Stephanie’s brows rose, asking a silent question. Darla shook her head.
“At least come backstage with me. You don’t have to go in. According to Blaine, we should go behind the stage, follow a long hallway, and present the passes to the guards at the door. I will be allowed inside for a meet and greet.”
“I’ll just go back to the car.”
Stephanie motioned at the ecstatic, rowdy crowd. “This is a total mob. We don’t need to separate. Come with me and wait in the hall. I promise I won’t try to persuade you to go any farther.”
Darla didn’t entirely trust Steph in that her friend wouldn’t attempt to coax her to accompanying her into where the band assembled. Though if she were honest, she’d like to get one more glimpse of Eric before she walked away from him forever. Maybe she could get a peek through the door without him noticing her.
“All right,” she agreed. “I’ll go with you, but I refuse to go inside, so don’t try to convince me.”
The two women fought through the throngs of people trying to get to the platform. Stephanie was right. This was a mob. Backstage, a barricade was set up to keep the fans at bay. Guards stood at different intervals to make sure no one busted across although they stayed busy pushing those back who tried to infiltrate the stronghold.
Stephanie flashed a pass at a man in uniform. He moved to allow her inside. She spun to Darla and held up the second badge. “You’re sure?”
Darla choked back a sudden rush of tears she didn’t understand. “I can’t.”
Stephanie nodded but pressed the spare permit into her hand. “If you change your mind.”
After Stephanie went inside, Darla shuffled to the far end of the line and found a small cubby to back into. She brushed at a rogue tear. The memories of the last moment she’d been with Eric became clear as if they’d just happened.
Before he left, he’d made no promises to keep in touch nor did she ask if he would. She didn’t want to hear his answer, but she’d hoped…and held on to the hope of someday up until tonight. Now she understood. This life was too much a part of him. They would never happen.
The door to the room flung open bringing Darla back to the present. She stepped out of her refuge and quietly viewed the scads of people pouring outside. The crowd thinned as a number of large built bodyguards appeared from the band’s chamber.
A ripple of panic swept across her. The guards were surrounding the band members. From the way the men had lined up, they were hustling Raging Impulse in the direction of the barricade, through a pair of gigantic swinging doors displaying a waiting limo outside. Each member would pass directly in front of Darla to get to the exit. She tried to shrink into her hideout. Fans shrieked and shouted their favorite’s name, jumping up and down. The men obligingly turned with a smile to wave to them. Eric was last to make an appearance.
Darla strained to disappear into the mass of people, but their momentum to reach him drove her the other way and into the barrier. If he looked in her direction there was little chance he wouldn’t notice her.
Eric grinned and held up a hand, pointing to the crowd inciting more deafening screams. Darla was close enough to tell his eyes weren’t focused on any one person. The dread in the pit of her stomach rose to her throat as he approached. Her heart banged against her chest, twice its speed. Would he speak? What should she say to him if he did? His guards urged him forward, and then he passed her without even a glance her way. She released the breath she was unaware she held.
The instant he reached the double doors he stopped. Slowly he turned to face the crowd. Blue eyes immediately connected with hers, holding her gaze for the briefest moment before the guards steered him outside.
Darla stared at the closed doors.
“Are you ready to go?” Stephanie stood beside her. “I’m going to meet Blaine later, so if you’re good let’s get out of this mess.”
****
Darla couldn’t sleep. She got out of bed, threw on her jeans and a hoodie, deciding to go for a late night walk to clear her head. Outside, she found the salty breeze uplifting. She strolled down the beach, traveling as far as to the house where she’d attended the party weeks ago before she elected to reverse the other way and go home.
Wind whipped her curls in her face as the cool ocean rolled over her bare feet. The chilled night air raged off the water, pushing in a blanket of clouds over the darkened sky. A rumble boomed in the distance as glimmers of light flashed above, the smell of rain clung to the breeze. Goosebumps prickled over her skin. A mountain of nostalgia swept through her. The evening was too similar to the evening she met Eric.
