Sweet Possession

CHAPTER 32

Lyric stood over the small, plain grave marker that was smudged with dirt and mildew. Weeds had grown over the plot so much that she’d had to shove them aside to even read the inscription.

It was short and to the point. No inspirational quote or little tag like loving mother, beloved sister or friend. Just her mother’s name and the dates of her life. Like she hadn’t mattered or she wasn’t important enough to rate something nicer.

The flowers shook in her hands. So much so that a few of the petals floated to the ground, marking a stark contrast between the dead, brown grass and the vibrant purple of the violets.

They were her mom’s favorite. She’d loved anything purple, but violets were her favorite and they’d grown wild in their yard. Lyric remembered picking them in the spring and her mother’s bright smile when she’d taken the limp flowers from Lyric’s two-fisted grip.

Lyric knelt and carefully arranged the violets in a decorative pattern. In the distance she could hear the sounds of cameras and shouted questions. Kane had done a wonderful job positioning his men to keep back the small crowd of reporters who’d flocked to the small town of Collins, Mississippi, the instant the details of her past had been made public.

Kane stood a short distance away, keeping to the side to afford her as much privacy as possible. Three of his men formed a wide perimeter around the grave and kept diligent watch on the crowd that the rest of the security team controlled.

“I’m making you a promise, Mama. As soon as I settle somewhere and have a home, I’ll make sure you’re moved. There’s nothing for you and me here. You should be somewhere happier. I’ll make sure you have a respectable headstone that celebrates the mother you were and that you died trying to protect me from a monster.”

Tears slid down her cheeks and made a pattern in the dust surrounding the grave. Her sobs caught painfully in her chest and her throat swelled with unbearable grief.

“I’ll bring you flowers. Violets and maybe some purple irises. I know it’s been a long time since we spoke. I spent so many years angry at you for leaving me. I was wrong. So terribly wrong. I wanted you to know that I did it. I became a singer. Just like you always wanted. I got to choose my new name when everything changed after the trial. I chose Lyric for you. As a promise that I’d fulfill your dream for me. I hope you’re proud of me. I haven’t done a lot to make you proud but I’m going to change that. You deserve more from the daughter you died protecting.”

She wiped at her face with the back of her hand and rose to her feet. Kane was there to steady her and he tucked her against him as they walked slowly back to the convoy of SUVs they’d driven from Texas.

She’d given Kane the address of her old house. She didn’t even know if it would still be there. She was torn on whether or not she even wanted to face the place where her mother had died, but some force inside her propelled her. Maybe it was her need for closure, or maybe it was finally time to face her demons.

She knew only that she couldn’t move forward until she’d come to grips with the terrible hurt inside her.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Kane asked as they pulled away from the cemetery.

She nodded, not trusting her voice not to crack if she spoke.

The scenery was a blur as they rolled out of town and turned down a series of dirt roads that led farther into the country.

When they came to a stop, she sat still in her seat, looking out the window at the run-down, overgrown wooden house where her life had irrevocably changed.

It seemed smaller now. Not nearly as menacing as it had when she was a child. She would have sworn it was huge, so large that it swallowed her whole. In reality it was barely larger than a shack. Windows were broken out. Shutters were either missing or barely still hanging. Most of the white paint had long since peeled and chipped away. Boards were missing from the front porch and the lawn obviously hadn’t been maintained since her mother had been murdered.

It was a sad, frail house where ghosts of the past still lingered. Carefully she opened her car door and slipped out into the sun. She shivered slightly as the breeze nipped at her skin. It wasn’t a cold day. In fact, it was a glorious day. South on the cusp of spring. The violets she’d remembered growing wild were scattered among the growth of weeds, little bursts of color against the grass still dead from winter.

But she felt as though she were encased in ice, as though the spring sun hadn’t quite reached her soul.

She stood staring at the shell of a place she’d once lived. Where her most painful memories sprang to life. And she knew she couldn’t go in. That there was no purpose in going in. It was just a house. Just a bunch of wood and nails barely held together. It didn’t have any power over her.

The sound of another engine registered in her consciousness. She dragged her gaze from the house, expecting to have Kane shove her back into the car. It was probably more reporters. They’d been pursued ever since they’d arrived in town.

To her shock, Connor got out of his truck and strode in her direction, his expression one of great fatigue, hurt and concern.

“What the hell are you doing, Lyric?” he demanded as he drew closer. “You shouldn’t go in there alone. You shouldn’t go in there at all.”

She stared numbly at him, alternately so glad to see him and so furious that he was here. She was too tired to summon any sort of reaction and so she just stood there, trying to gather the strength to tell him to go.

“My God, you look like I feel,” he muttered just as he yanked her into his arms.

It didn’t occur to her to push him away. His heat surrounded her, bathing her in a blanket of comfort so sweet that she melted against his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent and savored the feeling of warmth she’d been denied for so long.

