Fallen for Rock (32 page)

‘Shall we—’ I said at the same time.

We laughed, and I spoke quickly to get my thoughts out first.

‘Look, I know this is really awkward, and you have a lot to think about but can we go someplace else, somewhere where we can talk?’

‘Really?’ Nate challenged me. He fixed me with an intent stare, one I couldn’t interpret. ‘You want to talk some more?’

I fiddled with my hair, unsure of where he was going. ‘Well… I wanted to… I think I need to apologise. Properly.’

Nate’s eyes flickered. ‘Now you got my attention.’ He tilted his head and looked at me through half closed eyes. I knew that pose. I knew it well.

Emboldened by his stance, I reached out a finger and traced the curve of his cheek. The impact was electrifying, and we both jumped a little. I smiled.

‘You know what they say.’ My voice was breathy and seductive.

‘What do they say?’

‘They say…’ I dropped my hand to his chest and drew a circle on his breastbone. Nate tensed and quivered in response. He blew out air sharply, and the warmth of his breath against my skin made me weak with desire.

‘They say, “actions speak louder than words”. Isn’t that what they say?’

‘They certainly do.’ Nate spoke so softly that I had to lean in to hear him. He looked at me, and there was mischief in his eyes. Oh, how I had missed that look. I pursed my lips gently, as if I were blowing him an air kiss.

‘Mmm-leee,’ he murmured. By now I was leaning in so close, I was practically sitting on his lap. My hands were resting on his thighs, and I could feel a distinct hardness between his legs.

‘Mmm-leee,’ he repeated once more. His face was wreathed in smiles, and love danced in his eyes alongside the mischief.

‘Nate.’ His name flowed from my lips in a slow, gentle breath. He shifted slightly on his stool and took my hands in his. He smiled even more widely as he lifted my hands towards his mouth and dropped a little kiss first on one palm, then the other.

‘I missed you so much.’

‘I missed you too.’

We looked at each other, and an unspoken understanding, a shared excitement, passed between us. I could practically see the sparks flying. The old attraction was very much in evidence. I shivered. Nate saw it and squeezed my hands harder. His eyes shone as he spoke.

‘Take me home and make love to me.’

Epilogue

Hi, you. Welcome to my epilogue. If you’ve come for a little peek at how everything worked out, you’re absolutely in the right place. So let me see.

After Nate took me home that night, we made love. In fact, we had the most fantastic make-up sex you could ever imagine. I’d be lying to you if I swore I didn’t think about Mike and his animal passion afterwards, only for a minute, while I was freshening up in the shower. Of course I did. It made me wistful, and it made me realise that Mike had taught me a lot about myself. But making love with Nate was special. It wasn’t quite as animalistic, but there was love there, a deep connection that added extra sprinkles to the sensation. I was one happy woman. And a lucky one, too.

By mutual agreement, Nate and I took it easy for a little while. Well, okay. We planned to. We lasted for all of three months before we decided that we would move in together after all. That’s a year ago now, and we’re ludicrously, blissfully happy. Who knows? We might even tie the knot one of these days.

Obviously
Nate joined Fallen For Rock, as he had promised Mike. And even though it broke his heart, he decided to leave Blue Heart after a few weeks. As it turned out, Liza—the blombe—had plans and ambitions of her own, so she took over Blue Heart in an amicable split. Liza and Nate are still in touch, and every now and then, Nate goes back to put in a guest appearance. No bad blood; it can be done!

At the moment, Nate is still doing part-time work for his architect’s firm to help pay the bills, but he considers himself a musician, first and foremost. As do I, actually. Fallen For Rock will be our life.

Speaking of Fallen For Rock—the band is going from strength to strength. Mike took almost a year putting his new musicians through their paces and knocking the band into the shape he wanted. It wasn’t always smooth going, but his new band members liked his direction right from the start. Mike, in turn, has taken on board some of the lessons he learned from MonX, and he’s involving everybody in writing and producing songs a lot more than he did in the past.

‘It’s easy, actually,’ he confided in me after about six months. ‘These are all highly talented musicians who have a lot to offer. I’d be crazy to ignore their skills. So we all write together. It’s great.’

Iron Dave watches over the band with benign hawk’s eyes. The ‘iron’ hand comes out from time to time when ructions threaten to upset the band’s musical trajectory. He’s signed the band and each musician individually. He made sure that everybody fully understood, and agreed with, the terms of their contracts with him and with each other. There’ll be no nasty surprises down the road.

Apart from being an amazing manager, Dave is also a great friend and an outstanding mentor. He smells trouble a mile off and has cajoled the band into many a ‘team building’ exercise, which has strengthened their bond in immeasurable ways. Of course, he doesn’t call it ‘team building’. He calls it ‘jamming at Stonehenge at sunrise’ or ‘painting a studio red in three hours’. Either way, it works, and the band has relaxed fun together as well as making music.

Yesterday, Fallen For Rock released their first album, ‘United We Stand’, which includes many of the songs that Mike wrote in his stay of asylum at my house. Dave has hired a booking agent who has put together an extensive launch tour for the band all over the UK and Europe. He has his sights set on the US market, too, but he says he’ll tackle that with the second album.

I’d love to tell you that Fallen For Rock is a massive success already, but I can’t—yet. I’m sure it will be. Early indications are great, sales are rolling in, and I’m cooking up a veritable media storm for the tour.

