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Her parents had married their senior year of high school. And her big brother Joe had arrived six months later. She’d never doubted her parents’ love. She’d avoided most of the goons in her small town because she’d wanted what her parents had one day—a picture-perfect love.
But the frame holding that fairy-tale image cracked when her brother died. And it shattered when she started touring, her hit song climbing the charts. It was as if they’d been holding their marriage together with a shoestring while they focused on launching her career. But when she reached the peak labeled “success,” they’d started tossing out sharp words and pulling apart…and she remained in the center.
“I’m trying,” her mother continued. “If your father would just put forth some effort.”
“Mom—”
“Don’t worry, Chrissie.” Her momma forced a smile. “We’ll present a unified front for your shows and the press. We know how important this is to you.”
She nodded and wrapped her arm around Melissa. Telling her mom that she didn’t want them to pretend to love each other like they once had, that she wanted them to feel it, wouldn’t help. Plus, they’d already said enough in front of Melissa.
Hank poked his head into the greenroom. “Ready for your sound check, Ms. Tate?”
“Sure.” She released Melissa and headed for the door with her big, bad, orgasmic bodyguard at her heels. She glanced over at him. “Are your parents still together?”
He nodded as he scanned the corridor leading to the stage. “Yeah. They live in Brooklyn and run my grandfather’s restaurant. My sister is there, too.”
“They must be proud of you.”
“They are.” He looked at her. His mouth formed a thin line. “But they don’t interfere with my job.”
“Ever?” She couldn’t imagine running her music career without her mother’s involvement.
“Unless I’m injured,” he said. “My mom flew out for my surgery and stuck around to cook. But otherwise, they don’t insert themselves.”
“This is different,” she explained. “My family was ba
rely getting by before I landed my first record deal. My mom was a crossing guard for one of the local schools. But her hours had been cut. And my dad worked in the kitchen at one of the local restaurants. We got by on the extra money Joe sent home.” She stopped beside the metal stairs leading to the stage. Her hand held tight to the cold metal. “But they were happy. Now I think they’d be better off apart.”
“I think it’s hard to look inside a relationship and understand all the moving parts. Sometimes even for people in the marriage,” he said evenly.
But what if I’m to blame? They were happy, dammit—until my career took off.
“Only the two people in the relationship know if they still trust and love each other…”
She glanced at him. The look in his dark eyes was miles away from Salt Lake City.
“Do you still love her?” she asked softly. “Your ex?”
“No. But part of me feels like I should, because I promised to love her forever.”
“Even though she cheated on you?” she asked, incredulous.
“Yeah.” He paused at the base of the metal stairs. “You should probably get out there for the sound check. You don’t want to pay your crew to stand around, do you?”
“No.” She climbed the stairs and stared out into the auditorium that looked just like every other venue. Vegas. Portland. Salt Lake. They all looked the same from the stage.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and kept her gaze fixed on the empty seats. In the center of the space, she saw the audio technicians leaning over the sound console. It was a good thing Dante’s time on the tour came with an end date. If he stayed…if she fell for him… She didn’t think she could handle that kind of loyalty directed at her. Not when hers was focused on delivering a perfect performance to the people who would fill these seats tonight.
“Ready, Ms. Tate?” Hank called from the side of the stage. “We’ll start with you and then bring on the band.”
She nodded and headed for the mic stand the crew had positioned in the center of the stage. Holding the mic, Chrissie closed her eyes and began to sing a few bars of “How Do I Remember You?” to the empty seats. Her music. That was the one thing she could trust. These words that she’d written, recorded, and performed night after night. They were her security. Her everything.
Beyond that? She wasn’t sure anymore.
What about Dante?
She glanced at the side of the stage as she lowered the mic and waited for the band to join her. She could count on her SEAL for another lesson and, hopefully, another orgasm. But after that he had a job to do. And it was more important than anything she’d sing on this stage.
