Page 104 of Before the Encore

The yin to her yang.

She blew out a breath, letting the touch ground her.

“I doubt that will be necessary.” Malcolm picked a piece of imaginary flint off his crisp shirt. “There’s grounds to move forward with a breach of contract—”

“That’s great.” Madison grasped Bonnie, kissing her cheek.

“However,” Malcolm continued, gaze narrowed at the interruption. “If Mr Bailey chooses to dispute it, you could be in for a lengthy court case. Miss Bloom may be liable to pay for commissions or damages.”

“Bullshit,” Madison said, tension hardening her jaw. “Why?”

Malcolm exhaled through his nose. “Simply alleging a breach doesn’t automatically eliminate Mr Bailey’s rights.”

The room fell silent. Bonnie’s smile dropped.

Madison couldn’t take her eyes off her. The worry in her brow. Her plump lip between her teeth. She wanted to know what she was thinking. Dread trickled through her, hoping this wouldn’t scare Bonnie off.

Kam rustled her bag of sweets, leaning forward to offer one to Malcolm. When he declined, she popped a pink pig into her mouth with a shrug. “The M&S ones are the best.”

Madison cut her a look. Kam offered the bag to her, and with a sigh, she plucked up a squishy pig and chewed. At least it gave her something to occupy herself with.

Finally, Bonnie leaned forward. “Even if I have to pay him to break the contract and compensations for the tour, it will be worth it.” She nodded, taking in each of the faces around the room. “Let’s run over the details again.”

That’s my girl. Pride filled Madison’s chest. Excitement buzzed over her skin, making her want to throw Bonnie up onto her shoulders and parade her around London in a victory celebration. Bailey would regret every snide comment he ever made to her. Madison would make sure of it.

After checking, rereading, and another cup of tea, Bonnie hovered over the send key in her emails.

“You got this,” Madison whispered.

“Yeah.” Bonnie nodded, then clicked the button, sending the notice flying through the airspace. Her mouth lifted like a rising sun. A new start. “I’m Bonnie fucking Bloom.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Madison

With tour prep on hold pending Bailey’s termination notice, Madison’s favourite pop diva had U-hauled into her apartment. It was significantly smaller than Bonnie’s penthouse, with less impressive views, but Bonnie insisted it was perfect. Madison used to steer clear of the lesbian stereotype, rolling her eyes at the hopeless romantics, and thinking herself above all the soppy, lovesick nonsense. But when it involved Bonnie, she didn’t mind at all. Witnessing her space shift into something resembling theirs over these two weeks made her heart do sickly, skippy flutters in her chest.

Madison never imagined the boring domestic side of relationships to be so fulfilling—ordering the food shop together, coming home to Bonnie writing songs on the sofa, waking up next to someone she actually remembered the name of. The only relationship she witnessed growing up ended with shouting, slamming doors, and her mum crying on the sofa, so she figured best to keep it simple—flirting and fucking, a foolproof combination.

But every day, the push and pull with Bonnie unlocked new levels, reaching new depths. And today was no exception. Today, Madison was willingly walking Bonnie into her family home, a place she’d never taken anyone, as it was littered with emotional landmines.

She met her reflection in the mirror. Black eyeliner sharpened her eyes, but it couldn’t hide the doubt swirling in the depths. She’d lain awake staring at the ceiling, running over excuses to bail in her head. Then she spent the morning changing outfit after outfit, unsure what to wear to her own house. But it mattered; she had a point to prove.

Lipstick Fever’s album launch party was next week. Her dream of making it big was already unfolding in real time. Madison and her two dorky friends had made this happen. She was a little unconventional sometimes, but she fucking worked hard. And in a week’s time, their music would be available everywhere. Electricity thrummed through her, and she tried to grip it and leash it. She believed in the album; it was fucking good. And yes, having her mum at the launch—not just as an I-told-you-so—might also be nice. Though, who was she kidding? It would be satisfying to see her mum’s face when they received their critical accolades too. But she wasn’t getting her hopes up. One misstep and their relationship could detonate.

“You’re just like your father, Madison.”

Her jaw tightened. She caught it too sometimes, in the blue eyes and the smirk.

But she wasn’t him. And she wanted to shove that fact right in her mother’s face.

She wasn’t…right?

“Are you ready?” Bonnie appeared beside her in an A-line floral dress that draped the length of her calves. The sweetheart neckline suited her curves, shaping her like a vintage pin-up.

“I was until I saw you.” Madison roamed her hands over the soft chiffon. “Now I think we should wait another thirty minutes while I do devilish things to you.”

“There will be time for that later.” Bonnie cupped her face, taking her in. Her voice softened. “You look beautiful, by the way.”