Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3) (21 page)

“You’re in love with her,” Carl said once Ellis was finished.

He shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

Carl smiled. “If you say so, son. Now, let’s see. What’s the worst case scenario that could happen here?”

“I could lose my job. You could get in trouble.”

“First of all, what happened when you were a kid was perfectly legal. It happens all the time. I hired a lawyer to make sure that everything that was done was legit. There’s no reason for you to worry about that. I can understand you not wanting your entire past to come out, but there are worse things, Ellis.”

“They’re going to find out about Mason,” Ellis said. “What if he sees it? I have no idea where he is, but you know that with worldwide coverage on Samantha, it could make his life hell if someone gets a hold of that story.”

“Okay, I can see that would not be an ideal situation. Maybe they will leave you alone now that you aren’t with her anymore. You aren’t planning on going back, are you, son?”

Ellis shook his head. “I can’t, Carl. She’s better off without me.”

He gave him that look, the one that meant that he didn’t believe him but wasn’t going to say anything. “Come on, let me make you a sandwich. When was the last time you ate anything?”

You might’ve won this round, but don’t you think that I’m finished. Don’t count me out just yet. We belong together, and no matter what it takes, I’m going to be with you. Soon.

She collapsed on her bed, fresh tears taking over again. She swore that she couldn’t possibly have more tears to shed, but there they were. She hadn’t heard from him in two days. He was just gone.

When she had come out of the interrogation room, she had scanned the room for him. She knew she had been a jerk the whole time they were there, but she wanted to talk to him, apologize. She knew what he was trying to do, and she wasn’t letting him. Not this time.

But he had been gone. No one had seen him leave, but he certainly wasn’t anywhere around. She had begged her parents to find him, but all they had done was lead her to the car and drive her home. She didn’t think she had slept or eaten in that time, but it was all a blur.

She remembered getting home and being carried to her room like the child they thought she was. She had called him countless times, left him voicemails and sent texts. Nothing. She wished she had Devin’s phone number. Not that it would be hard for her to get it, but she just hadn’t had the energy to find it. Ellis obviously didn’t want to talk to her.

She hadn’t had the television on since she got home, either. She couldn’t bear to hear the stories about both of them. They had gone on the attack with Ellis, blaming him and his past for corrupting America’s Sweetheart. It made her sick. No wonder he didn’t want to talk to her. She had ruined his life.

If she believed the stories she saw, Ellis had been in trouble when he was sixteen and had been in the Juvenile Detention Center until he was eighteen. They said he had sold drugs, assaulted a manager at a convenience store, robbery without a weapon, and stolen a car. She couldn’t picture Ellis doing any of those things, but then again, he didn’t know what she had done, either.

He also had supposedly had a terrible home life, his mom dying from a drug overdose when he was seventeen and locked up. She wondered where his dad was, and if he had any siblings. She wished he would answer her calls so she could tell him how sorry she was for what she had done. If it wasn’t for her, his life wouldn’t be public knowledge. She hoped that he wasn’t in trouble with his boss.

Her phone rang, and she jumped up, snatching it from the bedside table. Her stomach dropped as she saw Lacey’s name. “Hey.”

“Sam,” she said. “I’m sorry. You’re waiting for him to call, right?”

A sob escaped her throat. “He’s not calling, Lace. It’s over.”

“I’m coming over,” she announced. “And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“I’m not good company,” she said glumly, wiping a stray tear off her cheek. She walked over to the window and looked out at the beautiful Tennessee landscape.

“That doesn’t matter. Are your parents home? Sean?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Dad’s probably at the office or the label, trying to save my career, and Mom’s probably denying that anything is going on. I’m sure they have Sean here somewhere.”

“Any news on Amelia?”

Guilt hit her stomach like a ton of bricks. “I haven’t even asked. What kind of person am I? I’m so consumed by my own life I’m not even thinking about Brian’s wife.”

“Stop beating yourself up,” Lacey said. “I’m bringing lunch over, so go take a shower and change your clothes.

Sam laughed bitterly. “Ha. How’d you know?”

“How’d I know what? That you were wallowing in self-pity? I know you, girl. No more of this. He isn’t worth it.”

Tears filled her eyes again. “You’re so wrong, Lace.”

Sam walked out of her bedroom, dressed in a pair of white capris and a pink tank top. She felt human for the first time in a while. A new song was brewing in her head, and that put a smile on her face.

Sean stood as she walked into the living room. “Hey, Sam! Are you feeling better?”

