Risky Rockstar: A Hero Club Novel, стр. 83
“Hello, Kade. Thank you for calling me back.”
“Hey.” Hey? That’s it? After all this time all I say is “hey”?
For a long while neither of us says anything, but then she speaks. Her voice is exactly the way I remember it, without the broken cracks of despair. She lets out a nervous giggle. “Phew, I didn’t think I’d be this nervous.”
I chuckle. “I know exactly how you feel. I can barely swallow over here.”
She laughs and just like that, the tension is broken.
“Are you free? I’d like to see you. I have some things to talk to you about. Kade, I owe you a massive apology, and I’d like to see you.” All her words tumble out in a rush.
I swallow hard. “You don’t owe me anything, Em.”
“Is it okay if we meet? I… There’s so much I need to talk to you about.”
“Sure. You wanna come over here? Uh…to my place, I mean, or would you prefer to meet somewhere for coffee?”
“I’m happy with your place. More privacy that way. Especially since you seem to be hot news again.”
I laugh derisively. “Yeah, probably best.”
I give her the address, and I hang up. Fuck, I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been. I rush through a shower, throw on a pair of jeans and a red tee, then slip on my Vans and run through the house, neatening up some.
Forty-five minutes later, Emily buzzes from the gate, and I let her in. I open the door and step onto the patio to greet her. She parks her metallic blue Camry at my front steps and gets out. She seems to struggle at first, but then it becomes evident why. She’s pregnant.
She rounds the car, looking fresh and sweet in jeans and a bright yellow sweater. It’s like time has stood still, and aside from the baby bump, she looks exactly way she did five years ago. Even her mahogany hair still falls to midback. When I can peel my eyes off her belly, I look at her face, and she looks…happy. I feel some of the load I’ve been carrying lift off my shoulders and smile at her. She climbs the steps to my front door.
“May I?” she asks, her arms opening wide.
I step in, squeezing her tightly. I’ve thought about how I’d feel if I ever bumped into Emily again, and in none of the thousands of scenarios did I think I would feel…okay.
I step back. “You wanna come in?”
“Well, I didn’t drive all the way here to stand on your front step, did I?” she teases.
I laugh and lead her to the beachfront patio, where I’ve set out some peach iced tea and the blueberry muffins Maddie sent with Keller. Suddenly I’m grateful for the daily food parcels from Maddie. It’s a lot warmer than it’s been, and in the sun, it’s really quite pleasant.
Emily takes everything in as she gets settled into one of the patio chairs. “Wow, things certainly have changed over the last five years.”
I stare pointedly at her belly. “You don’t say.”
She giggles and rubs her bump. “I guess so.”
“When are you due?”
“In seven weeks, three days, and hopefully zero hours.”
“Had enough?” I chuckle as I pour us each a glass of iced tea and place a muffin on the plate for Emily. It feels good to laugh.
“So much more than enough. I wish I could just take my belly off at night and strap it back on in the morning.”
“Do you know what you’re having?”
She smiles. “It’s a boy. We’re calling him David.”
This is all so surreal. Talking to Emily about her baby and life like nothing fucking terrible happened between us, but I don’t want to press her for why she decided to come.
“Kade, I need to talk to you about something.”
I start to get nervous again. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“I got a call from Hayley Stephens yesterday.”
My head jerks back, and my mouth falls open. What the fuck!
“What did she want?” Raising the iced tea to my lips, I take a hearty drink. My mouth is so fucking dry I can barely swallow.
She leans forward and takes my hand in hers. The feeling is warm and familiar and doesn’t hurt nearly as much as I thought it would.
“She asked me about the attempted suicide.”
I blink, my face hardening. “She did what?”
“Kade, can you listen to what I have to say before you get mad?”
Too fucking late. I’m so mad I could piss blood. What the fuck is Hayley doing calling Emily about something so personal? I told her that in confidence.
“What did she say?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“It isn’t what you think. She loves you.”
What the fuck is going on here? My ex just called my other ex. I can’t wrap my head around this shit. I need to calm down.
“Can you tell me everything she said?”
Emily takes a sip of the tea and nods. “Benji blackmailed Hayley into doing the interview you two did the other day. He told her that he had information on you that pointed to you cheating on me with a seventeen-year-old. He threatened to use it against you if she didn’t do the interview.”
My hand balls into fists under Emily’s hand. That motherfucker!
“Remember the night Josh had that party backstage with the bunch of groupies? There was booze and drugs and all sorts of shit going on? Keller and Jeff left straight after the concert, and you went to grab a quick shower so we could leave?”
I nod. I can’t speak. Dread is fucking choking me.
She soothes a comforting hand over mine, but it isn’t helping. “I was walking around backstage and stumbled in on Josh’s little