Rockstar Secrets (Forbidden Chords Book 1) Page 21

  “She’ll love you. Just wait and see. Kayla is like a ray of sunshine.” Her smile told it all. “I am thankful that although the Bradleys and I have tension, it never spilled over to my relationship with Kayla. Our disagreements were kept from her, and it was the hope that I held on to. I knew we all wanted what’s best for her. We only differed in what that best means. They want to please Stewart by keeping her there, and I want her here. I just pray we can reach a middle ground without involving Mr. Williams, because she loves all of us.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulder pulling her close, when the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it while you finish packing.” Marques hated that he couldn’t accompany her to Austin. He had to get back to Atlanta to prepare for the final show.

  He glanced out the peephole to see Damian, opening the door he called out to Brione. As he opened the door, she entered the room. Marques noticed the envelope in his hand and motioned toward the couch.

  “I won’t keep you all.” He placed the envelope on the coffee table with a thump. Damian glanced at him, and Marques turned to Brione.

  “I had Damian do some digging.” Her eyebrows shot up. “I know Mr. Williams can help you, but I thought this could offer a little….insurance.”

  “Okay.” Her shoulders rolled back, and her thinking face was intact. She reached for the hem of her shirt and Marques grabbed her hand. His princess was strong carrying the weight of this entire ordeal on her shoulders, alone for four years. He prayed the contents of the envelope and the letter from Mr. Williams would mark a new, happier, turn in her life.

  Brione accepted his comfort and support, as Damian disclosed the dirty details of her father’s political pursuit and the Bradleys' involvement in securing unethical financial support for his campaigns. Her knowledge of the lobbying laws and the restrictions on contributions made the revelation worse. This could end his career and his dreams of aiming for the White House. She and Kayla had merely been pawns between two very powerful men.

  Brione swallowed around the knot in her throat and looked at Damian. “What would you advise?”

  “I hate to say it, but this is not uncommon. Deals like this get swept under the table. Marriages are arranged. Families are bonded by blood and money. But Brione, you hold the cards. My advice would be to take your letter from Mr. Williams and if Stewart pushes, push back.”

  “What about my plan to pay him for the pictures?”

  “You have this.” He slid the envelope in her direction. “His freedom is all the payment he’ll get. They’ve done enough to bring up criminal and civil charges. He should be paying you to maintain your silence.”

  “I just want it over," Brione said.

  “Then keep your money and demand joint custody. But judging from his track record, he’s only keeping your daughter to have a hold over you. Once that hold is gone, I don’t see him fighting to keep her. Besides, he’s drowning in debt.”

  She nodded reaching for the envelope. This was her golden ticket.

  “Do you want me to accompany you?” Damian offered. “I know Marques has to return to Atlanta. Imani and I can join you for support.”

  “No, I think you’ve done more than enough.”

  Damian stood, and Marques thanked him. “Add my numbers to your phone and call me as soon as the meeting is over. We’re only a flight away.”

  Brione felt overwhelmed by their outpouring of support and resources to help her. For a person used to fighting her own battles, she liked being part of the Carters’ tribe.

  “I do have one final request,” she added. “I need to find a new place too.”

  “I got you.” Damian smiled. “Let’s schedule something next week.”

  They said their goodbyes and Brione grabbed her bag. She left Marques at the airport and made the drive to Austin with an envelope and a letter. Brione asked her mother, father and her brother to meet her at their family home. She had all the ammunition she needed to put an end to it all, but all she wanted was Kayla.

  Pulling into the driveway brought back memories. Brione stayed away for so long. The house was immaculate, and it appeared as it always had. Perfect. The Allens were that family on the outside. Witnessing the Carter family helped her to realize she wanted a better relationship with her parents and her brother. And she was willing to do what it took to make that happen.

  She opened the car door and stepped out. Her mother was in the doorway waiting. Brione took a deep breath and walked into her mother’s embrace.

  “It’s so wonderful to see you.”

  Brione pulled back and looked in her mother’s eyes. The emotions she witnessed helped her relax convinced this would work out. She entered the house with her heart set on reconciliation.

  Brione sat across from her father in his office, her mother and brother left them alone.

  “You look tired Daddy.”

  “I am.” He looked much older than his 52 years. “How can we make this right? I miss you.”

  “Help me get Kayla back.” The weight of knowing her father’s dirty deeds made her heart break for him. His pursuit of power had cost them all dearly. She didn’t want to continue the thread of blackmail she’d experienced; she just wanted it over. “I know about the connection between you and the Bradleys. I want out.”

  She placed the envelope on the edge of his desk. He reached for it. They sat in silence as he flipped through the pages. Marques was right, Damian could double as a private detective. Meetings, pictures, receipts. All of it and more.

  “How did you—”

  “Friends, actually my boyfriend’s family.” It felt odd saying that to her father. But it was the least she could do to acknowledge all the Carters had done through the love and support they’d shown her. She owed them, and she’d start by loving Marques the way he deserved. And letting him love her back.

  No more hiding.

