CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Somebody Told Me”

Evan

“Is your mom okay? And what do you mean your marriage was a lie?” Quinn questioned, her voice laced with anger. Here she was, ready to defend my honor, and she didn’t even know why. I slowly took a sip of my beer and thought about where to begin.

“Have I ever told you about my grandfather?” She shook her head. “He graduated from law school at the top of his class and was immediately snatched up by a big New York firm. After six years, they made him partner. By then, he was tired of the big city life. He figured he’d learned enough and was done with kissing ass. With the help of his parents, he moved back to Houston to start his own firm. That’s where he met and married my grandmother. Six years later, he had a thriving law firm and a wife and three kids to come home to.” I let the words sink in before giving her the rest. “He was also on his third affair...”

Her expression shifted from concern to outrage. “He told you this?”

“When I was fifteen and on the verge of what my grandfather considered ‘being a man,’ he sat me down and explained what was expected of me. I was going to go to law school, take over the firm when my father retired, and marry a proper lady who would give me children. Love didn’t enter into the equation. It was all about duty and carrying on the Walker name. He said it didn’t mean I couldn’t have a little fun on the side. It was about two months later that I caught my father cheating on my mom.” I laughed at her shocked expression, and added, “Yeah, talk about a defining moment in a young boy’s life.”

“What did you do?”

“I got mad. Then I decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a musician.” A contemptuous snort flew from her lips, making me laugh again. “Anyway, I had an interesting conversation with my sister tonight.” I proceeded to tell her what happened at the hospital with Ehren and Elaine, including the part about how healthy and happy my dad looked.

“You’re afraid to trust it,” she commented when I was done.

“Wouldn’t you be?”

“Hell yes, I would.”

I was torn. I wanted to help take care of my mom but wanted nothing to do with my dad. I could practically see the wheels turning in Quinn’s brain.

“This is why you’re so against cheating, isn’t it?” she finally asked. Leave it to Quinn to connect the dots.

“In my view, cheating is just another form of lying, and I fucking despise liars. Even if I loved Mandy with all my heart and soul, I would never be able to forgive her for lying to me.”

“About that—” she started to say.

“But it goes beyond that,” I continued, “What she’s done is so much worse than a simple lie.” Realizing that I’d rudely cut her off, I motioned for her to continue with what she was saying.

She shook her head. “No. Go ahead. What did she do now?” I told her what we found in the box. When I was done, she asked about Bobby and Tut’s visit to the cousin.

“It was a dead end. Bobby said the poor guy didn’t have a clue. He claims he left the certificate with the clerk the Monday after the wedding and that she was supposed to file it. They showed him the second certificate and said he looked genuinely shocked. He told them he had no knowledge of another wedding and thought we were still married and going strong.”

The bottle had barely touched her lips, when she jerked it back. “Wait, but didn’t he sign it?”

“He said the signature looked similar, but definitely wasn’t his. He denied ever having seen the document before tonight and apparently kept calling her a troubled child, but when they asked what he meant by this, he gave them some mumbo jumbo about her parents giving her the world and how nothing was ever enough...all shit I already knew.”

“God, Evan, this is the kind of crazy you read about in the tabloids.”

Sighing heavily, I gave her the truth. “You know, I don’t even care anymore. I’m so damn tired and just want it to be over.”

On that note, she stood and held out her hand. “I know you are. Come on. Let’s get you up to bed.”

“Oooh, now there’s an idea.” I gave her a wink and let her pull me from the bench.

“Oh, behave,” she replied in a damn good Austin Powers imitation. Even though we both laughed, I could tell something was bothering her.

After setting the alarm, we headed back to the house. We made it all the way to the kitchen door when she suddenly released my hand.

At my questioning look, she said, “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

“What? Hold hands?” I half-teased, when what I really wanted to do was pull her to me and kiss the doubt from her lips.

“You’re married,” she whispered. The emotion behind those two words made me hesitate, but only because I couldn’t tell if it was anger or hurt. “I’ve had one serious relationship in my whole life and it ended with me getting my heart broken.” Shit. I wasn’t sure what bothered me more, that she’d been in a serious relationship or that he’d broken her heart.

