A Time to Move On (16 page)

Laura wanted to dry her eyes and
collect herself before taking the call. But she couldn’t do that. If she was
going to fall for Mack, he needed to see the real side of her. He needed to
hear her cry. And she needed to tell him exactly what she wanted.

Laura answered the phone call.
“Mack…”

“Laura? What’s wrong?”

“Mack… come save me.”

(16)

The band was gathered in Amy’s
restaurant at a long table. They had closed early for the night to entertain
Fallen Tuesday, Frank, the tour promoters, and some record execs. Everyone
celebrated the new album and the record setting first day sales.

Mack had a glass of champagne at
the beginning of the meal. This time, opening the bottle was a little more
traditional as Frank took the bottle and did it himself. Mack quickly changed
from champagne to beer and whiskey. It tasted better and worked better.

Standing at the table, he looked
around and saw a world of conversation happening. The record execs were holding
martinis, each with a hand in their pocket, smiling and talking. They were
making money. Frank was in between them and the tour promoters, constantly
working.

Then there was the band.

Everyone celebrating.

Luke's hands all over Amy. Gray
holding Carina, smiling ear to ear. Trent and Emily in a corner, laughing. Jake
and Mel sitting across from each other at a private corner table, Jake holding
Mel’s hands.

They were all happy. Love was
happening all around him, even in the middle of something so amazing and serious.
Fallen Tuesday had officially sealed their fate not just as rock stars but as a
band that would stay. They didn’t flounder on the new record and the tour dates
were selling out faster than Frank could get them booked.

Yet Mack stood alone.

Damnit, he wanted Laura here right
now. He wanted her to see this moment and take it all in. To experience the
happiness. More so, Mack wanted someone to hold. Someone to kiss. Someone to
spend time with.

He wanted her. So bad.

Mack finished off his beer and went
to the bar and put the empty bottle down.

“Another one?” the young bartender
asked.

“No, I’m good.”

“You’re good?” Luke asked, still
with his arms around Amy. “Are you sick, man?”

“No,” Mack said.

“Sick with love,” Gray called out
and laughed.

“Really?” Mack asked. “Are you sure
you want to go there?”

Gray put his hands up and laughed.

“He has a point,” Luke said.

“In case you didn’t notice, I’m
alone tonight.”

“You don’t seem very happy about
it.”

Mack turned and walked away from
the bar. He didn’t stop until he was outside the restaurant. He knew the guys
were just busting on him, which was fine. The problem was what Mack felt inside
himself. How he battled his own heart to make a damn decision. What had
happened with Laura on the practice stage and in his house… that was real. And
that would happen again if he called her. Which wasn’t a bad thing, but for the
first time since it all happened, he wanted to talk about Kelly. And he wanted
to do that with Laura.

He wanted her to know everything so
then she could make her own decision.

“Mack, you okay?”

“I’m good, Frank,” Mack said. “Ball
busters in there.”

“Yeah,” Frank said. “Hey, listen,
it’s been a hell of a day. You guys are setting records by the hour it seems.
But looking at you, I don’t know if you’re really here.”

“I’m really here,” Mack said. “Just
thinking about being somewhere else.”

Frank pointed to one of the cars
parked out front. “That will take you anywhere you want to go.”

“You know I hate being treated like
that,” Mack said. “I’d rather my two wheels and the open road.”

“You’ve been drinking,” Frank said.

“And I’m not an idiot,” Mack said.

He pulled out his phone. Frank
smiled and nodded.

Frank disappeared and Mack made a
phone call.

When Laura picked up the call, she
said his name. “Mack…”

But Laura didn’t sound right.
“Laura? What’s wrong?”

Mack’s heart raced. Distance was
not a friend of his and he had already started to walk toward the waiting car.

“Mack… come save me.”

(17)

Laura had to wait for someone to
come home. Jeff walked in the door an hour after talking to Mack. She had told
Mack to meet her at her apartment. When Jeff walked in the door, he found a
calm and quiet house. Laura put on a strong face and told him Hannah had been peacefully
asleep for a few hours. Jeff thanked her four times, hugged her once, and then
Laura was gone.

