New Beginnings
“I think that’s everything,” Noah says as he looks around the tent.
“We kicked ass today,” J agrees, nodding his approval.
“It’s perfect,” I concur as I take it all in. “Mel is going to love it.”
“You think?”
“I do,” I answer, giving him the validation he needs.
The three of us, the supply company, plus Mac and Ryan have spent the last couple of hours setting up for Noah’s romantic proposal.
I look him in the eye. “You have the ring?”
He pats his pocket. “Yup, I do.”
“Better get used to saying that,” J jokes.
Mac snorts. “He’s got a point. You only say it once, but that one answer lasts for life, brother.”
The thought of that makes me queasy, but not Noah. He flashes them an easy smile.
“I can’t wait. I’ve always known I’d be a lifer. You guys are all about the variety in life, I get it, at times I may have even envied it, but banging random chicks, or dicks, isn’t it for me.”
Mac and Jordan laugh at Noah’s version of inclusion, and he blushes. He should, too, that was pretty damn bad.
Ryan pats Noah’s shoulder. “I still can’t wrap my head around you marrying a girl you’ve only known for five months. I like Mel, so don’t take that as a slight, but it took me a solid year to decide if I liked tofu or not. I don’t, by the way … just to be clear.”
Mac cringes when Ryan says tofu. “Still can’t believe you got me to eat that nasty shit.”
I’ve got Ryan’s back on this one. “It just has to be made by someone who knows what they’re doing. One year, some chick made me a tofu pumpkin pie. It was so good.”
Noah waves his arms. “Don’t listen to Sawyer, that was not good. He was still under a post-sex high. There is no way he would have liked that pie otherwise.”
We’re getting way off topic here. “Not that I couldn’t sit here all day and shoot the shit, but at some point, your woman might get bored and go for a walk. I don’t think you want to waste all of our hard work because of a discussion on tofu preparation.”
“Sawyer has a point,” Jordan says. “We need to get to the bar anyway. I’ll meet you at the car?”
“Yeah,” I answer as he hugs Noah goodbye and wishes him luck.
“Ryan will be up at the house watching the cameras tonight. There is a crew of guards who will be down here, and Ryan will have eyes on them. I’ll be with Sawyer, but if you need us, you know what to do. Good luck tonight,” Mac says as he and Ryan wait outside.
I take one last look around and stand next to Noah. “You’re good? You don’t need anything else before I go?”
“I’m fine. Nervous, but I’ll be okay. I’m going to send her a text to let her know I’ll be home soon and to be ready. That way she’s less likely to take a walk before it’s time.”
He rubs his palms against his pants, and I can feel the nervousness radiating off of him. “She loves you, Noah. This is going to be a cakewalk. Fate brought you to her, right?”
Exhaling slowly, he agrees. “Yeah, fate brought us together. Thank you.”
“Anytime, you know that.”
Noah reaches for my arm. “No, Sawyer, thank you.”
My breath catches in my chest for a moment while the gravity of what he’s conveying sets in. I remind myself this was never about me; from the beginning, she chose him. I was only ever her afterthought.
“You’re welcome, Noah. I can’t wait to hear how it all goes.”
New Year’s Eve at Just an Illusion is a huge event. J and I are having a blast. The bar is at capacity, but I still managed to get Sasha away for a quick fuck. I’d forgotten how good it feels to have sex with someone who has no expectations other than fucking. Once we get back on the road, I’m going to stop arranging for girls to come up to my room and go back to my roots of getting it on backstage—quick and dirty. All the high and none of the hassle.
When my phone buzzes inside my pocket, I fumble to pull it out.
Noah: She said yes!
“Yes!” I scream, jumping up from my barstool before remembering I’m in public.
“What are you screaming about?” J leans toward me so I can hear, and I show him Noah’s message. “That’s awesome. I’m happy for him.”
“Me too. Ready to take bets on how fast Noah knocks her up?”
J pulls my drink back to his side of the bar. “Should I cut you off? Are you that drunk already?”
“They fuck like rabbits, J. They’re always going at it.”
As much as I’m glad Noah is getting some, it’s a bitch to keep my dick from getting hard when I hear her scream in pleasure. It’s why I’ve been staying away a lot since Christmas. I know she’s his, but when I hear her in the throes of passion, it’s hard to ignore. All I have to do is remember she’s with Noah to kill my hard-on. It’s an entirely different story when I think of her when I’m jacking off. Thankfully, that’s been a lot less frequent since Thanksgiving.
“I’m not betting shit, but if I were to throw out a guess, I’d say two years.”
When I turn to Mac, he’s ready for me. “Six months. You’re right, they fuck like rabbits.”
