Chapter 25
Daisy
Where the hell was Ronnie?
The bus left before he got on it, and then he never showed up last night and I haven’t seen him today either. If he touched even one hair on Cruz’s head, I will personally murder him.
With me agreeing to come back with him and do what he says, there was no reason for him to persist with the challenge.
I couldn’t stop thinking something terrible must have happened after I left, though.
More than anything, I wanted to call Cruz and ensure he was okay. That was the whole point of this mess.
Suddenly music and performing weren’t as important to me as him. It wasn’t like I could go back and tell him that now, but I did need to know with certainty that he was okay.
I paced back and forth in my dressing room.
Normally I’d be warming up my vocals and sitting through makeup by now, but I’d shooed everyone out today. My wolf was far too on edge for me to be peopling.
Where the hell was Ronnie with his drugs to settle me?
I was pissed that he hadn’t bothered to show his face here. What was this? Some kind of new punishment for disobeying him?
“Asshole,” I muttered.
There was a knock on my door, and I almost went full diva and yelled at them to go away. Instead, I took a deep breath and marched to the door.
As I threw it open and yelled, “What?” I saw them. My parents and Chloe stood there looking very worried.
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I didn’t even bother trying to hold them back.
“Mom? Dad?” But it was Chloe I grabbed and hugged first. “I can’t believe you’re all here.”
It was enough to break the last bit of stubborn pride I had left.
Pulling the three of them into the room and locking the door behind them, I unloaded everything that had happened.
I recounted the horrors Ronnie had put me through.
I told them how I’d run away and met Cruz.
And I shared with them how scared I’d been that Ronnie was going to kill him in the challenge and how horrible I’d been in order to push Cruz away to save his life. I held nothing back.
When I was done, there was a tiny weight lifted from my shoulders, but I was also shaking violently.
Mom held me tight. “You’ve been through so much. I’m so sorry you felt like you had to go through it all by yourself.”
My father growled. “Where is that weasel, Ronnie?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t ride the bus back with us.
I thought he would, but he didn’t. After I left and made it clear I wasn’t returning, there was no reason for him to go through with the challenge.
But he’s been gone all day and he’s not answering his phone or anything.
” I sniffed hard. “I destroyed my mate for him. Cruz will never forgive me for this.”
Dad’s face softened. “Sweetie, if he really is your one true mate, I promise he’ll forgive you. He’s probably feeling as tortured right now as you are, maybe even more so. Trust me on that.”
“Wow. I can’t believe you found your mate and everything,” Chloe said. “And I always thought you had this perfect glamorous life, but it sounds more like hell.”
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and chuckled. “There’s some good. I think it outweighs the bad most days. But I miss you all so much.”
Chloe’s face dropped. “You never call.”
“Ronnie,” I explained.
“But even on my birthday, you didn’t call.”
“I’m not allowed to have a phone,” I explained. “And he monitors all my calls, which are rarely allowed.”
“But you said you ran away. Why didn’t you call then?”
“Chloe,” our mother warned.
“No, it’s okay.” This was a conversation we needed to have.
“I don’t know any of your phone numbers.
He dials it and then hands me the phone when permitted.
So I didn’t know how to contact you. Plus, I was a bit preoccupied dealing with all these crazy new emotions with Cruz. ” I blushed hard at my confession.
“You don’t have anything to apologize for, baby. We should have fought harder and pressed Ronnie for more regular communication. We all felt it slipping away, but he can be pretty convincing and told us we were too much of a distraction at critical times in your career,” Mom confessed.
I sighed. “I know that side of him well, but no matter what he says, I want to stay in touch with all of you. I love you guys, and I’m happy you’re here now.”
I meant it, yet there was still an empty hole in my heart that ached for more—it ached for Cruz.
“So, tell us all about Cruz,” Chloe said. “I want to hear everything.”
“I don’t think I need that level of detail,” Dad grumbled.
My jaw dropped in surprise.
“Dad!”
He chuckled. “What? You said he was your mate. I vividly remember those wild days.”
This time Mom blushed and smacked him. “Behave.”
“So come on,” Chloe begged. “At least tell us what he does. What Pack is he from? What does he look like?”
I smiled. “He’s a cowboy from Collier Pack, and he’s tall and so handsome, muscular from long days at the ranch or out on the range. That’s where we met.”
