One afternoon, Thaddeus had insisted they visit Zoe, and Gabriella had agreed. Expecting to find her daughter at home, Gabriella had been shocked to find that the girl wasn’t there. After making a few inquiries from the staff, they discovered that Zoe had been sneaking out everyday for three years to play at a club downtown. Just hearing it had driven Gabriella mad with worry.
The city was not kind and the thought of Zoe running around knowing that she was a Castille and therefore a target for all kinds of kidnapping had almost destroyed Gabriella.
It had taken hours to find the club. They found Zoe with her friend standing at the curb outside the club glowing with excitement. Dressed in a short black leather skirt and a tight lace top, Zoe had looked like a stranger. Her daughter had looked so distant. If Thaddeus had not been with her, she might have beaten Zoe senseless out of fear.
That day, Gabriella made the decision to move to Ohio and live with her sister Julia. Assuming that what Zoe needed was a close knit family; she’d imagined living with Julia, her husband and their young twins would solve the problem. Against vehement protests from fourteen year old Zoe, they’d made the move in the summer.
Closing her eyes, Gabriella wondered for the millionth time in her life whether that had been the right decision to make. Maybe if they had remained in Manhattan things would be different now. Zoe would be working for Castille instead of gallivanting around the world. She’d be marrying a nice young man and the family would be together.
As it was, for eight years now, she’d barely had a civil conversation with her youngest daughter. Their connection was sour and full of anger. It was also the reason why a rift existed between Gabriella and Thaddeus. Because he’d taken her baby to Greece and refused to give her back.
Returning the memories back in the box, she stowed the box away and sat in her chair with a sigh. How could she go to a wedding she disapproved and act like it was alright?
Swinging her chair from side to side, a small voice whispered in her head, ‘Because you love your daughter, despite her choices.’
*****
“She’s coming.” Zoe said in to her cell phone. The words were a surprise even to her as she said them. “I can’t believe it. Uncle Thad called to say that she accepted the invitation.”
“Well, that’s great,” Robbie said happily. “I told you she’d come. She obviously cares.”
“Hmm, that’s relative,” Zoe said leaning back into her seat. “I imagine there is some sort of rational for it in her mind. But it doesn’t matter. I’m on my way home right now.”
“I thought you’d be going to Athens?” Robbie asked.
“The wedding planner says I need to be home for a special delivery. I can’t have you seeing the wedding dress yet.” Zoe teased.
“Ah, is that so? Can’t you give me a glimpse? I have this fantasy you know. I’ve been dreaming about it, and it would help to know how the dress looks like.” Robbie purred into her ear.
Zoe smiled at how sexy his voice was. Her cheeks flushed with heat. “Not a chance you pirate.”
“Argh” he said, mimicking a pirate, then his tone changed, became serious. “I miss you, Zoe.”
“I miss you too,” Zoe said, her heart aching. “Let’s discuss something else to make this easier.”
“How’s Chris?” Robbie asked.
“I saw him today. He’s still ornery and demanding. I could swear he was older than his actual thirty.” Zoe grumbled. “He wants me to make a crossover to the states. I’m not ready. He wasn’t happy.”
“Sweetheart, you know he’s just trying to extend the profit margin.” Robbie soothed, “He’s a money making machine. Don’t worry about him.”
“Yeah,” Zoe sighed. “Kenny says hi. He cancelled his trip to New Zealand last minute.”
“Is he there with you?” Robbie asked
“Yeah, sleeping like a baby.” Zoe mused, her gaze on the sleeping man across her. The hostess had covered him with a soft blanket and reclined his seat. “He’s having a rough time I think. Jess is trouble you know.”
“Sweetie, your sister is more than trouble. She’s jealous,” Robbie said. “I’d imagine she thinks you’re the reason Kenny is always away.”
“I’m going to talk to her. I need to explain that it isn’t that way.”
