Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
He’s my boss. That’s it. Make your money and get home.
“Hey,” I say when I walk into the common area and find him slumped on the couch with his head back.
“Come here,” he says when I go to sit in one of the accent chairs. He pats the seat beside him. “I won’t bite. Come here.”
Hesitantly, I move to sit down next to him. He reaches for my legs and pulls them into his lap. I should pull away, but the tired look on his face and the warmth of his hands on my thighs stop me.
Looking at me through tired eyes, he says. “Talk to me, gorgeous.”
“About?”
“Whatever you want, as long as I get to hear your voice.”
I think, not knowing what to say. I’ve had a ton of questions for him. That song tonight said so much, but I’m not sure if I should pry.
He gives a chuckle. “Let me help you out. Are you an only child?”
“No, I have a sister and a brother. Both younger than me,” I reply. “What about you?”
“Three brothers,” he says. “Third oldest.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two,” he says with a crooked smile.
“Oh… wait. Really?”
He doesn’t look older than twenty-something. I thought I had him by a few years. The stubble that has grown on his face may place him closer to thirty tonight, but still. I’m in shock.
“I’ll be thirty-three a few months after the tour. You don’t look your age either,” he says with a grin.
I go to ask him how he knows my age, but I think about the job and the contract. I’m sure he did a background check before hiring me. People tell me all the time that I don’t look thirty-one at all.
“Where are you from?” I ask.
“My dad’s Italian and Dutch. My mom is Scandinavian. They both grew up and met in Wisconsin. Dad struck it rich after his hippie days were over and they moved to LA,” he replies. “You?”
“Born and raised in Cali. Calabasas was all I knew until I turned twenty and ran off to New York,” I say.
He gives a low whistle. “Those are some deep pockets there.”
“My father’s father was wealthy. That was passed down, but Daddy worked his way through medical school, becoming a renowned surgeon.” I shrug.
He reaches for my hand and starts to play with my fingers. Butterflies start to take off in my belly and I find myself holding my breath. He keeps his eyes on my long-overdue-for-a-manicure hand.
“Why New York?”
“Do you have any idea how suffocating it can be to live under parents who think you should be perfect. I needed to put distance between us. New York was the next best place in my head.
“You know what they say. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” I snort. “Well, I guess I failed that one.”
He brings my fingers to his lips and kisses the tips. My heart flutters. Heat spreads throughout my body.
“I don’t think you failed at all. Your path just changed. You don’t know what life has for you now.
“I see it this way. Sometimes you have to cross to a new lane to get to the destination that was truly meant for you,” he says.
“Bishop Love, the great philosopher.” I chuckle.
“I’ve seen and done some shit. I like to think I’ve learned from some of it,” he says.
“Including having your heart broken?”
He lifts his gaze to mine. Those blue eyes feel like they’re trying to penetrate me. I dare to hold his gaze as I wait for his answer.
“You caught that?” he says softly.
“Yeah.”
“I think I always knew we were wrong for each other. I love what I do. I’ve never been drunk off the fame. Bev… she wanted it all. The fame, the life, and everything else.
“I did everything I could to keep her happy. In the end… nothing was enough. I wasn’t enough,” he says as he looks down at our linked hands on my thigh.
“She’s probably kicking herself now,” I say.
“As much as a dead person can,” he says angrily.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“Don’t worry about it. It was a few months after I found her cheating on me. She overdosed on the guy’s tour bus,” he says bitterly.
The room falls silent. I don’t know what to say to that. I want to pull him in my arms and comfort him. Now, a lot makes sense.
“I hope you don’t blame yourself,” I say softly.
“For two and a half years. I sure did. Took me a long time to see there was nothing I could do. But at first, I couldn’t help wondering if things would have been different if I had been enough.”
“See, that’s the thing. Is it that we’re not enough? I thought my boyfriend would be the one to have my back. You know, when I lost my job and my life turned upside down. Evan turned his back on me for his friend.