See You at the Show (52 page)

“I know that, dad.”
 

Of course he knew that.
 
Who didn’t?
 
It was all over the papers that his mum was marrying one of the most famous rock stars in the world.
 
They’d done this incredible photo shoot for a rock magazine that had hit the news stands last week and when Luke had seen it he’d found it hard to believe that the incredibly gorgeous woman draping herself all over Mark Cassidy was actually his mum.
 
But she was.
 
And Mark Cassidy was going to be his step-dad, how cool was that?
 
He’d suddenly found himself with more mates than he knew what to do with, every one of them green with envy at the new life he now had.
 
But he wanted to do more than just visit his mum and Mark.
 
He wanted to do more than just be a roadie like her.
 
He wanted to be a roadie
with
her.
 
So this was the bit he’d been dreading telling his dad.
 
But it was what he wanted to do and he was going to do it.
 
If Stevie said yes.

“I know she’s moving to
L.A.
 
But the thing is, dad…I want to move out there with her.”

***

Samantha could see it in his face.
 
The minute he’d walked into the kitchen it was like history repeating itself in the worst possible way but she knew it was pointless even trying to fight it this time.
 
He’d tried, she knew that.
 
He’d given it his best shot, but the look on his face told her he’d now admitted defeat.
 
And there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

Daniel sensed Samantha’s reaction, she knew what was coming, and even though that made it easier for him in some respects, it didn’t ease the pain of doing this to her a second time.

“It was never going to work, was it Daniel?
 
Not really.”

He shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets.
 
“I tried, Samantha.
 
You have to believe that I tried my very, very best, I really did.”

She smiled, just to try and stop the tears from falling because that was one thing she wasn’t going to do.
 
Cry.
 
Not this time.
 
Her life wasn’t going to be over just because Daniel Madison didn’t want her.
 
Again.
 
It might stall for a bit, it might need some time to get back on track, but it would.
 
Eventually.
 
Samantha Madison was a tough one underneath that prim, upper-class exterior.
 
She could cope.
 
She had no choice.

“I know you did.”
 
She looked at him, her determination to stay strong was there but it was tiring.
 
So tiring, when all she wanted to do was get out of there, but she had to know.
 
She had to.
 
“Have you…have you seen her?”

He nodded, pushing his hands deeper into his pockets.

“So, is she…?”

Daniel shook his head.
 
“No.
 
She’s not coming back.
 
She’s getting married.
 
To Mark Cassidy.”

That sent a wave of sadness crashing over Samantha because this seemed so pointless now.
 
This was happening for no reason this time.
 
There was nobody else, but then, there
was
really, wasn’t there?
 
She may not be here in person - not in the physical sense - but she was still coming between them, and now it seemed that she always would.
 
She’d taken her husband away from her and now, even though
she
didn’t want him anymore, Samantha couldn’t have him either.
 
And that was something she was just going to have to deal with.

“Daniel…when you saw her…”

“Please don’t ask what happened, Samantha.
 
It’s over, finished.”

“Did you sleep with her?”

“Samantha…”

“Did you?”
 
Because he hadn’t made love to
her
.
 
Not once since she’d come back into his life.
 
And she should have seen that as a warning shot.

Daniel nodded, avoiding her eyes.

“Before or after she told you she wasn’t coming back?”

“Please, Samantha…”

“Before or after, Daniel?
 
Just tell me.
 
What does it matter now anyway?”

He sighed, still unable to look at her.
 
“After.”

“Oh, Jesus…”

“I’m so sorry, Samantha.
 
Sorry that I’ve had to do this to you again.
 
You don’t deserve any of this.”

“No.
 
I don’t.
 
But neither of us deserve to be in a relationship that isn’t making us happy, Daniel.”

He looked at her, looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of him, a strong and supportive woman,
 
a woman he’d once loved, but those feelings had gone.
 
And that hurt because she was good for him, she was everything he needed.
 
But, like he’d said before, she was nothing he wanted.
 
Not anymore.
 
And he couldn’t live in a relationship that was only half there.

“I’ll make arrangements to have my things delivered back to
Berkshire
,” Samantha said, guessing that this conversation had run it’s course.
 
What else was there to say?
 
It was over.
 
End of story.
 
Stevie Stone had won.
 
And it had been a battle she hadn’t even known she’d been fighting.

“Samantha…I really am sorry.”

She smiled, again just to stop the tears that were now threatening.
 
“Goodbye, Daniel.”

But this goodbye didn’t make him cry.
 
As Samantha closed the door behind her, this time all Daniel felt was relief.

***

“Mrs. Cassidy…it has a ring to it.”

“It doesn’t have any fucking ring to it, Mark, because I’m not taking your name.
 
And I don’t
ever
want to be called Mrs. Anything.
 
You got that?”

He smiled, his arm falling around her shoulders as they walked.

“Yeah.
 
I got it.”

They were in the process of looking at homes all over L.A., ready for that new start they were about to embark on, and this afternoon saw them in Beverly Hills looking at the home of a legendary rock star.
 