“Haven’t you tried that before?” Robbie asked, worried. “Zoe, she gets you so upset, I can’t stand it. Are you sure you want to do that before the wedding?”
“I can’t watch this go on, Robbie. He deserves to be happy.”
“I know,” Robbie paused, letting out a sigh. “Promise me you won’t let her upset you.”
“I promise,” Zoe said with a smile. “I love you, Robbie.”
“I love you, pixie.”
“Rock Chicago out,” Zoe said.
“Right on, Love,” Robbie said with a smile. “I’ll call you after the show.”
He rang off and Zoe sat in her seat just staring at her cell phone.
Life could be so mysterious. There had been a time when she’d felt as though she would never smile again. Never feel joy, never fall in love, nothing in the world could have convinced her different in those days.
Yet now here she was. It was no secret that she was madly in love and happy. She was content. She had everything she could ever want and perhaps more. A great career, love, and a fabulous home in London, not to mention people who genuinely cared about her, she couldn’t help thanking the universe for her luck.
They used Kenny’s Mercedes to go home. He dropped her off at the Greek building where the penthouse she shared with Robbie was. The place had come highly recommended in terms of security and privacy, being who they were made it difficult to just settle anywhere. So far, Zoe thought as she smiled at the guard who opened the door for her, she couldn’t complain.
Using her key, she sent the elevator to the top floor in the ten story building and the doors opened to admit her into a bright hallway with large windows that showed off the city. Walking to the double doors, she opened them and stepped into the lighted foyer, which meant that Kelly had already called the housekeeper.
Bless you Kels, Zoe thought as she placed her handbag and coat on a table by the wall. She was hungry and didn’t feel like fighting with pots and pans.
Maria, the housekeeper, would surely have something ready.
Happy that her day was turning out okay, Zoe removed her boots and headed for the kitchen in search of Maria and a good cup of coffee.
******
Kenny stood at the doors to his townhouse and stared at the gold knocker with a bit of apprehension. For a man who’d lived with his wife for almost three years now, he was quite afraid to see her in the next few minutes. He’d been hoping and praying she was still at the office but his driver assured him that Mrs. Williams was home.
Letting out a sigh, he opened the front door and entered the warm house. It was a chilly evening, but one could hardly tell from in here. Pulling off his Burberry coat, he handed it to the butler together with his briefcase and asked where his wife was.
“She is in the drawing room, sir. Would you like some coffee? It’s chilly today.”
“That would be nice,” Kenny said absent mindedly, and then paused. “When did my wife return from the office?”
“She returned around four o’clock sir, three hours ago.”
“Thank you.” Kenny nodded and headed for the drawing room.
It was at the back of the house, overlooking a lovely herbal garden that Jessica liked to tend in the summer. The house was her pride and joy. He was proud of what she’d done with the place. It wasn’t boring like most homes could be. In fact, he liked that he could walk into a room and it would be a surprise.
Rubbing his hands together, aware of that alarmed feeling that always came with seeing Jessica after being away from her so long, he warned himself to take it easy. The fact that she’d returned from
the office at four was reason enough. She was not in the best of moods. She always left the office early on bad days. To spare everyone her bad temper, she’d once told him.
He rather hoped that they wouldn’t argue. He’d missed being with her. And after being around Thaddeus and Athena, the need to hold his wife was overwhelming.
Wiping a hand over his face, he walked into the drawing room and stopped when he saw her seated in an armchair by the floor length windows. She looked so beautiful seated there, her hair golden in the light, her profile striking. She was still in office wear, and green suited her. Then he saw the goblet of white wine in her hand and sighed.
“I see you’ve remembered you have a home,” Jessica said in greeting. “Good evening husband. How is my little sister?”
****
Chapter Three
*****
“She’s very good,” Kenny answered, heading for the bar on the other side. His back to her, he proceeded to pour a healthy glass of scotch.
It was obvious the evening was going to get very difficult.
“At least you don’t deny it,” Jessica said.