She smiled back, the feeling foreign. “As good as I’m getting, Sean. How’s Amelia?”

A look crossed his face and he looked away from her. “Dad said it’s confirmed. There’s no brain activity.”

Sam gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Sean,” she cried. “I’m so sorry.” She hugged him, tears coursing her cheeks again. Amelia had been like an aunt to her ever since she had married Brian.

Sean hugged her tightly, rubbing her back. “Thanks, Sam. Dad’s having a hard time making the decision to take her off life support. She didn’t have a living will or anything, so the decision is his.”

“So she could live like that forever?”

He nodded. “Yes, but Dad wouldn’t want that for her. I think he needs some time right now to come to terms with things, then he’ll let her go.”

“He’s lost two wives now,” Sam observed. “It’s not fair.”

“Just he and I left,” Sean said. “I need to go there, though. Your dad is arranging for one of the other team members to take over while I’m gone. I’ll only be a little while. I figured I could help Dad out with the arrangements over the next couple of days, since I’m sure he won’t be up to it.”

“I want to see her,” Sam said. “She’s like my aunt, Sean. I can’t sit here while she dies. Even if she has no idea that I’m there, I need to say goodbye.”

Sean nodded. “Okay, I’ll talk to your dad about the arrangements. He shouldn’t have a problem with you coming with me, and I’ll bring you home later.”

“What’s the situation on the paparazzi?”

He looked outside. “They are camped out at the gate, as they have been since we got here. The news stations are still talking about it, though not as much, and the gossip mags and internet sites are still all over it, but that’s to be expected. They love finding dirt on celebrities. I’m surprised they haven’t found Gage and started harassing him.”

Sam’s eyes widened. She hadn’t thought of that. “Do you think they will? I mean, there are no stories out there about us, but…”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I think they will try to find anything they can on you now, so we have to be prepared. Have you been in contact with him at all?”

“Not in years,” she said quietly, her stomach churning. They couldn’t find him. Not that he would want to rat her out, not at all, but she just couldn’t take the chance that they would find out the rest of the story. “Have you voiced this concern with my dad?”

“He thought of it,” he admitted. “I’m not sure what he’s doing about it, though.”

“Lacey in the h-ouse!” Sam heard, and grinned. Her best friend was here. She hadn’t seen in her in weeks, and she missed her terribly. She appeared in the living room, her arms full of bags.

“Lacey!” Sean and Sam both said at the same time. Sean helped her with the bags as Sam hugged her. Lacey was a beautiful girl and she knew it. She had been approached to model, but she wasn’t interested. She was completely focused on her schooling and her goals and had no time for messing around with dating, much to the chagrin of the men of Nashville. Sean had wanted to date Lacey a few years ago, but she shot him down quickly, saying she was only his friend. Sam thought he still held a candle for her, but she couldn’t be sure.

“I missed you so much,” Sam said, tears pricking her eyes again. She was an emotional disaster.

“Me too,” Lacey said, her voice thick with tears. “I’m so glad that you’re okay, Sam. That shit was so crazy. Sometimes this life that you live is just too much for me to bear.”

Sam pulled back. “I know. It’s the dream I’ve always wanted, but with it comes this insane stuff I don’t quite know how to handle. I mean, who knew a few months ago that I would need not just a bodyguard, but a
team
of them? That people would want my picture just going to the grocery store? It’s strange to me.”

“Yeah, but think about how we grew up loving Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, all them. If we would’ve seen them in a grocery store, we would’ve lost our minds, right? That’s how people think about you, Super Star Sam!”

The girls laughed. “I don’t feel very super star right now.” Lacey unpacked the lunch she had brought and the three of them sat back and talked, making Sam feel the most normal than she had in quite a while.

Sam stood next to the open casket of Amelia Culbertson, looking at the peaceful face of the woman who had brought Brian back from the brink of despair after losing his first wife to cancer. It had taken Brian almost a week to decide to let her go, and they had all been around her bed as she took her last breath. The worst part of it all was that they had no idea what happened to her, or who did it. The police had no leads at all, and since Amelia never regained consciousness, the case had gone cold. Brian was angry and resentful, for good reason. His wife was attacked in their home and he had no answers, and probably never would.

Since her accident, he had put their house on the market, stating he wasn’t able to go back there and see her in every room. Sam understood that. It was hard enough for her to try to get over Ellis without having constant reminders of him everywhere. She knew once she went out again on tour in a few weeks, his presence would haunt her. She wasn’t sure if Sean was going to stay on or if Brian would come back, but she knew it wouldn’t be the same for her ever again.