Saved By You (27 page)

A smile touched her cheeks. “We’ll take it slow, this time,” she said.

I shook my head. “I don’t think I can go down there,” I said. “I don’t think I can face Scottie, again. Not after leaving him in yet another bind.”

Now it was Sarah’s turn to look at me confused.

“
Another
bind?” she said.

I nodded. “With the Battle of the Bands,” I said. “With Haden leaving town,
Fighting Forward
doesn’t have a guitarist—again. That’s the second time I’ve driven away their guitarist. They probably have a hit put out on me already. It’s safest to stay at home.”

Sarah laughed, and I found myself cracking a smile, too.

“But, seriously,” I said. “I don’t know if I can go down there. It’s just going to remind me of Haden—and it’s going to remind me of everything that’s gone wrong since I showed up in Green Falls.”

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” she said.

I considered it for a while. I knew she was right—I knew that I had to get out and get some fresh air. It would do me some good. It was just hard. Everything in town either reminded me of Mom, or reminded me of Haden—and they were the two people that I didn’t want to think about. I didn’t want to think about how I’d fallen in love with an amazing guy, only to have the whole thing blow up.

It was my fault he was gone. I had told him to stay away. But, I’d done it for the right reasons. I’d done it
because
I loved him—not because I didn’t want to be with him. It took every effort to not pick up the phone when he called. And, I had to delete his messages before I even listened to them. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle hearing his voice—maybe one day, but not yet.

But, Sarah did have a point. I had to start somewhere. I had to get myself out of the little rut that I’d fallen in. Maybe facing some of my fears head on was the exact way to do that.

“Okay,” I said. A smile spread across her face. “One drink, and that’s it.”

She beamed at me. “You don’t have to drink anything if you don’t want to—we just need to get you out of this damned house.”

I nodded. “Yeah, we do.”

We piled into Sarah’s Volvo and headed off for town. We didn’t say anything during the drive, but I had to admit that it was nice to get out of the house, even just for the ride into town. When we pulled into the parking lot of the Saloon, I was happy to see that there weren’t many cars there. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find only Scottie and a few others holding down the fort. Most of all, though, I was happy to not see Haden’s Beamer.

It wasn’t
really
Haden’s Beamer—it was a rental. But he’d had it the whole time I’d known him. I wondered who was driving it, now, and if they knew that a rock star had been driving the car before they got it.

Scottie was standing behind the bar, in his usual spot, when we walked in. He looked over as we emerged from the tiny hallway, and his face lit up like one of the neon signs in Atlantic City.

“Sarah, Maggie,” he greeted us. He grabbed a towel and wiped his hands off. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen either of you in here.”

I smiled, but still felt a little on edge. Sarah’s face was beaming, like usual.

“We haven’t been getting out much, lately,” she said. She shot a glance at me, but she didn’t go into detail. I was sure he didn’t want to hear how I’d basically been holed up for the better part of a week.

We slid onto the bar stools in front of him, and Sarah gave him an expectant look. His eyes bounced between us. His eyes widened when he realized that we actually wanted something to drink. His eyes shifted to me, narrowing.

“Now, if I remember correctly, you had a bit of a time handling your liquor the last time you tried this,” he said.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Maybe if you have something that isn’t so strong?” I said.

Scottie nodded and he looked at Sarah.

“I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

He ducked behind the bar and grabbed a few bottles and started pouring them into a metal tumbler. Sarah looked fascinated as he went about explaining the drink he was making for us, but I couldn’t focus on it. Visions and memories of Haden were creeping into my head. How many times had we sat on those very stools and talked? How many times had he smiled at me with those gorgeous eyes? I fought to keep my thoughts in line, but I couldn’t focus on anything else for long.

Finally, the drinks were done, and Scottie set two small glasses in front of us. The drinks were an interesting combination of blue and green swirled together.

“This looks good,” Sarah said. She raised it to her lips and sipped at it. I watched her reaction, before doing the same. “Oh, this is pretty sweet,” she said.

