“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You think you’re going to be happier
here?” she asked, waving to indicate the stark walls surrounding him. “You
think life behind bars will be better than living with me, enjoying perks you
never had to work for?”
“I did work for them, damn it,” he seethed.
“You think it was easy being your bitch?”
She knew he was just trying to antagonize
her, so she supressed her need to come back with a biting comment. “I don’t
think you have any idea how good you had it with me.” She smiled. “But you’re
about to find out. Years behind bars, eating the crap they dish out instead of
eating in five-star restaurants. Locked up in a cell like a caged animal
instead of living in the lap of luxury at the Four Seasons.” She surveyed her
flawless nails just to piss him off. He used to love getting manicures on her
dime. “No more spa dates for you, little Ricky. No more designer clothes or
shoes, fancy cars, or sexy supermodels. Just time to think about what a
worthless piece of shit you are.”
She hung up, leaving him red-faced and
seething as he shouted behind glass. She felt the weight of the world lift off
her shoulders as she slipped her designer sunglasses into place and walked out
the door, flanked by the armed bodyguard who’d been waiting for her.
Elle was finally free.
***
“Are you sure you’re okay, Elle?” Nikki
Spencer McCall whispered in her ear.
Elle had gone out for dinner with the group
on one of their rare nights off, and she’d barely been able to touch her
chicken. Her stomach was upset… again. “I’m fine. I guess I wasn’t as hungry as
I’d thought.”
“I’ve noticed you’ve been under the weather
a lot lately. Do you think you have a virus? Maybe you should have a doctor
check you out.”
Elle knew Nikki was just trying to help,
but she hated going to the doctor. It was their job to find something wrong,
and in her experience, they usually did. “I’m sure it’s nothing.” She gave
Nikki a weak smile as she reached for her water glass.
“Have I told you how happy I am you decided
to join us on this tour, Elle?” Trey said from his post at the head of the
table. “When I heard Clint had to bail, I was sure we were going to have to
disappoint our fans, but you really came through for us.” Trey raised his water
glass, and the others seated around the long rectangular table followed his
lead. “To Elle. We’ve respected you as an artist, but we’ve all come to value
you as a friend. You’re a part of our family now.”
“Hear, hear,” everyone called out, clinking
glasses and beaming at Elle.
She laughed, embarrassment making her
cheeks burn as she felt tears spring to her eyes. She’d always wanted a
close-knit family and a large network of friends, and these people who’d barely
known her a few months ago had adopted her as one of their own. She was
overwhelmed with love and gratitude for each of them. She had to pull herself
together so she could express her appreciation.
“It’s no secret I’ve been going through a
rough time lately,” she said, clearing her throat. She smiled when Nikki
squeezed her hand. “Truth is, I was thrilled when y’all asked me to go out on
the road with you. It was an honor, but it also allowed me to run away from the
problems I was having back home.”
Ty McCall smiled as he put his arm around
his wife, Avery. “We all need to run away sometimes, sweetheart. Just ask my
wife. She thinks about bailin’ on me all the time.”
Avery rolled her eyes. “He’s such a liar.
He thinks he’s gonna get rid of me after all these years. Stupid, stupid man.”
Their friends laughed, and Elle smiled,
wishing Caleb’s face wasn’t the one that had popped into her head when she
thought about how great it would be to share that kind of love and camaraderie
with someone. “You gave me a way out when I really needed one, and I’m grateful
for that.”
Trey and his wife, Sierra, shared a look
before he said, “Everyone needs a little space now and then, but you can’t run
away from your problems forever, honey. There comes a time when you have to
face them head on.”
“Sometimes it’s too late for that,” Elle
said, lowering her head. She hadn’t intended to spoil their evening with her
personal problems.
“I don’t know about that,” Trey said,
kissing Sierra’s hand. “I happen to think it’s never too late to undo a
mistake.”
“What do you mean?” Elle asked.
“Sierra and I divorced back when we were
young and stupid.”
Elle’s mouth dropped open. Obviously that
had been before her time, but she was surprised she hadn’t heard about the
Turners’ divorce. “Really? What happened?” She immediately regretted her
question. “I’m sorry, if that’s too personal…”
Trey laughed. “Darlin’, we’re all family
here. There’s no one at the table who doesn’t know what a jackass I was back
then.”
“You can say that again,” Ty muttered.
“Was I askin’ you?” Trey asked, smirking.
He turned his attention back to Elle. “Anyway, I let the biz change me.”
“You did?” Elle felt the knot in her
stomach grow. “How?”
“It became the most important thing in my
life, or so I thought.” He shifted his chair so he could pull Sierra closer.
“It didn’t take me long to realize all the awards and hits in the world didn’t
mean a damn thing if I didn’t have the love of my life to share it with me.”
Elle blinked back tears, but she was
relieved to see she wasn’t the only one at the table getting emotional. “That’s
beautiful. You two are really lucky to have found your way back to each other.”
“It may not be too late for you and Caleb.”
Trey grinned when he saw surprise cross Elle’s face. “Don’t think I didn’t see
the way he looked at you the night of the awards ceremony. It reminded me of
the way I used to look at Sierra.”
“Used to?” Sierra asked, crossing her arms
as she glared at her husband.
J.T. McCall threw his head back and
laughed. “You walked right into that one, big guy.”
“You know I still look at you that way,
baby,” Trey said, nuzzling her neck.
Sierra slapped his chest playfully before
pulling away. “So, Elle, tell us about Caleb. I haven’t had the pleasure of
meeting him yet. I did see that magazine article about y’all though. He’s very
handsome, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is.” Elle twisted her hands in her
lap as she considered whether to come clean about what had happened with Caleb.
