Our Song (18 page)

Chapter 29

A few hours and lots of drinks later, I was buzzed. I wouldn’t say I was drunk, per se, but I was definitely feeling it.

“You’re mad at me,” Colton said to me as Jimmy went to take a phone call.  

I just stared back at him. “Am I? What would give you
that
impression?”

“We might not have known each other for that long, but I think I know you pretty well.”

“There are a
lot
of things you don’t know about me,” I said with a snort. “But you’re right. I am mad at you.”

“And I really do deserve it,” Colton said.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re just trying to pacify me. You don’t think you really deserve it.”

“Actually, I
know
I deserve it. Just let me explain, okay?”

“Fine, Colton. You have lots of explaining to do. We could start with where you’re constantly running off to or who’s always calling. Or maybe you’d rather start with who Rosalynn is or how she hurt you.” I stared back at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

He glanced around and then met my eyes. Lowering his voice, he said, “Let’s not do this here.”

“No, I want to do this right here and right now,” I said. “I know we haven’t been together for long—only a
day
—but if you’re cheating on me already, I need to know. Because I don’t care what our lifestyles are like. I won’t settle for someone who thinks he can be with other women while calling me his girlfriend.”

“Viola, when I told you I’m in love with you, I meant it, okay? I meant every word. I’m not cheating on you. That’s not me,” Colton insisted. “The truth is—”

At that moment, Jimmy came back to the table. He was carrying a silver key. “Look, guys, my wife just called. There’s a family emergency at home, but I already booked a hotel room here for the night in case I wasn’t sober enough to drive home. I’d hate to see it go to waste, so why don’t you guys use it?”

I was going to reject the offer, but neither of us got the chance to give him an answer before he hurried out of the restaurant. I wondered what had happened that he needed to leave in such a hurry.

Colton took the key. “Why don’t we go to the room right now? We can talk about everything there. Some of the things I need to say are really personal.”

“Okay,” I agreed. Tilted my head back, I gulped down what remained of my martini and then rose to my feet. I needed answers and I needed them now, even if it meant I had to spend the night with him. Of course, I knew there was a good possibility I wouldn’t even
want
to spend the night with him once I found out whatever he was going to tell me.

We walked through the restaurant and then stepped into the hotel lobby. Colton led the way to the elevator.

As we stepped inside, we both stood there awkwardly. I thought about how ironic it was that it was the first time we’d been in an elevator since he’d kissed me that I didn’t feel the urge to jump his bones. Well, sort of.

As angry as I was at him, I couldn’t deny that he was still
incredibly
hot. I wouldn’t have minded letting him use the gray tie he was wearing on me the way Christian did on Ana in
Fifty Shades of Grey
. Just saying.

When the elevator stopped on the third floor, we found the room number that was written on the key. 303.

Colton unlocked the door, and we stepped into the room.

He shut the door behind us and then made his way over to the queen-sized mattress, where he sat down. He didn’t even bother to turn on the light. I didn’t turn on it, either, because I wondered if maybe he felt more comfortable talking about what he was going to tell me in the dark.

“I’m not sure where to begin,” Colton said. His blue eyes, which gleamed even in the dark, found mine. “You should know that I’ve never told
anyone
outside of my family and a few select friends about this.”

“So Tessa knows, I assume.”

“Yes, she knows.” He took a deep breath. “The thing is… Tessa is a part of all of this.”

My heart sank. I knew what he was about to say next. He was going to confirm that all of my suspicions were true. He and Tessa were still involved. I just knew it.

“The reason Tessa and I are so close is because we’ve known each other for a very long time,” Colton said. “She grew up in the foster care system, just like me.”

“You grew up in foster care?” I just stared back at him, dumbfounded. “But your family seems so…put together.”

“That’s because they’re my adoptive family,” Colton explained. “My parents—Elizabeth and Christopher, I mean… They adopted me.”

“Wow. What happened to your real parents?” Immediately realizing my slip-up, I quickly said, “I’m sorry, I meant your biological parents.”

“It’s okay.” He darted his eyes away from mine. “My dad’s dead.”

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to question how it had happened, but I didn’t want to seem like I was pushing him too hard. So instead, I decided it was time to confide in him. “My dad’s
not
dead,” I admitted.

“But I thought you said—”

“I
did
say that. In some ways, it’s even true. He’s dead to
me
, and for all I know, he really could be dead. I wouldn’t know because he abandoned my mom and me when I was little.” I paused and then added, “She died right after I turned eighteen.”

Colton glanced up at me sharply. “What happened?”

“She overdosed.” I blinked back a tear. Most of the time, I was fine when it came to thinking or talking about my mom’s death, but this wasn’t one of those times. Maybe it was the alcohol affecting me. I wasn’t sure.

“I’m sorry.”

“It happens.” I paused and then added, “That’s why my first album is called YOLO. It’s an ode to her.”

He nodded understandingly. “My song ‘You’ll Always Be My Hero’ is about my dad…my biological dad, I mean.”