When she arrived at her apartment,
a black car was waiting for her. It was sleek and sexy, only getting sexier
when the backdoor opened and Mack stepped out.

Laura slammed her car door shut and
ran to him. His hands were around her, hugging her, holding her. Mack was
silent as he stroked her hair. The silence, just like he’d done before, was
what she needed. The silence held Laura together until she was ready to fall
apart.

When Laura pushed from Mack’s
chest, he looked down at her. “Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”

“Where?”

“Does it matter?”

That was exactly what Laura needed
to hear. “No, it doesn’t. As long as you’re with me, Mack.”

“I’m right here. I’m not going
anywhere tonight.”

Tonight. What about tomorrow?
What about… forever?

Questions that would remain
unanswered for now.

Laura got into the car and Mack was
right behind her. He shut the door and the car started to drive. There was a privacy
divider between the front and back which meant they could talk, touch, and do
anything they wanted.

But again, Mack allowed silence.

“I’m sorry to ruin your night,”
Laura finally whispered.

“You’re not. I was with the band
and a bunch of suits and ties.”

“Because of the album…” Laura
looked at Mack. “Oh, Mack, I’ve ruined your big day.”

“My big day?” Mack asked. “I’m not
an eight year old celebrating a birthday.”

He smiled and Laura felt a shot of
warmth throughout her body. Mack was a special man. And he was staring right at
her.

“It’s a pretty important day.”

“It is,” Mack said. “But I was
standing around with the band watching them with their significant others. I
felt empty and lost, Laura. So I called you. Just in time it seems.”

“Just in time,” Laura said with a
nod. “I was babysitting my niece. And it was hard.”

“Can I ask why?”

Yes!

Laura wanted to tell Mack
everything. It was there, on the tip of her tongue.

“Where are we going?” she asked
instead.

“Wherever this car takes us,” Mack
replied with a grin. He put a hand to Laura’s face. “You are so beautiful,
Laura. That pain and sadness needs to come out.”

“What are you hiding?”

“I've told you that something
happened to me, Laura.”

“But what?”

Mack slipped his hand to the back
of Laura’s neck. He pulled her close for a quick kiss and then said, “Tell me,
Laura. I won’t beg you. But I will demand you to tell me. And if that makes me
wrong, then I’m wrong. I’ve lived wrong for a long time and I’m not afraid to
keep doing so.”

The words were full of passion as
they escaped Mack’s mouth. His lips were just inches from Laura’s still. Laura
wanted another kiss, but she knew Mack wasn’t going to give her one. Not until
she spoke to him.

“Soon,” she managed to whisper.
“But will you just hold me for right now?”

Mack responded with his arms. He
scooped Laura up and held her.

The car stopped a short while later
and Mack opened the door. He got out and offered a hand to Laura. She took it
and stepped out into a parking lot. An almost empty parking lot. A familiar
parking lot at that. It was the building where Mack and Fallen Tuesday
practiced. There were two other vehicles in the parking lot. A motorcycle. And
a massive bus.

“Mack… what is that?”

“That’s the tour bus,” Mack said.

“That’s the biggest vehicle I’ve
ever seen. It’s a house.”

“Well, it has to keep the five of
us from killing each other on the road. Want to see the inside?”

“Really?”

“It’s my bus,” Mack said. “Well,
our bus. We can do whatever we want.”

Mack had a little grin to his words
that made Laura bite her bottom lip. Going onto the tour bus for Fallen Tuesday
certainly had some implications. She looked back and watched the black car
leaving the parking lot. She was alone with Mack for sure now.

He took her hand and walked her to
the bus. He took out a key and unlocked the door. He opened it and flicked on a
light switch. A set of lights along the ceiling of the bus clicked on. Laura
followed Mack up the steps and when she turned and saw the bus, her mouth fell
open. It really was a house on wheels. Couches. Tables. Chairs. A kitchen. It
looked bigger inside than outside, which seemed impossible.

“Come here,” Mack said.

He led the way to the back of the
bus. He showed Laura a small recording studio and then where the band was going
to sleep.

