True Loves (A Collection of Firsts) (18 page)

T
he door
on the bus slams shut, and I freeze. Damn. I was hoping to sneak out without being seen. I readjust my messy bun and attempt to smile as footsteps boom up the steps. A gasp escapes me as my eyes land on the woman I saw on the internet. Sophie is with Noel’s bodyguard, Mike. I fall back against the bedroom door, and the smile drops off my face. What the hell is she doing here? My eyes flit to my ragged appearance.

Shit.

Sophie is even more beautiful than her pictures. Her long blond hair sits in a high ponytail, and her skin is flawless, nearly like porcelain. Her baby bump isn’t very big, not that noticeable unless you’re looking for it. Being in the same room with the woman who is about to give birth to Noel’s child twists my stomach into a huge knot. I take a deep breath and prepare for her to lash out.

She looks me up and down with blazing eyes. “Is this her?”

My heart leaps into my throat as the guilt of what I’ve just done washes over me. I open my mouth to tell her I’m sorry, but no words come out. The shock of seeing her has me flabbergasted.

“Sophie, stop.” Mike touches her arm.

Her face snaps toward him. “Don’t you dare take her side!”

I swallow hard as Mike throws up his hands in frustration. “You know what? I’m sick of this shit.”

Her eyes narrow. “Shut up! Don’t you say another word.”

I glance between Mike and Sophie. Their exchange puzzles me. Mike has never gotten this personal with me, so why does he talk to her that way?

“What’s going on out here?” Noel growls as he creeps up behind me. I jump at the sound of his voice. His eyes flit down to my bag. “You going somewhere?”

I bite my lip and shrug, not really wanting to have this argument in front of the mother of his soon-to-be-born child. Sophie clears her throat, and Noel turns toward her.

Her face goes from disdain to angelic in less than a second. “Hey, baby.”

My stomach turns, and tears threaten to spill from my eyes. That sweet term of endearment might as well be a knife straight into my heart.

She takes a couple steps toward him but halts when he holds up a hand. “What are you doing here?” Noel asks.

She pokes out her lip. “I missed you.”

Mike grunts. “You’re unbelievable!”

Her head whips toward him. “I said shut up.”

“No. I’m tired of this bullshit.”

Noel crosses his arms and furrows his brow. He’s clearly confused about the tension between Mike and Sophie too. He steps closer. “Mike…? What the hell is going on, man?”

Mike sits on the loveseat and frowns at me before he places his elbows on his knees. His tattooed arms strain as he drops his head into his hands and rubs the back of his buzzed head. “I fucked up.”

I place a hand on Noel’s forearm. The tension in the air tells me things are about to get ugly fast.

Mike sighs. “Tell her, Soph. Tell them what we did.”

Sophie snaps her head toward Mike. “Butt out, and learn to mind your own business.”

He glares at Sophie. “You don’t think this
is
my fucking business? Either you tell them, or I will.”

Her eyes widen. “I don’t think I—”

“Damn it, Soph!” Mike shouts. “I can’t live with this shit anymore. I can’t stand lying to them. We’re hurting people.”

Laughter outside cuts through the momentary silence on the bus—the rest of the guys are back from the club. Trip and Tyke make their way onto the bus with Riff in tow. The twins stop dead in their tracks. The tension in the small space is clear. Riff clenches his jaw when he spots Sophie. I feel for him because I know exactly how he feels seeing the two of them together.

Trip clears his throat. “Should we leave? Looks serious in here.”

Noel shakes his head as he glares at Mike and Sophie. “No. Stay. You’re just in time to hear some secret Sophie’s been keeping.”

Trip hops up on the counter, and Tyke leans next to him. Trip watches us as if we’re an entertaining movie—minus the popcorn—while Tyke pulls his lips into a tight line.

Riff flexes his jaw muscle and steps into Sophie’s view. “How many more secrets can she possibly have?”

She doesn’t even bother to acknowledge Riff as he stands beside Tyke. Mike frowns at me, and my heart jumps into my throat. Whatever these two are hiding, it’s bad, really bad. The agony is clear on Mike’s face. Sophie locks her gaze on me. I squeeze Noel’s arm as I wait on her to speak.

