AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I took the tiny pink bundle from her arms and held her close to me. “Look, I have so much going on. I don’t have time for more. I have an obligation to introduce Noah to Skylar. I also have a few other things I need to sort through. Noah, cannot factor into any of those.”
Brie faced me and crossed her arms. “What things? How did things go with your manager, yesterday? And your parents? Are they still wanting to send Sky to private school?”
“They bought the fucking uniform.” The same maroon and gray affair that I was forced to wear for four years.”
“Hey watch your mouth.” Cassie scolded as if her baby girl could understand what I was saying. “Besides, that is more than a year away. There’s no need to worry about it yet. What did Phil say?”
Phil Shaw was my manager. He had been with me when I first signed thirteen years ago and stayed with me when I decided to pivot to songwriting once Skylar came along.
“Five Hearts are having a reunion tour.” They were the it band for a few years a decade ago. “They want to do a flashback tour. I’m one of the acts they want to include.”
Brie hopped on the spot, her arms flapping. “Ev, that’s great. Sky’s older now and we will all pitch in. This is your time.”
That was what I thought too. I knew my friends would help in a way my family never would. When I refused to have an abortion or get a proper job, my mother warned me never to come crawling back when I needed help. Not for money or for babysitting. So I never did.
“He also wants me to release an album.” Recently, I had written theme songs for two teen TV dramas. One of them I had already recorded, and the show was released on a streaming service a few weeks back. The other I would record with an upcoming teen country star who Phil was dying to represent. He’d booked studio time for us already. “I mean I have some music I’ve written and not sold over the years, but I don’t have a… I need an intro number. And I am not sure if I have it in me.”
“Of course, you have it in you.” Brie was the one with no musical talent but that never stopped her from supporting me. “You forget that you wrote Tempt Me, the biggest hit off that debut album. And you’ve written a number of hits over the years.”
She was right, of course. I used a pen name to maintain my anonymity in the writing credits, so no one knew it was actually me, but my songs had launched a few careers over the years. Except for the TV themes, those were credited to my legal name.
“None of those songs would work for me now. I want something fresh, something that is for me and me alone.”
While I didn’t agree to anything yet, my mind was pretty much made up that I would do both the album and the reunion tour. Then my parents had to rain on my parade all over again and remind me that I was not providing for my daughter the same kind of life that they had provided for me. Like riding lessons and private school were the only ways to raise a child.
My daughter wanted to be a dancer. She was pretty damn good at it, and she worked hard getting up early for recital rehearsals and practicing extra hard for competitions. Dancing was not a highly paid career, but Sky had both the talent and the work ethic to get to the top of her game.
Then there was the Noah factor. I doubted he would approve of me raising my daughter in the spotlight. His disapproval could really throw a cat among the proverbial pigeons.
Cassie smiled. “I’m sure it will come to you. Now, about Noah.”
I rolled my eyes, knowing I had delayed the topic for as long as possible. “Yeah, I’m introducing him to Skylar later on. Tess dropped her off at ballet this morning, he’ll come with me to fetch her. We’ll all go back to the cottage together and talk there.”
Brie frowned and looked at her watch. “Doesn’t Sky finish in fifteen minutes.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the time. “Ugh. Fuck it.”
“Language.”
“Language.”
Both my friends scolded at the same time.
“I texted that he should meet me outside the hospital five minutes ago.” I had no car, and he was still using Nick’s so he offered to pick me up. I handedLittle Girl Salinger— seriously that was what her tiny bracelet said — over to Brie. Before I reached the door, it opened and Jake walked in holding a tray with four to-go coffee cups. The smell of coffee and sugar had me inhaling before I saw Noah, and then breathing became difficult.
My heart did that funny thing, and I stifled a gasp. Even after all that time he was still the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. Crows' feet and the odd gray whisker or two in his five o'clock scruff aside. Still, he was even sexier than the night I met him.
Jake darted his eyes between us. “I saw Noah outside and figured it would be easier if I just brought him to you.”
I took the cup labeled vanilla latte from the tray and gave Jake a fake smile. “Aren’t you ever so helpful.”
“Always.” Jake’s voice dropped as he whispered in my ear. “He’s a good guy, Everly. He wouldn’t be here if any of us thought he wasn’t.”
That I believed. Nick and Mason had used their contacts to look for Noah. They would’ve done their research including a pretty in-depth background check. While I appreciated the effort, I couldn’t see that kind of tenacity going down well when Skylar started dating.
Jake stepped away from me and turned to Noah. “Take care of them or you and I will be having another conversation.”
Wait. What?