She couldn’t figure out whether she’d hoped he would so that she could hate him. When he agreed so easily, she always felt so foolish.
“In case you don’t realize it, Zoe has a fiancée now. It’s his job to take care of her.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Jess,” Kenny said turning around to face her. “Just tell me what’s brought this on.”
“A bloody snapshot of the both of you mooning in to each other’s eyes. I’m tired of it.” Jessica shot at him, acid in her words. “What do you want Kenny, because I’m really so confused.”
“I want my wife to start trusting me,” Kenny said, his gaze steady on hers. He stood leaning against the bar counter, his glass held loosely in his right hand. “How many times will I tell you that nothing is going on between Zoe and me?”
Jessica shook her head. “You make that very hard to believe, especially since you won’t even tell me where you are. For weeks now, Kenny, you’ve been running around the world. How am I supposed to feel?”
Kenny could only stare at her. He didn’t have anymore explanations to give her. He was tired physically and emotionally. All of these confrontations were starting to run into each other. He wanted change. But how could he implement that when she didn’t even trust him?
“Have you had dinner?” he asked suddenly.
Surprise registered on her face.
Jessica stared at him for a moment before she shook her head. “No.”
“Let’s go out. We can have some dinner at Marie’s. I’m starving. Can we have this talk later?”
Too shocked by this sudden change, Jessica could only nod in agreement. It had been a while since they’d even had dinner together. She would be a fool to pass this up.
He flashed a smile and she melted.
“Alright,” she said quietly.
******
“You okay?” Tevin Whittaker asked Robbie as Haden prepared to go on stage in Chicago.
“Just fine,” Robbie answered adjusting the belt on his trousers.
“You’re pretty quiet,” Ron Jasper said, playing with a guitar pick with his initials on it. “Are you thinking about the pixie?”
“Of course he is, Ron.” Mick Sanders chipped in. He held drumsticks in one hand; he curved his left arm around Robbie’s neck and smacked a kiss on Robbie’s jaw. “He’s beautifully in love. He has to brood.”
“There is a reason I don’t go to a shrink,” Robbie said thoughtfully and then made a show of widening his eyes. “Oh yeah, I have the lot of you. Will you quit, I’m fine.”
“Yeah,” Tevin said his gaze skeptical. “Seriously man, what’s on your mind? You’ve been brooding.”
Robbie sighed. “If you must know, I was thinking of Ryan. It will be his anniversary soon. I can’t believe it will be eight years this month.”
At the mention of Ryan, the guys all fell silent. Their heads bent as mixed emotions passed around. None of them could forget Ryan Jacques, the fifth member of Haden. Ryan and Robbie had shared a special bond, one forged by childhood memories and a shared lifetime. Ryan Jacques had died from a drug overdose two years after Haden was signed to a record label. Robbie had found him in his hotel room in Amsterdam.
Ryan’s death had devastated them all.
Tevin squeezed Robbie’s shoulder. “We should plan something.”
“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “Why don’t we have a wild concert in Ryan’s hometown?”
“That would be nice.” Robbie agreed, breathing out to ease the knot of pain that always accompanied thoughts of Ryan. “For now, let’s rock this place. I feel lucky tonight.”
“Coz she called.” Mick teased glad that the moment of sadness was gone. He had never really liked Ryan and hated the look the punk’s memory brought to Robbie’s face. “Do you know I miss her myself? Careful McClaire, I might steal her from you.”
Robbie chuckled. “You’re welcome to try.”
They all laughed and Tevin noted that their cue was up. “Let’s go. It’s time.”
Following his band mates to the stage, Robbie couldn’t help a smile as the crowds roared in frenzy. Their energy fueled his adrenaline as the music started, Tevin and Ron on guitar and bass, while Mick was on the drums. The melody was loud and head banging and as he entered with the lyrics, his heart beat joined in.
