Beginning of Forever (Heaven Hill #7) (28 page)

He grimaced. “Great impression, huh?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes it is what it is, and sometimes it’s not what it seems. I had her call your mom and tell her I would take care of it. So I did.”

“You came in there like a bulldog. Old Officer Burke didn’t know what hit him.”

“He give you a hard time?” she asked. During the short time she had been in the room with the two of them, she had kind of gotten that vibe.

“Sometimes. He’s got a hard-on for the club. He and I seem to butt heads more often than not.”

The phone in his pocket rang, and he checked it quickly, cursing as he saw the time. “Shit, I gotta run! I’m pickin’ up my little sister from cheerleading practice today, and if I don’t go now, I’m gonna be late. That’s my alarm to remind me.”

“I understand, I’ll catch up with you later?”

He leaned over, putting his hand on her waist. In a swift movement, he kissed her on the cheek. It was so much like old times that both of them had to blink.

“Sorry.” He chuckled, running his hand through his hair. “Habit.”

“It’s fine. I’ll see you later.” She waved, walking to get into her car.

He watched as she got into a low-slung sports car, her professional skirt rising up far enough he could see a garter belt attached to the stockings she wore. He almost groaned as she shut the door and drove off with a wave in his direction.

*

“How was practice?” Drew asked his little sister, Tatum, as she climbed into his truck at the local high school.

Her long brown ponytail bobbed as she glanced over at him. “It was alright.”

“Just alright?”

“The guys from the basketball team snuck in and watched us. It made me a little uncomfortable,” she admitted to him.

“What do you mean? Did somebody say something to you?” he asked, his voice hard.

“Not about the cheers, but about you. It made me mad.”

“About me? What did somebody say about me?”

“That you went to jail,” she whispered.

This was the part he hated about what they did as a club. It affected Tatum. She was a soft heart who worried about her family way too much. “They took me for questioning, but they didn’t keep me, now did they?”

“Guess not, since you came to get me.”

“That’s right. Don’t be worried about me.”

They pulled up the clubhouse and the two of them got out. Walking inside, Drew saw his dad talking to a couple of other members. Catching his eye, he motioned that he wanted a minute with him. Drew went immediately to his dorm and waited for his dad to follow. A word with Liam could either be good or bad, and at twenty-eight years old, it still made him nervous.

T
he crowd screamed
loudly, causing her palms to sweat and her heart to race. Harmony Stewart inhaled deeply and then exhaled, letting the breath flow through her. The relaxation technique worked. Shoulders that had been so tight she couldn’t even roll them were now loose. It was always like this, she realized. Right before she went on stage, the nervous energy started, causing her to tense up—not fully being able to appreciate the life she was living. Closing her eyes, she breathed again, feeling her muscles loosen up even more.

“Harmony, you’re up next.”

She nodded, glancing at the production tech. “Thanks.” Her voice was thin even to her own ears. This was just something that she went through, no matter how many millions of albums she sold or awards she garnered.

Looking out onto the stage, she saw the rock group, Black Friday, finishing up. A fan of the band, she tried to still the heart that threatened to beat out of her chest as they finished their song and walked towards her. The lead singer was the personification of hotness in her opinion. She had always wanted a meeting, but had never been able to approach him when they had been in the same space. This time he would have to walk right by her—not that she had deluded herself to think he would know who she even was. Pulling her shaking hands to her body, she gripped them hard as the group approached.

“Good job, guys,” she smiled as they passed her. One by one, they nodded and accepted her smile until she came face to face with Reaper, the lead singer. She only knew his stage name. What she wouldn’t give to know his real one.

“Thanks. Good luck out there, sweetheart,” he smiled widely. His teeth were white and straight, the dimples that she had caught glimpses of in pictures deepened widely in his cheeks. He was tall, much taller than she had originally thought. He towered over her 5’6 frame (with heels, thank you very much), and the tattoos that traveled down his arms were a feast to her eyes. They were intricate, and she wished she had the time to study them all.

Harmony opened her mouth to tell him something else, but he was already gone. Disappointment hit her stomach hard and fast. But at least it had been a start. With any luck, she would see him at some other award show. She heard her cue as she looked back to where the rock band stood, debriefing with some of their management. For just a split second, her eyes met Reaper’s and goose bumps appeared on her arms. If only they’d had more time.

*     *     *

Reaper sat with
his head back, eyes closed. The night had been long. He never really liked doing these awards shows, but their fans were amazing. Even though they didn’t have what others called “crossover” success, they had some of the most rabid fans in the music industry. That, however, didn’t change the fact that he was lonely and tired of not having someone besides the members of his band to share his life with.

