Not Through Loving You by Patricia Preston (16)

A man of style, Julian Montgomery wore a beautifully tailored Caraceni suit. He had a passion for expensive suits as well as expensive watches. He had never worn anything but a Rolex because anything less would simply be less, and Julian had never been less.

He had always been more. As a child, he had been beautiful, and he had carried those good looks into adulthood. His black hair was now an attractive silver, and his green eyes remained as sharp as ever.

He had been born into a musical dynasty. His grandfather had been a simple country boy who could make a fiddle weep. Along with some other country boys, his grandfather had helped create what became known as bluegrass music at the Grand Ole Opry.

His father had helped shaped the Nashville sound at Coldwater Hills Music. Like his ancestors, Julian had music running through his veins. His gift was having a great ear for talent and making the most of that talent. He brought together the best singers, songwriters, and musicians and produced songs that would outlive him.

He pushed his stars to shine in the studio and on stage. Success was a hit on Billboard’s Top Forty, and some of his singers like Dallas Peyton, whom he had mentored, had landed at the top of the list. He liked seeing gold records hanging on the studio walls at Coldwater Hills Music; such achievements afforded him luxuries such as a five-star hotel in the heart of Paris and a Caraceni suit.

He stood in front of the window, looking at the Eiffel Tower in the distance as he waited for his daughter. He’d been shocked when she had sent him a text message telling him she was in Paris and on her way to the hotel. Lia’s abrupt appearance in Paris meant something was wrong.

He wouldn’t be surprised to find out it involved Dallas.

“Here.” Sheila Stanton, a violinist and Julian’s long-time mistress, handed him a scotch on the rocks. She had what he considered old-school glamour: short, wavy black hair and high cheekbones like Elizabeth Taylor.

“Thanks.” He took the drink from her. Too bad it had not been Sheila he had met thirty years ago instead of Tessa. What a mistake. But what the hell did you know when you were twenty years old?

Tessa had been cute, a wannabe recording artist from LA. Her talent was mediocre, but she was an ambitious whore. His dick said go for it, and the next thing he knew he was getting married because Tessa was pregnant and his father told him he had to man up and do the right thing. During the divorce, he had gotten sole custody of Lia. Tessa had screwed the wrong guy.

He looked down at the street below and saw a dark-haired girl get out of a taxi. Lia. He had always been pleased that Lia had his dark hair and green eyes, and when she had shown some musical aptitude, he was hopeful and proud, as any parent would be. But his hope became disappointment. Lia’s talent was sufficient at best. Like her failure of a mother, Lia didn’t shine.

Then one day all that changed. She came into the studio with a new boyfriend named Dallas. She sat at the keyboard, and he played guitar. Dallas belted out a love song that had jaws dropping in the studio. It was a song Lia had written and arranged. Julian had known, at that moment, he was witnessing something special. Lia was not singing, but the song was hers. She was shining, and together, Dallas and Lia were magic.

Now Julian feared that magic might be coming to an end.

Sheila answered the door and welcomed Lia into the hotel suite. Julian finished his drink and turned to look at his child. Her white blouse and jeans were rumpled. She looked a little worse for wear with dark circles under her eyes and uncombed hair. With her shoulders slumped, she appeared afraid and vulnerable.

A tightness welled in his chest. He had never seen her like that—never seen her looking so desperate. The only pain worse than your own is the pain of your child. He set aside his glass and went to her.

“Daddy,” she said as he hugged her.

“Hey, Songbird.” He called her his pet name for her. “Whatever it is, it’ll be all right.”

Fathers and daughters.

Suffering from jet lag and heartache, Lia sat on the sofa in the living room of her father’s hotel suite. The huge couch was soft and plush. She wanted to fall back and pass out on it. Instead, she sat with her hands clasped together as she told her father that she and Dallas had ended their relationship.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said.

Julian sat in a brocade armchair opposite the sofa. A massive coffee table separated them.

“I can’t say this is a huge surprise. Things haven’t seemed quite right for a while, but I kept hoping I was wrong,” he said. “Lia, are you sure? Is Dallas sure? Why isn’t he here?”

