Zenith Rising (44 page)

Zenith Fulfilled (Zenith Trilogy, #3)—For
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Rob Williams used to be the lead singer of
his band
Zenith
, before his alcoholism destroyed his band,
his marriage and his life. Now, writer Rebecca Randall wants to
write about his recovery and in the process make herself a
successful author. What this mother of three young girls doesn’t
plan for is the tattooed, former rocker that Rob is, fitting so
well into her small town country life. That is until Rebecca’s
absentee husband comes home and wants to rebuild their family. As
Rob leaves to make his dreams of
Zenith
come true, Rebecca’s
life falls into a depression that nothing short of divorce will
stop. But how can Rob, now lead singer of
Zenith
, ever come
back to Rebecca’s ordinary life?

Take a Sneak Peek at:
Zenith
Fulfilled

Rob Williams took the arm of his ex-wife and
waited beside her before the long, flower-strewn aisle as almost a
hundred people looked on. The church was bright with late afternoon
sun, and decorated with an explosion of colorful flowers, while the
soft, lilting sounds of the piano filled the air.

“Deja-vu,” Rob said quietly into Joelle’s
ear.

Joelle Lassiter glanced up at him. Her
four-foot-ten height made him look taller standing next to her. She
grinned and knew what he meant. Their own wedding, nearly seven
years ago now, was the polar opposite of this wedding.

“Except there’s no Elvis impersonator waiting
to join us in eternal union forever.”

“Guess we were doomed from the start, when
you consider that.”

Joelle glanced up at him, and her gaze
suddenly turned serious. “We were doomed. But you’re not doomed,
Rob.”

Rob was spared from replying to Joelle’s
unexpected solemn, thoughtful, heartfelt statement by the sudden
notes of music, their cue to head down the aisle. Now, their arms
linked, they took a step forward in unison and started down the
aisle of the church. Flowers adorned each pew they passed, a
profusion of purple and lavender wreaths. The pews, overflowing
with guests, turned and stared at them, as they slowly, and
together, marched down the aisle of the church like they never did
before.

Joelle’s husband, Nick Lassiter, was near the
front of the church, and glaring at Rob. Rob smirked back. It
served Lassiter right to see his pretty, little wife walking down a
church aisle with him, Rob Williams, Nick’s nemesis. Nick observed
Joelle, and the tight set of his mouth relaxed a little. It bugged
Rob how much Nick genuinely loved his wife, Rob’s ex-wife. The
woman whom Rob also once loved that much.

Rob’s gaze went to the raised platform of the
altar. There stood the pastor in a dark suit, and beside him,
Spencer Mattox, Rob’s best friend in the world. He stood tall and
perfectly erect, stony-faced in his formal tux with long tails and
a crisp, white vest. Nodding at Rob, Spencer looked stern and
almost miserable. Rob smiled back, almost laughing. Spencer smiled
the least of any person Rob knew. He was also the last person to be
found at any public spectacle or gathering. The least likely man
that Rob could ever picture now standing formally at the altar,
waiting for his bride.

After Spencer fell in love with Dr. Erica
Heathersby, he chose Rob as his best man for this pivotal point in
his life. That’s why Rob was walking Joelle, his ex-wife, also the
bride’s best friend, down the church aisle. Joelle was matron of
honor. Rob took his spot beside Spencer. The bridal party was
rather small. Erica wanted a large, flower-strewn wedding and lots
of guests, but only a small, intimate wedding party, comprised of
those whom she cared about most. They were Spencer, Rob, Nick and
Joelle.

Rob found it difficult to consider himself
part of anything; let alone, such a big deal, i.e., Spencer’s
happiness. His formerly dark and brooding best friend and roommate,
had finally found a source of true joy and love with Erica. It
almost made Rob believe there were such things as happy
endings.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the person to whom
they happened.

At one time, Rob knew exactly how Spencer
felt right now. Long ago, Rob stood at an altar; a very different
altar, but an altar nevertheless, and foresaw his happy ending with
Joelle. He thought he’d found the love of his life, and hoped to
ride off into the sunset together. Forever.

But now Rob’s happy ending was standing
across their friend’s altar, staring and smiling at her second
husband, while waving discreetly, with joy shining on her face, at
her two-year-old daughter, Jody.

Rob glanced at Nick who steered his
daughter’s gaze toward her mother. The little girl smiled and
babbled at her mother, and Rob felt the stabs of regret, jealousy,
and longing. He felt them all the way down to his toes. He looked
away, trying to pretend they didn’t exist, and sometimes wished he
didn’t exist.

Instead, he looked towards the back of the
church and the tall, regal, blond head of Dr. Erica Heathersby. She
was not only the least likely woman Rob would have pegged to become
his own friend, but also Spencer’s new bride.

Five years ago, when Rob was married to
Joelle, Spencer ran around in gothic attire under the alias of
Spike. That was when Nick and Erica were dating. But after Rob did
just about everything in the world to screw up his life, he also
managed to push everyone together. Joelle met Nick, and started
working for him, while Rob kept drinking, and eventually lost her
to his addiction. Rob and Spike first met Erica and Nick, when they
were trying to get Joelle to return home. Not long afterwards,
Spike evolved into Spencer, who wanted to grow up, and get a real
life, as well as a real personality. Then Erica entered his life
and changed everything for the better for him.

Of course, Rob helped it move along, and
applauded and cheered. He was glad to see his best friend finding
self-fulfillment and joy.

But Spencer moved out and left him alone. Rob
was left behind again, after not progressing much farther in his
life then he did the five years before, which of course, was how it
should have been.

