26. Río
RíO
Hayden lives in my soul. I don’t know when it happened—it’s simply a fact. Her troubles are now mine to solve. She’s no longer on her own, with a special needs sister to maintain.
If only I can make her understand this.
“Let me help you.” I take her suitcase from her tiny but capable hands, and we ride the elevator up to my suite. At least I didn’t have to convince her to give up her single room.
Opening the door, all I want to do is get us naked again. Our bodies have accepted we belong together. Now to bring her mind online.
However, my stomach rumbles. Nodding toward the room service menu, I ask, “Want something to eat?”
“I seem to have burned off the cheeseburger.” The twinkle in her eye tells me we’re still in synch. She picks up the menu.
I place an order and steer us into the living room. Although my bedroom is more appealing.
Once we’re seated, I begin. “Hayden, we have to figure this out. I can’t lose you.” I nip at her finger. “You’ve seen me at my worst. You’ve learned my deep secrets. Nevertheless, you treat me like a worthy human being.” My eyes drop.
She runs her fingers through my hair. “Río, you are more than worthy. You are the world-famous, award-winning, uber-talented drummer for Untamed Coaster. As a band, you write songs everyone on earth knows.” She kisses me. “You are an amazing man.”
Her words settle into my heart. “No one has ever said those things to me.” I kiss her.
She leans back into the sofa. “I’m sorry. I never should have said what I did last night.”
My eyes close. “I deserved it.”
Hayden’s head shakes. “No. You didn’t.” She tries again.
“You didn’t deserve them from me, and you certainly didn’t deserve how your family treated you growing up.
You did nothing wrong. Nothing. Your parents couldn’t keep their marriage together and used you as a bargaining chip between them. That was beyond awful.”
“When I was little,” I glance into her clear, blue eyes. “All I wanted was for them to recognize me as their son. To play with me like the other families did. To go to the park.” Because I can’t hold her gaze any longer, I look away.
She grabs my face and turns it toward hers. “Oh, Río. You were a normal little boy. Their failings as parents are not on you.”
She rubs the edge of my eye. Then holds her finger up to show me moisture.
Am I crying?
“The world did get something good out of them, though. We got UC’s fantastic drummer.”
I can barely talk over the bottleneck in my throat. “Come here.”
I crush her to me. We stay locked together until room service arrives. I let her handle that while I disappear into the bathroom and splash cold water over my face.
She joins me. “Food is in the dining room.”
I glance at her in the mirror. Sporting a half-smile, I reply, “I think we both can use the nourishment.”
I offer her my hand. With our fingers entwined, we walk into the dining room and I pour us some sparkling cider. Handing her a flute, I raise mine to her. “Thank you.”
“For telling the truth?”
“No. For being the first person outside of Coop, 007 and Darren, to really see me. They don’t count, since they lived it. You’re an amazing woman.” I bring my flute to hers, and we drink.
Sitting at the table, we dig into the pasta with seafood she ordered. “Lisbon sure knows how to cook seafood.”
“They do.” She takes another bite. “Río, you’ve talked a lot about your father. When I met him in Philadelphia, everything you described rang true. Tell me more about your mother.”
“The Stepwitch—”
Her nose crinkles. “Not her. Your real mother.”
I put my fork down. “Before the divorce, I thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. Literally. She used to make these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches—grape jelly, of course—”
“Of course.”
“Yes, well, she would cut off the crusts for me. All my other classmates were always so jealous. They would rip their crusts off. But I knew that Mother prepared them only for me.”
Hayden smiles. “Sounds like something my mom did for me. Not PBJs, though. She did it with grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. The best lunch ever.”
We sit in silence, locked into memories.
She asks, “Do you think your father forced your mother to move away during the divorce?”
“I never considered that before.”
“I had a friend whose parents got divorced when I was in middle school, and it turned out her father paid her mom to move out of state. Yours fits the same M.O. He seems the type.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past him.” I add some more pasta on my fork. “Come to think about it, Mother mentioned something sort of along these lines when she called.”
Hayden nods. “You told me you talked with her for years after your parents divorced. What did you discuss?”
I lower my fork. “Honestly, I didn’t want much to do with her. I started out an angry little boy, and turned into a rebellious teen. Then I joined the band and simply distanced myself from her because I could.”
“What if your father orchestrated everything between you, to his advantage?”