“He’s not here because I wanted to do this alone. Just me and you, Dad.” She tried to keep her weary body erect. “Dallas is no longer a part of my life. We should have called it quits before now, but we hung onto the lie. Most of that is my fault. Just like everything else.”

She smoothed her hands over knees. “You made Dallas who he is. You’ve been everything to him. He doesn’t want that to change. I don’t want that to change.”

“Lia, I helped make Dallas. Yeah, he’s a fantastic singer, a major star. He’s important to me and Coldwater Hills, but I thought he was important to you, too.”

She looked away as Julian said, “I remember when you two got together. I’d never seen that kind of excitement and enthusiasm in you. The songs you wrote and the way the two of you worked together. It was beautiful and genius, and I was so proud of you.”

“I know.” Lia’s voice broke. “That was the reason for everything. I knew when I heard Dallas singing that he could be the star I wasn’t.” Her eyes misted. “And he was, and I wanted to be a part of it. What else was I going to be?”

Shocked, Julian frowned. “You never loved him?”

“I did love the music in him. I loved to hear him sing my songs because he gave the words life and meaning. I loved watching how his voice touched the audience. I loved that he was so special, and I was infatuated with him for a long time. Maybe it was love, but it’s not love now.”

“Well, damn. I don’t know what to say.”

“You can say you’re okay with it. That it doesn’t change anything.”

Julian let out a long breath. “Dallas will always have a home at Coldwater Hills Music, and I’ll continue to work with him and help keep his career on track for as long as he wants. That won’t change.”

“Thank you.”

“Lia, one of the reasons I welcomed Dallas into our life and mentored him was because I thought you loved him. I know I wouldn’t win any awards for Dad of the Year, but I’ve always wanted you to be happy. I thought he made you happy. That’s why I wanted the two of you to stay together. So you would be happy.”

“I wasn’t miserable,” she amended.

“You look miserable,” Julian said. “Listen, I don’t want you to worry about this. I’ll get on the phone with Conner, and we’ll figure out how to spin it. I think going with a joint announcement on Dallas’s web page is a good idea—”

“Dad,” Lia interrupted. She sucked in a deep breath. “There’s more.”

“More?”

“Actually, Dallas and I had planned to tell you we were splitting up when you got back home next weekend. On the eighteenth.” She rocked her foot. “But something came up.” She cleared her throat. “We’ve both been seeing other people.”

“What?” Julian sat straight up. “No.” He frowned. “Jesus. That could turn into a PR nightmare. Cheating never goes over well.” Julian’s face colored with anger. “Who’s he seeing?”

“He’s been seeing Madison McCain for over a year,” she answered. Her father’s jaw dropped. “They want to get married.”

She remained silent, giving her father time to recover. He had been blindsided by that news, and the worst was yet to come. Sheila appeared carrying a tray with hors d’oeuvres and a soft drink. The interruption relieved Lia, whose heart was thudding.

Sheila set the tray on the coffee table. “Sweetie, you look like you could use something to eat.”

“Thanks.” She smiled at Sheila, whom she had always liked. She hadn’t eaten since she’d left Lafayette Falls, and she still had no appetite, but she reached for a cracker topped with chicken salad.

Julian pushed to her feet. “He’s been seeing Madison McCain for over a year, and you knew?”

“I knew.”

“Tell me you didn’t stay with that cheating asshole because of me.”

Shelia spoke up. “I’ll get you another drink.”

“It wasn’t like that, Dad. Not at all. Dallas wanted to marry me. He wanted a family, but it just wasn’t in my heart. I couldn’t do it. I’m happy he’s found someone else.”

Julian threw up his hands. “Unbelievable.”

“I found someone else, too.” She stuck the straw of the soft drink in her dry mouth and took a long drink as her father waited. “I’ve been staying in a town called Lafayette Falls. It’s southeast of Nashville. I met a man there. A doctor.”

“A doctor?” Julian frowned. “Were you sick?”

“No.” She finished off another hors d’oeuvre. “Candace had a baby.”