At her deck, she mounted the steps. The walk didn’t help her restlessness and she’d deal with another sleepless night. Maybe some ice cream would make her feel better.
She ambled across the planks to the back door. Hand on the handle, she was about to give the knob a twist, when she glanced at Eric’s old house like she did every time she was outside. The lights were on. She stared at the lit home. The place had remained dark since they’d parted ways in Texas. Blaine was staying with Stephanie tonight. So, who was inside?
“Why didn’t you come backstage?”
Darla flinched. She stayed immobile for a few moments, then forced herself to rotate around. The familiar steely indigo gaze pierced into her. Eric slowly rose from the chaise lounge at the edge of her deck. His eyes remained linked and held hers as he strolled across the boarded surface. He walked over to where she stood and stopped in front of her.
“How’s the arm?”
“Better. It gives me trouble every once in a while like your dad said it would.” He hesitated. “You ignored my question. How come you didn’t come see me?”
She took a deep breath. She grabbed an errant curl and twisted the hair around her finger. “I had no reason to, did I?”
Eric’s eyebrows shot up. He had the nerve to appear hurt. “We experienced quite an adventure a few weeks ago. I’d think that’s reason enough.”
Darla pushed away floods of emotion which she would need to deal with, although not now. “We did share something, a lot from my standpoint. But you’ve been quiet since. At least toward me. I’ve kind of gotten the impression you’d moved on. What did you say? You don’t believe in this whole love and happily ever after crap. We had an attraction and you acted on it. Your way of thinking is we’d see things through and let them run their course. Pretty close to what happened, right?”
Eric laughed. “Ah, I love when my words come back and bite me in the ass.”
“I bet.” She chuckled too, though her laugh carried a sarcastic tone. “So why are you here?”
He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m staying at my house for a few days. Wanted to say hello since you couldn’t bother. Oh, and tell you congratulations. Stephanie told me you got a new job. Something about you assisting on an archeological dig?”
“The excavation is in South America. I’m taking a sabbatical from the college. I leave in a week.”
“Good deal.” He withdrew a hand, touched his shirt then as if he remembered something, he thrust it back into his jean pocket.
“You can smoke if you need to. There’s no cause for me to care.” She couldn’t resist adding, “Anymore.”
“Whether you do or don’t—” He lifted a sleeve and turned to her to reveal a patch on his upper arm. “Trying to quit.”
“I’m impressed.”
“I listened to you.” He released his shirt and looked out into the darkness. The wind was picking up and the growls in the distance were becoming louder, closer. After a few minutes of dead air, he turned back to her, “I took your advice about a lot of things.”
“Which advice? I believe I gave you an enormous amount.”
“You did cram quite a bit at me in a week.” He chuckled. “Signed up online to finish my education. I’ll graduate in three months and earn a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Not as good as you but maybe someday.”
“Still exciting. Especially since you guys are so busy. Now if this whole music thing doesn’t work out, you’ve got a backup.”
“That I do. I also took a short break. Went back to Scotland. Had a good holiday with my family. Plan on going again for a longer one soon.”
“I’m sure your parents are happy you reconciled with them.”
“They are. And I am too. They were more understanding about the missing money than I thought they’d be.” He grinned. “Granted, the news was out before I visited home so they had a chance to get used to the idea.”
“My brother told me they haven’t found him yet. Dugan.”
“Every time we close in, the leads run out. We figure he’s probably changed his identity by now.” His mouth tensed into a straight line. “We believe we can kiss that money goodbye, but we’re not giving up.”
“You’re doing well with your new band. The amount of income won’t be as much as you once earned right now, though you’ll recoup nicely in the long run.”
“Yep.” He smiled. “I can honestly say as far as my career is concerned, I exceeded my wildest dreams.”
“I’m happy everything worked out for you.”
“Almost.”
Darla gave him a skeptical look. “What else do you want to achieve? A new number one record, song writing accolades, and respect from your peers. I’m sure cash will be rolling in soon.”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“What?”