She sighs. “The baby doesn’t belong to Noel.”

Noel’s body tenses as he yells “WHAT?” at the exact same time Riff does.

Mike stands beside Sophie and threads his fingers through hers. “It’s mine.”

Noel’s hands fly into his hair, and he grabs handfuls of it. He paces with his eyes closed. He whips his head toward Riff, and a look of what seems like understanding passes between them. “Told you I would’ve never fucked your girl. I would never do that shit to you!”

Riff’s face twists in anger, and his nostrils flare. “You fucking slut!” He storms off the bus.

A wave of nausea rolls through me. “Are you sure?”

Sophie nods. “I never slept with Noel.”

I rub my forehead. Why the hell would she tell a lie like that? Why would Mike allow another man to claim his child? My heart shatters into a million pieces for Noel. His struggle to be a better man, his inner-war was all for a lie. There wasn’t even a possibility he was the father of her baby.

“How could you do this to me? You put me through pure fucking hell! Mike, man…” Noel growls in frustration. “I thought we were friends.”

Mike doesn’t answer, just drops his head again.

Noel glances up and lets out a sarcastic laugh. “I’m fucking out of here.”

I grab his arm, but he flings me off and leaves without another glance back. The bus door slams shut, and I jump a little. Tyke pats his brother’s shoulder and jerks a thumb toward the exit. The brothers stalk off after their friend. I swallow hard when I realize everyone’s left me alone with Mike and Sophie. Sophie fidgets, clearly uncomfortable, drawing my attention to her.

I ask, “What was the point in pinning your unborn baby on Noel when you and Mike are clearly together?”

She shrugs. “I didn’t really have a choice. The moment I found out I was pregnant, I panicked. Riff can’t have children. Once he found out about Mike, he would have had Noel fire him. I love Mike. I don’t want him to lose his job over me. I knew if I blamed Noel, he wouldn’t remember anything because he parties so damn much. He sleeps with anything that moves—no offense—and Mike would be in the clear.”

I twist my lips and stare at Mike. “I can’t believe you went along with this. You’re like his brother.”

His shoulders slump and he nods. “I know. That’s what makes this so hard. Watching him struggle has been awful. When you guys fought in the SUV tonight, I saw firsthand what this lie was doing to you both, and I felt guilty. All Noel ever talks about is being with you, how much he loves you. He’s said over and over that if it wasn’t for Sophie, the two of you could have it all. I had to make shit right, even if I lose my job. I love her, and I want to take care of
my
baby.”

Tears burn my eyes. This entire time, we could’ve been together. We’ve fought over a lie. The weight of the damage done pushes on me, and a sob escapes my lips. I bury my face in my hands. How can two people be so selfish? It’s not okay to play with people’s heads like that.

“Lanie…” Mike says, but I can’t look at him.

I want to scream and yell at them. Tell them how evil they are. But I can’t bring myself to do it. Sophie lied to try to protect someone she loves, and I get that. It’s wrong and completely twisted, but I can respect it.

“I’m really sorry,” Mike tries again.

I sniff and bat at the tears rolling down my cheek. “I think you all have done quite enough. You need to go.”

Sophie’s shoes click against the steps as Mike leads her down them. The door opens and then closes softly. I glance at my suitcase. Noel and the rest of the band are going to need some time to recover from this scandal. They don’t need another girl hanging around and possibly coming between them.

I start toward the door and head for the group of Black Falcon roadies hanging out near the Escalades. Hopefully one of them will be nice enough to take me to the nearest airport.

N
othing has changed
in the two weeks I was away from Center Stage Marketing. All the employees work furiously on their computers as I pass by. Diana scheduled our meeting for first thing this morning. I think she’s anxious to see my plan for Black Falcon’s charity. I believe Noel didn’t tell her I left the tour a few days early or she would have just fired me over the phone. The door to her office is wide open. I stick my head inside, and she waves me in. I take a seat across from her and balance my computer in my lap.

“Lanie, it’s so good to see you, and congratulations for lasting the entire two weeks on tour. Noel called me this morning and said you stuck out your time like a champ. Not that it was a major task for you.” She winks.