  “Dad, I am moving on, and I can’t do it without her. I’m going to the Bradleys. Will you please help me?”

  Brione figured the tactics they used to put her in the middle of their dealings was the best out. She could leave the details of their shady business deals between them. Her sole focus was their freedom. They could work out the rest.

  He nodded. “Let’s go.”

  She stood and grabbed her purse from the floor beside the chair. She glanced up at her father beside her. Her father still held a special place in her heart. Growing up the man was like a giant, and despite the past four years, she hoped they could one day mend their relationship.

  “I’m sorry baby. I don’t know how this all got out of hand. One minute you kids seemed in love and the next we’re all at odds.”

  “I know. I’m ready to put it all behind me. Behind us.”

  “We will.” And the shackles fell.

  Chapter Forty

  Marques sat backstage waiting for Brione’s text. He removed the sweaty shirt glad to have the tour behind him.

  A chime echoed through the room, and he reached for his phone. The picture in the thread was worth his inheritance. Brione smiling ear to ear with a little mini her. Then another incoming FaceTime call covered the screen. He pressed to answer.

  “Congratulations! We watched the concert, and I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thank you.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead and lowered to a chair. “How did the streaming look on your end?”

  “Amazing. It felt like I was in the room. The camera crew did an amazing job.” Her happiness radiated through the phone.

  “Is she there?”

  “She’s here, asleep.” Her eyes glazed over. “See.” She flipped the video view, and Marques saw a little bundle leaning against her.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Like a dream. I don’t want to go to sleep.”

  “Sleep princess. She’ll be there when you wake.”

  “Thank you, Marques, a trillion times over for changing my, our lives.”

  His heart froze. “This isn’t a goodby
e is it?”

  “Oh no, far from it.” She wiggled from beneath her bundle. “Let me go to the other room.”

  He propped the phone on the edge of the table and changed his shirt. The driver would arrive to take him home. He was ready to sleep off the tour and celebrate with his family tomorrow at the private release party.

  “Okay. I’m back. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. Everyone sends their love.”

  “Thank you, I felt it.” She looked as tired as he felt.

  “How’d it go with your parents?”

  “Better than I hoped. We are building a bridge, and I expect it will take a while to heal from this. I think we all were feeling the strain of this situation and not communicating with each other.”

  “It will work out.”

  “And I honestly think it will too.”

  “And the Bradleys?”

  “My parents stepped in, and we talked like civilized people until Stewart arrived. I thought it would all blow up until my father stepped in. Then his mother.”

  “His mother?”

  “Yes, Stewart’s mother said she was ready to be a grandmother. She’d raised her children. Apparently, Stewart was only around to get back at me.”

  “Did you need the letter?”

  “No, the envelope was a kill switch. My dad made sure they all knew the effect the content would have on both families. I still can’t believe my father would risk his entire career like that.” She shook her head.

  “I’m never surprised by what people will do for money,” he added.

  “I know. I was willing to give Stewart my entire earnings to get Kayla back, and now we’re free. And I have a fat bank account.” She smiled.

  “What’s the plan now?” He was now in the car heading home. Part of him wanted to hop on a plane back to Houston, but after all they did he couldn’t skip out on his family, no matter how much he missed Brione.

  “I’m going to visit Mr. Williams on Monday to get the temporary custody agreement finalized. And then I need to arrange the meeting between my two loves.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Me too. Did you find out anything about the pictures?”

  “Yeah, I was going to tell you about that later. It was Sam.” She barged into his dressing room certain they would pick up where they left off. And she was wrong. “I went against the advice of Bruce and my father by inviting her to the event. We had to escort her out after I apologized.”

  “You apologized?”

  Marques was home now. He dropped his keys on the table and slumped into his couch. “I did. I played off her feeling for me. Not intentionally but after leaving Houston, I wanted you and I to move forward with a clean slate. But she wasn’t buying it. She threw a fit, and I had to have her removed.”

  “I guess that means you won’t be featured on her blog.”

  “Nah, but with the release hitting number two on the charts, I think we’re good.” He laughed.

  “We’ll get number one next time,” she promised.

  “I’ll hold you to it.”

  They talked until the sun rose outside and his life never felt more complete than it did at this moment. He thought fame and love couldn’t coexist. He was wrong.

  The concert tonight was sold out. They had millions watching the live stream. He couldn’t separate the success of the tour from her—and he didn’t want to. They made a hell of a team.

  Cameron was right, girlfriends don’t sell records, but love does, and without a doubt, he was in love with Brione Allen.

  “I’ve been thinking about something you asked me in Miami.” She rolled over onto her stomach. She’d moved from her phone to her computer.

  “What’s that?”

  “You asked me to define love.” Exhaustion was calling his name, yet her words had his full attention. “I had to give it some thought.”

  “Babe it’s been like five years,” he exaggerated.

  “I know, I know. It takes me a minute to gather my words.” She laughed. “I liken love to free falling. Have you ever gone skydiving?”

  It was his turn to roll over. “No.”

  “You’d love it. Anyway—”

  “You can’t 'anyway' that statement. You went skydiving?”