Oh yes. That brings me to me, Emily Trenden, ace publicist, as Mike still insists on introducing me to all and sundry. Well, who’d have thought that I’d start a whole new career at the drop of hat and make a success of it? Man, if I’d known, the day those MonX VIP tickets turned up, about the chain of events that would turn my whole life upside down, I’d have laughed and run away in horror. But do you know what? I’m loving it. It suits me. I’m positively flourishing.

Evidently, my premier client continues to be Fallen For Rock. I’ve been busy designing and rolling out the campaign for their first album and tour. Turns out I’m now best buddies with a dozen influential radio DJs. I have a contact list of journalists both in the mainstream and the music press who I can call on at almost any time of day or night to set up an interview or an appearance.

Moreover, I’m gradually building a circle of influence with some of the record labels. This part of the job is very difficult as the label people have fierce gatekeepers, but Iron Dave is gently opening doors for me. He has also introduced me to all his management buddies, which means my client list is growing fast. I might have to hire staff soon to take care of the everyday social media presence of my bands.

I’m thankful that I threw my preconceptions and my life plan out of the window all those months ago. Yes, it was scary. Yes, I was lucky that I could work it out the way I did. And my God, I was lucky that Nate heard me out and forgave me.

What will the future hold? Who knows. Hopefully, a successful rock guitarist husband and a little loving family, a thriving business, health and happiness. I’ll go with the flow and try to make it happen. And if there are any more massive curve balls… Well, I’m ready. Bring it on!

United We Stand

Things haven’t exactly been easy

Things haven’t quite gone to plan

When life is tough and the truth is rough

You’ll see what your friends are made of

So what if they say you’re a dreamer

So what if they leave you behind

You have to fight for what you believe in

You have to know your own way in your mind

United we stand, divided we’d fall

This is the greatest truth of them all

When the world gets down on you

When you feel like you are through

Remember that I’m here with you

We must bend to pick up the pieces

It’s back-breaking work and it’s hard

Then you find they won’t fit back together

Cut your finger and bleed from a shard

As we stare in dismay on the spatter

An idea takes shape in your head

Like a phoenix that rises from ashes

We build a new castle instead

United we stand, divided we’d fall

This is the greatest truth of them all

When the world gets down on you

When you feel like you are through

Remember that I’m here with you

And who’s the winner now, flying high and cresting the wave

You had the vision, the zest and persistence

We fell and we rose and stand tall

Acknowledgements

As always, many people were instrumental in the creation of this book. My heartfelt thanks go out to…

Jon—Thank you for believing in me at every step of the way. And for taking on the weekend childcare while mummy locked herself in her office to do some more writing or proofing. You are my Nate.

You. Yes, you!—Thank you for reading my books, spreading the word, leaving reviews, and sending me messages. Your enjoyment and support make my writing world go round!

This time around, quite a few of you have helped shape this book, and for that, I give you extra special thanks:

~Kelly Findlay, for inspiring the mascara scene.

~Tanya Farrell, Rachel Miles, Katie Mettner, Ces Creatively, Sue Fortin, Maaureen Heys, Shawn Christoph, Ana Gallardo, Karina Jackson, Sheryl Browne, Joanne Friscia Christenson, Terri Nixon, Jessie Dalrymple, Joanna Gawn and Darlene Jones for taking part in a lively Facebook discussion regarding the pros and cons of an epilogue; as you can see, the ‘ayes’ have it.

Amazing bloggers and friends—Three cheers for Allyson Brann, Ana Gallardo, Andrea Coventry, Ces Loftus, Charlotte Foreman, Elizabeth Santiago, Evelyn Chong, Heidi Bartlett, Inga Kupp-Silberg, Joanne Friscia Christenson, Julie Valerie, Kate Verrier, Kathleen Higgins-Anderson, Kelly Findlay, Marlene Engel, Melissa Amster, Nicole Henke, Nova Reylin, Rea Sinfield, Samantha March, Sarah Taylor, Sharon Goodwin, Stephanie Oursler, and Toni Carter. In fact, three cheers isn’t nearly enough for all your support. You know you rock!

Anneli Purchase—Amazingly loyal friend, I am so very grateful for your proofing prowess. Thank you!

Cameron Tilbury—Ace publicist, thank you for everything you do. Including the virtual hand-holding and reading of advance drafts of manuscripts!

Carol Wright—Fabulous, patient and careful real-time betareader. Thank you so much for your thoughts, especially regarding the spice.

Deborah Smith—Patient and insightful betareader and provider of fabulous editorial comments. You rock!

Jane Risdon—Source of insight on all things rock. I salute you!

JB Johnston—Because you’re always, always there for me with a smile, a fabulous comment, and great beta feedback. You’ve no idea how much this means!

Jen Tucker—because you’re an angel, and a star, and an amazing friend.

Jessie Dalrymple—For your continued patient mentoring on all things Photoshop, and your fabulous feedback on several iterations of plain, pink, and purple covers.

Katie Mettner and Tobi Helton—Patient readers of early drafts and honest critique providers. Thanks, ladies!

Kelly Findlay—Blogging princess extraordinaire, thank you for your time, enthusiasm, support, and betareading.

Kim Nash—Wonderful friend, fabulous blogger, and amazing supporter. Thank you for you-know-what.

Tanya Farrell—Brilliant betareader and cheerleader. Rock on!