Chapter 88
“ L ace is here,” Bo says right after my hello. “In Pittsburg. For the show.”
I’m not entirely surprised by this development and step inside my room. I don’t want our phone conversation to be overheard by the distraught man currently occupying one of the guestrooms.
“That’s a good thing, right?” I pin my bottom lip between my teeth. “I mean, I’m sure you blew her away with your performance.”
“She says she’s proud of me.” There’s a tinge of doubt in his voice.
“She should be proud of you,” I say firmly.
“She came to the dressing room. Told me she’s sorry.” He sounds surprised. I am a little, but not as much as him. To me, it didn’t seem like Lace was fully aligned with the way Bryan treated Bo. “She moved out. She left my dad because of the way he treated me.”
“I’m sorry about the separation.” That there is one isn’t news to me because of our houseguest. I move to my bed and sit on the edge of it. “But her apology is a step in the right direction.”
“I’m not sure I can forgive her,” he says softly.
“You don’t have to. She made a lot of mistakes.” I don’t know if I can forgive her or Bryan either. Bo has permanent scars because of them. But it’s not my decision. “I support you in whatever you decide.”
“I told her I’d be willing to try.”
“Wow, Bo.” My eyes get large. “That’s huge.”
“I wouldn’t even consider forgiving her if it wasn’t for you.”
“But I haven’t done anything.”
“You believe in me,” he disagrees. “That’s everything. Before I met you, I didn’t even believe in myself. I was too full of anger and bitterness for there to be room for anything else.”
“Bo,” I breathe, feeling overwhelmed.
“You’re my lifeline, baby. My salvation and my peace. You always have been. Never, ever should have let you go. Never will again.” His voice softens. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I breathe out. “So much.”
“Miss you. The guys do too. I’m glad there’re only two stops left before I can see you.”
“Two stops seem like forever.”
“I’ll make it up to you.” His tone is so seductive it gives me a pleasurable shiver. “Have you heard from your boss?”
“I called her, but I got her voice mail. It says she’s out of the office, so I left a message.”
“Good. Just a second.” He muffles the speaker, but I hear him yell at Levi to close the door.
“Sorry about that,” he says. “Asshole doesn’t get that we don’t want to hear him in the back screwing around.”
“It’s okay.” My cheeks warm, remembering climbing into Bo’s bunk after hearing Carson and Lilah in the back room.
“Wasn’t your first visit with the therapist today?”
“Yes,” I reply.
“How’d it go?”
“Good, with Alex joining us on speaker. Draining talk about the past, but I like the therapist. I think she’s going to help.” I pull in a breath and try to explain better. “I have anger and bitterness in me too, Bo. Some self-directed.”
“Babe, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Maybe not,” I allow. “But I have some wrong thinking to get rid of. I need to be more positive about myself. She’s going to help me start working on a better thinking process.”
“Sounds like a good plan. One I should implement myself. Maybe we can work on that together.”
“I’d like that.” I smile.
“I like you very much.” He lowers his voice and my nipples tingle. “What are you wearing?”
“Can’t have phone sex with you.” I want to, but I can’t.
“Why the fuck not?” he exclaims.
“A couple of reasons.” I attempt to explain them. “Most importantly, I want the first time we officially make love to be in person. I need to be certain that it’s real this time.”
“It’s real. I’m certain, Peace. I love you. Aren’t you certain about how you feel about me?”
“Yes, definitely. But I also want the first time after we’ve told each other how we feel to be, well, you know.” I blush. “Special.”
“Then that’s what it will be,” he says firmly. “Real. Certain. Special. Count on it.”
“Thanks,” I mumble.
“Don’t thank me. I want to give you everything you desire.”
“I want to do the same for you.”
“You’re everything I desire,” he growls.
“Bo.” I sigh. I miss him so much. “I can’t wait to see you. In Vancouver or wherever that might be. But I’m still worried I might not have a job. And I need to tell you something.” About our houseguest. The big reason I’m not keen on having phone sex in my room.
“What is it?”
“Your father is here,” I tell him, and he inhales sharply. “He’s staying in the guest bedroom. He arrived in a pretty bad shape. He punched his hand through a wall when your mom left him. He drove to our house instead of going to a hospital. My dad took him to the ER here. The X-rays show he broke several bones. The doctors don’t know if he’ll be able to play guitar anymore.”