I swallow hard, feeling a little uncomfortable that she knows so much about my sex life. “Thank you, Ms. Swagger. I actually have the proposal done as well.”

I flip open the screen and stand, but Diana holds up her hand. “No need for that, dear. The more experienced members of my team already outlined the project, and we have things in the works.”

I tilt my head and furrow my brow. “You don’t even want to see what I’ve come up with?”

She holds up her hand as though I’m being ridiculous. “Your only real job was to look pretty and keep Noel Falcon happy. You’ve done just that. Leave the real work up to the rest of us.”

I pull my lips into a tight line and slam the lid closed. “You were never going to take me seriously no matter what I did, were you?”

She pulls off her glasses. “Lanie, dear, the sooner you understand that certain people are used for their brains and others are meant to just look pretty, the better off you’ll be. I’m a thinker—a visionary—while you’re the type who can wrangle in clients for me.”

I blow a rush of air through my nose and roll my eyes. “Do you know how archaic that sounds? As a woman, surely you don’t really think that way.”

She shrugs. “That’s reality, honey. You better get used to how things work in the real world.”

Anger boils through me. Part of me always knew she was using me, but I never imagined she would completely shut me down. She won’t even give my work a chance. The dream of working under her doesn’t seem like such a grand idea anymore. I lift my chin. “You know what, Diana, I quit.”

She flinches. “You can’t quit. Have you forgotten about the contract you signed?”

“I didn’t forget. I made it through my two weeks on tour, so you can’t sue me, and there’s nothing you can do if I quit.”

Her eyes narrow. “You’ll never get another job in this town again.”

I shrug. “The non-compete was only for New York. I’m fine with leaving this state if this is how business is done here.”

Her jaw drops. No one is going to treat me like a piece of meat, especially not her. Her expression shows that never in a million years did she expect an intern to tell her she can basically shove her job up her ass. I grin, turn around, and—without a second of hesitation—walk out.

* * *

“
I
can’t believe
you quit!” Aubrey says as she watches me pack my suitcase.

I smile as I think about the smug look on Diana’s face disappearing when I quit. “Believe it. That woman’s a tyrant.”

She pokes out her bottom lip. “You sure you can’t stay? There are a thousand jobs in this city other than marketing.”

I zip my suitcase. “I love marketing. That’s where my heart lies. It sucks that I can’t stay here with you, but going back home will be good. Mom misses me like crazy, and I can find a job in Houston or something.” I set my bag on the floor and pull up the handle until it clicks. “I think I’m all set.”

Aubrey steps around the bed and wraps her arms around my neck. I close my eyes and lean into her as a tear escapes down my cheek. I hate leaving her. She’s the only thing I don’t want to leave behind. She rubs big circles on my back. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie. You and Noel can finally have your happily ever after.”

I squeeze her tight. “I don’t know if we can. The entire time we fought over him having a pregnant girlfriend, he asked me not to leave him—to let him show me I wasn’t second to him. At the first sign of a problem in our relationship, I ran. I don’t know if he’ll forgive me for walking away from him a second time.”

She pats my head. “Sure, he will. True love can get through anything. He’ll forgive you.”

God, how do I even go about fixing this? The whole thing is one big clusterfuck.

She pulls back and wipes her eyes. “Go on, before I decide to hold you hostage.”

I frown. “You sure you’re going to be all right by yourself?”

She sniffs and smiles. “Are you kidding? Now I can have all the wild sex parties I want. Maybe I can even get Riff to visit.”

I roll my eyes. “I’ll tell him you miss his…”

She smacks my arm. “Don’t you dare tell him that, no matter how true it is. That boy has one giant—”

I shove my fingers in my ears. “La! La! La! La! Not listening to you!”

She laughs. “Go on, smartass, before you miss your flight. Riff says the pass to get into the V.I.P. show for tonight will be at the door under ‘Long-Dick Dong’?”

I shake my head. “Those guys really love giving that pseudonym. I’m so glad to hear he and Noel are working things out since Mike finally told them the truth.”

She sighs. “Me too. I can’t believe that bitch would do that. Doesn’t she know she nearly destroyed one of the greatest rock bands ever?”