She trusted these people. “I’m afraid things didn’t work out. That was one of
the reasons I was anxious to leave town.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sierra said.
“Would you like to talk about it?”
Elle looked around the table, wondering if
she would bore them to tears with tales of her relationship woes.
Mike Cooper laughed. “I know what you’re
thinking, and you don’t have to worry. There’re more years of marriage sitting
around this table than we’d care to count. If we can help you, you know we
will.”
Mike was every bit as wonderful as his
wife: warm, giving, and compassionate. In the short time Elle had known him,
he’d become a true friend, someone she knew she could count on. “Thank you.” She
glanced at Tori, who gave her a subtle wink. “Caleb and I had a little trouble
being honest with each other.”
“How so?” Ty asked, reaching for his beer
bottle.
“He had this ex-girlfriend.” Elle made a
face, making Nikki laugh. “She wanted him back.”
“How did he feel about her?” Avery asked.
“He said he was over her,” Elle said.
“But you didn’t believe him?” Trey asked.
“I did believe him. Before I found out she
was working for him.” Elle smiled when the waitress refilled her water glass
and waited until she left the table to continue. “Turns out she went on a
business trip with him, and he didn’t even tell me. Can you believe that?”
“Ouch,” Sierra said, wincing. “That’s gotta
hurt.”
“Like hell,” Elle muttered. She didn’t try
to hide the fact her heart was broken. She was pretty sure they could tell that
just by the way she said Caleb’s name.
“Maybe he had a good reason,” Trey said.
Sierra frowned at him. “He had a good
reason for taking his ex-girlfriend on a business trip and forgetting to
mention it to his current girlfriend? This I gotta hear.”
“I’m just saying,” Trey said, holding up
his hand. “I met him a couple of times, and he seemed like a stand-up guy.
Maybe he had a reason for doing what he did.”
“According to him, Vana meant nothing to
him,” Elle said. “He didn’t want to put our relationship at risk by telling me
something he didn’t think I could handle.”
“Hmm,” Ty said. “You think there was
anything goin’ on between them.”
“No, I think he’s a one-man woman, but that
doesn’t excuse the fact that he kept something important from me.” Elle’s
conscience kicked in, reminding her that she’d done the same to him. But it
wasn’t the same thing. She had just been trying to protect him.
Could he have
also been trying to protect her?
“Look, I don’t know this guy well enough to
comment about his motives,” Trey said, “but I know a thing or two about making
mistakes. There has to be room for forgiveness in a relationship, Elle. You
can’t expect your partner to be perfect any more than you can expect it from
yourself.”
Elle looked around the table. Everyone
clearly agreed with Trey. “So you think I should give him a chance to make
things right?” Or maybe she should ask his forgiveness for keeping him out of
the loop.
“I think you should let your heart guide
you,” Trey said, kissing Sierra’s shoulder. “It’ll always lead you in the right
direction, honey.”
“There must be some mistake,” Elle
said, staring at the doctor in disbelief. “I haven’t been sexually active for
almost three months. I can’t be pregnant.”
The doctor frowned as he reviewed her file.
“Has your cycle been regular, Miss Morgan?”
Elle struggled to remember the last time
she’d had her period. It had been a while, but she’d been too busy to notice.
It wasn’t unusual for her to skip a month when she was under a lot of stress,
and with their tour coming to a close and trying to decide what to do about
Caleb, she’d been at her wit’s end.
“Miss Morgan?”
“I’m sorry.” She twisted her hands in her
lap. “I guess it has been a while. I must have lost track.”
“That happens,” he said, touching her
shoulder. “Though most women don’t make it this far without realizing
something’s a little off.”
“I knew something was off,” she snapped.
“That’s why I came to see you. The fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite…” She
sighed. “I thought I may be really sick. I guess I should be grateful I’m not.”
“I take it this pregnancy is not a welcome
surprise?” He looked down at her over his wire-rimmed glasses.
“It’s just a shock,” she admitted. “I don’t
know how I feel about it yet.”
“The good news is everything looks good so
far. You said you’re returning home in a few days?”
Elle nodded numbly.
“Good. I’d like you to see your family
doctor as soon as you can. He’ll set up an ultrasound.” He reached for his
prescription pad. “In the meantime, I’d suggest you start on pre-natal vitamins
right away.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, reaching for the slip
of paper. “Thank you.”
“Do you have any questions for me?” the
doctor asked.
Her biggest question was how Caleb would
feel about becoming a daddy. “I don’t think so.”
The doctor chuckled. “You’ll have a million
questions soon, I’m sure. The most important thing for you to do right now is
to eat well, rest as much as you can, and try to take it easy. Stress isn’t
good for the baby.”
“Got it. Thank you, doctor.” Elle watched
him leave the room before she folded her hands over her stomach. One thing was
for sure… her life was never going to be the same.
***
“I can’t believe you haven’t heard from
her,” Drake said, reaching for a handful of chips from the glass bowl in the
middle of Caleb’s coffee table.
Caleb had been watching a football game, or
pretending to, when Drake stopped by and offered to keep him company. Cassidy
and her sister were having a girls’ night.
“Then you have?” When Caleb saw the guilty
expression on his friend’s face, he wished he hadn’t asked. He didn’t want
Drake to feel caught in the middle. “It’s okay, man. You guys work together;
you’re friends. I understand why she’d keep in touch with you.”
“If it’s any consolation, Elle sounds just
as miserable as you do.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Caleb
muttered. The last thing he wanted was for Elle to be unhappy.
“I don’t know why you’re both being so damn
stubborn. Anyone can see you two belong together.”