Not able to stand the distance any longer, I reached my hand out and cupped the back of her neck. Slowly, I pulled her to me and pressed my lips to the side of her head. Damn, she smelled good. My cock rubbed painfully against the metal teeth of my zipper, a constant reminder of what I couldn’t have.

“Evan.” She whispered my name on a sigh, and I fought the urge to give her what we both so desperately wanted.

“How did the fucker hurt you, Quinn?”

“He was married.” She now had my full attention.

“What?” I growled, pulling back so I could see her face. Why was I just hearing about this now?

“I didn’t know he was married, but that’s just it. I was so blinded by my feelings that I made really poor decisions. This—” she made a back and forth motion between us— “hasn’t even gone anywhere yet, but it’s eons more than I ever felt for him.”

“And the problem is?” I asked, thinking it was a good thing.

Her eyes flashed with emotion, making them look more silver than gray. “The problem is, you’ve been with someone for nine years. Do you really want to jump back into another relationship? Because that’s what it would be, a relationship. I can’t do casual, not with you. And then, if we do pursue this and it goes bad, what then? Plus, it’s not like you’ll even be around. I’m not exactly needy, but I’m not sure I can handle months on end without you.” When she realized I had no clue what she was talking about, she elaborated. “Olivia spilled the beans tonight about Meltdown going back on tour.” Shit! With all the crazy happening, I’d completely forgotten about that.

“I meant to tell you.”

“Well, you didn’t.”

“Look, I get it. You’re scared, but you’re letting your insecurities rule you a—”

She cut me off with a growl. “My insecurities? Seriously? Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not in the least bit insecure. I’m cautious and concerned. I know you want me.” She lowered her hand to my junk and latched on. I let out a grunt of surprise and her brow shot up in an I-told-you-so look. “It’s kind of hard not to miss this when it’s pressed against you. I’m not insecure, Rock Star, I’m smart. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should, and right now, I’m thinking we shouldn’t.” With a huff of anger, she released my dick and stormed inside the house. Clearly insecure wasn’t the right word to use.

“Good job, dumb ass,” I muttered. I knew if I went after her, it would lead to a fight...or sex. I wanted to avoid the first and drown in the last. I was well and truly screwed.

An hour later, I was sitting on the living room floor, a bottle of Jack in one hand and a third manila envelope in the other. An envelope I’d discovered while searching through the box we’d set aside. I found it at the very bottom, hidden underneath all of the pictures. I thought about waking Bobby and Tut before opening it, but as it was already late, I decided against it. My gut twisted with angst as I stared at the ticking time bomb in my hand. Whatever was in this envelope was going to change everything. I wasn’t sure how I knew this...I just did.

Liquid courage, I thought as I lifted the bottle to my lips and swallowed the alcohol. Fire streaked down my throat, turning to warmth as it emptied into my stomach. After two more chugs, I placed the bottle on the floor next to me and ripped open the envelope. Just like the other two, this one held a marriage certificate. I stared at the names; Amanda Lynn James and Ned Colliard. Who in the hell is Ned Colliard? The date read May of 2007. This was a little over a year before we hooked up. The State of Virginia caught my eye. Mandy went to college in Virginia. Across the top corner was the word “Copy.” Sitting right next to it, as plain as day, was the County Clerk’s stamp. Not the original, but a copy. If this was a copy, then where was the original? On file in Virginia? This was beyond messed up. It was insane.

Dropping my head back, I screamed, “Fuuuuuuuuuuck!” Then I picked up the liquor bottle and hurled it against the wall. After that, I went to wake Bobby and Tut.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire house was up. While the guys poured over the document, I leaned against the wall and watched Quinn. She was quiet. I could tell she hadn’t slept. I could also tell she was still mad at me.

“I say we fuck her world up.” This was the fifth time Chaz had suggested this.

“That’s enough,” Olivia scolded.

“Fuck this,” he muttered. Olivia shook her head as he stormed off in a huff.