“This is wild,” Laura said. “You
guys are going to be driving around in this thing?”

“For a long time,” Mack said. He
turned and faced Laura. “The tour is going to take a couple years. But we’ll
have plenty of breaks. Plenty of private cars to drive us around. A private jet
when we want it. And my motorcycle.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“All I need is you there with me,”
Mack said.

Laura put her hands to Mack’s
chest. “Oh, Mack. I want…”

“Good. Want it. Take it. It’s right
in front of you.”

Laura looked up at him. Emotion
came over her as she stared into the drummer’s sexy and taunting eyes. She
couldn’t go forward without going back. Right here, right now.

“I lost someone,” Laura whispered.
“Like you did.”

“Who?”

“I had a daughter, Mack. Her… her
name was Ella. She was a beautiful little girl. Full of life. I lost her.”

The words were out there. They
couldn’t be taken back.

Mack put a hand to Laura’s face.
“You lost…?”

Laura swallowed hard. “Gone, Mack.
They told me she gained her angel wings. That’s how they phrased it.”

“Christ,” Mack whispered. “Come
here, right now.” Mack took Laura to the front of the bus. He sat her down and
sat next to her, his arm around her. “Tell me everything, sweetheart. Were you
married or something?”

“No. Just one of those things. His
name was Jon. He was a good father. But he wanted nothing to do with me. He was
honest about that from the second I got pregnant. I called him tonight, which I
usually do when I'm sad. But tonight was the last time. I'm done."

“Why did you call him?”

“Because I needed to know how he
was able to move on.”

Mack kissed the top of Laura’s
head. “It’s okay to hold on, sweetheart.”

“It’s because he was there,” Laura
said. “I wasn’t.” She looked at Mack. Words were coming out that had never been
spoken aloud before. “I wasn’t there to guide her away. I told myself she would
wait for me. I was her mother, right?”

“What happened?” Mack asked. He
reached and wiped a tear off Laura’s cheek.

“She was sick,” Laura said.
“Leukemia.”

“Oh, Laura,” Mack said. Both hands
went to her face. He swallowed. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

“So am I,” Laura said. “She fought
so hard. All the time. There were so many good days, Mack. So many days when I
looked at her and pictured her with a long and happy life. A life where she
would be cured…” Laura sucked in a breath. “She caught pneumonia and couldn’t
beat it. And I wasn’t there.”

“Why weren’t you there?”

“I was fucking working,” Laura
snapped. She squeezed her eyes closed.

Mack didn’t let go.

Please don’t ever let go.

“Working…”

Laura nodded. “I was on the
management team for a property acquisition firm. I was a so-called
big wig
in the making. My sweet Ella was in the hospital. Jon had told me the doctors
weren’t sure how long she had. We spent day and night with her. Jon and the
doctors convinced me to take a break from the hospital, so I went to work. Even
with Ella sick, there was no connection between Jon and me.”

“You had to do it all alone,” Mack
said.

“With someone else there,” Laura
said. “And that made me even lonelier, if that makes sense.”

“It makes perfect sense.”

“I was at work, caught up in a
project. My boss called and dialed me in on a conference call. I ended up
coming up with a strategy to buy an old retail center. And at that exact
moment, my baby girl
gained her angel wings
. I had myself convinced that
my little girl would wait for me. But she didn’t. By the time I got to the
hospital, my daughter was gone and Jon was in his own hospital bed.”

“Why him?”

“He had a panic attack. Freaked
out. Had to be sedated.”

“Damn.”

“That’s everything, Mack. That’s my
life. I was working when my baby left this world. I wanted to be there. I
wanted to kiss her. I wanted to say goodbye. That’s why…”

“That’s why you run,” Mack said.

“Yes. If I settle in one place too
long, it all comes barreling back. If I move on, how do I keep my baby?"

“She’ll always be in your heart,”
Mack said.

“Is that what you have? Room in
your heart? For your memories? For me?”

“You have stolen my heart,” Mack
said. “And that means something, because when it’s broken, that’s a lot of
pieces to collect. You have them all, Laura. And what you went through… I’m
sorry.”

