Invisible Love Letter (16 page)

P
resent
.

My fear had gotten the best of me for the past four years.

I’d refused to listen to the radio; I told Jeremy the new music wasn't as great as the classics. I’d walked around with a USB drive filled with songs, and while I was in my car, I’d only listened to news radio. I’d been walking around with the ghost of Weston haunting me at every turn. My fear was that one day I would turn on the radio and his song would be playing. So, in order not to break my heart all over again, I ignored it. But now I finally decided it was time to start doing what I love. Music had been my life and I needed to put the fear of running into Weston to rest.

I pulled into the parking deck of SoCal PR with fifteen minutes to spare. I took my time locating a parking spot and checked myself in the visor mirror one last time before heading into work.

As I entered the sixteen-story glass building, I was confident I would make a stellar first impression. I slid my badge over the scanner and greeted the security guard before taking the elevator to the eleventh floor. While I waited for my new manager by the receptionist’s desk, I glanced around the office. It was wide with thick glass walls separating the front desk from the back offices. The carpet was a dark charcoal, and the accent furniture was a mixture of dark wood with white upholstery.

Brian Stone, my manager, appeared from the hallway. “Emilia.” He extended his hand and I shook it firmly as I told him good morning. “Follow me. I'll show you to your office.”

As we passed the receptionist, he introduced me to Nina, who had just walked in for another day of work. She was responsible for directing the calls as they came in. I offered a gentle wave and continued towards my office. My heels clicked against the long white marble hallway. The corridor was lined with identical offices all glass walled from the floor to the high ceilings, with dark mahogany furniture and built-in bookcases. Since I had arrived earlier than most, I was able to gaze into their offices without seeming creepy.

“This is it.”

Brian pushed my office door open. I noticed my name was already etched on the thick glass. The gray carpet was rough, and a mahogany desk sat in the center with an empty bookshelf behind it. A pair of black leather club chairs faced my desk. My office was at the far end of the hallway, so I had direct eye contact with anybody walking my way.
Prime real estate.

“There’s a packet there for you.” He indicated a folder on my desk. “It has all your login information for your computer and passwords that you’ll need to change. I'll let you get settled in. If you need anything, I’m four doors down.”

I thanked Brian and busied myself, getting my login information and setting up my email. As I read over the employee package and filled out my health insurance information, a light tap on the door pulled my head away from the computer screen. Brian stood against the wooden door frame, a wide smile gracing his face.

“First day on the job and you already have a client. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” He motioned with his head for me to follow him.

I locked my computer, fixed my blouse and followed Brian towards a conference room. The room had a round glass table surrounded by black leather chairs. A pitcher of water and a few crystal tumblers stood on a tray in the center. I sat on the chair Brian pulled out for me.

“Your job entails you be the point person—all media packets and press releases will go through your hands. You’ll do crisis management, and any questions that they might have, or their manager might have, will go through you. In a sense, you will do damage control for Pointless Statement.”

I nodded and agreed with everything Brian had to say. I tried to remember if I had ever heard of the group.
Nope.
This was what I got for ignoring the radio. I didn't know if Pointless Statement was a girl group, a solo artist or country band, but I figured since I was a new associate I would be given the newbie clients who were just starting out.

“Great,” I responded. “Anything they need, that’s what I'm here for. I’m ready to be the best publicist in the business.”

Brian massaged his smooth jawline. “Actually, you’re their first publicist since they are fairly new to this industry.” My eyes widened. The thought had me grateful, as though we were at least on an even playing field. That was until Brian’s lips curved into a knowing grin. “And funny enough, you were requested personally by them to be their point person.”

“Personally? Me?” I touched a shaky finger to my pounding chest.
Could Weston…?

Brian’s throat cleared and caught my wandering attention. “Here they are.”

He stood, and I swiveled my chair around to follow his gaze. Walking towards the conference room were four men I never thought I’d see again: Axel, Paulie, Pete, and a face I’d dreamed about for the past four years. Weston.