Julian gave her a blank stare. “Who is Candace?”

“My half-sister. That Candace.”

His look of repulsion didn’t surprise Lia. “I’m surprised she’s not in jail somewhere.”

“She’s dead.” Lia explained what had happened to Candace and how her friend had shown up with her remains. “I went to Lafayette Falls to see about her baby. I wanted to make sure he got a good home.”

“Lia, that kid is not your responsibility. You and Candace were never family. Maybe you and she had a few of the same genes, but you have never owed her anything. Nor your mother for that matter.”

She flashed her dad a scowl. “That’s why I didn’t tell you where I was or what I was doing. I knew what you would say.”

“It’s the truth, Lia. You know it is.”

Sheila reappeared and handed Julian a highball glass. Then she said she was going for a walk. She had never interfered in her lover’s relationship with his daughter.

The ice cubes rattled as Julian took a much-needed drink. “I hope that’s the last of your surprises.”

“It’s not,” Lia replied. “I guess you could say I saved the best for last.”

Her father’s brows shot up. “What?”

She drew up her shoulders. “Like I said, I met a man. Dr. Aaron Kendall.” When she said Aaron’s name, her heart drooped like a wilting flower. “I’ve been staying with him.” She waited a second. “You should take a drink.”

Julian’s green eyes, which were the same color as hers, widened. “Are you pregnant?”

“No,” she answered quickly, and her father took a drink. After he swallowed, she began rattling off details, explaining she hadn’t thought anyone would connect her with Dallas, but she was driving the red Jag and had been followed by paparazzi. “They took some pictures of me and Aaron. Conner called Dallas and told him he’d heard rumors about a photo spread that Raymond Wilkes is planning to publish this coming week in TruCelebrity.”

“Wilkes?” Julian whispered the name of one of his most despised enemies. “These pictures of you and the doctor. How explicit are they?”

“I have no idea.” She picked at the hem of her shirt. “But they could be rather explicit.”

Julian turned up his drink. After he had finished it, he muttered, “Wilkes. Shit.”

“Whatever Dallas and I need to do, we’ll do,” she said. “At least, this way I’m the villain and not Dallas. If the fans hate anyone, it will be me. I was thinking about that on the flight over here. A breakup would be logical after this. That would be something all his fans would accept.”

“To hell with his fans.” Julian squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. She could see the defiance rising in him. “You are my daughter. You’re a Montgomery, and you’re not throwing yourself under the bus for anyone. I don’t care who it is. Are we straight on that?”

Shocked, she said, “Yes sir,” as if she were a soldier facing a superior officer.

Julian finished his drink and looked out the window for a few moments, but he wasn’t looking at the view. Lia knew he was planning—hundreds of little circuits firing up in his mind as he considered what actions to take.

“First, we need to know what we’re up against.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “We need to see those pictures.”

Lia gulped. “Is that necessary?” Humiliation roasted her cheeks. There were just some things you didn’t want your father to see.

“Next week everyone will see them.” He walked over to the desk where he brought his laptop to life. The logo for Coldwater Hills Music glowed on the hi-def screen.

Lia reached for another hors d’oeuvre. As she popped it in her mouth, a knock came on the door. She rose. “I’ll get it,” she said. “It’s probably Gilda.”

Julian glanced her way. “You brought Yoda with you?”

“Good karma.” She opened the door, and Gilda walked in, carrying a shopping bag.

“Hello, Darth,” Gilda said to Julian. The two of them tended to exchange a lot of barbs, but beneath the great differences was mutual respect and love. Gilda had been a good friend to Julian’s mother and had helped him raise his daughter. “How are you?”

“I’ve had better days,” he retorted as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Gilda looked at Lia and shrugged. She turned to the windows. “Great view.” In a quiet voice, she asked Lia, “How’s it going?”

“Better than I thought,” Lia whispered back. “Do you want some hors d’oeuvres?”

“I stopped by a coffee shop. The coffee in Paris is heavenly. Look what I found.” She opened the shopping bag and withdrew a colorful silk shawl with large golden wings printed on it. “They are archangel wings.” Gilda draped the shawl over Lia’s shoulders. “For divine protection.”

