his pocket and let out a breath. Somehow it was all going to be okay.

At ten to eight the next morning, Eva exited her room with her cane in her right hand and dragging a rolling suitcase in the other. She was dressed in a fresh blouse and skirt, her hair was washed and brushed, and she wore a little makeup.

Her parents sat at the table eating breakfast and looked at her with quiet, stunned faces. Her papa held a piece of buttered toast in mid air. He asked the obvious question. “Are you going somewhere?”

Eva swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m going on tour with Sebastian.”

Papa slowly lowered his toast. “If you go, don’t…”

Mama quickly grabbed his arm and shook her head sharply. “Eva, you haven’t thought this through.”

“I have Mama, and I’m going. Nothing you say will talk me out of it.”

Papa stood sharply. She could see the hurt in his eyes, and she felt a moment of regret. But she held her resolve. He shook his head and disappeared down the hall.

Mama’s torment was no less. Her eyes grew glossy and she held a hand to her chest. “Where are you going?”

“Salzburg. Then Munich.” After that she wasn’t exactly sure. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”

Her mother’s eyes fell to her suitcase, and Eva knew what she was wondering. How was she going to carry that out? “Sebastian is coming up to get it.”

Mama walked over to Eva, her face twitching as she held back her sadness. “I’ll carry it for you.”

“Mama.”

“It’s okay.”

Eva followed her mother down the steps and not for the first time, she admired her. She didn’t always agree with her mama, but she had to admit she was a strong woman. She waited with Eva until Markus and Sebastian arrived in Markus’s car. She didn’t spare a glance or a “hello,” to the boy who was taking her daughter away. She held Eva tight. “I love you no matter what. And so does Papa.”

She turned, and Eva’s heart ached at the pain she knew she was causing her. It couldn’t be helped. She was almost twenty-one and needed to cut the strings as hard as it might be.

“Bye, Mama,” she whispered as the woman disappeared into the building.

Sebastian placed her suitcase into the trunk and helped her into the backseat before crawling in beside her.

“I’m a chauffeur now?” Markus quipped.

Eva pushed back at the swirl of emotion that was overwhelming her. Sebastian draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

“Are you okay?”

“I will be.”

“So Markus,” Sebastian called, “I haven’t officially introduced you to my girlfriend. This is Eva.”