I remembered that was the song that had made me cry. One of the verses replayed through my mind.

You lived for me, cried for me, shined for me

And in the end, you died for me

You’ll always be my hero

So his dad was the one who’d been his hero. Even though I didn’t want to seem nosy, I also knew that I
had
to know the details. “How did he die?”

His jawline hardened and he darted his eyes away from mine, staring down at the floor. “My mom killed him.”

Chapter 30

“My mom, my
birth
mom’s name is Rosalynn,” Colton went on.

That was how Rosalynn had hurt him. She’d killed his dad.

I was about to ask him how it had happened, but he began to tell the story. “She was an alcoholic. Any time she drank, she got really angry. She would start fights with my dad, my brother, Corey, and me for no reason. She got violent with my dad often. I saw her punch him, kick him, choke him more times than I can count on one hand. But that night was different.”

I sat down on the bed next to him then and held his hand as he continued. “When Corey and I got home from school that day, my parents were already going at it. My mom was throwing plates, trying to hit him with them. My dad told us to go to the neighbor’s house to try to get us away from her, but that only made things worse. She just snapped. There’s no other way to explain it. She pulled out a gun and started waving it at me and Corey.”

His eyes clouded over with a dark look that told me he was lost in his own memories, deep in a place he never allowed himself to revisit. I knew the feeling all too well.

“My dad took us in the bathroom and locked the door,” he went on. “She started banging on the door, trying to get inside. My dad pressed his back to the door to keep her out while he called 911… and that’s when I heard the gunshot. He fell to the floor.” He glanced back over at me, a glassy look in his blue eyes. “My mom tried to run, but she only got downstairs in our apartment building before the cops closed in on her.

“Wow,” I murmured. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.”

Colton didn’t say anything. “All of this has to do with why I’ve been all over the place lately, Viola. My mom’s going up for parole next week.”

“They’ll let her out of jail?” I asked with wide eyes.

He shook his head. “No, it’s really unlikely she’ll get out.” He paused and then added, “She’s been calling me lately, asking to see me.”

“Are you going to?”

Colton shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know. There’s a part of me that wants to just tell her to fuck off, but then there’s another part of me that feels like it wouldn’t hurt to get closure.”

“I understand,” I replied, unsure of how I would feel if I were in his shoes. It had to have been a confusing situation. “So, is that why you’re always bailing on me?”

He shook his head. “No. Corey’s in rehab for a drinking problem. We’re pretty sure he’d be okay, but it doesn’t seem worth risking. He’s been somewhat of a pain in the ass about it, though. Today, he made me bring him fast food because the cafeteria food sucked. That’s why I had to bolt. I know I don’t have to give him his way all the time, but I feel bad, too. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be in a facility.”

“I understand,” I told him again, feeling bad that he even felt the need to explain where he’d been after everything he’d told me. “Did Elizabeth and Christopher adopt Corey, too?”

“Yeah, they did. No one wanted to separate us,” he explained.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything you had to go through, and I’m sorry for being a bitch,” I told him, feeling genuinely guilty. “You deserve better.”

“No, you have no reason to apologize.
You
deserve better. I know I haven’t exactly been upfront about all of this. It’s just not easy for me to talk about,” he admitted. “I know how it all must have looked from your point of view.”

I nodded, letting out a yawn. “I’m glad it wasn’t what I thought it was.”

Colton caught my yawn. “I’m kind of tired, too. Do you want to just sleep here?” he asked.

“I do.” Then a realization hit me. “I wish I knew we were going to spend the night. I would have brought some clothes from home.”

“There’s an easy solution to that.” He stood up and began to peel his clothes off. “Let’s just sleep naked. We always end up doing that, anyway.”

“True.” I stood up and unzipped the back of my dress, letting it fall to the floor, and then kicked off my shoes.

Once we were both undressed, Colton pulled down the comforter and sheets, and we climbed into bed.

As I rested my head against his chest, I said, “Oh, yeah. There’s one thing you never explained to me.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Why you didn’t want to kiss me earlier tonight.”

I felt his body go tense as he pulled me closer to him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, “I just thought maybe we shouldn’t let Jimmy Jones know we’re mixing business and pleasure just yet. You know?”

“I get it.” I paused. “Speaking of pleasure…”

“What about it?” Colton asked as I slid my hand through the opening of his boxers, feeling the bulge that had already formed.

“I think we’re a little overdue for some,” I whispered, kissing him deeply.

Chapter 31

After our night of confessions, things really began to fall into place. I mean, no, we still hadn’t gone public about our relationship.

Colton and I fell into a routine. In the morning, he and I would spend a few hours songwriting and then he would go to visit his brother in rehab. We’d either go out to eat or cook together at home. Then we’d spend the night together, whether at his house or mine, where we’d get our sexy time on.

On Wednesday night, we were lying in bed together in bed at my apartment. We were watching an episode of
Friends,
which had become one of our nighttime rituals, when I traced my fingers over his tattoos. I could see them in the dim lighting of the TV.

