Trust Me (One Night with Sole Regret 11)

“Come on, Julie,” Tina called from the door that led into the house. “Help me make dinner.”

“What do you want to have, Daddy?”

“Whatever you’re making.”

“I think . . .” She pressed her index finger to her lip and looked up toward the garage ceiling. “Cupcakes,” she said before skipping around the car and up the steps into the house.

“We can’t have cupcakes for dinner,” Tina told Julie as she ushered her inside.

“Can we has eggs? You said eggs are good for me.”

“They are.”

“Well, cupcakes has eggs, so that makes them good for dinner, right?”

Gabe couldn’t help but grin at her cleverness. Jacob watched until the door shut behind his family before he turned to Gabe.

“I’m not going to apologize,” Jacob said.

“I didn’t come here for an apology. I came for an explanation and some clue about fixing this mess you’ve made.”

“I let the band destroy my family once,” Jacob said. “I won’t let that happen again.”

Gabe couldn’t argue against that claim. Jacob’s stardom had strained his marriage to the breaking point. “I thought things were going well during your visitations with Julie.” Julie was the only part of his family worth saving as far as Gabe was concerned. “And aren’t you dating Amanda?”

Jacob’s forehead tightened with what Gabe assumed was raw emotional pain. Not that he could tell for sure with those damned sunglasses Jacob was still wearing.

“I was,” Jacob said, his voice unwavering. “She decided I wasn’t worth her trouble.” He crossed an arm over his chest and squeezed his biceps with his hand.

“And you decided her sister was?”

Jacob moved his hand to rub his lower jaw and muttered, “Something like that.”

“Is Tina blackmailing you?”

Jacob chuckled. “No. She claims she still loves me and being with her makes it easier for me to see Julie.”

“But do you love her?”

Jacob shrugged. “I love Julie.”

Gabe had figured as much. “And the band? Do you care about any of us?”

Jacob bit his lip, his attention fixed below Gabe’s eyes. “I won’t lose Julie,” he said. “Not for the band. Not for Amanda. Not even for myself. Adam’s disappearance was only one part of my decision to leave. Finding a new direction for myself was inevitable. I hope you can find your own new path.”

Gabe didn’t want to find a new path. He was perfectly satisfied with the one he was on.

“Maybe you just need a break,” Gabe said. “Take a few days, get your head straightened out—”

“My head is clearer than it’s been in years. And that horrible weight on my shoulders? It’s gone, Gabe.”

What weight on his shoulders? Jacob’s job was to have a great time doing what he loved. How could he possibly consider that a burden?

“I’m not giving up just yet,” Gabe said, though he took a step back. Jacob had lost his way and needed a nudge to get headed in the right direction again. Figuring out what would steer him true would take a little thought and planning on Gabe’s part, but Gabe would come up with a solution. He’d always been good at solving complex problems—even ones as incomprehensible as Jacob Silverton.

“Save yourself the headache,” Jacob said. “There’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

Perhaps, but Gabe knew someone who might be able to.

Gabe drove by Jacob’s house on his way to Amanda’s and stopped long enough to yank the For Sale by Owner sign out of the yard. He tossed it into the back of his truck and forced himself not to allow his driving to match his aggressive mood as he drove off. A residential neighborhood was no place for burning up the pavement.

Amanda’s car wasn’t in her driveway, but he parked on the street in front of her quaint cottage and went to the door. His knock went unanswered—not that he was surprised—so he returned to his truck, tore a corner off a defunct paper map, and wrote her a short note. He tucked it under her doorknocker, hoping a gust of wind didn’t send it flying down the tree-lined street. He left his number and asked her to call or text, saying it was urgent that he speak to her in person but giving no details. She’d probably guess he wanted information on Jacob, but if she’d really broken up with him, she might be unlikely to talk. Best to leave her wondering, he decided.

On his way home, he stopped by the vet and picked up his dog. His parents had planned to get Lady and take care of her at their house while he was on tour, but now that he didn’t have a tour, or even a band, he’d told them not to bother. His sweet yellow Lab was so excited to see him that her tail wagging toppled her over. Her balance was a bit off due to her casted broken leg. She licked his face the entire time he carried her to the truck. Cringing, Gabe tried turning his face this way and that to escape her tongue bath as he struggled with the door handle and finally escaped her doggie breath when he settled her into the passenger seat. He gave her a belly rub, and she thunked him repeatedly with the exuberant wagging of her thick tail as she stretched out to give him free access to her tender underside.

“Good girl,” he crooned, reaching into the truck to pat her head. “Are you ready to go see Beau? He’ll probably drown you in slobber.”

Lady released an excited whine, tail producing a rapid beat that any metal drummer would envy.

“I’m sure he misses you too.” He gave her one final scratch before shutting the door and rounding the truck to climb into the driver’s seat.

He supposed there was one good thing about being off tour; he could spoil his girl while she recovered from her injuries. Gabe wondered if the drunken teen who’d hit Lady with the truck he’d stolen had learned his lesson. Moron.

When Gabe pulled into his driveway, he scratched his head as he stared at the melon-orange VW Bug sitting in front of his house. Wasn’t that Nikki’s car? He’d ridden in the nauseatingly cute thing once with Melanie behind the wheel, but why would Nikki be visiting? He sure as hell hadn’t invited her, though he knew from experience that the woman had no qualms about inviting herself.

Gabe climbed out of the truck and lifted Lady, carefully setting her on her feet and watching closely to determine if she could hobble to the house or if he’d need to carry her. A full-grown yellow Lab wasn’t exactly lightweight, but he could manage if she needed help.

The front door opened, and Beau leaped clean over the wide porch to land at the bottom of the steps before racing toward his companion.

“Easy,” Gabe warned as Beau danced around Lady in wide leaping circles. “You can’t be rough with her.”

The black Lab gave Lady’s cast an interested sniff and then licked her face, whining and w

riggling as if he didn’t know whether to be overjoyed to see her or sad that she was hurt. A figure emerged from the large A-frame wood cabin he called home and crossed the porch to stand on the top step. All the clouds of anger and betrayal, of desperation and uncertainty, evaporated beneath her sunny smile. The door behind her framed her gorgeous body—long legs, curvy hips, slender waist—and her waist-length brown curls were as untamed as the woman was in bed.

“Surprise,” Melanie said.

And what an excellent one it was.

Chapter Two

Melanie hadn’t been sure that arriving at Gabe’s place unannounced was a good idea until she saw his face break into a relieved smile. Even his parents, who she’d talked into letting her in, had said he might not be up for company. He’d had a rough few days. So had she, to be honest, but seeing him made all her troubles less important. The only matter important to her at that exact moment was feeling his strong arms around her.