Page 110 of Royal Desire

Damn. I immediately hit his contact to change the name.

Me – I’m so glad you’re back. It’s the first time I’ve been away from you in a week. I miss you.

Baby Daddy To Be – Miss you too, baby.

I smile at the name on the screen.

Me – I’ll sing whatever you request if you promise to tip me later in private.

Baby Daddy To Be – That’s a deal. See you soon.

I slide my phone into my pocket and head out of the bathroom, passing a group of ladies. Dean is in the same place I left him. “See? The heroine is safe in the bathroom. And Payne just texted to let me know he’s leaving the house and will be here soon. You can go about ... whatever it is you do in your time off these days.”

“Damn, you’re more savage than you were in kindergarten. You don’t have to rub it in that I’m as depressing as Payne was before you came back.”

We make our way back to The Speakeasy. “I’m sure he wasn’t that depressing.”

Dean throws me a frown. “Do you not remember the asshole he was when he first saw you? He was only slightly more pleasant to the rest of us.”

I thread my arm through his as he walks me back to the bar and think about how far the three of us go back. “Well, my friend, just think how pleasant you’ll be when the love of your life runs you over. You’re not even starting out as an asshole. You’ll be nothing but sunshine and glitter.”

“If I’m ever glitter anything, put me out of my misery.”

We walk into the bar and Blake is already sitting at the keys waiting for me. Dean lets go of my arm and heads straight for his seat and orders a fresh beer. I walk to Blake who’s flipping through music on his notepad. He looks up at me and smiles. “Break a leg, sis.”

I pick up my mic from where I left it on the grand piano. “You too, bro.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

DESPISE

Payne

The gates close behind me as I pull off my property to head to the manor. I got caught talking to Alice who was on her way to bed after watching her nightly episode of Law & Order. She talked my ear off and asked me every question under the sun about my mom.

It appears I can’t lie to Alice unless I’m a teenage boy sneaking into her granddaughter’s bedroom. Alice promised she’d keep her mouth shut, but I fully expect her entire Bible study to be praying for my mom as early as tomorrow morning. Everyone in Winslet knows group prayer among those ladies is another form of gossip.

It’s not like there weren’t murmurs about my mom after she became a recluse. At this point, people talking about Tallie Deacon is the least of my worries.

Dropping her off at the treatment center was harder than I thought it would be. She cried, she was angry, she was scared, and she had already started to go into withdrawals. I got her settled, had a private meeting with the director, made sure she was introduced to her counselor, and left before she chased me out of there to take her home.

She looked like hell, but it was the most alert I’ve seen her in months—maybe years.

When I turn toward town, my attention is drawn to my rearview mirror. Headlights appear out of nowhere, and they’re coming fast. Stupid fucks. It’s probably tourists who don’t know how to drive on mountain roads. These county highways twist and weave through the peaks and valleys.

When the car gets closer, I hit my brakes and veer onto the narrow shoulder. If they try to pass, they could be hit head on by someone else coming around the bend.

Fuck. They’re not slowing down. I white knuckle the steering wheel as my car scrapes the guardrail.

That’s when it happens.

The car slams into me from behind.

I ricochet off the metal and airbags slam into my head. The burn stings my skin. My Rover locks up and spins.

When I come to a stop, I punch the airbags away and find myself facing the opposite direction of where I was going. Everything in my car is dead, but the lights of the asshole’s car pierce my eyes through the windshield.

I reach for my cell that landed on the passenger floor. I hit go on one of the numbers I call most.