Tangled Up In You: A Rogue Series Novel Page 8

  “Yes, it seems the timing has worked in our favor. Didn’t you just get back from a trip to Namibia, was it?”

  “We did! Well, by way of London for a few days upon our return. The jet lag is phenomenal. But we’re glad to be home now, and to have you over.”

  “I appreciate it as well, but I have to apologize for it being a short visit. I’m due back with the band for a photo shoot soon.”

  “Well, that sounds impressive.”

  They all turned to see Steve Kavanaugh joining then. He wore cargo shorts and a polo shirt, had dirty blond hair and glasses perched over a hawkish nose.

  “Hi Dad!” Sophie said and gave him a hug.

  “Good to see you, kid.” As he pulled away, he held Sophie’s hand and naturally looked down at the ring on her finger. It was a thin band of platinum with a round cut three-karat solitaire diamond. “And what is this?”

  Gavin hoped his efforts at charming Maggie would allow for a favorable response from her now that their news was out.

  “Surprise!” Sophie said with a forced smile. “We are engaged. And I’m so happy. We’re so happy.”

  Steve looked at Maggie. “They’re so happy, Mags,” he said woodenly.

  ~

  Sophie squeezed Gavin’s hand once they were seated coupled off in the living room. Her parents had retreated to the kitchen immediately after the engagement news with the excuse of getting them all something to drink. Their voices couldn’t be heard clearly but it was obvious they were trying to process how to respond.

  “So, em, I’m sure you’re very surprised by all that’s happened in such a short period,” Gavin started.

  “Surprised is probably a bit of an understatement,” Steve replied, but with an affable smile.

  “And you don’t need me to tell you how special your daughter is—you’ve had her a lot longer than me. But I really aim to prove to you both how in love I am with Sophie. She is the most important thing in the world to me.”

  Sophie leaned into Gavin and smiled.

  “That’s nice to hear,” Steve said. “In fact, I wouldn’t expect to hear you say anything else.”

  It was hard for Gavin to read his future father-in-law. He wasn’t sure what lay beneath his casual, pleasant manner, and it put him on guard.

  Before he had a chance to go on the offensive, however, Maggie interrupted. “How much longer will you be in town, then?” she asked.

  “I, eh, I leave with the band tomorrow, actually.”

  “I see. So you must be planning a long engagement, so that you two can get to know each other again. That is, in between all this traveling.”

  “We actually have five more gigs, then an awards show. After that we’ll be back in Dublin to work on our new album. We talked about Sophie spending the next few weeks sorting out how to transfer her university studies there and get her things ready in order to move. Because, though we have indeed agreed to a long engagement, we want to be together,” Gavin said.

  Steve and Maggie shared a silent glance before refocusing.

  “So, this big move,” Steve said, “you think this will happen, what, in time to start the new school year?”

  “Yes,” Sophie said with as much confidence as she could muster. “I’ll have USC help me with transferring to a university there. I could attend Trinity, Dad. It’s an amazing school. And being in Europe, in the heart of so much art history, it’ll be an even better education.”

  “Well, Gavin,” Steve said, “you’ve certainly convinced our daughter this is plausible. But, why don’t we cross this bridge when we come to it. We’ll see how it all hashes out, won’t we?”

  It dawned on Gavin that Sophie’s parents were counting on this being some sort of passing phase, something that would fade away when they were separated. This belief seemed to free them up to simply enjoy a nice visit with their daughter’s guest.

  Deciding it was most prudent to let her parents accept all this in their own fashion, Gavin nodded slowly. “Sure, you’re right. We’ll take it a step at a time.”

  A brief silence ensued.

  “So, what’s this whole rock star thing like?” Maggie asked, surprising Gavin so that he laughed quietly.

  “It’s amazing, actually. It’s all I ever wanted to do with my life. And now I’m getting paid for it. The places I’ve seen, the people I’ve met along the way, though, that’s more than anything I ever imagined. I love it,” he told her. “But, please, tell me about your trip. It must have been fascinating.”

  “It is the land of dust and wind. I think I’m still cleaning remnants of red dirt out of my ears,” Steve said with a laugh. “But it was truly beautiful. Out in the desert, it’s absolutely devoid of people. Just animals and silence. The silence was the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced.”

  “Really?” Gavin edged forward in his seat.

  Sophie’s parents proceeded to tag-team in detailing their experience and Gavin was fully engaged, peppering them with questions. Their rapport was smooth and comfortable. It was a very pleasant first meeting, except for the fact that they held no stock in him being a part of their family.

  When Sophie and her mother went to the kitchen to piece together a simple lunch, Steve took the opportunity to show Gavin some of his photographs. Conversation over sandwiches continued to flow in an easy manner, and afterward Sophie pulled Gavin away for a quick walk on the beach before they had to head back to Los Angeles.

  They took off their shoes and held hands as they walked toward the water.

  “Does it bother you that they think this is a joke?” Gavin asked.

  Sophie looked at him, silent for a moment. “No. I guess I can’t blame them. When we were getting lunch my Mom asked me some questions that made sense. I can see where they’re coming from.”

  “What is it?”

