“I was wrong,” she said again. “And I’ve paid for it every single day for nearly twenty years.”
She went quiet. He watched her use the sleeve of her shirt to dab at her eyes. He heard the sound of one of Lex’s cartoons playing in the background.
After a moment, Megan got herself under enough control to continue. “You have no reason to believe it, but all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. I’ve hoped and prayed that you’d find the love you didn’t get from me or your father. No one deserves it more. And I know you had that with Sydney.”
Just hearing her name had wrenched his gut. He hadn’t failed to notice that Megan had used the past tense. Of course, the news of their post-premiere breakup had already been highly publicized.
“I saw the premiere,” she went on. “I’ve heard the newscasts. I can reason out what happened. Sydney was hurt by what you said and what aired, and you felt responsible for it. You decided that she’d be better off without you because you were causing her suffering.”
He had then realized where she was going with all of this. It had him going cold.
“How do you know that Sydney didn’t break things off?” he’d asked.
“Because that isn’t Sydney. She’s a quiet but courageous fighter who digs in rather than running from a challenge. She stands up for those she loves, and she loves you so much.” Megan’s eyes softened in understanding. “And you’re my son, despite how much you wish that wasn’t true.”
There hadn’t been anything he could say to argue that.
“Keith, I wasn’t brave enough to make you listen to me before, but I have to make you hear me now. The happiness I’ve always hoped you’d find is within your grasp and you’re letting it slip away. I know you think you did the right thing...trust me, no one understands that better than me. But when you consider what I’ve said later, I want you to think about this. Think about Sydney feeling about you the way that you’ve felt about me since you were six years old. Is that really what you want?”
His mother’s words echoed through his mind once again as he finally finished his Coke. He’d been so certain he was doing the right thing before he’d made the idiotic decision to listen to her. Now the seed of doubt she had planted was sprouting vicious roots.
He wasn’t wrong, he reminded himself now. He’d brought Sydney nothing but pain and heartache. She deserved much better than that.
The sound of Lily’s voice had him glancing over his shoulder. She and Archer were walking through the lobby on the other side of the planters. They’d done their best to keep him occupied over the past few days. He knew they were worried about him, something else that had given him the strength he needed to stay sober since...
He swallowed hard against another wave of pain. Deciding that a distraction would be a good thing right about then, he almost stood and said something to them. Hearing Sydney’s name held his tongue.
“Sydney just got out of a relationship,” Archer was saying as they paused to look at the café menu. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Apparently George does,” Lily said. “I don’t think Sydney knows it’s a blind date.”
Keith stiffened.
“I’m pretty sure he just told her he was taking her to dinner,” Lily went on. “I’d like an apple and some yogurt please.”
Keith’s jaw was tense enough to make his teeth ache. He consciously forced himself to relax. Ending things with Sydney had been his idea. Had he honestly thought she’d never date again?
Okay, maybe he had at least hoped to live with that pitiful illusion.
“I just think it’s awfully soon for her to be dating again,” Archer said after they placed their order.
“Maybe,” Lily allowed as she perused the apples and selected one. “But George did have good things to say about this guy. He’s a high school teacher and swimming instructor. They might hit it off. Don’t you think that Sydney deserves the chance to fall in love with someone who loves her back?”
Keith flinched.
The mental image of Sydney smiling at another man and issuing her sweet, sincere vow of love tore a gaping hole in his chest. Stumbling right through his head after that was the image of Sydney beneath another man, giving herself to him in a way only Keith had ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
Bile rose in his throat.
It’s better this way, he told himself, rising from the table and tossing his empty plastic bottle into the recycle container.
He didn’t bother checking to see if his shadow was following him. He walked without any destination in mind. He just had to get away from the words that had such tortuous thoughts running through his mind.
He walked for a while, fighting a losing battle with himself. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and found the number he needed.
“Hey, Keith,” Rebecca answered. “What’s up?”
“I need a flight to L.A.,” he said.
“All right,” she said equably. “When?”
“Now.”
“Now? Um, well, I can check, but it’s a holiday. Odds aren’t very good that we’ll get something on such short notice.”
Iván moved into Keith’s view. “Ordinem has a private jet. I can have it ready to leave in thirty minutes.”
Keith only hesitated a moment. “Never mind, Rebecca,” he said, disconnecting the call.
“We’re going to the airport?” Iván guessed.
“Yeah.”
* * *
“When did you get this?” Aria asked, holding up a small bowl with a child’s handprint on the bottom of it in pink paint.
Sydney smiled despite the tight feeling in her chest caused by the keepsake. “Lex made it for me a couple of months ago.”
Aria winced. “Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
It really wasn’t, but Sydney wasn’t about to make her friend feel bad.