  “How else can I share the experience? But to have lived it.” Her sexy smile made him lean in closer, wishing he could smell her skin and whisper all the ways he planned to love her in person. But he had to save the thoughts for another time, since she’d returned to the living room to keep an eye on Kayla asleep on the couch.

  Marques wanted to snap a picture, turn on a recorder, because he felt the moment coming before she drew her next breath.

  “Continue princess.”

  She sat up, and the computer moved. “I had to get off that hard floor. Last year I went skydiving with some friends from school. I thought of it as a way to begin tackling my fears. The thought of not having my feet planted firmly on the ground challenged me, physically, mentally. Thinking about it makes me believe it truly prepared me for this moment. I had to be fearless. To train the fear inside me that its control has limits.”

  He loved the look in her eyes as she processed her thoughts. Brione, like this, invoked the melodies and song lyrics bombarding his head. He fought to stay present and not give in to the music.

  “So you line up and stand at the door of a perfectly good plane ready to fall. But nothing you do can control what happens the moment you let go.” She smiled and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaned closer to the camera. “You let go, and immediately you know God is in control.”

  The faint smile on her face told him he’d lost her to the memory. Her eyes danced with wonder and awe.

  “You asked me, how would I describe love. My answer is simple free falling. You let go of the plan and know it is out of your control. You’re helpless to stop the descent. You either embrace the view or cling to the fear. And I’ve had both. I’ve had love that almost choked the life from me. But with you,” her eyes met his, “I decided to enjoy the view, allow the breeze to flow through my hair, to bask in the warmth of all that you are. That day when the pictures surfaced I almost let fear win. I’m so glad I didn’t.”

  “Me too.”

  Her words chained his heart to hers. He needed to know that their love was more than the lights, the stage, or his name. More than their amazing physical connection. That he was enough. And her words, and heart, told him so. Now he was sure Brione loved him back.

  Marques arrived at his parents' home later that evening. He’d talked with Brione until Kayla woke. The goal of releasing his album and hitting the charts was accomplished. But it felt incomplete with Brione in Houston. After a few hours of sleep, he packed his bags and tossed them in the trunk. He was headed to Houston immediately following tonight’s party.

  “Are you ready?” Eliana met him at the car.

  “Has my brother and Bruce given you a raise and promotion yet?” he joked.

  “Yes, I’m officially Vice President of A&R. But feel free to pad my Christmas bonus.” She grinned. Then placed a hand on his forearm. “Thank you.”

  The seriousness in her eyes stayed him. “For what?”

  “Kayla.” She leaned in and hugged him. This wasn’t normal behavior, Eliana was always professional and efficient, which was why RSE went with her choice of hiring Brione.

  “You’re welcome.” She brushed away a tear. “What am I walking into?”

  “You know your mother can’t help herself.” They laughed and entered the festivities.

  “Congratulations!” The room was full of family and friends from wall to wall. The cheers sang out as his parents stepped forward from the crowd. He kissed his mother’s cheek and hugged his father.

  “Thank you all.”

  They partied, ate food, and listened to his entire album. He was cornered later by his business partners for a toast. They stood huddled in a circle Cameron, Bruce, Jamal, Devin, and
Damian with their glasses of champagne extended in Marques’ direction.

  Cameron opened his mouth to start the toast, and Marques jumped in. “Big brother I’d like to say something first.” Cameron stepped back. “I want to personally thank each one of you for your contributions to this moment. Cameron for leaving your business to support me when I needed it most. Bruce for pouring your gifts and talents into me and molding me into a true artist. Jamal for ensuring we all benefit from your Midas touch. Devin for your marketing genius. Damian for everything. I think I’m indebted to you all for life.”

  He glanced down and looked back up at the guys, his tribe, his brothers. “Thank you all for believing in me when I gave up on myself. This win is for Rockstar Entertainment.” He lifted his glass. “To RSE…”

  Their glasses touched, and the men embraced.

  “Let’s get the ladies in here,” Cameron requested. He glanced over the shoulders of the group signaling Sandi, Imani, Eliana, and Marques felt a hand on his arm. He glanced down expecting his mother or sister and looked into Brione’s eyes.

  “Surprise!” Everyone in the room sang again.

  Marques snatched her up and looked down at her side to see Kayla. He let go of Brione and lowered to a knee. Kayla held on to her mother’s leg with her eyes glued to his.

  “Kayla, I’d like for you to meet someone very special to Mommy.”

  They woke in his bed, not Houston, but in his old room at his parent's house. Kayla spent the night in the room with Eliana, down the hall. Brione opened her eyes to Marques; her caramel dipped, tall, muscled, god in living color. Eliana was right, but he was much more.

  Brione sent up a prayer of thanks. Thankful that secrets didn’t block their chance at love. He kissed her lips softly and pulled her closer; she loved the feel of waking next to him.

  Who knew walking into Coffee Confessions three months ago would lead to this. She was in Atlanta, in love, with Kayla, and she banished the boogeyman. No pixy dust required.