Please be a dream. Please be a dream.

My stomach hit the floor, and my heart accelerated at a dangerously high speed. A seam of sweat began to build on the back of my neck. Every ounce of me wanted to sprint from the conference room and hide. My hands began to tremble at my sides; I wanted to hide them behind my back, but I didn’t move even an inch. My body was shell shocked.

Four years.

Four years avoiding him, us, anything that reminded me of what we had, and it all came down to this. After everything I’d done to remove myself from his life, he was now my first client.

My past, the love of my life, the father to my sweet, precious daughter…

Pelo ou amor de Deus.
For the love of God
.

“Emilia, this is Pointless Statement.” Brian extended his hand towards the guys as if this were just another client meeting, as if this were just another day to me. Not as though my past had just collided with my future. Not as though my world was spinning and all I wanted to do was drop to the floor.

Axel opened his arms for an embrace, a kind smile on his face. His rotund arms squeezed the rest of the air I had to breathe. “I tried calling you this morning to give you a heads up,” he whispered in my ear.

Air. I need air.

Rendered speechless, I pulled away from his hold and gave him my best fake smile, or at least I hoped. My body was so numb I didn’t know whether my lips actually tugged up.

Pull it together.

Pete came around and hugged me, too. His face was filled with excitement. He still looked like the same Pete I’d met when I was twenty years old, with the scruffy blond hair, the unshaven beard, and the bright, piercing blue eyes. Pete turned around and introduced me to Travis. I assumed he had taken Harry's position in the band. Travis was taller than the rest of the guys, towering close to six-five, with a mocha complexion and hair twisted into small dreads.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Travis greeted me. My hand shook as I extended it to him.

Paulie looked at me and smiled, then looked down at his phone.
Still the same asshole I remembered.

My eyes drifted away from Paulie and were greeted by Weston’s stormy gray gaze. The air felt as if it was all sucked out of the room the moment our eyes met. He was four years older, four years hotter. I couldn’t stop staring.
And I didn’t want to.
He had scruffy cheeks that had not been shaved for a few days, and a black T-shirt hugged his muscular chest. He was bigger than I remembered; more defined. His shoulders were broader and a colorful tattoo peeked out from under his sleeve. The boy I knew then was now a man. He was different, but somehow he was still Weston.
My Weston
.

I couldn't speak.

Couldn't breathe.

I was rendered helpless.

Weston strolled towards me, a slight curve on his lips. Time once again slowed still; each second felt like a lifetime of memories, of lies, of tears, of a future we never got. His cologne smacked me in the face and all the emotions came snowballing. I wanted to kiss him, tell him I still loved him. I wanted to go back in time and repeat everything we had all over again. I wanted those four years back with him. Except this time, I would tell him about Lyra. I would bellow that I was pregnant. Things would be different.

That was the kind of power he had over me.

But I couldn’t change time. I couldn’t do it all over again.

“Hey, stranger,” he whispered mere inches away from me.

My skin tingled as his breath fanned my face. “Hi.” My voice was barely a whisper. Weston wrapped his arms around my body. Could you fall in love all over again in a matter of seconds? My heart ached. What I wouldn’t do to change the past.

His head rested on the side of mine as he tightened his arms. His lungs filled with air as he smelled the crook of my neck. I couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped my lungs.

Love. It’s a poison that never leaves your soul.

He
was my poison.

He
owned my soul.

Every fiber in my heart belonged to this man. It had taken me years to get over him, but now, being in his presence, I was madly in love again.
Still…

Brian cleared his throat and the bubble around us suddenly popped. I remembered I wasn’t alone, having a reunion with the love of my life. I was at work. I reluctantly pulled away and nervously brushed my hair behind my ears. “I guess you guys know Emilia pretty well,” Brian joked, and it seemed to break the tension in the air.

“You could say that.” Weston winked at me. I bowed my head as my cheeks burned from the heat he always caused in me. A few hours ago Jeremy was proposing, and now I was back in love with Weston.