It was a large, gated, Spanish-style house set in it’s own grounds with bedrooms Stevie had lost count of, a kitchen the likes of which she’d never seen before and a stunning garden and pool area.
 
Not to mention its own recording studio set
 
in a separate building behind the main house, which seemed to be swinging it for Mark.
 
It really was a dream home.
 
She’d come across homes like this throughout the years she’d been working with rock bands, although, to be fair, only one or two of the people she’d ever worked with had been able to afford places like this.
 

“It can be ours, baby.
 
If you want it,” Mark said, watching her as she let go of him and walked around the huge black and white, ultra-modern kitchen, running her fingertips along the dark-grey granite work surfaces.

“Since when have you been able to afford a place like this, Mark?”

His home in
Brentwood
may still have screamed rock star but it was a hell of a lot smaller than this place, a much more modest home.
 
Even his
London
house was nothing like this.
 

“We’re up there now, honey.
 
We finally made it, and somewhere like this, Jesus, it’s my dream, Stevie.
 
To live somewhere like this.”
 
He came over to her, pulling her into his arms.
 
“But only if you want it too, baby.
 
The house we buy is gonna be our home here so, I want you to love it too.”

“I’m just a bit overwhelmed, Mark.
 
Everything’s happening so fast.”

“Hey, we could get married right here couldn’t we?
 
If we bought this place?
 
We could get married out in the garden.”

“Hey, do you want to slow it down a bit, Cassidy?
 
There’s no rush, is there?”

He pulled her closer, letting his fingers stroke the small of her back, sliding them up under her t-shirt so they touched her warm skin.
 
“No, but there’s no reason why we should hang around either.
 
Now I’ve finally got you, I don’t feel much like letting you go again.”

She smiled, running her hands up and down his upper arms.
 
“Not like you to get all needy, Mr. Rock Star.”

“I need
you,
Stevie.
 
And I’m not ashamed to admit to that now.”

She smiled, closing her eyes as he kissed her gently, and another piece of the jigsaw slowly fell into place.
 
She’d faced Daniel, she’d said goodbye to that part of her life and that had allowed her to move forward that little bit more, so would marrying Mark so soon really be such a bad thing?
 
And after that, exactly what was she going to do with the rest of her life?
 
She had to talk to her agent, decide how to move forward on the offers that had been put her way but all she really wanted to do was spend time with Mark and the band.
 
Whatever she did next, she would always be with Mark and the band.

“So, what do you think then, baby?
 
Do we go for this house and have our rock star wedding out there by the pool?”

She laughed, jumping up into his arms, wrapping her legs round his waist as they kissed again and she knew then, at that very second, that they were standing in the place they were soon going to call home.
 
This place had a good vibe, it felt right.
 
Just like it felt being with Mark.
 
Right.

“Do I take that as a yes then?” he smiled, sitting her down on the breakfast bar that stretched along two sides of the room.

“It’s an absolute yes, Cassidy.”
               

She rested her forehead against his, wrapping her legs back around him as he kissed her again, long and slow and if she could have married him there and then she would have done it.
 
Mark Cassidy was the drug she’d never really been able to leave alone and now she didn’t have to.
 
Every time she needed a fix he was going to be there, and that felt good, it felt safe.
 
It felt right.

Her ‘phone ringing made her pull away slightly as she reached into her pocket to retrieve it, looking at the caller display.

“Luke,” she smiled, unwrapping her legs from Mark’s waist and sliding down from the breakfast bar.
 
“I’m gonna take this, baby, so why don’t you go have a word with the realtor and see what kind of deal we can do on this place, ok?”

He smiled too, kissing her quickly.
 
“You got it, beautiful.”

She went outside, walking down to the pool area, sitting down on one of the loungers as she answered the call from her soon-to-be-eighteen year old son.

“Hey, Stevie!”

He didn’t call her mum, not yet.
 
Maybe it was too soon, maybe he never would, it didn’t really matter to Stevie.
 
All that mattered was that he was in her life and she knew how lucky she was to have that, after everything she’d done.

“Hey, kiddo!
 
How you doing?
 
You looking forward to your birthday?”

“Yeah.
 
Dad’s throwing a party for me down at the football club.
 
Should be good.
 
Are you sure you can’t get back for it?”

“Baby, I’d love to but we’re really busy over here.
 
I’ve sent something over for you though.
 
A present I think you’re gonna love.
 
Mark and Johnny helped me pick it out, and guess what?
 
I think I may have something else for you that’ll make up for me not being at your party.”

They’d bought him an American Vintage ’57 Stratocaster electric guitar for his birthday.
 
He had his first tattoo, and now he wanted to learn to play, and they’d wanted him to have a great guitar to get started on.
 

“What is it?” Luke asked, not able to keep the excitement out of his voice.
 
If Stevie had a surprise for him it was bound to be a great one.
 
She didn’t really seem to do things by halves.