Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
T he chauffeured car pulsed with heavy bass from the latest hit single while Cass waited for Tilly’s car to arrive. The city lights twinkled down upon the old and narrow St-Jacques Street in front of the St-James Theater where the Vlahos Foundation had decided to host their annual gala.
He took his phone out one more time to look at the sonogram of his child. His fingers drummed to the beat of the music with excitement. He still couldn’t believe that this little thing was his flesh and blood about to be born.
He smiled, waiting in the limo with his manager, and unable to contain his anticipation at Tilly’s arrival so they could make their entrance together.
He’d felt so bad leaving her earlier, but she had so much on her plate, she didn’t need to know all the sordid details of what went down in Osh’s room this afternoon.
“That went well, right?” Karim was asking him, snapping his tablet cover shut.
“Huh?” He wondered if she’d found a house that she loved and if the thought of attending a party wasn’t too much for her.
“The hospital,” Karim explained. “The media are making you out to be the hero who saved the poor lost girl.”
Cass eyed him with a sigh. “Is that all you care about? What people think?”
“I care about your well-being, Cassiodore. I’m your Nostredame disciple. But you also hired me to be your manager,” he added. “In this day and age, Cass, you take one step in the wrong direction, and it all goes away.”
“True.” They were far from the seventies where any antics from a celebrity were seen as amusing and solidifying their notoriety. Or from the roaring twenties performing at Mag’s club where decadence and debauchery reigned during a time when Montreal was one of the few cities in Canada not under prohibition.
“Anyway, I’m relieved it’s all good,” Karim shared. “The girl will be fine. She’d just turned eighteen, so at least she was legal. But we can’t be too cautious.”
“We must make sure this doesn’t happen again.” Cass crossed his arms, frustrated. He had to do better.
“I contacted the family in Québec City,” Karim started. “Sent a limo over to bring them back here. I put them all at the Four Seasons downtown. I set them up so no one would make waves.”
“You paid them, you mean.” Cass nodded with resignation. Karim was a wizard at making bad things go away.
“I did. And gave a hard talk to Osh. I reminded him of the terms of his contract. One more incident and he’s out. You talked to the Grand Montreal manager?”
“I did. All sorted. Sixty-five thousand for the damage. VIP for his extended family on the Halloween gig. Marjo did most of the arrangements after I called her.” Cass felt the pressure ease. His assistant was new to the team, but she proved she was worth her high salary.
She had a kid who needed a lot of special care and Marjo’s mother, who lived not far from here just outside Montreal in the Longueil suburb, was the main caregiver while Marjo stayed in the city.
She had told him she’d been busy all afternoon looking at houses and that Tilly had settled on one in Westmont, near the local park, which would be perfect for the little one to play.
He warmed at imagining pushing an all-terrain stroller through the snow with her by his side. He’d sing lullabies at night, his own and some he’d heard at his mother’s knees. The sudden images of fatherhood bliss were so incongruous that, for a moment, he was caught off guard by his own wishes. Had he been missing out his entire life?
Or was he just thrilled to have Tilly back with him again? Yes, she was carrying life, but she was still as enticing as the day he met her. Her smile, her curves, her intelligence and determination, he found her irresistible. And her melodious voice, the tone caused vibrations to carry down below his belt.
She would call his name in the midst of passion and the need and urgency in her voice had revved his blood in a way that he’d never encountered before. She was truly unique. And unforgettable.
“Your fans can’t get enough of you,” Karim interrupted Cass’s lustful thoughts. “Tickets are sold out pretty much everywhere.”
“Right.” He pursed his lips, thinking about the Germany leg of the tour. “I can’t cancel then.”
“Cancel?” Karim blinked rapidly with shock.
“Tilly. The birth.”
“It’s in a month?” Karim’s eyes were still wide.
“Yes, she’s due November twenty-second.” Cass didn’t hide his excitement. In just a few weeks his life would be changed forever. “The doctor saw her earlier today before I took her shopping. Everything looks fine.”
“Cass…” He grimaced. Karim hated anything that disturbed his plans. And this was a major change.
“I know.” A twinge of guilt hit him. His fans would hate him for annulling the show.
“Shit, you just can’t cancel,” Karim disputed. “It’s been six years. They love you, sure, but canceling… You just can’t do this. And the legal obligation nightmare. It will cost us.”
The Resurgence Tour was his big comeback. Until he met with Tilly at Hyannis Sound, none of what he wrote felt right. He’d been stuck. The new material was a huge deal. For his fans, his staff. For him, too.
But things had changed on him.
“It’s my child,” Cass insisted. If he was sure of one thing, it was that a good father would be present for the birth of his baby.
“I thought you weren’t sure.” Karim cocked a brow at him.
“It is.” There would be no need for a paternity test. Cass knew in the depths of his soul that the child she carried was his. Ever since he’d felt the baby move, all doubts had disappeared. He wouldn’t do what his own birth father had done. He wouldn’t just leave. He would be there for her. “Can we postpone the shows?”