  “She asked me if we’ve agreed on having children and when. If I had enough trust in you to basically live alone while you’re out on the road, living it up. If I have had enough experience with relationships to know that this is the one I want for the rest of my life. If I’ve even lived my own life long enough to know who I am and what I really want before I attach myself to you. If I was okay with all the media attention you get, and always being known as the girl who happens to be your girlfriend or wife.”

  Gavin took a deep breath. “Shit. All that, aye?” he said with a laugh.

  Sophie gave him a small smile.

  “Well, look, some of that I can help you with right now. Kids, I vote yes. Down the line, of course, but definitely yes. I think you’ll be an amazing mother.”

  The thought of one day having children with Gavin made her smile again. And the fact that he could see her as a good mother, something he had gone too many years without, warmed her.

  “As for the other stuff, all I can say is that I will give you whatever you need in order to explore those questions. But I think if we commit to it, we can figure it all out together.”

  Sophie watched him for a long moment, then smiled. “Wow,” she said softly.

  “What?”

  “You made everything okay. Just like that.”

  Gavin smiled. “I do my best, darlin’. Now,” he said, looking up and down the spotless coast, “it’s a lovely day. Where is everyone?”

  “Um, well, this is sort of unofficially a private beach for the homeowners. Public access isn’t actually very accessible.”

  He shook his head in disgust. “What a waste. That’s really a horrible show of elitist bullshit.”

  “Hey, just remember I’m not the enemy,” she said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, sorry. But capitalism at its finest is not always pretty, is it?”

  Taking his hand, Sophie led him closer to the water. “No, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of your access. Come, feel how nice the water is.” With a firm shove, she pushed him knee-deep into the water, soaking his jeans.

  “You are in so much trouble,” he growled playfully and ran after
her as she screamed.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Conor was the first one to notice her ring. He, Shay, and Martin had been mercilessly mocking Gavin for his attire—he wore clothes borrowed from Sophie’s father due to having taken an unexpected swim in the Pacific Ocean, and the oversized cargo shorts and polo shirt were an especially poor showing for their present purposes of shooting the cover for Rolling Stone Magazine. Gavin went along with the jokes and even made some at his own expense. But when Sophie raised her hand to push back her hair, the sunlight caught on the ring and Conor recognized it for what it as.

  He stared at Sophie until she felt his eyes on her and turned to him. He raised his eyebrows as a question and she smiled with a small acknowledging nod.

  “Hold up, hold up.” Conor held up his hands and got all of their attention. “Gavin, are you serious with this?”

  Gavin looked from Conor to Sophie and back again. “What’s that?”

  Conor reached out and took Sophie’s left hand, holding it up to showcase the ring. “What the fuck is this all about? Tell me you are not planning on getting married.”

  “Yeah, that is the plan.” Gavin shrugged.

  “You’re not even twenty-one yet.”

  Gavin looked at his friend for a long moment. “Con, that’s got nothing to do with it. All you need to know is that this is the real thing.” He pulled Sophie to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

  “You’ve just fucked over the band. You know that?”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “A married lead singer? You’ve got to be joking.”

  “It’ll be fine.”

  “It’s a right fucking selfish move,” Conor grumbled.

  “Listen, Rogue can’t be undone by this.” Gavin’s voice had been confident, insistent, but he searched Conor’s eyes. “Right?”

  The energy shifted in the room as Conor hesitated. Sophie recognized the need in Gavin’s face. He needed Conor to not just accept this but support it. Gavin had always looked to Conor for approval, but this was something more. It was clear that if Conor didn’t validate the engagement, the dynamics of the band would be irrevocably changed.

  “Yeah, sure, you’re right,” Conor finally said. “Congratulations are due, I suppose.”

  Gavin smiled and released Sophie so he could embrace Conor.

  John Riley, the Rolling Stone journalist, had stood witness to all of this at the outskirts of the room. He had dropped by to check on the photo shoot and was trying to pull a few more quotes from James when they both stopped to watch the confrontation unfold.

  “Congratulations, Sophie,” Shay said. He gave her a hug. “You’re good for him.”

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Welcome to the club, then!” Martin said. He kissed Sophie on the cheek.

  “Wait, what does that mean?”

  “I’m getting married meself. Celia is her name. She’s planning it all out for spring next year.”

  “That’s fantastic!” Sophie hugged him.

  “Yeah. Guess a married bass player doesn’t rate the way it would for your man,” Martin said with a laugh. There was no malice in his observation. He knew it was a simple fact. “Anyway, I think you’ll love my Celia.”

  “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  ~

  While Gavin looked for a wardrobe change with the magazine’s stylist, Sophie sought out Conor. She found him in a chair in front of a large mirror, flirting with the makeup artist. Or rather, the makeup artist was flirting with him as she leaned against a narrow table filled with her supplies.

  “What I wouldn’t give to have those eyelashes,” she told him. She was petite and her brown eyes were a stark contrast to her bleached white hair.

  “You’re doing just fine,” he told her. “More than fine, actually.”

  She tried to hold back a smile. “What are you guys doing after this?”

  “I’m not busy now.”