Scottie grinned. “Usually it has a lot more alcohol in it, but I only split a shot between the two of you.”

I sipped mine, and thought it tasted fine. I still wasn’t very enthusiastic about drinking, and, as long as I could stomach it, I was fine with whatever he gave me.

Scottie leaned against the bar, and fixed us with a smile.

“Are you two looking forward to the Battle this weekend?” he asked.

My lip twitched, but I saw Sarah’s face spread wide. She nodded, quickly.

“Huck’s competing with a few of his buddies,” she said.

“I thought I saw his name on a list somewhere,” Scottie said.

“They’re convinced they’re going to win,” she said. “But, I’m not sure they’re being realistic with themselves.”

He gave her a wide smile and raised his hands. “You never know, he may surprise you,” he said.

Her face scrunched as she thought about it, then she gave a deliberate shake of her head. “Huck hasn’t surprised me in a long time,” she said. “I know him better than he knows himself.”

Scottie nodded, then he turned to me. “What about you, Maggie. You going to make it out to see this band you hired for me?”

My eyes narrowed at him. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“The band,” he said. “
Fighting Forward…
”

“I didn’t think they were going to be able to play, since Haden took off.”

His grin widened. “I guess you haven’t heard then…” he began.

“Heard what?” I said, quickly, not letting him continue.

A sinking feeling my stomach appeared. Had Haden come back?

Scottie held out a hand to calm me. “Stacey called me a few days ago,” he began. “Apparently the other guy that Haden was replacing is back.”

I gave him a stunned look.

“Seth?” I said.

“Yeah, that sounds familiar,” he said.

“That’s weird,” I said.

I remembered back on everything that had happened the last time I’d seen them in San Antonio. Seth had thrown a childish fit when the band agreed to play the Battle of the Bands. He’d had a few choice words for me, and Haden had been quick to defend me. Just the memory of it sent a rush through me. I never imagined that Seth would ever play with the rest of the band again.

I shrugged. “Well, that’s great to hear,” I said.

My spirits were genuinely lifted—if only a bit. Sarah grinned at me.

“See, I told you there was nothing to worry about,” she said.

I gave her a soft smile, and took another sip from the glass. Sarah lifted her glass to her mouth, too. As she took a drink, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

“It’s Huck,” she announced, excitedly. She bounced away from the bar as she clicked her phone on.

Scottie and I both watched her go. When she’d disappeared down the front hallway, he turned back to me, shaking his head.

“Those two are going to drive each other crazy—and they’re going to love each other for doing it,” he said. He let out a sigh, and got a distant look in his eye. Then he looked at me. “So… how are you doing?” His voice was somber.

I shrugged.

“Fine, I guess,” I said. “As fine as I can be, I suppose.”

He fixed me with a serious look, and nodded.

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” he said.

I shrugged a shoulder.

“I guess I don’t really have a choice,” I said. He nodded, again, and we sat there in silence for a while. Then, something occurred to me—something I’d been curious about for a while, but had never gotten around to asking.

“I’m curious,” I said. “What happened between you and my mom?”

Scottie looked like he had just choked on something. He leaned away from the bar, and made like he was clearing his throat.

“Well,” he began. “That can be a long story.”

I glanced down the length of the empty bar, and back at the empty tables.

“I got nothing but time,” I said.

He considered me for a second, then gave a resigned nod. His eyes darted back and forth, looking at nothing in particular. He leaned against the bar again, and considered his words.

“We were in love,” he said. It came out bluntly, catching me off guard. But there was a simplicity to its truth. “We grew up down the street from each other, and were the best friends.” His eyes went distant again as he relived something. He shrugged again as he looked at me. “I don’t know that there’s much more to tell,” he said.

I leaned back and gave him an incredulous look.

“There better be more. That’s not much of a long story,” I said. “Why didn’t you guys end up together?” I said.
How could she have picked my dad over you
, was what I wanted to ask, but I didn’t.

He shook his head. “I was just getting into promoting when she met your dad,” he said. “She said she wanted something quiet and stable. She needed a man who was going to be there for her.”