“Sorry,” she said before going after him.

“As much as we’d like to go balls to the wall on the bitch, that wouldn’t be smart. She’s obviously up to something and the best way to beat her, is to figure out what game she’s playing,” Bobby stated.

Quinn’s eyes narrowed in anger. “What does that even mean?”

“It means we do this the right way. She had to have had help in all of this. First, we pay a visit to the County Clerk. After that, we’ll focus on husband number one,” he answered. Quinn muttered something about coffee and walked out of the room.

“How did I not know she was married?” I quietly asked, but we all knew that wasn’t the real question. The real question was how had she managed to perpetuate this lie for nine whole years. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head. The baby. The same night I told her it was over, she told me she was pregnant. My lungs seized in my chest.

“What?” Tut asked.

“The baby.”

Bobby’s brow furrowed in question. “What baby?”

“I married Mandy because she was pregnant, but was she really? Shit,” I angrily bit out, “If the marriage wasn’t real...” I couldn’t even say the rest.

Tut grunted in amusement. “And the plot thickens.”

Bobby frowned at him, before turning his attention to me. “Those are good questions and definitely ones we’ll look into, but first, I need for you to trust us and the process, okay?”

I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Yeah, okay. Do you want me to call Stan?”

“Why don’t we see what the clerk and husband number one have to say before we get the lawyers involved.” I nodded, and he gave an encouraging smile. “Good, now go get some coffee and something in your stomach. You look like you’re about to drop.”

Bobby and Tut left for the County Clerk’s office around nine. This left me with Chaz, Olivia, and a still angry Quinn.

Just as I’d finished cleaning up the remainder of the broken bottle, Chaz appeared in the doorway. “Come on, sissy boy, let’s blow this joint.”

“Sissy boy? I’m not the one who’s pussy whipped,” I pointed out.

“I’m more than whipped. I’m owned,” he admitted on a laugh. “Now, let’s go. I have something I want to show you.”

“Let me grab my wallet and tell Quinn.”

“You don’t need your wallet and Quinn already knows,” he shot back at me. With that being said, I really had no argument. I did, however, need to touch base with my brother. Earlier, while I was in the shower, Dad called and left a brief update about Mom on my voicemail.

On our way out the door, I tossed him the keys. “Here, you drive. I need to check in with Ehren.”

Ehren reported that Mom was doing better than expected and would most likely be released later today. I told him to tell her I would stop by the house either tonight or tomorrow before ending the call.

“Is she okay?” Chaz asked.

“She will be.”

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

Sensing that I needed space, he turned on the radio and dialed it to the local Classic Rock station. Zeppelin’s “Going to California” played as I leaned my head against the door and closed my eyes.

“Hey, fuck face, we’re here,” I heard him say sometime later.

“Hmmm?” I lifted my head from the window and tried to focus on the building in front of us. I spotted the name Madden Daze on the door and froze.

My gaze snapped to his as I pointed to the sign and said, “You know Madden Daze?” Madden Daze was one of the best custom guitar designers in the business. Grant and Nash each had one of his guitars. Grant had even let me play his a time or two.

A hint of a smile touched his lips. “We’ve met. Let’s go, or we’ll be late.” Talk about vague. Too excited to argue with him, I pulled the handle and opened my car door.

A blonde-haired beauty met us at the door, and after gushing all over us, she escorted us back to what she called the “Design Room.”

Sitting on a rustic looking bench was none other than the man himself. I’d seen him in magazines, but this was the real deal. His head lifted from the guitar he was working on and a smile spread across his face. He stood and moved in our direction.

“Chaz, it’s good to see you again. I see you met my daughter, Liliana.”

Chaz nodded at Liliana. “Madden, this is Evan Walker, Meltdown’s newest member and the best fucking keyboardist you’ll ever hear,” he introduced. My face flushed with pride as I held out my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Evan. Chaz tells me you also play guitar,” Madden replied as he shook my hand.

“Guitar is my second love,” I explained, while trying not to piss my pants with excitement.