“To South America. How long is your trip?”
“Three weeks, possibly four.”
A cold blast propelled across the deck almost pushing her off balance. Eric put a hand out to steady her, but she quickly stepped away from him and crossed her arms.
“I told my parents about you. They want to meet you. I was hoping you could squeeze in a trip to Scotland sometime this fall.”
“You told them…they want me to come—to Scotland?”
“Yeah. They’re planning a holiday here, but that won’t be till Christmas. They’d want to get together with you before then if possible. So, they’d like you to come stay for a time. They want to get to know you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I explained to them what you’d done for me. You saved my life in more ways than one. They’re grateful for all of your help. They’d like to say thank you.”
Although the confession touched her, she refused to revel in the happiness she experienced or to give him any ammunition to use against her due to her increasing vulnerable state.
She lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t do anything but remind you of what’s important. You got some of it right.”
“I’m trying to get everything right,” Eric said with a lazy grin. Then he looked away. “When my career fell into place, I realized nothing was in place. I also concluded my opinion ’bout relationships were wrong. I do want to be with one person.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I want that person to be you.”
“It took you six weeks to figure that out?”
“Okay, in some areas I’m a slower learner than others. After you, I couldn’t return to my old way of life. I tried. Believe me I tried. I did everything to forget you, to go back to my carefree habits, but that style of living doesn’t work for me anymore. Nothing jelled. The fame, the money, those things weren’t as important as I first believed. My life was incomplete. I fought to not come back to you every day since I left. Even had m’ bags packed on more than one occasion.”
“So why didn’t you?”
He looked shamed. “I was too afraid. You deserve a man so much worthier than me, and I feared you’d recognize that while we were apart. Then I realized how we almost died and I became even more scared of being without you. I’m trying, Darla. I’m trying to be a better person, a better man, for you. Every song I write is about you, or I at least insert a connection to you somewhere in the lyrics.” He slipped a hand into his pocket, removed something, and held it out to her. “A copy of the new Spiraling UP’s disk. Read the back of the case.”
She took the recording and grasped it between her hands as she silently read the cover.
For Darla. My song, my life.
She swallowed a gasp as she tried to keep the hand clutching the CD jacket from trembling. Her gaze returned to Eric.
“When I saw you tonight.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “’Bout brought me to my knees. The bodyguards almost had to carry me to the car. I can’t get you out of my thoughts, my dreams, or my head. I knew I had to take a chance and tell you. Even if you reject me.” He turned to her and captured her gaze. “You know where this is heading, right?”
Darla
s
miled as she nodded. “But if you think you’re going to get out of this easily you need to think again. I’ve been waiting. I need to hear the words.”
Eric ducked his head and cleared his throat. “This is a first for me.”
“I get that. But that doesn’t change a thing. You have to say it.”
“I didn’t figure you’d let me off the hook.” He inhaled and stared directly into her eyes. “Okay, here goes. I now believe in the phenomenon of love. The reason I believe in love, is because I am in love—with you, Darla Hennessy. I want to be with you, forever.”
“Not so hard, right?”
Eric chuckled. “You tell me.” He gazed at her expectantly.
She took in a deep breath. “I’m in love with you too.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming. I’m not prepared for a ‘but.’”
“You left me six weeks ago and you made no attempt to contact me. I understand you needing to figure things out. With all the digital stuff available, how hard would it be to at least send me a message. Maybe even make me aware you were wrestling with something?”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve.” He shook his head. “I’m still in the learning phases of this whole love thing. These feelings I’ve been dealing with confused me. I don’t understand how to react to them.”
“Not a good excuse. For all you know, I could’ve moved on.”
“That was a chance, yeah. But I also kept tabs on you.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“Blaine, through Stephanie. I knew there was no one else. Like I said, I fought every day not to come back to you. Yet if I’d found out if any guy so much as looked in your direction, I’d been at your front doorstep in a heartbeat.”