Everything: A Singed Wings Novel (32 page)

“What the…” I murmured aloud, as I stared at the piece of mail for a split second before dropping it like it could burn my fingertips.
How did he find me?

Shifting my attention back to the groceries, I began emptying the plastic sacks, my hands shaking, and storing the food in either the fridge or pantry, but the envelope wouldn’t stop calling out to me. My eyes unable to stop drifting over to where it sat. The intelligent part of me told me to throw it away, to forget I ever saw it, but the curious, foolish side was dying to see what was inside.

It had been almost three weeks since school had let out and I moved into my new place. Three weeks since I said goodbye to that apartment and school, in hopes that memories of him would stop haunting me. And honestly, I’d been doing pretty good. Sure, I only listened to country music so I didn’t risk hearing one of his dad’s songs on the radio, and yeah, I hadn’t had a single peanut butter and banana sandwich during that entire time, even if it was my absolute favorite thing in the world to eat, but overall, I thought I was making real progress.

However, one small, white, rectangular package now threatened all of it.

I opened a bottle of wine.

Poured a glass.

Took a sip.

Walked away from the kitchen.

Came back.

Drank the rest of the glass.

Poured another.

Sat down on a stool.

Then, recklessly ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contents, spreading it out on top of the counter.

With my heart hammering violently against my ribcage, for several minutes, I simply stared in disbelief at the three pieces of paper from inside
— three
pieces of paper that could possibly change the course of my life.

First, and most importantly, there was the handwritten letter that explained the significance of the other two items. I read it at least a dozen times.

As I sat there holding the paper in my trembling fingers, so many questions popped into my head. Everett was trying to find me? He’d been banging on my door the day he left? He wanted to apologize? He was miserable without me? He loved me? And why, if all that was true, did he act like I didn’t exist to him for the last two months? What had changed?

I checked the date on the flight reservation and saw that it was for this Saturday morning
— the day of the concert — which was only four days from now. I had less than a week to decide if I wanted to reopen that wound. There wasn’t any doubt I still loved him. I never stopped. No matter how angry I was at him, I couldn’t just turn off my feelings or forget about what we’d shared.
But d
id I want to take the chance that seeing him again could possibly heal the hurt that still lurked inside me, all while knowing that if it didn’t go well, I was setting myself up for devastation? Could my heart survive walking away from him a second time?

Closing my eyes, I inhaled and exhaled several deep breaths as I thought long and hard about what I should do. The age-old battle of head versus heart warred inside me, but when my eyes fluttered open, I realized there was never really a decision to be made. In the end, I didn’t want to live with the regret of not taking the chance, and love was always worth the risk.

I STARED AT
my reflection in the fancy hotel bathroom of my even fancier room at the Four Seasons and said one final prayer that this all wasn’t going to blow up in my face. When I landed in LA earlier in the day, I’d texted Mason to let him know I was in town and would be at the show. He replied with an all-caps “THANK YOU,” and after that, I’d been left alone with my thoughts in a city where I had more bad memories than good, hoping tonight wouldn’t be yet another to add to that pile.

Stay positive, Belle. His dad wouldn’t have sent you a damn ticket out here if he thought Everett didn’t want to see you.

Wearing the same iris-colored blouse, ripped skinny jeans, and black boots I had on the night we first met, which was coincidentally the only other time I’d seen Everett perform on stage in front of an audience, I did a final inspection of my appearance then headed out the door to catch a cab to the concert.

Nerves twisted and twirled in my stomach throughout the entire ride over and as I went through the gates at the Hollywood Bowl. It felt strange to be there by myself, but in the massive crowd of bodies
— most of them scantily-clad females, ranging from teeny boppers to soccer moms — I wasn’t sure anyone even noticed. Making my way down to the very front of the amphitheater, I passed through several checkpoints until I finally reached the “pool circle,” the area right next to the stage where there were no seats.

The final security officer who checked my badge smiled down at me. “You know you have backstage access, right? If you want to go back there before the show, you’ve got about twenty minutes, and the entrance is right over there,” he said, pointing off to the side, where a group of other official-looking people stood.

“Thank you, but I’m okay right now,” I replied politely. “I think I’ll go ahead and claim my spot before it gets too crowded.”

With it being his very first show of this magnitude, the kick-off to their big tour, the last thing I wanted was to throw Everett off his game by surprising him beforehand. He needed to be focused on his music, and afterward, I’d let him know I was here.