I consider her suggestion. “What would he get out of it? I mean, he’s a jerk, but what possible benefit could he get by making me hate my mother?”
She shrugs. “Maybe he did it to hurt her more. As if divorcing her weren’t enough, he managed to turn you against her.”
“I don’t know,” I mutter. “You’re asking me to rewrite my entire childhood.”
But the more I mull it over, the less impossible it feels.
“She did try to maintain an open line of communication between us, but, well, I wasn’t receptive.” I finish my flute and point to the bottle. She shakes her head.
“Do you think you could possibly talk with her? Get her side of the story, now that you’re an adult?”
Her question hits hard. “I’ve spent most of my life hating the woman. Was I wrong?”
“No. Not wrong.” Her finger circles the rim of her glass. “You were being misdirected, thanks to your father.”
I stare at the tabletop, not seeing anything on it. Her words ring true.
“Damn it.”
Her head tilts.
“I’m aware that this is only the first step in possibly reviving our ruined relationship. Because of you, I’d like to try.” I give her a kiss. “If you don’t mind, I have a phone call to make.”
She beams at me, and I know, deep in my gut, this is the right move.
Hanging up my cell, I allow my heart rate to calm. Hayden was right about everything. I’m lighter than I’ve felt in ages.
I walk into the living room, where Hayden’s sitting, working on her tablet. I snuggle up to her, kissing the top of her head. “You were spot on.”
“I’m glad.” She makes herself comfy against my body.
“We’re not a bonded pair yet, for sure, but the lines of communication have been re-opened.” I take a deep breath. “I gave her the money she needed. And my new number.”
“Oh, Río, this is good news. I’m so happy you have one parent on your side.”
“Me, too.” I move her hair and kiss her cheek. “I’m sorry you don’t have any of yours with you.”
She nods. “I do know they loved Mila and me with their whole hearts. Maybe you can rekindle that with your own mother.”
Her mention of her sister reminds me. “In all the, let’s just say, excitement, I forgot I got your sister a present.” I stride across the room, grab the box Elias gave me last night, and hold it out to Hayden.
“What’s this?”
“It’s not for you. It’s for Mila.”
“Mila?” She glances between the box and my eyes.
“It’s a phone. She mentioned she broke hers when we visited and you haven’t had time to get her a new one, so—” I shrug. “It’s got your number in it. And mine. Parental controls are already set up.”
Her eyes become glassy. “Oh, Río. This is so thoughtful. Thank you.”
After our lips separate, I’m overcome with happiness. I want to go out and celebrate! “There are great clubs here in Lisbon. How about we trip the evening fantastico?” I think I got that word right. Close enough.
“Río, I’m happy you’re starting a new path with your mother, I really am. And your gift for Mila is—” She sighs. “My life is sort of the exact opposite of yours.”
“You got fired because of me. You’re worried about how you’re going to pay for Mila’s upkeep. I get it. What if I help pay your bills, until you’re settled?”
“What? No. I’m not a charity case.”
“I don’t see it that way at all. I see it as righting a wrong I made you suffer. If I had told you about Mother, Mom’s call, the whole drinking on the boat fiasco never would’ve happened, and you’d still be gainfully employed by UC. So, it’s all my fault. Let me make this right.”
“I can’t allow you to take on my problems.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me, Miss Vaughn. No matter what, I always fix things. Remember Rome? Who paid all the fines? Me.” I pause to let this truth bomb settle. “I want to do this for you.”
Indecision wars over her face. I can tell she wants my help, but her pride prevents her from taking me up on my offer. Time to recalibrate. “Let’s drop it.” For now. “How about we go out tonight. No strings. Just us enjoying ourselves. To hell with our shitty lives.”
I can tell the moment she agrees to my suggestion. I don’t let her say anything, simply pick her up and spin her around. “Do not think about PR or media or asshole labels, alright? Tonight will be for us. Our problems will wait.”
“They always do.”
“After a fun night, things usually look better in the morning. C’mon. Let’s get dressed!” I grab her hand and pull her to the bedroom, where I put her suitcase earlier.
She unzips her luggage and starts pulling out jeans. No, they won’t do.
“Wear the dress I got you in Barcelona.”
“Are you sure?”
I steal a kiss. “Absolutely.”
