Chapter 31 #2
“No problem, I’ll loop you in with them now.”
John grabs his phone and fires out an email, while Connie smiles and pats the back of my hand, allowing the tightness in my chest to subside.
Thank God, that was easier than the single decision.
Shit.
I’ve got less than a minute before I’m due to start this live stream and I’m still a couple of minutes away from my house. And what’s worse, the white sedan tailing me isn’t giving me an inch.
I realize I’m not gonna make it to the house in time as I get to the main gate of the private community, so I drive through and pull over to let the sedan zoom past me.
I guess that means I’m doing the live stream from the car.
I try to ignore the trembling in my body as I adjust my grip on the car phone holder, pull up the app, and click on the live stream button. I pull the vinyl cover from the passenger seat, ready to announce the new album.
“Hi everyone. Today’s the day. The moment you’ll all been waiting for, speculating what I’m about to announce.
” The emojis fly up the screen as the number of viewers steadily ticks up.
“Well, a lot of you have already guessed the right answer, and today I’m excited to reveal that on November seventh I will be releasing my new album, Betty. This is the album cover.”
I hold the cover up to the screen, and hundreds of comments appear simultaneously, too fast for me to keep up with, but I manage to pick out a few.
“The lead single will be dropping late summer.”
“Yes, Stolen Moments will be on there.”
The pace of the comments does nothing to stop the trembling in my body.
Who’s Betty?
Whose eye is that?
Your eyes are blue, why is this one hazel?
I ignore the questions. Connie had told me to leave everyone guessing to build the intrigue and because it will drive the speculation, like what happened after the Grammys.
Where can I get the vinyl?
Will you be touring the release?
My gaze drifts to the dashboard, 4:02 p.m. The website should be live now with the preorder bundles.
“You can head to the link in my bio or to my website to order yourself a copy right now. And I’ll be personally signing the first run of vinyls too.”
I’ve chosen my words carefully. The first run, not the first batch. I will never make the same mistake as I did in Vegas again. The mountain of sleeves I signed still haunts me.
I see a black Escalade drive past in the direction of my house and assume it must be the car to take us to the airport. I’ve done everything I need to, so I start to close out the live stream, but I see several comments asking to hear a snippet of the song.
I pause for a beat, deliberating first whether to play something or not, and then which song to pick. I guess I should hold off on Won’t Fall Anymore, but I can play a bit of Darkest Days.
“Okay, I’ll play you a little snippet of one of my favorite tracks from the album. This is Darkest Days.”
I cue up the song and let the first verse and chorus play out on the live stream for everyone to hear.
I know you're tired of everything you’re going through
Life’s been knocking you down when you’re already bruised
Unanswered questions leaving you so damn confused.
But I am here with you
It breaks my heart to know there’s nothing I can do.
I’d take away the troubles haunting you
Everything that causes you pain I would remove
Still, I am here with you.
I’m the light, I’m the light
And I’ll keep on shining
Through your darkest of nights
When your sun isn’t rising
I’ll be the light, be the light
Help you while you're fighting
Leave it all on the line
I got you through all of your darkest days
I stop the song as hundreds of messages flood through, commenting on how beautiful the song is and how heartfelt the lyrics are. I get caught up in reading them before I see a call come in from Christopher.
Shit. It’s already 4:06 p.m. and I really should get off this live stream.
“Right, everyone, I’ve got to head off. Thanks for all your love and support as always. I can’t wait for you all to hear Betty.”
I end the live stream and drive down to my house.
The Escalade is pulled up outside, the driver standing next to the car, and as I drive past onto the driveway I see the white sedan parked next to Christopher’s Jeep. The placement forces me to back up and park by the fire hydrant on the street.
It’s the same white sedan that rudely beeped me out of the way, and fury springs back to life inside of me. It better not be one of the new bros that Harrison has been hanging out with.
I nod to the driver and let him know I’ll be back out in a minute, then head down the pathway and through the door that’s been left slightly ajar.
Christopher stares back at me from the dining table when I enter, his face white as a ghost. It’s the same face that greeted me when I arrived in London after his sister died.
A woman in a pink velour tracksuit and a black baseball cap has her back to me. Her blond hair is tied in a ponytail, threaded through the hole. She turns when Christopher’s eyes don’t move from me.
“Laura?” I vaguely recognize her behind her sunglasses.
“There you are.” Fury lines her words. “Do you know how impossible it is to get ahold of you!”
Clearly it’s not impossible enough.
“What do you need to get ahold of me for?”
My gaze drifts to the chrome suitcases next to Christopher before returning back to her.
“Don’t act all innocent with me. Like you don’t already know. Like Brian hasn’t already given you a heads up.”
Laura takes her sunglasses off. Mascara is smeared down her cheeks.
God, I don’t have time for this. For her endless need for drama.
“I haven’t spoken to Brian in months.”
Her fists clench tightly, and her face becomes redder.
“Well, the baby isn’t his,” Laura says, moving to her right and over to a large, weirdly shaped object. There’s a white blanket thrown over it.
Is she having a psychotic break? Is she high or something?
That would at least explain the erratic driving.
“But you said you were one hundred percent certain it was his?”
I shake my head as Christopher sits still, not uttering a word.
“I was, but the paternity test came back negative, which can only mean one thing.”
Laura throws off the white blanket to reveal a baby car seat.
A boulder-sized lump instantly forms in my throat, restricting my airway as she walks toward me.
No way.
No fucking way.
The condom. The fucking condom.
A pink woolly hat sits on top of the baby’s head. Its piercing blue eyes stare straight back at me as it begins to cry.
A wave of panic rises up inside of me.
No.
It can’t be.
Surely not.
“I want you to meet your daughter… Betty.”
To be continued