“Fucking hell.”
“Yeah.” I completely agree. Bryan is drinking heavily too, but I don’t share that part.
“Don’t like that they’re having marital problems because of me.”
“Their problems are theirs not yours.” I will not allow that wrong thinking to take hold. “Do not take on any blame. If their marriage is broken, it’s on them to fix it. Not anyone else.”
Peace
“Hi, Peace.” Melinda rises from her seat on the couch when I enter the living room. Her hearing must be really good. I’m barefoot and know I barely made any sound.
“How did you know it was me?” I ask her.
“Your perfume,” she replies. “Is it Miss Dior?”
“Yes,” I confirm. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” I couldn’t sleep after talking on the phone to Bo. I was planning to read in the living room. “Why are you here?”
“I came to check on Bryan, but I got your message when my plane landed.” She tilts her head. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m a little better.” I’m definitely doing better than Bryan. “I’m sorry about what happened and leaving you in a lurch with the tour.”
“Not your fault, and it’s been handled. Will you sit?” She gestures to the couch. “I’ve been worried about you.” She reseats herself. “A lot of people are worried about you.”
“That’s what my uncle told me.” I sit on the cushion beside hers.
“Alex Treyall is a wise man,” she observes.
I agree. “I won’t tell him you said that.” I lighten my tone. “Because it will go to his head, and we all know that it’s already big enough.”
She smiles.
“I’m truly sorry about all the trouble.” I inject all the regret into my voice that I feel. “The photos. My relationship with Bo. I behaved unprofessionally. And?—”
“It’s all your fault.” She folds her sight wand. “Is that what you were going to say?”
“Yes. Having sex where we did.” I hug my book to my chest. “It was ultimately my choice.”
“Bo said he’s responsible.”
“He takes on too much blame when anything goes wrong.”
“So do you,” she points out, and I consider that she might be right. “The band isn’t a big fan of your replacement, but they seem to be managing and are finishing the tour strong. On another positive note, digital sales are good. I think they’ll be happy to find out they get to keep their advances. Furthermore”—she taps her wand on her knee—“if they give me their new album on schedule, they’ll get big bonuses.”
“Bo mentioned a new album.” I don’t share that it doesn’t sound like it’s ready.
“I want you to come up to Vancouver like we originally planned.” She pats my knee. “But only if you’re in a good place and it won’t interfere with your therapy.”
“Who told you I’m in therapy?”
“Your parents.” She arches a dark brow.
“I’m not sure how I feel about them telling you,” I mutter.
“Therapy is an important step. No one should be ashamed of taking charge of their own mental health.”
“You’re right,” I agree. “But?—”
“Black Cat Records is a family. What affects one of our family members affects all.”
I nod reflectively. It has certainly seemed like that over the years.
“I don’t know if anyone told you”—she leans toward me—“but when Mary Timmons was in charge, I went through a rough patch. She let me move in with her and she encouraged me to see a psychologist.”
“Was this after your accident?”
“Yes,” she replies. “Because of her support and Sager’s, I found out there are many more things I can do without my eyesight than not.”
“It helps to have someone who believes in you.” It helped me and Bo. And obviously, we’re not the only ones.
“Yes, it does,” she agrees. “You have a cadre of people who care about you. Don’t let the ones who don’t even know you get you down.”
“I’m working on that part.”
“Good. That’s all any of us can do. We’re all works in progress. So about Vancouver.” She gives me an expectant look.
“I was actually hoping you’d want me to finish my internship. Bo is planning to come to Vancouver too. What I mean is…” Trailing off, my cheeks begin to burn. “We’re going to be together.”
“As a couple officially?” she inquires.
“Yes.”
“About time.”
“What?” I double blink.
“Obviously, that boy is madly in love with you.”
“It wasn’t obvious to me.”
“It’s obvious in the way he sang to you.” She tilts her head. “And since we’re on the subject of singing, I want you to do a vocal audition.”
“Bo mentioned it, and I was planning to.”
“Great.” She nods approvingly.
“But I want my audition to include Bo.”
“Has he agreed?”
“Yes,” I confirm.
“Ah.” She taps her wand against her palm. “I like this idea. Black Cat hasn’t recorded a good duet since the Jones twins. I look forward to hearing what you and Bo come up with.”