“You guys are good. I’m torn. Part of me thinks Noah will get his way and we’ll see a baby before a wedding. The other part of me thinks Mel will give him a wedding, but she’s going to make him wait for the kid for a long-ass time. But being the sexual being I am, I say she’ll be pregnant in four months.”
Shit, I never texted him back.
Congratulations! I knew she would. Happy for you, Noah.
I don’t hear back from him, but I didn’t expect to. I’m sure he’s otherwise occupied.
New Year’s morning, I woke up with a firm resolve to enjoy the next leg of the tour. I’ve been allowing all my self-made drama to interfere with what should be the best time of my life. From now on, no more pining over Mel and no more lashing out at Noah. I’m going back to living in the moment and giving zero fucks about anything that doesn’t concern me.
My resolve lasted a full day. By the time we boarded the plane for New York, I was back to being bitter and angry. Other than when we helped Noah set up for his proposal, I’d been at J’s house since Christmas. I figured they could use their alone time and I could avoid hearing them fuck like bunnies. Mel was at the doctor when I went home to pack today, so this is the first time I’m seeing her wear her engagement ring. I hate myself for letting this get to me, but that doesn’t stop me from getting a good look at her.
Mel doesn’t look good today. She’s pale, and she’s rockin’ some serious bags under her eyes. It’s not that she’s just tired from their constant sexcapades the past few weeks, something is wrong. Noah seems completely oblivious to it, and it irritates the shit out of me. Especially since I can’t ask because it’s not my place.
As the plane takes off, I make another shitty comment to her and immediately feel like an asshole. After trying and failing to block out their birth control talk, I decide to do what we normally do when we fly—work on some music. Mel sleeps while we jam, and my mood steadily improves, which is a good thing because all hell has broken loose by the time we land.
Belle quickly fills us in that Mel and Noah’s cat is out of the bag. The paps got a picture of her ring at the airport. It doesn’t surprise me they should have gotten ahead of this from the get go. The fangirls are going to be out for blood and it’s going to affect us all.
While they work with Belle on damage control, I text Mac and Ryan an update. My anxiety climbs on the ride to the hotel, after Sara this is the last thing we need. Mac pulls the car up to the hotel and I’m floored by the amount of fans outside.
Knowing it can only go downhill from here, it doesn’t surprise me when I see someone flash a sign that says “Noah is Mine”. Dammit.
Leaning forward, I tap Mac on the shoulder. “Guys, that’s a pretty big crowd. Is hotel security on standby, Mac?”
“This is why I can’t wait to be retired for a few years. I hope some of this craziness dies down. This is insane. They don’t even know we’re staying here … every hotel in town probably looks like this right now.” Sounding just as irritated as I am, Noah voices my exact concerns.
Mac turns his head to get a perspective on the crowd before answering. “Yeah, we’re set with security. We’ll park in front and get you guys in. Their valet team is going to take the cars right away. Check-in is ready for you, but there are some fans staying in the hotel. They can’t make them leave since they’re just lounging in the lobby. You know the drill.”
Noah and I look at each other and nod in an unspoken agreement. Our concern right now is getting Mel inside—unharmed.
“Mel, we’re going to tuck you between us and move fast. Whatever you do, don’t let go of me and Sawyer.”
“Yeah, Princess, these New York girls don’t play. Hold on tight.”
She scowls at the two of us. “You guys do know I’ve been through this before, right? Believe it or not, I can hold my own.”
Her snarky tone sets me off. “All right, then, show us what a badass you are.”
“Don’t be a dick, Sawyer. Let’s just get in and get settled,” Noah says firmly as the car pulls to a stop.
The flashes from the cameras are practically all I can see. The insulation of the SUV is nothing against the screaming fans and the questions the paparazzi are already calling out. For years we’ve reveled in this chaos, sometimes it’s annoying, but mostly we love our fans, even the excessive ones. Tonight, it’s kind of scary. After what Sara did, we all know anything is possible.
Their piercing screams are deafening as Mac opens the door. I catch sight of Ryan ushering Darren and Wyatt through the crowd up ahead and hop out of the car. I reach in for Princess’s hand, and Noah jumps out right behind her holding onto her other one.
Noah and I call out to the fans and wave with our free hands as we keep Mel between us. I hear a few slurs about Mel, but I hope she doesn’t. I’d hate for someone’s misplaced jealousy to hurt her. Suddenly, a girl breaks free of the perimeter and jumps on Noah’s back. Fuck!
“Whoa!” Noah yells as she latches on, and I tighten my grip on Mel. Mac is trying to free Noah, but even more girls are running over now that he’s distracted. One girl grabs my arm as Mel yanks hers away from me. Why would she do that?
