Once Upon A Setup (Meet Cute Romance 5)

~*~

As they sang the final notes, Myles brought Piper to a stop. Her eyes were dilated, the pulse in her throat hammering, and it took everything he had not to take her mouth right then and there. Applause broke the spell.

She recovered first, turning toward the crowd with a laugh. “Myles Stewart, ladies and gentlemen! Our Bob Wallace is a man of hidden talents.”

Understanding his cue, Myles gave a sweeping bow.

They vacated the stage for Tucker. Myles wanted to pull Piper into the hallway, outside, anywhere but in the middle of all these freaking people. But she went back to her seat. Resigned, he followed.

After doing Nat King Cole proud with his rendition of “L-O-V-E”, Tucker made way for Tyler. As the opening notes of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” began to play, she looked out at the audience and arched a brow. “Really?” Somebody cheered from back near the door. Tyler just shook her head and offered up a little wave as she launched into the song, hamming it up, and wringing every ounce of parodied emotion out of the piece.

Brody didn’t seem to be amused by the performance. The poor guy looked like he’d been gut punched, white-faced and a little sick. What was that about?

When Tyler finished, Brody met her at the edge of the stage to take the mic. He murmured something that had her frowning before she returned to her table. The music started and something in the room palpably shifted as Brody fixed his gaze on Tyler and began to sing, “I’ll Stand By You.”

This. This is what Piper was talking about.

Myles watched, as captivated as everyone else in the room, while Brody serenaded Tyler with a sincerity that evoked all the feels, as his sister would say. Through it all, Tyler sat, cheeks flushed, twitching in her seat.

When he finished, the crowd went nuts, rising to a full-on standing ovation. Eyes still on her, Brody stepped off the stage, passing the mic off to Myles. Tyler was up in a second, jerking her head toward the fire exit and the alley. Without a word, Brody followed.

“Oh boy,” muttered Piper.

“That’s either really good or really bad,” Myles observed.

“I can’t stand it.” She broke away from the crowd of singers and cut toward the front door.

Myles tossed the mic to Charlotte and trailed after her. “Piper, you’re going to freeze in that dress.”

“Don’t care.”

“You can’t just eavesdrop on them.”

“This from a newspaperman?” She spared him a bare glance of disbelief. “What kind of reporter are you?”

She had him there. Giving up, he followed her outside, sneaking around t

o the alley that ran behind Speakeasy. They peered through the space between one of the employees’ cars and the wall as Tyler’s laugher rang out.

Hands clasping hers, Brody’s face was serious. “I hardly think this is a laughing matter.”

That just elicited another round of giggling.

Oh Jesus, he didn’t do something stupid like propose, did he?

Tyler managed to choke down her mirth long enough to get out, “Brody, Ollie is my dog.”

“Your…dog,” Brody said. “But I heard you talking, at the shop earlier, saw the toys, and I thought…” He trailed off.

The smile was still in her voice as she said, “You thought he was my son. That he was our son.”

“I…yeah.” There was no mistaking the disappointment on his face.

Tyler’s laughter died. “Brody, honey, did you honestly think it was possible that I could’ve had a child, your child, and somehow you wouldn’t have known about it? That I would have kept such a thing from you, if it were true?”

He released her to scrub both hands over his face. “Okay, yeah, when you put it that way, it does sound ridiculous. But I just…from what you said it sounded like you were talking to a child. And then he was seven. And…”

“You leapt to some really impressive conclusions. Why didn’t you just ask outright? If not me, then Tucker or Piper. They could’ve told you otherwise.”