“Jon moved on. He left. He’s
engaged. He’s okay. But I’m not.”

“But you are,” Mack said. He took
Laura by her hands. “You’re living right now. Every decision has put you here.
On this bus. Staring at me.”

“It scares me, Mack.”

“Why?”

“Because you make it worth letting
go.”

As the words were spoken, Laura
knew she had never been so honest with anyone in her life before, including
herself. Tears streamed down her face.

“You know, our manager, Frank, said
something to me…
letting go won't make you forget..."

“What if I have to run?” Laura
asked.

“Then I’ll chase you down. You’re
not going to get away from me. If you want me…”

“I want you so bad,” Laura interrupted.
“But I don’t want to be in the way. I’ve ruined your day. Your album comes out
and I’m on your tour bus crying, confessing my darkest secrets. You should be
partying. Drinking. Enjoying…”

“I’m enjoying right now,” Mack
said. “Damnit, you’re going to listen to me. I celebrated. I drank. I gave
hugs. Now I’m looking at my future. Not the tour bus. Not the album sales. You.
You're everything I’ve needed and have been waiting for… for… well… a long
time.”

There was more to that and Laura
would find out what it was. But before that, she moved forward and kissed Mack.
She touched his face and kissed him again.

“Thank you for easing my fears.”

“I’m not easing your fears,” Mack
said. “You’ve just managed to look at life through a new set of eyes. That
would scare me."

“You should try it.”

Mack kissed Laura hard. Laura
caught her hands sliding down to Mack’s shirt. Her fingers curling, clawing,
wanting to dig into his bare, muscular skin. For the first time, Laura pushed
the past aside, forgot about the future, and focused on the one true thing
happening right now; Laura was alone with Mack… on the tour bus… in a position
that a lot of women dreamed to be in. Selfishly, it felt good to be the envy of
the women who had the life Laura always thought she would have, and she wasn't
going to run away this time.

*

Mack told himself to stop kissing
Laura. To stop running his hands along her beautiful body. To stop his left
hand from pressing against her hip and to stop his right hand from moving up
her shirt. But when his hand gently rested against her breast, he couldn’t
stop.

He didn’t want to take advantage of
Laura during a vulnerable time in her life, but he and Laura were both
vulnerable. And soon enough, he would take his turn confessing his tragedy. But
first…

Mack ended the kiss.

“Don’t say…,” Laura tried to speak.

Mack turned and slid from the
couch. He grabbed Laura's waist and lifted her into his arms. Laura’s legs
wrapped tight around his waist and they stared at each other as Mack walked her
to the beds.

As Mack placed Laura on one of the built
in beds, he gently kissed her lips. He then hurried down to her neck and
beyond, his hands working with a fiery passion to lift her shirt. There wasn’t
as much room as Mack would have liked right now, but it was the tour bus. And
Laura’s eyes were devouring him.

Laura propped herself up on one
elbow and reached forward to touch Mack’s jeans. She cupped him and the teasing
touch drove him crazy. He tore at Laura’s pants, pulling her right to his body
as she let out a whimpering scream.

He stood Laura up and held her.
Their mouths came together again and Mack unsnapped her bra. As it fell to the
tour bus floor, his hands traveled down her bare skin and went to work on her
pants. Pants and panties slid down with ease and Mack’s fingers came up and
touched Laura, feeling her desire as it burned against his touch. Laura slipped
a hand into Mack’s pants and boxers, taking hold of him tight, loving his
thickness.

When Mack couldn’t take anymore, he
let out a low growl and pressed his forehead to Laura’s.

“Damn, sweetheart, you don’t get
what you do.”

“My hand has an idea,” Laura
whispered as she gripped him harder.

“Back on the bed,” Mack ordered.

He brought his hands to Laura’s ass
and pulled at her. She let out a cry and he placed her back on the bed. Mack reached
for his pants one last time and then kissed Laura as he prepared himself to
love her body. Then with a thorough thrust forward, Mack was welcomed into
Laura’s desire, holding his body tight to hers.