The Heir Affair (Las Vegas Nights 5)

“It’s been a challenging few months since you and I were in New York that night.” In all the weeks that they’d worked together at Ugly Trout, Melody had kept things as far away from personal topics as she could. But for some reason, now that she felt more secure in her relationship with Kyle, she wanted some answers. “He has this crazy idea that you want to get me back.” She wanted to hear him deny it.

“It’s not so crazy.” He took her hands and gave a gentle squeeze. “You know I’ll always be there for you, right?”

She didn’t know that, but nodded anyway. Kyle’s words came back to haunt her. Hunter couldn’t possibly want her back. But staring into his eyes, she could understand why Kyle was so insistent. The vibe rolling off Hunter reminded her of how she’d once felt so desperate to be loved by him.

“I feel the same way about you.” She pulled her hands free and forced a smile to her lips. “But Kyle is my future. We’re going to be a family.” And after this past week, she was really starting to believe it.

* * *

“You have a full house out there,” Nate said, popping into her dressing room shortly before she was to go on.

“I don’t know why I’m nervous.” Melody puffed out a breath and shook her hands to ease the tension in her muscles. She couldn’t go out on stage looking like a wooden soldier.

At least it wouldn’t last long. She was always besieged by preshow jitters. Yet, as soon as she stepped onto the stage, all her doubts faded away. It became about the music and the lyrics.

He gave her a quick, fierce hug and then smiled down at her. “You’re going to do great.”

“Thanks.”

Together they walked through the backstage area. Out on stage, the group of musicians she’d been rehearsing with for the past week settled in while Hunter warmed up the crowd. Melody focused on the people in the audience who would be rooting for her with everything they had. Kyle, Nate, Mia, Trent and Savannah. She would sing for them.

And then Hunter was gesturing in her direction and Melody stepped on stage. She smiled and waved as if her stomach wasn’t doing cartwheels and stepped up to the mic.

“Hey, LA, how is everybody doing tonight?”

The crowd came back to her with an enthusiastic howl that made all Melody’s problems fade into the background. She started the first of her planned ten songs, reassured when her voice sounded strong and pure, unaffected by the anxiety attacking her nerves and making her hands shake. During the nine months on tour, she’d faced thousands of fans in huge arenas. They’d been a faceless sea, undulating as they’d danced to her music.

Tonight’s crowd was different. She could feel their energy surrounding her, inspiring her performance. The intimacy thrilled her. She connected with them, recognized familiar faces. They were here for her. She wasn’t an anonymous opening act for Free Fall, she was Melody Caldwell, rising star.

As she came off the stage, it seemed as if her feet barely touched the ground. If she’d been worried about how her new album would go over, tonight’s crowd set her mind at ease. They’d been wonderfully receptive to every song. And she’d poured her heart and soul into every note.

“You were fantastic,” Hunter called over the wild cheering.

To Melody’s surprise he caught her up into his arms and spun her around. The shadows of doubt and fear creeping over her these last few weeks had been burned away by the strength of the spotlight. She laughed and hugged him back, glad he was there to share the moment with her.

Hunter set her back on her feet. And then suddenly his lips were on hers. For a second she was too surprised to move. In the back of her mind Melody recognized that this was New York City all over again. A different club. A completely innocent moment between friends. Utterly open to misinterpretation. A heartbeat too slow, she pulled back and broke the kiss.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, her delight crushed by Hunter’s actions.

Hunter gave no sign that her distress registered on him. “Do you have one more song?” he asked eagerly, motioning toward the wave of sound rolling in from the audience. “They seem to want more.”

It was then she noticed the trio that stood less than ten feet away. From the expression on Savannah’s face, it was pretty obvious they had seen her embracing Hunter. Trent looked surprised, but it was Kyle’s stiffness and the betrayal lurking in his gaze that told her she’d screwed up again.

“Not one the band knows,” she said. “But I have a song I can do with just the keyboard.”

Turning her back on Hunter, she stepped back onto the stage. With a tentative wave at the audience, she approached the keyboard player.

“Can I borrow this for a song?” She asked over the cheering crowd, her gaze straying backstage in search of Kyle.

“Be my guest.”

She adjusted the keyboard mic and smiled at the crowd. “This is a little something that I’ve been working on with a very talented songwriter friend of mine, Mia Navarro. I hope you like it.”

The crowd quieted and she began the first bars of the song. It was something near and dear to both women, a song of love and longing. Of hope and fear. Written during a time when neither believed they could ever be with the men they loved. Melody cracked her heart wide open and sang with everything she had. What poured out was vulnerable and poignant and as she finished the last note, the room was utterly silent.

A tear slid down her cheek and she brushed it away.

The room erupted.