Julian shook his head as he tapped his phone.

“I saw that,” Gilda said.

Julian ignored her. “Conner,” he spoke to the publicist. “I need to know everything you know about the photos Wilkes has.”

Lia pulled the shawl tight around her shoulders while her father paced, listening to Conner. She smoothed her hands over the feathers imprinted on the silk. Wings to fly. Wings to take me high. Wings to take me home to him.

“I need to see those pictures,” Julian told Conner. “We can’t head this thing off until we know what we’re dealing with and what kind of angle that asshole is planning.” Julian listened for a moment. “It’s gonna be the worst-case scenario because Wilkes hates me and he’s been looking for an opportunity to screw me. That’s what this is about.”

Gilda rubbed Lia’s arm as Julian continued. “What about a disgruntled employee? Someone with access to Wilkes’s computer system who can get copies of the pictures. And I need to find out who the photographer was. I bet all that’s in Wilkes’s email.”

“Russian hackers,” Gilda suggested, and Julian glanced her way.

“Conner, see what you can find out, and I’ll call you back.” He spoke to Gilda. “Hackers. That’s brilliant, Yoda.”

“It’s just a matter of finding one. I don’t know any.”

“I know who will.” Julian smiled as he began to scroll through the contacts on his phone.

“Dad, that’s illegal,” Lia pointed out.

He looked up. “I’m not the one wearing angel wings.” That had been true of Julian Montgomery all his life.

Lia turned to Gilda, who smiled and said, “I love it when he does the Darth thing.”

Julian was on the phone again, this time speaking in French as he seated himself at the desk. “Langlais, ça va? Oui. Bien.”

“These hors d’oeuvres are delicious.” Gilda sat on the sofa.

Still wrapped in the archangel shawl, Lia sat beside Gilda. “This has to be the worst time in my life.” She heard her phone buzz in her purse, and she dug it out. She had a slight hope it might be Aaron. She had heard nothing from him since she had walked out of his house, and she knew she would not hear from him.

The message was the tenth one from Dallas, who was having an anxiety attack.

Her father already knew he was The Man. What worried her was how The Man would react when he saw his naked daughter on top of a guy in a tree house. She slumped against the arm of the sofa. She wanted to shrivel up into nothingness. Instead, her weary eyelids closed, and sleep came to take her from reality.

“Lia.” Her father tapped her shoulder a few hours later. She awoke with a start. “I have a copy of the pictures.”

She sat up and blinked, trying to orient herself. Gilda was on the other end of the sofa, sleeping. Sheila was in the kitchen area, making a pot of coffee. Now the view of Paris from the window was a blanket of glittering lights sparkling in the night.

“I haven’t opened the file yet,” he said as if he didn’t have the heart to do it.

“I’d like to see them first,” she said.

“Sure.” He motioned toward the laptop and headed toward the kitchen area. “I’m going to get some coffee.”

Lia dragged over to the dark, glossy desk where her father’s top-of-the-line laptop waited for her. She stood there for a moment, staring at an unopened email. Her memories of that moment in the tree house were of cute fairies painted on the wall, summer rain sliding from the roof, and a deep passion connecting her and her lover. Like the taste of his kiss and the feel of his skin against hers, it was a memory she treasured.

Now that memory would be forever marred when one of the most private moments a woman could share with a man was going to be available for everyone to see. Get this over with.

Standing in front of the laptop, she reached for the small portable mouse and clicked it. The email opened. There was no sender’s name, only a string of unintelligible letters. She scrolled down to the attached file and clicked it. Instantly, eight images appeared on the screen. She let out a shriek.

“Oh, my God!” She spread her arms, and the angel wings floated on either side of her. “Oh, my God.” She grabbed the desk chair as she gasped.

Julian and Sheila rushed out of the kitchen. Gilda stumbled off the couch. “What’s happened?”

Julian stood behind Lia, looking at the screen. “Lia.” He frowned as if he couldn’t figure out what to say. “What the hell is this? A joke?”