He held her so tight it was hard to drag breaths into her lungs. He trembled against her. Shook so hard that she shook too.

Finally he pulled her gently away and he stared down at her with haunted eyes.

“Why are you here?” she managed to croak out. “How did you know?”

“I drove all day to get to you. I went to the house but you had already gone. I’m probably wanted in two states for breaking so many speed laws. I couldn’t stop until I was here with you. I didn’t want you to have to do this alone.”

Tears glittered in her vision, blurring him and the world around her. “I don’t understand.”

He swore softly and touched her cheek. “Lyric, I didn’t betray you. I know how it looks. I understand why you were so upset. But it wasn’t me. I love you. I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

His explanation muddled her brain. Could she have been so wrong? Who else could possibly have known? She took a tentative step back, a protective measure because, when he touched her, she forgot how to be angry. “Who, then?”

Connor glanced around and then rubbed his hands up and down her arms. He leaned back against the SUV she’d gotten out of and pulled her with him so that he looked down at her.

“Paul sold you out. He was pissed that you fired him. His threats weren’t empty. He went to the media and spilled his guts.”

Her eyes widened in shock—and hurt. “But how . . . ? Why? How did he know? How do you know? I don’t understand any of this.”

His chest ached at the pain in her gaze. “Gray, Nathan and Micah paid Paul a little visit. I’m sure they scared the shit out of him. The thing is, he’s known for a long time about your past. Back when you signed with him, he launched an extensive investigation into your background. According to him, it took a year, but he was able to uncover the truth. He kept it to himself—as insurance—and when you fired him, he sold his story for a hell of a lot of money

She frowned and sighed. “I guess I’m wrong about everybody. Clearly I have poor judgment when it comes to people.”

He touched her cheek. A light caress as his fingers stroked over her face. “You weren’t wrong to trust me, Lyric.”

Her eyes clouded and she blinked furiously, determined not to shed more tears. “But I didn’t trust you. How can you even stand to look at me after the awful things I said to you?”

He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Trust is something you have to work at, baby. We’ll get there. I plan on being around to make it happen. You suffered a horrible shock, and in your mind the only person it could have been was me. That hurt you and I’m so damn sorry. I would have done anything in the world to keep you from being hurt.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on for dear life. She trembled against him and he held her close, his hands rubbing up and down her back.

“I love you, Lyric. I love you so damn much my teeth ache. I want us to be together.”

“I love you too,” she whispered.

He went still against her. His heart thudded wildly against her cheek. He gently pulled her away, cupped her chin and tilted her head until their gazes met. “Say that again,” he said huskily.

“I love you. I love you so much it scares me.”

He lowered his head and kissed her, his lips melting so sweet over hers. Just a warm brush, so gentle and loving that it made her ache.

When he drew away, his eyes were aglow with warmth and contentment, as if she’d given him what he most wanted in the world. It unsettled her that she had.

“We’ve got a lot to work on, baby. You’ve got a lot to deal with. I’m going to be with you all the way but you need to get help to deal with everything that’s happened to you. I want you to be healthy and happy for you first.”

She swallowed and nodded. He smiled and touched her nose.

“I want you to marry me eventually. I want it all, Lyric. You, me, together. But I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to come to me happy and whole. Healed. That won’t happen overnight, but I’ll be here when it does.”

Her pulse sped up. Adrenaline hummed through her veins, leaving her unsettled and excited. She wrinkled her nose and stared up at him. “I suppose this is where we talk about me quitting my job, marrying, settling down, popping out babies, getting a house with the picket fence and the whole shebang.” She took a deep breath. “I love my career. I know it doesn’t seem like it. I haven’t always had my head screwed on straight. I’m my own worst enemy. But I love singing. I don’t want to stop it.”

He gathered her close and stared down at her, his eyes so earnest, so focused on her.

“No, this is where we talk about the fact that I’m going to quit my job and follow you around on tour making sure you’re safe and that you take care of yourself the way you should. Babies and the picket fence are purely optional.”

“Oh, my,” she breathed. “You aren’t real. You can’t be real.”

“I’m real. I’m the man who loves you more than anyone else will ever love you. I’m the man who wants to be with you and will do everything I can to keep you from ever being hurt again.”

A tear trickled down her cheek and she sniffled. “Damn it. You’re going to make me cry again.”

He held out his hands and she slid her palms over his, lacing their fingers together.

“Why don’t we get out of here,” he suggested. “Let’s go on down the road. Find a hotel where we can sleep for about twenty-four hours. Right after I make love you to for about six.”

She squeezed his hands and leaned up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you, Connor Malone. I never thought I’d love someone the way I love you. I never dreamed someone would love me the way you do.”

He smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. “The funny thing about dreams is that every now and then they come true.”