The girl accosting her has a feral look in her eyes. This bitch is literally trying to rip Mel’s engagement ring off of her finger. If Belle were here, she’d lose her shit, but it’s not like I can punch a girl. Besides, I’ve got three girls pulling at me now and am in my own mess. Mac needs to let Noah fight his own battle and get to Mel.
I’m trying to scream over the noise to get Mac’s attention, and if this stupid girl asks me for a selfie one more time, I’m going to lose it on her.
All of a sudden, I see Mel pull her arm back.
“Princess wait!”
She can’t hear me, and it wouldn’t matter anyway because she’s already landed a fierce punch straight to the girl’s face. She falls to the ground with blood gushing from her nose as Mel savagely takes her ring back from her.
That’s my fucking Princess right there.
Mac and Noah are finally free. Mac grabs Mel and runs with her like a football toward the lobby while Noah helps me shake off these stupid girls.
Inside, the lobby has been fully cleared. Funny, they can make everyone leave when there’s a potential for bad press but not long enough to check us in.
Unfortunately, the police are following us, and as Mel shakes out her hand I know they’re about to give her hell.
“Baby, are you okay?” Noah pulls her into his arms to comfort her.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Uh, Princess, I think you need some ice for that hand. But holy shit, next time I’ll take you at your word. You don’t have to punch someone to prove a point.” I’m smiling like a fool, but Princess is badass. While she turns her attention to the police, I ask the concierge for an ice pack.
“Ma’am, the woman you assaulted is screaming she wants to press charges. We’re going to need a statement.”
Doesn’t this cop know who we are? I’d offer him concert tickets to walk away, but the last time I tried that I almost got arrested for attempting to bribe an officer.
“Officer, she assaulted me first. She grabbed my hand, told me my engagement ring was supposed to be hers, and then ripped it off my finger. I punched her, but not until after she’d stolen my ring. Then I took it back while she was crying on the ground.”
He pulls out a notebook. “I’m sorry to have to ask this, but what is the estimated value of the ring?” That’s a bold-ass question if I’ve ever heard one.
Noah’s pissed. “Is that necessary?”
“Yes, sir, if there’s video of her stealing the ring, it’s a crime.”
Princess puts her arm on his shoulder. “It’s fine, Noah, let it go. You don’t have to tell him if you don’t want to.”
Hell no he doesn’t. Noah is private as fuck, but he’s also generous. There is no way he wants Mel to know what he spent on the ring. I’m not sure how much it cost, but I’m sure it was more than most people make in a year.
“Fuck that, Mel, she needs to pay for what she did. The ring was just over forty-five thousand dollars. My attorney can get you the receipt for your records … here’s his card.” Noah gives the cop Tony’s card, and Mel doesn’t look at all happy. This isn’t going to go over well for Noah when they get back to their room tonight.
The officer looks up from his notepad. “Well, in the state of New York that’s considered grand larceny. Do you want to press charges?”
Mel vehemently shakes her head. “If she agrees to not pursue assault charges in court, and she agrees to not pursue them in a civil court, either, I won’t press charges.”
“Mel …” Noah begins cautiously.
The look she flashes him screams “warning,” and her tone confirms she’s had enough. “No, that’s my deal. I don’t want anyone going to jail.”
The concierge brings the ice pack I asked for, and I take it to Mel. Her hand is swollen and looks painful. Hopefully, she didn’t break anything.
Wyatt sits with her on the couch while Noah and I deal with the cops. It’s agreed upon that this will probably disappear since no one is going to press charges, but they will keep Tony’s card on file as a contact just in case.
Once they leave, Noah’s expression is grim.
“Cheer up, this is good news.”
With one of the saddest expressions I’ve ever seen him wear, he sighs. “I never wanted her to know what I paid for that ring. She’s going to make me take it back.”
“She’ll be okay, give her some time.”
“I’m not sure about that. For someone who has a lot of money, she’s extremely cautious.”
I glance over, and she’s still engrossed in her conversation with Wyatt. “She hasn’t had money, Noah, her parents did. Mel’s been working a shitty office job all while trying to make her dreams come true. She has a stigma about their money, not yours.
“Maybe …”
“No maybe about it. If she’s mad, remind her why she deserves it. Then tell her the story you told me. It was the only thing in the whole store that had her name on it. But romance it up and make it lovey, you’re good at that.”
“Good idea,” he says, looking a little less sad. “Thanks, Sawyer.”
“Of course.”
Mac and Ryan motion for us all to get in the elevator they have waiting. I’m completely ready to get some food and crash for the night. The simple, fresh start to the New Year I was hoping for is already more complicated than I could have ever imagined. The worst part about the whole thing is that after today, I’m reminded once again, my feelings for Princess are as strong as ever. And so is her love for my brother.