“I just realized that I know nothing about any of your tattoos,” I told him. “What do they all mean?”  

“They’re all odes to everyone who I’ve lost in my life,” Colton explained. “The tribal lion represents my dad.”

“Why a lion?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“I always figured a lion was most symbolic of courage. You know, like the cowardly lion in
the Wizard of Oz
? It sort of gave me the idea.” He shrugged. “The owl is for my grandfather. Owls are wise. He was always the best at giving me advice with no judgement.”

“Like in
Winnie the Pooh
,” I commented.

“The rose,” he continued. “Was for my grandmother.”

“Because she smelled like roses?” I teased.

“No. She smelled like grandma perfume.”

I wrinkled my nose. “She and a lot of department stores have that in common.”

He smiled. “Roses were just her favorite flower,” he explained.

“They’re all tribal,” I noted.

“I like the simplicity. And the other tribal markings I have… well, it’s true what they say. When you get inked once, you want to be inked again and again.” He shrugged. “Kind of like having sex with you.”

“Oh, really?” I said, pulling him in for a kiss. “Mhmm,” he murmured as his lips met mine.

I swore I could’ve kissed that boy forever.

*

I was startled awake by the sound of my cell phone vibrating against my nightstand. Groggily, I reached over and grabbed it. I stared down at the screen.  

The call was from Mads. That wasn’t surprising. What
was
surprising was that she was calling me at four o’clock in the freaking morning, which was early, even for
her
.  

“What is it?” I whispered into the phone, glancing over at Colton, who was still snoring softly next to me.

“Look, I don’t know how else to say this, but some really revealing photos of you and Colton got leaked,” she said.

“Shit!” I said louder than I meant to. Pushing the covers off, I climbed out of bed. I tiptoed into the hallway, hoping I wouldn’t wake Colton. “I don’t know how this could have happened.
When
did it happen?”

“I’m not sure, but it looks like they were taken in a hotel room.”

The night of our celebration with Jimmy, I realized. At least, I was pretty sure of it. If they’d been from the first night we’d stayed at a hotel together, the night I thought we’d had a one night stand, they probably would’ve hit the Internet weeks ago.

“Is there any way we can get the pictures removed?”  

“We’re going to try to do everything we can, but they’re already all over the Internet, Vi.” She paused for a moment and then added, “You’re both completely nude in them.”

“What the hell. I don’t even know when these photos could’ve been taken.” I shook my head, feeling more confused than anything else. “Can you forward them to me?”

“Yeah, no problem. I’ll do that now.”

“Thanks.” I hung up the phone and held it in my hand for a moment, waiting for her to send the pictures. The whole time, it felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest.

A moment later, my phone chimed with the incoming text message. With shaky hands, I opened it and then resisted the urge to puke.

The pictures were of Colton and me in a hotel bed. In all three of the pictures, you could see my bare back and the hint of cleavage as I straddled him. In a few others, we were kissing and in the early stages of taking our clothes off. I recognized the purple dress I’d worn to the celebration with Jimmy.

My confusion was quickly replaced with anger. I knew
I
wasn’t the one who had taken these pictures, which could only mean one thing.

As Mads began to call me again, I hit the ‘Ignore’ button and then headed back into my bedroom.

Colton was already awake. He sat up in bed, a tired look in his eyes.

“Babe, what are you doing? Come back to bed,” he murmured, reaching out an arm to me.

“Don’t
babe
me,” I snapped. Narrowing my eyes at him, I held out my phone to show him the pictures. “Do you want to explain
this
?”

For a moment, he squinted, allowing his eyes to adjust to my brightly lit cell phone. Then he poured over the pictures on the screen. “Holy shit. That’s you and me…
naked
,” he said aloud.

“Yeah. It wouldn’t be the first naked picture of me that you’ve taken without asking my permission first,” I pointed out, folding my arms over my chest angrily. “You have a lot of explaining to do—like how pictures of the two of us naked could’ve gotten released to the
entire
freaking Internet!”

“Wait, hold up. Are you trying to accuse
me
?” He pulled his blue eyes away from the cell phone and lifted them to meet mine. “You think I knowingly took pictures of you and me naked and then posted them online for the world to see?”

“I don’t know what I think,” I admitted, taking my phone back from him. “All I know is
someone
did, and it sure as hell wasn’t me.”

“It wasn’t me, either. It must have been Jimmy,” Colton muttered under his breath.

“You think
Jimmy
is the one who did this?” I laughed at how far-fetched that whole theory sounded. “What, did he just sneak into the hotel room to take pictures of us while we were having sex without either of us noticing he was there?”

“No, but think about it for a second. You didn’t do it and neither did I. Neither of us had access to the room beforehand, but Jimmy
did
.” He let out a sigh, and his blue eyes locked on mine. “And, okay, look…there’s something I need to tell you—something I’ve been keeping from you.”

My heart sank. It was in that moment that I
realized everything was about to come undone, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.