“Love makes people do insane things. Look at me. I’m traveling cross-country to apologize to a man I’m not even sure wants me anymore. He hasn’t called once since he learned the truth. This is probably a mistake.”

She pushes my long hair over my shoulder. “The only mistake when it comes to love is not going for it.”

* * *

I
practice everything
I want to say in the cab as we speed toward the venue. Black Falcon is doing an acoustic show to kick off the children’s literacy campaign for a small audience of three hundred people. I read on the internet the ticket prices jumped up to nearly three hundred a piece for such an intimate event.

Aubrey arranged for Riff to leave me a ticket at the entrance after she advised him not to tell Noel I’m coming. I don’t want to cause a scene before the show, so I figure I’ll slip backstage and talk with him after.

The cab driver stops at the entrance of the A&R Bar and I slide some cash to him before I slip out the door. My heart thunders as I walk through the entrance. This is it. He’s somewhere in this building. I collect my pass from the girl at the door after she snickers at the ridiculous name Riff left it under. Someday I’m going to have to speak with these guys about changing their incognito name.

A small stage sits along the far wall, and tables and chairs face it. Every seat is packed, except for one in the left corner farthest from the stage. Silently, I say a prayer of thanks. The farther back I sit, the better. I don’t want to distract Noel. These people paid a ton of money to watch him sing for an hour.

The chatter all around me dies down as soon as the guys take the stage. Their normal grand entrances are nowhere in sight. The guys smile and wave as they take their seats to play an all-acoustic set. My eyes lock on Noel.

He sets a bottle of water on the floor beside him. His distressed jeans and black T-shirt hug his body perfectly. His dark hair sticks up in every direction and has that messy look I find unbelievably sexy. Even from a distance, I can see he looks beat down and tired, not his usual upbeat, cocky self. A pain in my chest hits me hard, and I clutch my shirt. He pulls the mic to his lips and says a simple, “Hello.”

Trip starts off the beat, thumping on a box-looking thing, while Tyke and Riff strum their guitars. Noel nods and closes his eyes as he sings. His voice is always beautiful, but it sounds different. A little more tortured.

Every song goes on that way, his eyes mostly remaining shut as he belts out the words. Finally, he announces their last song, and I know it’s almost time to face him. During the last chorus break, I stand and grab my suitcase, ready to find my way closer to the stage. As I near the security team, I flash them the backstage pass Riff left for me.

“Lane?” Noel’s voice echoes around the room. “Is that you?”

This is exactly what I wanted to avoid—a public scene—but I have no choice now. I turn slowly, and our eyes lock. His lips quirk up before he whispers in Riff’s ear. He stands and meets my stare again. Riff nods and leans over toward Trip and Tyke to fill them in on whatever Noel just told him.

Noel brings the mic up to his lips. “This song goes out to the girl who is my everything. I’m not an easy man to love, and music is about the best way I know how to express my feelings. This is called ‘Faithfully’.”

Riff plays a few notes on his guitar, and I instantly recognize the melody made famous by Journey.

After the intro, Noel’s voice blends into the acoustic chords beautifully. He takes a couple slow steps before hopping off the stage. He fixates on me while coming closer with each step. My heart pounds as he stops directly in front of me. He sings sweet words about life on the road being tough and how loving a man involved in the music business is hard. Especially when things don’t always go the way they’re supposed to. Noel’s eyebrows pull in as he gazes into my eyes and continues the verse. The last few lines are about me standing by him through everything and that he’s mine,
forever
and faithfully.

A lump catches in my throat and I swallow hard, trying not to cry in front of a room full of strangers. Noel grabs my hand and threads his fingers through mine. I squeeze his hand as a tear slips down my cheek. He lets my hand go and brushes it away while he continues to sing. He says he’s lost without me, and being apart isn’t easy, but we need to learn to fall in love all over again.

He sings, “Faithfully. Oh oh oh oh…
”

A sob escapes me, and everything I planned on saying flies out the window. I feel how much he loves me through the passion in those lyrics. Noel drops the microphone, and a loud
thud
snaps around the room. He cups my face and pulls it to his. Tears stream down both our faces, and he presses his lips to mine.

“Forever,” he whispers. “I’m yours.”

F
ind
the Next Book in the Series Now:
Rock the Band