Cass held his breath, hoping he could fulfill every single one of his responsibilities without missing a beat.
“Postpone? You mean shift all these dates?” Karim wouldn’t have it. “After Germany, you’re in Paris, then Australia.”
“Right.” Cass wondered how he got himself so tied down to other people’s expectations of him. He kept telling himself he was free but if today was a sign, it showed him that he had less freedom than he thought. He should have been with her looking at houses this afternoon. She should be in this limo right now, with him by her side to protect her and his child.
But no, Marjo had found the house. And Rafael and Tommy were protecting her. Dammit.
“We’ll figure something out.” Karim turned back at car headlights shining behind them. “Is that her?”
Cass checked his phone.
“Yeah, it’s them. Marjo just texted. Hey man,” he called out to the chauffeur, “just pull out right in front of that limo, will you? Let’s coordinate our entrance.”
The Germany venues were still up in the air. Karim had this way of ignoring Cass’s requests so that in the end, he would comply, not wanting to make anyone upset. And Cass usually let him because he knew Karim had his success and welfare in mind.
But this time he had to do something about it. “Look, Kar, find a way to make sure I’m there for my child’s birth, will you?”
Karim eyed him with doubt.
“I’ll do the Halloween concert here,” Cass insisted. “But after that, we have to figure out a way for me to be present at my child’s birth.”
“Of course. Don’t you worry.” Karim’s tone shifted to that of the supportive manager, and he gave Cass a reassuring grin as he opened the door for him. “Go get your girl, man. Apparently, she’s stunning tonight.”
“I’m sure she is.” Cass stepped out of his limo on the carpeted sidewalk under a deluge of flashes and screams.
He took a slight pause in the cold air, blinked at the bright lights.
He’d always ignored the clamors but this time he noticed. How would this kind of adulation feel to pregnant Tilly? And what about the same for a tiny baby? Could a child grow normally with all this scrutiny and flurry?
He shook his head as her limo drove right beside him.
He couldn’t have been more dazed than when he pulled open her car door and watched her exit the limousine. He held his hand out to her and stayed there, transfixed at the vision before him.
Oh, dear lord…
Her hair had been piled high with tiny little crystals shining through the luscious black tresses. The updo revealed the nape of her graceful neck while tendrils of pure white brushed her high cheekbones. She looked like a lush fertility goddess, her belly gently draped in layers and layers of fine deep purple satiny cloth and chiffon. The color of her lips, full and dark, matched the dress.
She grasped his hand, and he noticed that she was trembling.
“You look…” He couldn’t continue, staring at her tantalizing mouth, unexpectedly drawn by an impulsive need to kiss her senseless. Instead, he bent to her and brushed her cheek slightly. “Just, wow.”
“Tilllyyy! Here!” People were shouting at her, now. Her name having been everywhere in the last twenty-four hours.
He slid his arm around her waist, feeling her warm and graceful curves. His fangs hummed at the primal urge inside him as he suddenly worried about anything ever happening to her.
She leaned a little against him, and he became aware of how vulnerable she actually was. Heavy with child, with no one but himself to protect her.
“It’s okay, I’m here, chérie ,” he purred in her ear. “I’m so sorry I left you at the store.”
“It’s all good, don’t worry.” She shot him a no-nonsense, confident smile, and it was like she could read right through him. His usual easy-going charm would absolutely not work on her. He’d have to come clean about everything on his mind.
He surveyed the crowd and tightened his embrace. But not here for sure.
“Caaaaass, Tilly, here!” People were shouting their names. “Oh myyyy god! They look so perfect together.”
“You okay?” he asked her.
She nodded without a sound and stood still in his arms.
“Just ignore them.”
“We can’t. It’s your career. You.” She seemed determined to see this through.
“This is not me. You, here. The baby. You matter.”
“Cass, I need to tell you something.” She frowned, a shadow crossing her beautiful face.
“Of course, ma belle .” His throat closed in with apprehension. She wanted to call it quits.
“How long have you two been together?” Someone had shoved a recording phone at him.
“Do you have a name for the baby?” somebody else shouted.
“This is crazy.” The look she gave him was pleading to get her out of there. “Cass, what I have to tell you, it’s important.”
“Is it the house?” he asked, hoping it was just that. “Something with the baby? The doctor found something wrong?”
“No, I’m totally fine.” She gripped his arm, her tone turning impatient. “But I really need to talk to you.”
“Of course. Let’s get in. It’ll be easier.” He forced himself to relax and called out to his manager. “Karim, please.”
Karim was at their side in a second.
“Let’s get our beautiful couple inside, shall we,” Karim told the crowd. “Miss Davenport will need to sit down.”
“Let’s get in and find a quiet spot.” Cass led her up the steps, putting on a happy face as if faking it would push away his worries. “I want to hear all about the house you found.”
It would all be fine.
He was just about to introduce her to his family—his brother Mag waiting inside with his wife Nyssa. Cass’s steps suddenly turning lighter at that thought, a surge of hope rose in him.
He was ready for anything Tilly had to tell him.