I’d already told them as much in the abbreviated version, but this time I went into a bit more detail. It felt good to talk about him, but good in a way one talks about a dead grandpa or something.
Inside, I was devastated and wanted nothing more than to abandon the concert, turn tail, and run all the way back to Collier.
“He sounds great, Daise. After the concert we should drive out there and get him back,” Chloe insisted.
I gave her a sad smile, and this time when there was a knock on the door, I was grateful for the interruption.
“Daisy, you can’t hide forever, time for makeup and costumes,” Knox yelled.
I sighed but got up and let him in with my stylist right on his heels.
“Everyone, this is Knox, my drummer.”
“Damn, you’re even hotter in person.”
“Chloe!” my parents chastised in unison.
“My little sister and my parents,” I told him.
He gave me a look of surprise, then turned on the charm to speak with them. My stylist took advantage of the distraction and snagged me to get ready for the concert. While my heart wasn’t entirely in it, I was feeling a lot better after talking with them.
My family was here. They’d come for me the second I called—even Chloe. There was no way for any of them to understand just how much that meant to me.
Chloe sat with me while I got ready and we talked about everything. She had so many questions about my life and me. It was like we were getting to really know each other for the first time, or at least the first time as adults.
My baby sister was all grown up now.
“I’ve always imagined your life to be so glamorous, like something you’d see in Hollywood.”
I snorted. “I promise you they aren’t as perfect as they may appear either. It’s all an illusion.”
“But you were happy with Cruz?”
The pain hearing his name sliced through me and I started to cry.
“Oh no. I’m sorry. Don’t cry. You’ll ruin your makeup.”
“Honey, that makeup isn’t going anywhere. Trust me on that. Waterproof, sweat proof, and definitely tear proof.”
I laughed through my tears. “She’s not kidding.”
“Twenty minutes till showtime,” one of the producers yelled.
“Knock ‘em dead, sissy.”
I hugged Chloe tight.
“Thank you for being here.”
“All you ever had to do was call.” She squeezed me a little tighter before pulling away. “Have a great show. I’ll be watching from the front row,” she bragged before doing a little victory dance. Then she dragged Mom and Dad from the room to find their seats.
I walked out to the stage wing and found the boys gathered together before the show.
“Hey girl, get in on this action,” Cash said as the four of them added me to their huddle.
I’d never been invited into their pre-show hype-up. But we all knew that was because Ronnie didn’t let me leave the dressing room until the last second, isolating me from everyone.
As I looked around, there was so much energy and excitement everywhere. It was like a buzz in the air that you could physically feel. And for a few moments, I was able to let go of the pain and enjoy the moment.
The hole in my heart was still there, but the concert turned out to be a welcome distraction that gave me a brief reprieve from the crippling pain I’d been in since the second I walked out on Cruz.
“I think you should do it,” Jonny said.
“Do what?”
“Cruise on Home. It’s so good, Daisy. And the song has already gone viral. Trust me, they want to hear it.”
“What do the rest of you think?”
“Definitely,” Jed said.
“Ronnie’s not here to stop us, so I say let’s go for it. We’ve been practicing a solid instrumental behind it that I really think you’re going to love,” Cash added.
“It’s up to you, kid,” Knox said.
“What if I can’t?” I confessed.
“Only you can answer that. I still don’t understand what happened with you and Cruz. You seemed so happy together.”
“It hurts,” I told them, “But I’m going to push all of that aside and try my best to get lost in the music even if I bawl through the whole thing.”
They moved in and all hugged me at once. And that started the tears flowing before I even took the stage. I didn’t even bother trying to hide them. It wasn’t like fans were close enough to even notice.
“Let’s do this!” Knox yelled as the boys ran out onto stage.
The crowd roared as they got into position.
I took a deep breath as the announcer yelled “Daisy Brooks!” and then I ran out on stage waving, ready to do this.
It wasn’t until I hit my mark on stage and the music cued up for Midnight Rodeo to start off the set when it hit me hard that this was the last place I wanted to be. And I wasn’t sure I could do it.
I motioned for the boys to stop playing. All I could do was lean into my pain and embrace it fully.
As the entire stadium went silent, I stepped up to the mic, tears flowing.