Without You (21 page)

When asked if he plans on recording
Without You
or selling it to another artist, James responded by shaking his head and saying, “Hell no. That’s my sunshine’s song. It brought her back to me. It belongs to her and no one else.”

True love was evident in the way the couple shared their story throughout the interview. The title of the listening room came from their relationship. As the na
m
e suggests, she is his sunshine and he is the lyrics. We look forward to hearing the success of their venture, as together they create the perfect song.

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Forever My Girl

The Beaumont Series #1

By Heidi McLaughlin

CHAPTER 1

LIAM

A
light snore reminds me that I’m not alone. The heaviness of a body sprawled out, sets me off immediately. The stale smell of day old perfume lingers in the air and on my sheets.

The curtains are pulled back, the sun shining through the large window which affords me the best view and privacy.

Rolling over, there’s a face I don’t remember. A face that holds no name in my recollection or any vivid memory of how she ended up in my hotel room let alone my bed.

The bed part I can probably figure out.

The blonde hair tells me that I didn’t bother to get her name or ask her what her favorite drink was. Guaranteed our conversation was eyes, hands and lips only. There is one hair color that can make my heart beat and blonde isn’t it.

Neither is red.

Eyes too.

Never blue.

They have to be brown or green, never blue.

This isn’t a downward spiral or some drug induced moment. I don’t do drugs, never have, but I may drink excessively on occasions like last night. This is me coping with my mistakes and failures. I may be successful when I’m on stage, but at night I’m alone.

And so freaking scared of dying alone.

I reach for my phone to check the time. Instead I pull up the gallery that holds her image, my thumb hovering over her face. I’ll see her when I go home and I don’t know what I’ll say.

I know she hates me.

I hate me.

I ruined her life. That is what her voice message said. The one I’ve saved for the past ten years. The one I’ve transferred from phone to phone just so I could hear her voice when I’m at my lowest. I can recite every hateful word she said to me when I was too busy to answer and never found the time to call her back.

Never found one second to call and explain to her what I had done to us. She was my best friend and I let her slip through my fingers just to save myself from the heartache of hearing she didn’t want me anymore.

I had dreams too.

And my dreams included her, but she would never have gone for it. I’m not living her American Dream. I'm living my own.

My decision destroyed everything.

My nameless bed cohabitant reaches out and strokes my arm. I move away quickly. Now that I’m sober, I have no desire to be anything to this person.

“Liam,” she says through her seductive tone that sounds like a baby. It makes my skin crawl when women talk like this. Don’t they see that it makes them sound ridiculous? No man worth his nuts likes this sort of thing. It’s not sexy.

Wrapping the sheet around my waist I sit up and swing my legs over the edge, away from her and her wandering hand. My back tenses when I feel the bed shift. Standing, I pull the sheet tighter to keep myself somewhat covered. I shouldn’t care, but I do. She’s seen me in the dark, but I’m not affording her or her camera another look.

“I’m busy.” My voice is strict, a well-practiced monotone. “Jorge, the concierge, will make sure you get a cab home.”

I sleep purposefully facing the bathroom so I never have to look at them when I tell them to leave. It’s easier that way, no emotions. I don’t have to look at their faces and see the hope fade. Each one hopes they will be the one to tame me, to make me commit.

I haven’t had a steady girlfriend since I entered the industry and a one night stand isn’t about to change that. These girls don’t mean anything and never will. I could change. I could settle down and marry.

Have a kid or two.

But why?

My manager, Sam, would love it, especially if it was her. She’s my only repeat lay. The first time was an error in judgment, a lonely night on the road mistake. Now she wants more. I don’t.

When she told me she was pregnant I wanted to jump off a cliff. I didn’t want kids, at least not with her. When I think about having a wife, she’s tall and brunette. She’s toned from years of cheerleading and her daily five-mile run. She’s not a power hungry executive in the music industry who spoke of hiring nannies before a doctor could confirm her pregnancy.

She suggested marriage; I freaked and flew to Australia to learn to surf.

She miscarried two months in. I made a vow that we’d keep things professional from that point on and that is when I started my one night stand routine. Despite everything, she still loves me, and is waiting for me to change my mind.

“You know,” the barfly from last night starts to say in between shuffling and her huffed breathing as she puts on her clothes. “I heard you were a dick, but I didn’t believe it. I thought we had something special.”

I laugh and shake my head. I’ve heard it all, each one thinks we have something special because of the most amazing night they’ve ever had.

“I didn’t pick you for your brains.” I walk into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it for good measure.

Leaning against the door I bang my head against the solid wood. Each time I tell myself I’m going to stop, and I think I have until something makes me want to forget. My hands rake over my face in pure frustration.

I’m not looking forward to going home.

The reason for returning is staring at me from my bathroom counter. The page-long article of the guy I used to call my best friend. Picking up the paper, I read over the words that I have memorized.

Mason Powell, father of two, was killed tragically when the car he was driving was rear-ended by an eighteen wheeler.

Dead.

Gone.

And I wasn’t there.

I left like a coward when I didn’t say goodbye.

I changed my cell phone number because
she
wouldn’t stop calling. I had to make a clean break and Mason was part of that.
She
and Katelyn were best friends and he’d tell her where I was and what I was doing. It was better this way.

I was only meant to be gone a year. I told myself I’d return home after twelve months, make everything right and show her that I wasn’t the same person she fell in love with. She’d see that and thank me, move on and marry a yuppie business man, one who wakes up every day and puts on a crisp dress shirt and pleated slacks that she'd iron in their
Leave it to Beaver
household.

I squeeze the paper in my hands and think about everything I’ve missed. I don’t regret it, I can’t. I did this for me and did it the only way I knew how. I just didn’t think I’d care so much about missing everything.

I missed the day he asked Katelyn to marry him. Something I knew he wanted to do since we were sixteen.

I missed his wedding and the birth of his twins. He was a father and a husband. He had three people who depended on him and now he’s gone. He’ll never see his children grow up and do the things that we did when we were younger. All the things we said our kids would do together. I missed this because I had something to prove to myself. I gave up on their dream and the life we had all planned out.

And now I’m heading home to face the music.

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F
ind out more about Heidi and the Beaumont Series at:

http://heidimclaughlin.com/
.

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J
ulie has written two series: The Double Threat Series for teens and the Against The Wall series for adults. Against The Wall is actually a spinoff from her YA series and is recommended for mature readers who are 17 years or older.

If you were to read both series, here’s the order:

So I’m A Double Threat

Double Threat My Bleep

Against The Wall

Double Time

Between The Sheets

Double Threats Forever

Straddling The Edge

Playing Chase

Alex’s Story (Spring 2014)

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O
ther Titles:

You Act So White (YA)

More Than A Friend Request (Adult Romance—novella)

In A Relationship (More Than A Friend Request #2 coming Summer 2014)

“This really sweet story of long lost love recaptured grabbed my attention from the first page. I couldn't stop reading until I was finished. It gives such hope that some things like true love never die. I absolutely loved it!” – Kelli Kamryn, author of
Monkey’s, Sex, and Other Birthday Surprises
, and the Love and Balance series

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F
ind all of Julie’s titles available for most book sellers here.

Other links:

Julie’s Website

Julie on Facebook

Double Threat Series on Facebook

Julie on Twitter

Julie on Goodreads