She returned her attention to sorting through the items currently spread across her bed. Her radio was tuned into the local country music station, so she hummed along to the Dierks Bentley song currently playing. She and Aria had spent most of the afternoon this way. At least it was largely keeping her mind off of...things.
When the doorbell rang, she exchanged a look with Aria. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“Nope,” Aria replied. “I’ll see who it is.”
“Okay.”
Sydney wondered if George had come back. He’d been over twice since she returned home. He had told her that he’d be busy that evening. Knowing her cousin, he had decided cheering her up was more important than whatever plans he had.
When a figure filled the doorway, she turned with a smile, expecting to see George. She froze when she met Keith’s intense blue gaze.
They just stared at each other for a while. She heard her rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears.
She was just small enough to admit that she was relieved to see he looked as wrecked as she felt. His face and eyes showed clear signs of exhaustion and misery. After a long moment, she managed to blink and confirm that she wasn’t imagining him.
“You were expecting George, weren’t you?” he said.
She nodded.
Something about that seemed to upset him. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His gaze moved to the bed beside her. When he saw the mound of stuff there, his dark brows drew together.
“What are you doing?”
“Packing,” she said.
Now he took in the boxes on the floor and stacked in the corner. His expression grew even more severe. “You’re moving?”
“Yes.”
She saw his jaw flex and release. “Where are you going?”
Deciding she had to keep herself busy or she’d embarrass herself by running over and throwing her arms around him, she turned and started wrapping a porcelain jewelry box in bubble wrap. “I haven’t found an apartment yet. I’m going to see some tomorrow.”
“Why are you moving?”
“To be closer to work.”
His eyes met hers. “You got a job?”
“Not quite yet, but it’s looking pretty good. I have an interview tomorrow morning.”
“Damn. That happened pretty fast.”
She placed the jewelry box in the packing box on her bed and reached for a framed photo to wrap next. “Yes, it did. You may recall that I’m friends with Lex’s teacher, Jessica. I reached out to her to see if they had any job openings and she contacted the school’s principal. We had a phone interview yesterday that went really well.”
“So you mean...you might become a teacher at Lex’s school?”
She heard the hope in his voice. She barely refrained from smiling as she wrapped the frame. “Yep. It seems they’re more progressive and open-minded there since one of their best students has a brother in the music industry and a number of other students have parents in entertainment. Ms. Brown listened to what I had to say and seemed understanding about everything.”
“She ought to be for the amount we pay in tuition,” he muttered.
The doorbell rang a second time. Sydney was curious when she saw Keith’s answering frown. Was he expecting someone?
She heard George as he greeted Aria. Maybe that was why Keith seemed concerned. Did he think George was going to follow through on his threat to put him in the hospital for breaking her heart?
Apparently Keith wasn’t taking any chances. He stepped into the room, closed the door, and turned the lock. Sydney didn’t bother telling him that George not only knew where she kept the key above her doorframe, he could break through her cheap door with one good shove.
“You’re not going on any blind dates,” Keith said, advancing into the room until he stood a few feet in front of her.
“I’m not?”
“No. You’re not dating anyone else, you’re not sleeping with anyone else, and you’re damn well not falling in love with some swimming instructor with bleached blonde hair and big teeth.”
She had completely lost the thread of the conversation. “Okay.”
He stared at her as though trying to remember what he had come there to say. Eventually he said, “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
She nodded. Since he hadn’t pulled his hands out of his pockets, she closed the distance between them and placed her hand on his chest. He closed his eyes briefly as though the gentle touch undid him.
“Of course I know,” she said softly. “You thought you were protecting me. You thought you were protecting both of us. It was too painful for you to see me suffering. You thought that by ending our relationship you’d ultimately be sparing both of us pain.”
“Yeah, well, I was wrong.”
“Yes, you were.”
His eyes narrowed. She smiled.
“But I knew you wouldn’t ever believe that if you didn’t come to that conclusion yourself,” she added. “So I’ve just been keeping myself busy and waiting for you to realize that being in pain alone is far more excruciating than any pain we might experience together.”
He finally pulled his hands out of his pockets and reached out to tug her against him. “Is that your flowery way of saying you love me?”
She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “I don’t need flowery speech to say that. They’re just three little words. I love you. See?”
“I love you, too. That was four words.”
Her mouth opened but no sound came out.
“That’s more like it,” he drawled.
He leaned down and kissed her, taking full advantage of her parted lips. When he finally pulled away from her, she was clinging to him to keep from sinking onto her cluttered bed.
“Sydney, I’m opening this door,” George said.
She and Keith both looked over as the door lock clicked and George turned the handle. He pushed the door open, crossed his arms over his chest, and leveled a stare at Sydney.
“Didn’t we talk about this?” he said.
Keith spoke before she could. “Look, I know what you’re going to say. I’m sure you’ve warned Sydney off me for life and I can’t blame you. You want her with someone who can offer her a life that I can’t. I want that for her, too. But I can’t give her up. Believe me, I’ve tried. It was easier to kick a heroin habit. So tell your swim instructor friend that the date is off.”