“Who was the cutie that smiled at us as we walked by?”

“That was Harmony Stewart,” he answered, moving only his lips.

“Country singer?”

“Yes, dude,” he sighed. “The country singer.”

“She’s cuter than I imagined. I’ve only seen her on TV a few times.”

Reaper sighed again. “Seriously Train, you’re getting on my fuckin’ nerves. Do you have to talk all the time?”

“What’s your problem? Do you need to get laid?” Train asked, having a seat next to his friend.

“Do you ever get sick of all this?” He lifted his long arms and big hands up; gesturing to the backstage green room they sat in.

“Sick of what? The free pussy, the free booze, the amazing trips overseas and around this great nation? Playing the music we love every night? I’m ready to do this the rest of my life. Why aren’t you?”

Reaper lifted his head up and opened his eyes, staring into the eyes of his friend. “I’m burnt out. Not with the music, but with the lifestyle. I need a change, something different to shake things up.”

“Burnt out? How can you be burnt out?”

“It’s just…” he ran his fingers through his hair. “We’ve been on the road for a year. I need something new and exciting in my life. I’m sick of the same girls, the same bus, and the same hotel rooms.”

“You’re bein’ a moody fucking pansy is what you’re being. Do you know how many guys would give their left nut to be where we are?” Train slapped his friend on the shoulder, the disbelief showing on his face.

Reaper realized he would get nowhere with his friend. Train dealt with his demons in unhealthy ways and perhaps tonight wasn’t the best time to approach him about this. He couldn’t rightfully explain his feelings if he didn’t fully understand them himself. Better to just pretend that everything was peachy. “You’re right. I’m crazy. I just need some good alcohol and a good cigarette. Let’s get to the after party.”

“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about,” the lead guitarist said, grabbing his friend by the arm and ushering him out of the room.

Reaper realized that nobody seemed to care what he thought, how he felt, or just how lonely he was. He might as well make the best of what to him was an unbearable situation.

*     *     *

“Harmony? Are you
changing into the dress that new designer sent you for the after party?”

“I think so,” Harmony answered her best friend and assistant, Shell.

“You need to change now, then.”

Harmony rolled her eyes and grabbed the hanger from Shell’s hand. “Yes ma’am.”

Used to bossing her friend around, Shell had a seat while Harmony changed. “So tell me, did you meet anybody interesting at this awards show?”

“I did. Did you see any of the show?”

“I didn’t get a chance too, no. I wish I had, but there was a lot going on back here,” Shell answered from behind the door that Harmony had closed to change.

“I’m so sorry, Shell. I know how hard you work, and you’ll never fully know how much I appreciate it. You’ll be excited to hear that I finally met the guys from Black Friday.”

Harmony heard the squeal and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“I am so damn jealous. That lead singer—was he as hot as he looks on TV?”

“Even more so. I actually said a few words to him. Top moment of my life this year—for real.”

She finished changing and let herself out of the dressing room. Coming out, she turned around in a circle, making sure everything looked okay. For the show, Harmony had wanted to keep it classy and her dress had been very Old Hollywood. This dress, however, was young and fun. Sparkles and glitter reigned. The hot pink color showed off the tan she had been able to get during a short vacation before awards season ramped up.

“Does this look okay?” she asked, turning around again so Shell could see her from every angle.

“You look really good. Hoping to meet anybody at this party?”

“You never know,” she shrugged. “Maybe the guys from Black Friday will be there, and I’ll be able to say something else to them. I was kind of a blabbering fool earlier. Are you coming with me?”

Shell wrinkled her nose up at her friend. “I don’t know. This hasn’t been a stellar day for me.”

“All the more reason for you to raid my closet, find something hot, and come out on the town with me.”

“Why are you trying to corrupt me? Usually it’s the other way around. You’re the belle of the country ball, and I’m the one trying to get you to do Jager shots,” Shell laughed.

“Maybe I’m ready to let my hair down. It’s time. I am twenty-four years old, and I’m not gettin’ any younger. If I keep goin’ at this pace with the music, I’m not goin’ to be married before thirty, and that’s never who I wanted to be. I’m the type of girl who wants a boyfriend, wants to be in love. I’m gonna have to make that a priority.”

Shell knew that Harmony was telling the truth. She was one of those women who were made to be in love, but she wasn’t for sure that her friend had ever felt those feelings. Her one serious relationship hadn’t ended well and left her feeling disconnected. It was nice to see that she was beginning to look past that time in her life. “Okay, okay. If I need to be there to keep you from asking the first man you meet to marry you, I’ll be there to save you from yourself.”

“You, Shell, are the best friend a girl could ask for.” She reached over, kissing her on the cheek.

*     *     *