I rolled my eyes. “That really worked out for her, didn’t it?” I said.

Scottie’s eyes flashed a mixture of pain and anger.

“If I’d known about all that stuff…” His voice trailed off as he shook his head. His face tinted a slight red.

I leaned forward and put my hand on his forearm.

“It’s in the past,” I said. “There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

He huffed at me, but relented. The tension in his arm relaxed.

“So that’s why she chose my dad over you?” I said. “Because you were busy at work or something?”

He huffed out another breath. “Can’t say I blame her, really,” he said, almost to himself. “I was traveling a lot—going around to different shows. We weren’t in a serious relationship or anything. And when she got pregnant with you…” He shrugged a shoulder. “She had to go with the safe choice.”

I frowned when he said that last part. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“Wait—you two were together when she got pregnant with me?” I said. My eyes were wide—perhaps with the idea of something I’d never even considered.

Scottie looked at me. He gave me a sad smile, and shook his head.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. His eyes dropped down to the bar, and he gestured with his hand. “Your mom and I—we were never together… like
that
.”

The dim light of hope that had begun to glint inside of me was snuffed out. My shoulders sagged, despite myself.

Scottie gave me another soft smile. “I didn’t mean to get your hopes up,” he said.

I waved a hand, dismissing that it had ever even happened. I considered what he’d told me for a few moments.

“So whatever happened with you?” I said. “No family? No kids?”

“I surrounded myself with young up and comers,” he said. “People like Haden.
They
were my kids.”

“But, you never wanted to settle down? Never wanted to start a family of your own?”

His head sagged a little. “Sure I thought about it over the years,” he said. “You don’t get to be my age without thinking about it. But… your mom was
it
for me.” His voice trailed off, again, and he gave a slight shake of his head. “I never found anyone else like her.”

I felt a wrenching sensation somewhere in my chest—somewhere around my heart.

“You still love her, don’t you?”

His eyes snapped up, and locked onto mine. The edges of his cheeks turned red. He regarded me for a second before he jerked his head in a tight nod.

I felt a new emptiness inside me. Scottie looked like he was in more pain than I was. I didn’t want to know what it was like to go through my whole life loving someone, and not being able to have them. He’d chosen to stay alone instead of settling for anything less than her. I couldn’t begin to imagine that kind of sacrifice.

“Is that why you helped me out with the job?” I asked, realization setting in.

He breathed a soft sigh. “When Sarah mentioned your mom was coming into town… I was beside myself. I thought that maybe we’d finally be able to reconnect. Then, when you asked if I had any job openings…” He shrugged a shoulder. “How could I tell Pattie’s daughter no?”

I reached my hand out and wrapped it around his. His eyes turned an even darker shade of red. We held each other like that for a few long minutes.

“I’m adopting you as my new dad,” I said, suddenly.

I didn’t know where it came from, but it felt right. Scottie’s head tilted back, and he gave me a look I’d never seen before.

“Your adopted dad?” he said, dumbly.

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s silly,” I said. “But, Mom loved you, too. I don’t think she was ever happy with that other guy.” I gave him a hard look. “So I’m making
you
my new dad. I think she’d have preferred it that way.”

He considered it for a minute, tilting his head from side to side. Then, his smile widened even more. His hands were trembling, but we held onto each other tightly.

“In that case,” he began. “My first order of business is to remind you that you’re eighteen.” Without taking his eyes off of me, he reached forward and slid the drink he’d made away. “No more of
that
,” he said.

I grinned. “Deal,” I said. “I don’t really like the stuff, anyway.”

He nodded. “Good. Now the second order of business is to remind you that you’re eighteen.” He said it with even more emphasis. I scrunched my face at him, confused, and he gave me a knowing smile. “Stop taking life so damned serious,” he said. He tilted his head toward the door. “Get out there and have some fun. Don’t be afraid to get hurt.” His eyes went distant again before he shook it away. “And don’t live your life with any regrets like I did.”