George exchanged a look with Sydney. “Swim instructor?”
“Yeah,” Keith said. “The blind date you’ve arranged for Sydney tonight.” When George continued to stare blankly at Keith, Keith’s expression went carefully neutral. “There was no date, was there?”
“Nope.”
Keith muttered something that Sydney couldn’t quite make out. She thought one of the words was “actors.” The other words didn’t sound very flattering.
“Why did you think George was setting me up on a date tonight?” she wondered.
“Never mind,” Keith replied.
George grinned. “Well, as entertaining as that just was, what Sydney and I talked about was how she should spend her time with you when you got here.”
“What do you mean?”
Rolling his eyes, George moved into the room and grabbed the roll of bubble wrap, thrusting it at Keith so he was forced to release Sydney and grab it. “Sydney knew you’d show up eventually. I told her when you did, she had to get you to help pack. Instead she’s in here making out with you.”
Keith looked at Sydney. “You were that sure I’d show up?”
“I’d hoped,” she clarified. “Otherwise you would have been quite surprised when I showed up at your hotel in Indianapolis.”
He put the roll of bubble wrap down and removed his leather jacket, tossing it to the floor since every other surface was covered. “I guess you wouldn’t object to me looking at apartments with you tomorrow then.”
“I’d rather hoped you would. You should have some say in where you’re going to live after the tour.”
His eyes met and held hers. She saw understanding there. They wouldn’t be returning to the apartment where everything had happened and cameras had been secretly allowed by the property manager. Instead, they’d find a new place to start over together.
“True enough,” he said. His gaze moved back to the bed. “So, where do you want to start?”
With George, Aria, and Iván there to help, they had Sydney fully packed within two hours. She had her luggage set aside to leave with Keith for Indianapolis after they’d had a chance to find a new apartment. The rest was boxed up and stacked in her bedroom and part of the living room.
George stayed for a dinner of pizza and salad before wishing Keith and Sydney well and heading home. He told Sydney not to stress too much about her family. He would make an effort to talk to them. While Sydney appreciated his attempts, she knew all too well that there would still be a confrontation to come.
She’d deal with that then.
Aria finished her dinner and retired to her bedroom. She had decided to stay behind in L.A. rather than return to the tour. She had received a couple of offers for work that were too good to pass up. She also needed to decide if she wanted to stick to the Long Beach apartment or move closer to L.A. She figured that Lily would have enough support from Sydney to get through the second half of the tour.
Iván crashed in Lily’s old bed, which suited everyone just fine. By the time Sydney showered off the day’s grime and climbed into bed with Keith, she was completely drained.
Well, not completely. She had enough energy for makeup sex with Keith, of course.
It was tender. It was passionate.
It was filled with love.
She was already starting to doze as he returned to bed after cleaning up in the bathroom. She woke as he settled into the bed beside her.
“You really love this country music, don’t you?” he said as he hauled her up against his side.
She realized she had
left the radio on. “Mmhmm.”
“Oh, well,” he said on a wide yawn. “Nobody’s perfect.”
She smiled as Keith dropped into sleep. He had brought to mind the nickname Nikki had called her in the premiere: Little Miss Perfect. It had been meant as an insult.
Sydney wasn’t insulted. Instead, she embraced the name because she knew it was true.
She was perfect for Keith, just as he was perfect for her. As long as they remembered that in the future, she was confident they’d be able to overcome anything together.
~To be continued...so stay tuned!~
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Read on for a special look at Driving Tempo (House of Archer #3).
If you enjoyed Unsteady Rhythm, check out these books also by Raine Thomas.
Contemporary Romance
For Everly
Meant for Her
House of Archer Series
Imperfect Harmony
Unsteady Rhythm
DRIVING TEMPO
Chapter 1
Getting clocked in the jaw and dropped like a sack of bricks was perfectly in keeping with the rest of Rosemary Montgomery’s day. In fact, it just might have been the highlight.
The day had started on such an optimistic note. She woke up in plenty of time to catch her eight a.m. flight to Kansas City out of LAX. Knowing she was on her way to meet her newly-famous sister, Lily, and join an even more famous rock band’s tour for a few weeks, she had given herself extra time to style her hair, put on makeup, and dress in the perfect outfit.
“Nice choice on the dress,” her best friend and roommate, Veronique, told her after giving her a careful once-over. “It reflects your bohemian style. Pairing it with that light jacket with all of the zippers gives it a nice edge. Flattering, yet professional. You’ll fit right in with The Void and their fans.”
Rosemary relied on her friend’s judgment for such things. They were both event planners, but where Rosemary had more of an eye for the business end of event planning, Veronique was a designer at heart.