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“Welcome to my thinking spot. I came up with some of my best song lyrics here.” His smile was infectious.
“Alex, this place…it’s…it’s breathtaking.” The autumn sun trickled along a path that led toward the waterfall. We followed to get a closer look.
“I came up here not long after the last gig with Steel Roses. Sometimes, I come here to think about my mother, and how much I loved her. How much I still miss her.” Linking my fingers with his, I rested my head against his shoulder, and we stood in silence for the longest time. I might not have known his mother, but that didn’t stop me missing her for Alex.
After the silence, Alex laid a blanket on the ground for us and read the last part of his autobiography… the chapters that involved me. I was a sobbing mess by the time he finished. His love for me—how he’d battled with himself, wanting to be someone worthy of me—it all took my breath away as he read the last few sentences.
“I have a star that will always lead me home now. She is my fucking lifeline, my guiding light. I’m nothing without her,” Alex read, closing the book. “How is that for a dramatic ending?” he teased, kissing the top of my forehead. All I could do was gape at him, allowing those beautiful words to sink in. To believe that anyone could be loved that way, especially me, was difficult to get my head around. “I told you everyone would love you by the time they finished this book. My fans might wish they were you, but now they’ll understand what you did for me.”
“The hate mail might actually stop,” I teased.
“I don’t think you can call all the letters wanting a threesome with us hate mail, Nat.” Hitting his chest playfully, I scowled at him.
“Thank you,” I whispered, running my hands through his unruly hair before stroking his cheek.
“For what?”
“Loving me in a way I never knew existed.” I sighed, kissing him deeply and wishing the moment could last forever.
I was sad to leave the cabin when Ben and Steve finally came to collect us the next day. Having Alex completely to myself for a few days, I left that magical place feeling more in love with him than ever.
Both our phones started pinging the moment we had cleared the long, winding track to the cabin.
“Back to civilization,” Alex sighed, looking down at his phone. “I’ll give Gina a call once we’re home, and check Matt hasn’t tried to burn our record label down.” There was mostly humour in his eyes, but we both knew Matt was capable of anything.
“I’ll check on Liv and Shane back at the mansion while you do that.” Taking my hand in his, he kissed my knuckles.
“Things will be a bit heavy for us the next few months. If you need a break at any time, tell me and I’ll whisk you away again in a matter of minutes.”
“I’ll be fine, Alex. The distraction will be good for me. I need to concentrate on something else for a while,” I reassured him. Alex still gave me a concerned look as we glided back onto the highway, heading back home to our LA mansion.
Everyone was waiting for us when we got back: Shane, Liv, Diego, Remi, Cody, Mason and Lance.
“Are we having a party?” Alex chuckled at them all. “What’s with the welcome committee?”
Diego stepped forward, his eyes glazed with sorrow. “It’s Milly.” My breath stopped, fearing what he was about to say. “She was in a car accident last night.”
“But she’s okay, right?” Alex swallowed, looking at his friend. “Tell me she’s okay!” Tears were streaming down everyone's faces. “Diego! Fucking tell me she’s okay goddammit!” Alex yelled, shaking him roughly.
“She passed away early this morning. They couldn't save her.” Diego sobbed, the pain etched all over his face. When Alex crumpled to the floor at the news, I sank down to my knees and held him. One of his oldest friends—the one that had known everything about him but still loved him—was gone. Milly Crown was gone!
It must have been hard for Alex to resist a drink while we all sat around the table outside. Some of the others were drinking, drowning the pain away. None of us really spoke. We were all in shock. Tears stained everyone’s eyes, but no one moved to wipe them away. Alex was holding me in comfort as I sat on his lap, gently running my hands through his hair.
“Do we have any reports on what happened?” Cody asked, downing the last drop of whiskey in his bottle.
“Nothing has come through yet. M…Milly didn’t have any family. We’re all she had. The police will likely get in touch with Alex or Diego with any news. They’re listed as her next of kin.”
“She was finally living the life she wanted with that talk show,” Alex acknowledged. “She’d held off from chasing her dreams for so long because of me.”
“Don’t,” Diego cautioned, reaching out for him. “She stayed because she fucking loved you, and knew you needed her! You were the brother she never had. Her biggest regret was not noticing what Ness was doing to you in the earlier days. The drugs, the alcohol. That first gig when Ness put those drugs in your mouth when you got stage fright. Milly wished she had stopped it.”
“I never got to tell her how much she meant to me.” Alex’s voice was breaking. I hugged him closer against my chest, a silent reassurance that I would always be there for him.
“She knew,” I whispered. “Milly knew what she meant to you. She loved you so much.” My tears continued until Ben from security cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry, but Matt Higgins is outside. Do I let him in or tell him to leave?” Had he found out? Was he here to have it out with Alex or mourn his friend like everyone else here?
“Let him in.” I couldn't read Alex’s expression as he spoke. Something told me if Matt had come here for a fight, Alex would give him one.