  Sophie saw the color rise to the girl’s cheeks. But rather than retreat demurely, she seemed ready to jump into Conor’s lap there and then. Sophie understood the girl’s impulse. Conor was model-handsome—and the guitar player in an up and coming rock band.

  But allowing these two to follow their hormonal instincts would have disrupted Sophie’s plans of having a private talk with Conor, so she cleared her throat.

  Conor glanced at her with irritation, but his expression quickly relaxed.

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” Sophie asked, moving closer.

  He watched her, his eyes lingering on hers before doing a quick scan over the rest of her body. She wore a denim mini skirt with an embroidered maroon boho top. Her blond hair was loose and she wore large, thin gold hoop earrings. Platform sandals accentuated her long legs. The way he examined her did not feel friendly. It had crossed over into something more predatory.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” she said.

  “What?” He straightened up in his chair, obviously unused to being called on his actions.

  “So, is it okay to interrupt for a minute?” She gave the makeup artist a small smile.

  “Em, yeah sure.” Conor looked at the girl. “Don’t go too far, okay, honey?”

  The girl wasn’t happy at being dismissed but she obliged them and wandered away. Sophie went to the makeup table and toyed with some of the brushes.

  “So, we’ll practically be related,” she said as she opened a MAC lipstick and tested the deep plum color on the back of her hand.

  “What?”

  “You know, with you and Gavin as close as brothers.”

  “Oh.”

  She put the lipstick down and wiped absently at the mark she had made. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I hope you can be happy for us.”

  “Soph, it’s grand. Okay?” He shifted in his chair, and something about the way he looked away revealed more than his words.

  “You’re hurt,” she said, her eyes widening as she understood where his anger was coming from. He and Gavin had been friends since they were seven years old. That was the same year Gavin lost his mother, and while he had never specified that this had been a factor in cementing their friendship, she suspected it had. Gavin had an older brother he had never been close with. He liked to say that the only reason he had any ties to his brother Ian, was to filch his music collection. Conor had no siblings but had always acted as if Gavin was his brother. It was natural that he would feel possessive of their friendship.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Em, not sure what you’re talking about.”

  She touched his forearm and he looked down at her hand. “Nothing will change with the band, you know.”

  He scoffed and pulled his arm from her. “It’s already fucking changed, hasn’t it? Instead of running with a lead for a song—three in the morning or whenever—instead of getting to our gigs on time, instead of hanging with us after the show, he’s with you. And that’s all well and good, but don’t go telling me nothing’s changed.”

  Sophie nodded. “No, I get it. You’re right.”

  “I know I am, thank you very much.”

  “But—”

  “But what?”

  “I think I can make him happy. Truly happy. And we both know he needs that.” She pointedly skirted around saying what they both knew about Gavin—that a part of him was broken and would never be mended. But she could be—wanted desperately to be―of use in lessening his hurt.

  Conor looked away from her as he took this in. His eyes fixed on some middle-distance for a long moment. At last, he released a heavy sigh. “I think you’re right,” he said softly. “At least I hope so.”

  Sophie smiled and nodded, quickly blinking back the tears that came with her relief. She had bet right. They were united in wanting to take care of Gavin. She had known instinctively that this was important to assert, that it would make them into allies rather than adversaries.

  There was an outburst of laughter from the other side of the floor and it serve
d to instantly lighten the mood between the two of them.

  Sophie smiled. “Thank you, Connie.”

  “Don’t start that again.” He stood up.

  She had naturally used Connie as a nickname for him when they were in school together but was the only one to do so. Everyone else knew how much he hated it. He vehemently shut down any attempt to call him that. But he’d always let Sophie have her way, his protests mild at best.

  “Anyway, sorry to interrupt your little,” she said, gesturing to the makeup counter and back to him suggestively.

  “Little what?” he asked, clearly amused.

  She laughed. “Whatever it was you two were about to do.”

  “Ah, you saw that, did you?”

  “Just a bit.”

  “Well, do you think I have a chance?”

  “I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.”

  He put his arm around her neck familiarly as they started toward the backdrop for photos. Leaning down, he whispered conspiratorially in her ear, “I don’t either.”

  ~

  “Congratulations on your engagement,” John Riley said as he took a seat next to Sophie.

  She had been watching the boys for the last forty-five minutes as they were photographed. The outburst she and Conor had heard earlier was Shay and Martin’s reaction to seeing Gavin wearing dark brown leather pants with a softly draping white long sleeve shirt. The style was perfect for a rock star singer but not one Gavin had ever tried on. He had always been a jeans and tee shirt guy. But despite his bandmates’ jokes, he took to the ensemble well. The trousers were made of the softest calfskin and molded to his body. The shirt was tucked in front, showcasing a silver belt buckle low and tight across his hips. The unmistakable effect was that he exuded sex.

  The others looked exactly like themselves: casual yet cool in well-worn jeans or work pants and distinctive tee shirts. Shay wore an old Clash shirt, while Martin wore a brand new baseball style shirt with Mickey Mouse holding up what seemed to be a middle finger. Conor’s military-style black short-sleeve shirt with gray stripped epaulets combined with his black jeans and pocket chain served to make him even more darkly handsome.