In the process of self-discovery, they
disbanded
Zenith
.
Zenith
was their rock band and the
culmination of their dreams. At one time, it was their entire life,
years ago now. Until Rob destroyed it. Now it was all long gone and
over.

Rob was the lead singer and Spencer played
the keyboards while they both collaborated on the songs. Their
dreams of stardom evaporated about that time when the band fell
apart. After Rob met Joelle, the three of them lived, breathed, and
dreamt of
Zenith
’s success. They wanted to play music and
sing, while naively assuming the success, fame and money would
naturally follow. They all dreamed big and aimed for the sky.

But it all crashed and burned when Rob got
too comfortable. He managed to lose everything he ever wanted. Or
loved. Or desired. Or needed. Or dreamt about. He lost the works,
and the hardest part for him to swallow was that he was the only
one responsible; and had done it all to himself.

And rising from the ashes of
Zenith
,
Nick and Joelle discovered each other. Spencer and Erica also found
love together. And Rob? Well, he watched it all happen, and longed
for things to be different, but finally accepted that they weren’t.
Now, he thought he actually deserved having everything taken from
him.

He was living alone in the house that the
Zenith
band members once occupied long ago, and Rob often
thought about the past. The other two members of the band were long
gone and thankfully so. Joelle was the first to leave Rob. Then
Spencer. And now, Rob was all alone. As he should have been.

He found a job in construction and attended
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings two to three times a week. He
followed his routine and kept his nose clean, while focusing on
sobriety. He went to work and tried not to feel too much remorse or
remember too much of the past. He concentrated on wanting less
instead of more. He had more and he destroyed it. He almost
destroyed the only two people he ever loved by trying to get more.
And that was why he deserved the empty life he now lived.

Now clean and recovering, it became the
entire point of his existence: sobriety. No longer did he dream of
or desire love. Or music, singing, fame or fortune. His only
desires now were peace and quiet. And some dignity. Whatever little
dignity he could muster after everything he did to the people he
loved, and worst of all, to himself.

****

Rob watched Spencer taking Erica into his
arms, swinging her around, and about to start their first dance as
husband and wife. The large crowd of wedding attendees encircled
the dance floor. But before the music started, Erica suddenly
disentangled herself from Spencer. She looked around, and zeroed in
on Rob. She came over to him.

“Rob! There you are.”

“Hey Doc, what are you doing?”

“I want you to sing our first song. I would
have asked sooner, but Spencer told me you’d say no. However, if I
put you on the spot, he said you’d do it. For me.”

Rob found himself mesmerized by Erica’s
stunning green eyes. Her hair was drawn up off her face, and her
long, slimming gown hugged the gorgeous lines of her body. He often
said that he would have asked her to marry him if she weren’t two
inches taller than he. But of course, he knew she fell in love with
Spencer from the very start. Erica fluttered her eyes at Rob and he
grimaced. She always knew how to get exactly what she wanted; and
if she wanted him to sing, right here at her wedding, he would.

“How am I supposed to say no to that?” he
asked, glancing around, and noticing everyone was looking their
way.

Erica smiled and stepped forward to hug him.
“That’s the point, Rob, you can’t say no. You have to sing for
me.”

Erica knew Rob helped encourage Spencer to
finally admit he loved Erica. She thought she owed him a big slice
of her happiness. Rob wished she didn’t think that. It wasn’t true.
But no matter, Erica treated him with undeserved respect and
warmth, like no one else, but Spencer, did.

He looked up at her since she was four inches
taller with her high heels on.

“What am I singing, Doc?”

She beamed. “Well, I have this favorite
song.”

“Which is what? Something I’d never choose to
sing, I suppose.”

“No, you probably wouldn’t. But please? For
me? ‘The Lady in Red’ by Chris de Burgh.”

Rob grimaced. “Of course, Doc. All right.
I’ll sing it. But only for you, because you asked.”

“I know,” Erica said, spinning around happily
and going towards Spencer.

Rob sighed as he stepped through the milling
crowd, who now wondered why the music was so late in starting. Why
the party seemed to have stopped. They were in the elegant banquet
room, overlooking Puget Sound, just a few miles out of Seattle.
Erica chose the venue for its large windows, high ceilings, and
gilded chandeliers. It was glamorous and exquisitely beautiful. On
a small stage, the live band was all set up.

Rob took the microphone left by the previous
singer who just vacated the stage. He saw the room of people who
were now looking his way. Almost a hundred guests, all waiting for
him with their eyes looking his way. Dressed up and pretty, in
honor of Spencer and Erica, Rob’s nerves didn’t jump or get edgy.
In fact, his senses all seemed to sharpen. His head became clear,
and his heartbeat regulated. This felt... normal. It felt so
freaking normal, he had to get his bearings and remind himself it
was just a song at a wedding.

A song to sing. Singing was once all he ever
did or was any good at. Or great at. Now he rarely sang. Never.
Hardly even hummed in the shower anymore. He didn’t know whether to
glare at Erica, or thank her for the opportunity. The feeling of
rightness. The longing and deprivation were at an end. This was it.
Being on stage. The music about to start. All eyes were fastened on
him. He suddenly felt alive again.

He straightened up and looked around before
bringing the microphone close to his mouth.

“My name is Rob Williams. I’m Spencer’s best
man, and Erica’s friend. She asked me to sing the first song
tonight. So I dedicate this song to Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Mattox,
the two finest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

Erica was smiling at him, and tears glistened
in her eyes. She started clapping, and the room soon followed. She
was clapping for him, Rob, on the microphone, but the room
applauded Rob’s words about Spencer and Erica. Rob smiled back at
her.