His blood pumped with excitement as he sang. It had always been like this. He loved to perform. Each song was a story for him, of his life or the band. Then again his life was the band, so it hardly made a difference. They wrote the songs together using experiences and occasions in their own lives.
The first song ended and Tevin started on the band’s cover song. The title of the song had come from a trip to Dublin when they first started out. Valkyrie of my heart had sold over six million copies in the ten years that Haden had been playing music. No matter how many songs they wrote and recorded, Valkyrie always remained an old time favorite for them all. Grinning at Tevin, Robbie went into the nostalgic chorus.
The words taking him back to the beginning, to the time the band had been starting out. Haden had not been born out of desperation or a need for money. Someone had once described the entire band as a collective of rich spoiled brats.
No one could argue that fact, Robbie mused.
Tevin’s family was full of doctors. Mick’s parents owned a prestigious music school in Cambridge, and Ron’s family was into merchandizing.
Although the McClaires’ had died young leaving their only son an orphan, they too had accumulated a fortune through investments in oil companies abroad and a shipping business that Robbie sold the moment his grandmother died.
His heart had always been in music. Through the years of private boarding schools in Switzerland, he’d often endured punishments for being the wild child where studious behavior was required. That was where he’d met Ryan Jacques and Kenny Williams. Three boys full of mischief and rebellion; they’d been quite a force to reckon with, even for their parents.
The number of pranks they could pull off in a day had shocked their parents more than once. Summertime had been an adventure in those early days. Until the night that took away Kenny and Robbie’s parents. The four adults had left them at home to go in search of drinks for a party to be held later in the night. They never returned.
A car crash on the highway had taken the four lives leaving both Kenny and Robbie orphans. The tragedy had changed their lives.
Robbie could still remember how lost he’d felt when Kenny had told them he was to go live with his aunt in the states. At the time, it had seemed like the fates were conspiring against him.
By the end of that summer, Kenny had been gone, and Robbie had moved in to his grandmother’s house.
Melinda McClaire had taken her son’s child in and proceeded to be as protecti
ve as a person could get. Robbie had known that his father’s death caused his grandmother’s over protective reaction toward him. But, enduring the insistent coddling and nagging had caused him many nights of discontentment and resentment.
As the years proceeded, Robbie became even more defiant and ended up hanging out at a club in Soho called Verity where he’d sing on open mic night and keep a sharp eye on Ryan who’d developed a taste for alcohol and drugs.
Verity was where Robbie had met Tevin, Ron and Mick. They connected at once on a creative level and ended up jamming at Tevin’s house since Melinda McClaire did not approve of her grandson’s hobby.
“It will get you killed, dear.” Melinda would complain when he came home late. “Why can’t you concentrate on your studies like your father, dear?”
She hadn’t understood.
Robbie had refused to make her try to understand. So, he stopped telling her where he went and what he did. Haden had been born from a combined passion for music. They all loved to perform and being together had always sparked such creativity.
The band gained a following at Verity and though Ryan detested the fact that Robbie was making friends with the rest of the band, he’d grudgingly agreed that the band was promising.
The night Robbie realized that Ryan was taking drugs on a serious note was still so fresh in his mind. He’d been sipping on a beer outside the club waiting for the band’s time to play. It had been an especially bad night, since he’d just finished arguing with his grandmother about school again.
At seventeen, he’d been holding on to sanity by a thread. He remembered wondering what his life would have been like had his parents still been alive.
The month before, he’d also discovered that his grandmother had been battling cancer quietly. In fact, he’d found out about it by accident. Discovering bottles of medicine she’d kept hidden in her bathroom had scared him senseless.
That’s why it hurt to fight with her. He was quite aware that she was in pain and he hated to cause her more. But, the truth was he wasn’t Kenny. He’d never get a high from Algebra or statistics. Clearly, they were at an impasse.
The door had opened then and Ryan stumbled out. His eyes were unfocused and a silly smile played on his face that Robbie recognized immediately.