It takes a while——in between kisses—to put on our clothes. Finally, we take a taxi to what promises to be a wild night. However, I need to be the responsible one here. While I’ve had a rough couple of days, Hayden’s have been ten times worse. All because of me. I owe her this much.
“Feel free to get drunk, Babysitter. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“I don’t do that, Río. Getting drunk is your lane.”
“Which I’m officially out of for the night. You deserve a wild night. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here next to you.” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll be your safe place tonight.”
She rests her head on my shoulder, and a sense of calm overtakes me.
We give our ID’s to the bouncer, who recognizes me. Fame has its perks. “UC drummer in the house,” he says in a low voice. Into his earpiece, he relays this information. “I’m a big fan.”
“Want a selfie?” I’m always down to take pictures with fans.
“Awesome, dude.” The bouncer hands me his cell, and I snap the two of us together. “Appreciate it. Have a good night.”
A young woman appears at the doorway and escorts Hayden and me up to a second level of the club, complete with a couple of bars, a dance floor, and a viewing area of the floor below. Sweet. I turn to Hayden. “What’ll it be?”
Her lips purse. “My favorite drink is an Aperol Spritz.”
“You got it.” I direct her into a quiet corner, and go to the bar. Shortly, I return to her. “One Aperol Spritz for the lady.”
She grins. “Thanks.”
Holding my own favorite drink, I say, “A toast. To new beginnings, whatever they may be.”
“Before my carriage becomes a pumpkin.”
“Don’t think like that. We’re going to figure this out. I promise.” Our toast is sealed with a kiss.
We spend the next several hours dancing and drinking and laughing and kissing. She finishes her fourth drink, and holds up the empty glass.
“Good job, Babysitter. Let me get you a refill.”
“I would love that,” she slurs.
Keeping my smile out of her line of vision, I return to the VIP bar and place her order. Me? I’m nursing my second Gold Rush. Need to keep my wits about me, as Hayden deserves this time off. I’m bouncing to the killer beat when I spy some asshole trying to make nice with my girl.
The moment her Aperol Spritz is in my hand, I make a beeline for Hayden. The asshole stands to her left, leaning in and talking with her. “The lady isn’t interested in whatever you’re trying to sell.” I wait a beat. “Dude.”
Hayden’s glassy blue eyes warm when she sees me. Yup. Well on her way to three sheets. Before we can return to the dance floor, though, I have an interloper to get rid of.
The guy, about my height, wraps an arm around Hayden. “Dude. She and I are rapping. Having a good time.”
The last thing Hayden needs is for me to cause a scene and toss this jerk over my shoulder. I decide to man up, for her sake. “Yeah? Well, she’s my girlfriend, so why don’t you find someone else to bother?”
When I say “girlfriend,” I hear an audible gasp from my beautiful strawberry blonde.
“Is he telling the truth, sweetheart? I can get rid of him if he’s lying.”
For the first time, Hayden speaks. “Girlfriend.” The slight uptick of her voice at the end of the word I’ve never used with anyone before goes unnoticed by the guy standing next to her. Not by me.
“Well, damn.” He stretches out his hand. “No hard feelings.”
I could crush his hand in the handshake. Bellow to the rafters he was hitting on MY woman. Push him over the railing into the dance floor below. Being with Hayden, though, pushes me to do better. I’m making tonight fly under the radar, for her sake.
“You didn’t know.” We shake.
Then he does a double take. “Wait. You’re Río Sullivan, the drummer for UC, aren’t you?”
“I won’t tell anyone you were hitting on my girlfriend, if you don’t tell anyone I’m here.”
“Dude! I love your stuff. It’s an honor. Not the hitting on your girlfriend part”—he barely spares a glance for Hayden—“but meeting you. I won’t let my friends know you’re here, I promise.”
“Sounds good.”
He grabs his phone and we take a selfie. “I’m honored. Really.”
Time to get this guy on the road. I give him the thumbs up and turn to Hayden, who’s staring at the bottom of her empty glass. Putting my arm around her, I bring her close. “I think you’ve killed that soldier.”
She frowns. “I have.” The glass flips upside down.
“You know what that means, don’t you?”
Her strawberry blonde head shakes. “Time to go?”
I kiss her lips. “No, Babysitter. It means you need another.” I signal for the server to refresh her drink.
It’s gratifying to be the one looking out for her.