This couldn’t be happening.

Brian pulled a chair out for me and we all sat around the conference room table. I’d forgotten this was a meeting. My world had shifted on its axis. I gazed down at the glass tabletop as Brian explained in detail exactly what SoCal would be doing for Pointless Statement. Brian also addressed the list of requirements Paulie insisted the band needed.

As Brian spoke, my mind spun like a top. I was going to be in contact with Weston a lot—
a whole freaking lot
. I had a kid with this man and he didn't even know.
How the hell was I going to live a double life?

Once Brian finished with his introductions and his long list of conditions from Paulie, he ushered the guys out of the conference room to meet the rest of the staff. I scurried back to my office; I needed a few minutes to gather my thoughts…
and to breathe
.

I pulled a water bottle out of my purse and noticed I had a missed text message from Jeremy.

Jeremy: Hope you have a great first day. Love you!

Jeremy loved me; he loved my daughter as his own. He’d asked me to marry him, asked to adopt my daughter, and yet I was still hung up on a relationship that had ended four years ago. I pressed my fingers to my temples, slowly circling them to control the impending migraine.

Karma.

This was fucking karma.

A soft tap on my door distracted me from my meditation. Axel stood on the other side of my office, a boyish grin on his face. “You okay, Em?” he asked.

“I wish I had picked up your phone call.” I crossed my arms over my desk and rested my head.

“I figured this would be a shock to you.” I lifted my head at the sound of his footfalls. He lowered onto the chair opposite me.

“How did you even know I worked here?”

“You ran into Sally about a month back.” Axel shrugged.

“Dammit!”

It was the day I’d interviewed with SoCal. I was on my way to meet with Brian when I’d noticed I had a run in my stocking, so I’d quickly stopped at a pharmacy near Yorks and picked up another pair. I was checking out when I’d bumped into her. She stood behind me in line, with condoms and a pregnancy test in her hands. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw me and she'd seemed uncomfortable, so I’d begun to ramble that I was on my way to a job interview and had to change my stockings in a public bathroom. Sally had seemed relieved to be talking about anything except the EPT box she was holding.

“Dammit. Dammit! I assume she told you, and you told Weston.” I banged my head on the hard surface. “Why didn't you call me sooner?” I looked back up at him.

“I didn't say anything, babe.” Axel raised his hands in the air to show his innocence. “I found out this morning that we were coming here. I didn't even know Weston was still trying to put the band back together after Harry's death. I thought we were done. We couldn’t replace him, not to mention, the contract we had with North Records.” I looked at Axel with a puzzled look on my face. “Weston was able to find a loophole and get us out of that deal. We wasted four years with that label.”

“That bad, huh?” I was curious. I’d always had an inkling something seemed off with how quickly that deal was thrown together.

“It was bloody awful. We signed our life away to North Records. We paid for our own studio time. We had the album ready but they refused to promote us, and because we were in contract for five albums, there was nothing we could do to get out. We didn’t have the money to buy out our rights.”

“What was the loophole?” I asked.

“Harry.” My eyebrows furrowed. “We were signed as Elephant Room, the four of us including Harry. Without Harry, the contract was null and void. It was Weston who figured it out. We lost the rights to some of the songs we had already recorded, but at least now we’re actually being played on the radio.” A smile grew on Axel’s face.

“That's great, Ax.”

“These last few months, we've been busy. We were picked up by another label, we added Travis to the group, and our song is getting airtime.”

“But you know that doesn’t explain how Weston found out I worked here.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I was drunk one night and mentioned to him that Sally saw you. We’d been celebrating our recent success when I brought up your name. I guess I was drunker than I realized.”

“It’s okay. I’m happy you guys are doing so well.”

“Thanks. I only wish Harry were here to see it.” Sorrow grew in his eyes.

“I know.” My voice was low.

He cleared his throat. “London was hard for him. It was hard for all of us, especially Weston.” I wasn’t ready to hear about Weston.