For the next half hour or so, I watched the people pour in, filling up the open-aired arena to the backdrop of one of the most spectacular pink-and-orange-kissed sunsets I’d ever seen. The energy around me was exhilarating, everyone buzzing about the long-awaited return of Jobu’s Rum, back on tour, and the eagerness to find out if Mason Templeton’s kids’ band would be half as good as their dad’s. I already knew they were better.

Just after nightfall, people began moving around on stage, doing final preparations to the instruments minutes before Everett and Ashlynn appeared together and started their set by playing a hit single from Jobu’s Rum’s first album. The entire crowd went nuts, hooting and hollering to the point I could literally feel my organs vibrating inside of me.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, as he looked sexier than ever under the bright lights wearing his typical plain t-shirt, jeans, and chucks. Watching him perform in front of all of those people cheering for him sent a surge of pride through me. Not that I’d helped him get to that point in any way, but I knew how much he dreamed of a moment like this, and because I still loved him the way I did, his happiness directly related to mine.

As the song came to a close, Everett bellowed into the microphone, “What the fuck is up, Los Angeles? Who’s ready to have some fun tonight?” which incited another round of roars and cheers.

He waited a bit for everyone to settle down then started talking again. “For those of you who are wondering who the hell we are, I’m Everett, and this is my twin sister, Ashlynn,” he grinned while pointing to her sitting behind the drum kit, “and together, we are Singed Wings.”

More yelling and shouting ensued; this time, I joined in. I couldn’t help myself. He was a natural up there.

“Oh, my God, he’s even hotter than his dad,” a teenaged girl standing next to me squealed. “What I wouldn’t give to get a piece of that fine ass!”

Somehow I refrained from growling, “
Mine!”
at her, even though he wasn’t really anymore… at least not yet. But God, I wanted him to be.

After the short introduction, the music started back up again — most of the songs I’d heard him play at my apartment before — and I found myself singing along and dancing, just as mesmerized as all the people around me, caught up in the gorgeous man before me and his captivating voice.

Their hour-long set coming to a close, a hush fell over the crowd while Everett changed out his electric guitar for an acoustic and the lights dimmed until there was only a single spotlight shining down on him sitting on a stool a roadie had brought out for him.

“This last song is something a little different than we normally play,” he said into the microphone, offering the crowd one of his signature heart-stopping smiles, “but I wrote it on the way out here with a little help from my sister and my dad. I’m not sure it’ll ever get back to the person I wrote it for, but hey, a guy can always hope.”

As he started to strum out the opening notes of the song, something instinctively spurred my feet to move forward, pushing my way through the bodies until I was in the very front, but still off to the far right of him. Glancing up to the backstage area nearest me, I found Mason standing there in the shadows with a shit-eating grin on his face, watching me watch Everett. I smiled and gave him a quick wave then turned my attention back to center stage, where my pulse thumped in rhythm with the soft drums in the background and tears pooled in my eyes as he sang. To me.

Something beautiful is gone

Without it, I’m not the same

Hoping no one sees my tears in the rain

Maybe I’m to blame

To wrap my arms around you

Oh, what sweet bliss

Don’t you understand?

Just one last kiss

Wings I never knew I had

Oh, how you made me fly

Singed and broken now

Never again to touch the sky

A chase in the summer heat

A smile from the front of the room

Speak to me without words

A hibiscus in full bloom

Wings I never knew I had

You took me so high

Singed and broken now

Never again to touch the sky

I would throw it all away

Do I have to walk through Hell?

An endless sea of empty faces

Without my Tinker Bell

Wings I never knew I had

Until you said goodbye

Singed and broken now

Never again to touch the sky

What can I say when there are no words?

Never felt anything so true

My Belle…

I never knew you were everything

‘Til the first time I saw you.

The entire place erupted in cheers and applause as Everett set his guitar down and stood up to take a bow. No longer in control of my actions or my emotions, I hopped up on the side ramp leading up to the stage and rushed toward him, tears spilling down my face. In my peripheral vision, I saw Mason stopping the security guards moving to detain me, and that’s when Everett turned to see what was going on.

The moment his gaze connected with mine, a jolt of electricity shot through me just like it had on New Year’s Eve. Goose bumps prickled my skin despite the warm ocean breeze surrounding me, and my heart nearly exploded inside my chest.

He opened his arms wide for me and I broke out in a full sprint until I was tightly engulfed in them, sobbing into his sweaty shirt, overwhelmed with everything that was Everett. The man I loved.

Everyone around us faded away as he drew back far enough to stare deeply into my eyes. “You flew all the way here for me, Tinker Bell?” he whispered, shock still owning his expression.

“Followed the second star to the right and went straight on ‘til morning.” I nodded as I lifted up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips across his. “I’d fly anywhere to be with you.”