Happily Ever After

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” Saylor said, “She’s so cute.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Cadeau muttered.

Saylor didn’t appear uncomfortable or as if she was probing for information. She was genuinely surprised, that much was certain, but she wasn’t realizing the extremity of what she had witnessed, wasn’t seeing Cadeau’s discomfort. And Cadeau was uneasy, so much so it must have read on her face.

Jolie’s charm had to still be affecting Saylor’s judgment.

“I can’t believe Blake didn’t tell me. You should bring her to practice. She and Grayson can make macaroni art together.”

“No,” Cadeau blurted.

And her quick response drew Saylor’s attention. Damn. Saylor tilted her head, her surprised expression giving way to good-natured curiosity. Well, Cadeau supposed she’d have to get through this eventually. Before she let Saylor go on her way. Now was fine.

No, it wasn’t. Could she go back in time and fix this, decide to leave from her home later and avoid running into Saylor all together? She could hope.

“I just… Can you not tell anyone?” Cadeau asked.

Right. That was a great way to start this conversation.

“What? Wh—” Saylor’s eyes widened, her lips formed a small “o,” the answer to her unspoken question evident in Cadeau’s slouched posture and avoidant gaze. Stunned, she said, “They don’t know.”

Cadeau nodded, confirming Saylor’s suspicion, but didn’t meet her gaze. She stared at the food lining the freezers, the tiled floor, the shelves of bread on the other side of the aisle, but not at Saylor.

“Why not?”

Curiosity colored Saylor’s voice, not reprimand or disgust. Relief surged through Cadeau’s veins. Curiosity was a good sign. Saylor might do as she asked if she just explained her situation. Saylor would understand. Or she would sympathize with her. And that was enough for Cadeau to have her way.

“I’m a single mom. That’s not exactly rock star material.”

“Who cares?”

“The band will when my daughter is sick and I can’t come to practice or when she messes up someone’s instrument because I brought her to the studio or when I can’t find someone to babysit for months so Jolie has to come with us on tour or—”

Saylor cut her off, “They would help you. A band is like a big family. We’re all here for each other. You shouldn’t be afraid to admit you have a daughter.”

Silence stretched between them. Saylor didn’t understand and Cadeau knew she had no way of making her truly understand. Because Saylor was convinced Cadeau should tell the band about Jolie.

“I bet it’s harder keeping her a secret,” Saylor continued. “Always having to look over your shoulder, rushing your daughter to a hiding spot when you see one of your band mates, never letting her meet the band. Neither of you should have to worry like that.”

She hadn’t meant to insult her, Cadeau was consciously aware of that. She was trying to give her advice, convince her to do what she saw fit. But somewhere on the edge of Cadeau’s conscience, her mind warped the comment into a judgmental statement.

“I’m not a bad mother.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“And I’m not a terrible person because I don’t want having a daughter to stand in the way of making life better for the two of us.” Cadeau met Saylor’s eyes. “I love her. I just want what’s best.”

“No one’s going to think you’re a bad person.”

“They will.”

Stigmas still surrounded single mothers and when she revealed her daughter was the product of rape, well, she knew what would happen. They’d blame her. Most people did. She was a sorority girl, she dressed too inappropriately, she was asking for it. She’d heard it all.

Tears collected in Cadeau’s eyes, threatening to spill as each hurtful sentiment her “friends” and family had thrown at her surfaced from her memory. Years since it all happened and everything still hurt.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, breaking her from her thoughts. Concerned green eyes stared into her blue ones, bringing her comfort.

“Whatever happened,” Saylor said, voice soft. “No one’s going to think less of you.” She smiled. “But I won’t tell. That’s up to you to do. When you’re ready.” She held up her free hand, pinky extended. “Pinky promise.”

Cadeau’s lips slowly spread into a smile, her mood lifted. Chuckling, she linked pinkies with Saylor.

“Thanks.”

“So, when do I get to babysit?”

Laughing, Cadeau said, “You’ll have to fight Emily for that.”

Saylor grimaced. “I’d rather not have my teeth knocked out.”

***

“Stop eating my cereal,” Andy King, Say Goodbye’s manager, snapped.

His mouth was pursed in a tight line, arms crossed to express his dissatisfaction, his blue eyes trained on Davy Jones, Say Goodbye’s permanent merch worker and Saylor’s older brother. And Andy’s boyfriend as of a month ago. That bit of news was a shock in Sage. After years of pining after Andy, Davy finally snagged him. Had she been in town, not wasting time with her now ex-girlfriend, she’d have been there to see one of her best friends get his man.

She’d be there for the wedding.

Davy shoved a mouthful of Andy’s precious cereal into his mouth and did not swallow before speaking. “But I like it.”

Sage watched from her seat at the table, amused. Andy was going to blow a gasket, at the very least malfunction. But Andy didn’t look like he was going to explode—he wasn’t turning red, his teeth weren’t clenching, steam didn’t appear to be pouring from his ears. He simply looked irritated. Maybe Davy was calming neat-freak, too-controlling Andy.

“Please, don’t talk with your mouth full,” Andy said.

“You are cranky today,” Davy returned.

Andy huffed and rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to the band members seated around the table. He didn’t smile, but no one expected him to. His cool eyes and frown were all business. Like always.

“I’d like to start by apologizing for Davy’s and my extended absence. I know things have been rough for the past month. We—I should have been here. I did talk to Reese and briefly interviewed Cadeau over the phone before she started working with you and Blake has been keeping me updated, so I’m not—”

And Andy’s rambling was cut short by a spoonful of cereal shoved under his nose. He started and looked at Davy, who waited patiently for him to take the bite. The band watched in stunned silence as Andy abandoned his speech to eat the offered cereal.

No way.

“You’ve figured out how to get him to stop talking,” Blake marveled.

“I bet Davy’s been training him in the bedroom,” Sage joked.

Davy choked on another mouthful of cereal, hiding a smile behind his hand. Andy glared.

Snorting, Blake said, “Andy doesn’t shut up so Davy shoves something in his face to keep him busy?”

“That is genius,” Hayden exclaimed.

“No woman is going to appreciate that, Hay,” Hunter said.

“You don’t know that.”

Hayden wouldn’t try out his new idea. He wasn’t that stupid, Sage knew that. Despite his goofy façade, he had a brain. Somewhere in his head. Sage understood, though. Just like she understood Hunter’s behavior. Coping mechanisms, both attitudes. Drastically different, of course, but the twins handled the things they faced as children differently. Just like Sage.

“Hey, guys,” Davy said, lighthearted humor in his voice. “Shut up so we can finish this. I have things to do.”

He cast a dramatic glance at Andy, making obvious his plans for the evening included him. Andy’s face turned an interesting shade of red.

“Same things I have to do, except with your sister,” Blake stated.

“That’s hot, I guess,” Hayden said.

Sage laughed. Blake was a little too butch to fit into Hayden’s straight man fantasies about lesbians.

“That’s nothing,” Hunter said, “Sage has to screw our new drummer.”

What?

“Excuse me?” Sage asked.

Hayden perked up, broad smile on his face, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Now, that is hot.”

Pervert. But Sage wasn’t going to waste her time insulting him for being him—besides, she supposed his interest was a compliment, like she and Cadeau were hot enough to be lesbian porn stars or something. Not the kind of compliment she relished but she couldn’t do much about it.

“I’m sorry,” Hunter said, feigning apologetic shock, “I meant scissor. Wrong tool.”

That asshole. How dare he make those stupid comments? And with that stupid smirk on his face.

“I’m going to—”

“So Cadeau has been fitting in?” Andy broke into Sage’s attempted threat, successfully reigning attention back to him.