Clapping, Liliana exclaimed, “I’m so excited! Brady and I saw you guys in Ohio and you were amazing!” I gave Chaz a questioning look.

“That was the night you covered ‘Creep.’” Oh, yeah. I’d completely forgotten about that.

“It was better than the original,” she gushed.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“Is that it?” Chaz asked. I followed his line of sight to the back of the room where a lone guitar sat on a silver floor stand. A guitar that looked identical to the one I’d purchased years ago with my allowance money. The same guitar that Mandy had destroyed in her petty fit of rage.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. Dragging my eyes from the guitar back to Chaz, I asked, “What did you do?”

“Chaz, here, gave me a call after the unfortunate incident at your house. He told me what he wanted, and I just happened to have some spare time on my hands,” Madden explained.

Chaz coughed and muttered something that sounded a lot like “Extortion,” and Madden broke into a fit of laughter. I had no idea what they were talking about and I really didn’t care. All I could focus on was the guitar. It was beyond cool. It was fucking amazing. I couldn’t believe Chaz had done this.

Madden waved his hands towards the guitar. “Well, whatcha waitin’ for? Go get her.” Grinning like a kid in a candy store I walked across the room and lifted the guitar from the stand. My gaze flew to Chaz and he nodded in understanding. He knew. Without me even having to say a word, he felt the depth of my gratitude.

After thanking Madden and getting practically squeezed to death by Liliana, we were ready to go. I couldn’t wait to show Quinn.

We were almost to the car when Madden called after us. “See you in October!”

“I can’t wait!” Liliana squealed.

I waited until we were inside with the doors shut before asking, “What’s in October?”

“A wedding,” Chaz vaguely replied.

“Whose wedding?”

“Liliana and Brady’s.” It took me a minute to catch on.

“You told them we would play?”

His eyes cut to me. “You like your guitar, don’t you? Well, that was the only way you were getting it. Now, say thank you, Chaz.”

“Fuck you, Chaz,” I grumbled. A minute passed before I admitted, “It is pretty damn amazing.”

His face split into a smile. “That’s not a thanks, but it’s close enough.”

“Thanks, asshole,” I said through laughter.

We weren’t even five minutes into the drive when my phone rang. Glancing down, I saw the words “Unknown Caller” roll across the screen. It had been over twelve hours since her last attempt. Twelve peaceful hours. I seriously considered answering it. God, how I wanted to fucking blast her into next year, but Bobby was right. We needed to figure out her game. If I tipped her off that we were on to her, who knows what she would do.

Chaz’s eyes darted to the phone and his lip curled in disgust. “Mandy?” he asked.

“Probably.”

“I’ll give it to her; the bitch has balls.” My phone rang again, and again, I sent it to voicemail. “Aren’t you going to listen to it?”

My eyes slid from the phone to his. “It’s kind of hard to listen when your voicemail is full.” We both smiled. When my phone rang a fourth time, I powered it off.

Chaz shook his head. “I don’t know what I would do if I found out that Olivia was fucking around on me with another guy.”

“I’m pretty sure you would kill him.” His lip twitched with humor.

“You’re right, I would. I’ve got to say, though, I’m surprised you’re playing by the rules. If it was me, I would have hunted this Baxter joker down and taught him a lesson by now.”

Shrugging, I said, “Baxter is a victim of circumstance. Think about it. If a woman you’d shared years of your life with decided to punish you for following your dreams by spreading her legs for another man, who she planned on marrying behind your back, only to discover that she was already married to a third dude, would you hunt him down or would you hunt her down?”

“Oh, I would definitely make her pay, but I’d make sure he felt the backlash.”

Leaning my head back on the seat, I let out a sigh. “Honestly, I just want it to be over.”

“Did you ever love her?”

“At some point, I thought I did. I sure as hell tried.”

“And now?”

“I’m living with a woman I haven’t even touched yet, and I already feel more for her than I ever felt for Mandy. What does that tell you?”

“It tells me you need to get laid.”

“No shit,” I snapped, and we both busted into laughter.