What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9) Read online

  “I don’t know how far off I am, but it sounds like he emotionally messed with you.” Randy gripped the wheel tight in irritation just thinking about it. He glanced over at her quickly and caught her nod.

  “Oh yeah. And then some.” She covered her face with her hands.

  “I’m sorry.” He really had nothing else to say. What he wanted to do was go find this Frederic guy and kick his snotty sounding ass.

  “You know what I hate?” Blaine dropped her hands. “I hate that I had to find a passion. It didn’t come to me easily, not like music did for any of you. I needed something to make me my own person. I found that in dancing. It’s a form of expression which fascinated me. Then because I found one asshole, I lost that passion, the one that took me years to find. Maybe I should hate myself and not blame him, but I do. I hate him. Frederic knows how to bleed someone until they’re completely dry. The last few months were the worst, because I’ve been fighting it. I struggled to get up every day and he belittled me for it.”

  “I want to beat him!” Randy grumbled. The thought of someone doing that kind of crap in general bugged him, but for someone to do that to Blaine, well the anger grew.

  “He didn’t even want to let me come down last year when Jameson called about Mom.” Blaine was on the verge of tears. “It was just as bad when I came back for Dad’s funeral.”

  He wished he could stop this truck right now and wrap her in his arms. “Why do you keep this to yourself?”

  “I want to erase it all! I’ve wasted the past fourteen years of my life dedicating every waking moment to that man, whether it be for work or home. I want to be free!”

  “How long were you married?” He dreaded the answer, but had to know anyway.

  “Six years. He never introduced me as his wife. I was always known as his assistant. That should have been a clue right there to leave him, but I’m stubborn in the worst way. I figured it would get better. The kind of work we did, there was always so much drama and limelight, maybe it was best to keep it hidden. I can’t be too sure, but I think he was seeing others on the side.”

  That was it. Randy veered off to the right at the next exit and found a clear, open area to stop at. Blaine watched him with wide eyes, but she said nothing. Once he turned the truck off, Randy unclicked his seatbelt, then hers and pulled Blaine in his arms. He noticed the tears in her eyes before she rested her head against his chest.

  “I’ve made so many mistakes,” she muttered after a strained silence.

  “Don’t we all?” Randy asked quietly, wondering where she was going with this.

  “Some more than others. I hightailed it out of here as soon as I could after high school, ignored my family and friends, and what do I have to show for it? A broken marriage that never should have been and a dead career because I don’t have a feel for it any more.” Blaine sighed. “I went out to find myself, so to speak, and came back even more of a mess.”

  “You never were a mess.” Randy wiped a tear away with his thumb, staring intently at her. His heart ached for Blaine.

  With a laugh, she socked his arm lightly. “Now you’re just being too nice because here I am, crying on your shoulder. I call BS. I’ve always been a crazy mess and you know it!”

  Randy laughed right along with her. “Only in the mornings. You were always a morning grumpy mess,” he teased, ducking away to avoid another punch. “Seriously Blaine, I can’t believe you never told anyone this. You married and none of your family knew? You went through what sounds like hell, and you kept it to yourself. Why?”

  She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, casting her eyes downward. “I would have loved my family and all of you there. Frederic wanted something simple. Private.”

  “Did he have his family and friends there?”

  “No. He doesn’t talk much about his family and he has no friends. Only women in his bed. We were married by justice of the peace. I don’t even think we have a picture anywhere.” A mix of anger and hurt laced her voice. Randy’s need to find that guy and punch him only grew with every minute more of Blaine’s admissions. “I didn’t want anyone to know. Call it stubborn pride. Shame.”

  “He’s not a real man,” Randy grunted. “A real man would have made his bride’s wedding day a dream come true. He would have lifted your spirits when you were down instead of crushing them more. If I ever see him-”

  “You’ll turn the other way and run. He’s the devil,” Blaine muttered. Drawing in a breath, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. I didn’t feel ready to talk about this at all, but I do feel a little better. You said earlier you wouldn’t say anything? I’m just not ready to tell everyone yet. I came home for happy reasons like Avery and Lucas’s wedding, and I didn’t want my problems overshadowing their happy moment.”

  “I told you already I wouldn’t, and you know me. I don’t like to go back on my word. I just want you to know you can come to me any time, okay? I’ll even let you knock me over if you want.”

  Blaine’s eyes danced with amusement. “Let me? Ha! Randy, I hate to say it, but I did that all on my own fair and square.”

  “Maybe you caught me off guard. But if there was a next time, I might surprise you,” he shot back. “Ready to head back to Harmony’s Echo?”

  She nodded. As they both put their seatbelts back on and Randy started the truck again, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything else she was hiding. Did this Frederic asshole physically hurt her, too? He realized he never asked about her back pain and if he had anything to do with it, but he figured Blaine already told him more than she’d wanted to. He’d take it for now.

  Chapter Five

  “Where were you all this time?” Jameson asked Blaine when she walked in the house.

  “I went to talk to Randy about something. I was so tired I fell asleep.” Blaine wasn’t about to bring up the muscle relaxer. Then she’d have to explain everything. She hoped all evidence of her being upset after telling Randy about Frederic and her marriage wasn’t still written all over her face. She didn’t feel like going down this route with her brother right now. “His cousin’s son left a party and stayed at Randy’s last night and I went with to drop him back off.”

  “Oh, Andrew? I thought things were getting better.”

  “I don’t know much about that, but it seems to me Andrew made a mistake, realized it, and went to Randy for help.”

  “He’s a good kid, but with everything going on…” Jameson ran a hand through his hair.

  “I know all about it. Randy told me. Hey, quick question. Is Mom dating?”

  Her brother’s eyes widened. “What? No! At least, not that I know of. Why?”

  “I went to breakfast with Randy and Andrew at Roadrunner Café, and Mom was sitting a few booths away, looking cozy with some guy. She came by our table when she saw me and introduced him as her good friend Chet. They were a lot more than friendly. She seemed really out of it. Is everything still going well with her?”

  “As far as I know. I’ve never met Chet. Interesting.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Blaine knew her mom had to be lonely, but the idea of her dating again, somehow that just didn’t feel right. “I thought maybe you might have met him, since you’ve been around and I just got back.”

  Jameson’s puzzled frown confirmed what she feared. Mom didn’t want either of them to know she was dating. But then again, maybe she wasn’t and Blaine only overreacted about him this morning.

  “So where’s Melody?”

  “She’s looking at an apartment with her brother. He’s decided to move down here. I think being in Colorado is hard on him, and with his only family living here, he wanted to be close to her.”

  “Whatever happened to the guy she was running from?” Blaine grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then sank down on a dining room chair.

  “Still awaiting trial, which means Melody and Chris will both have to testify, but so far there’s no word on when.” Jameson pulled out the sea
t next to her and sat. “It’s been a long, difficult few months for them, but once this trial is over they can put this nightmare behind them.”

  “I’ll be glad to get to know her some more now that I’m back.” Blaine swallowed. She’d almost said for good.

  “I think she’ll be glad. I know I’m happy to have you visiting.” Jameson shot her a smile.

  “I don’t want to be such a stranger around here any more,” Blaine said softly. She realized months ago how much she missed her friends and family, which made her own heartache even more hurtful. She’d pushed everyone she cared about away, and for what? “I messed things up, staying away from you guys for so long. I’m not going to be like that any more.”

  Jameson hugged her. “I missed you, big sister. Hey, what’s going on with you anyway?”

  She hugged him back, but froze when he asked that question. “What do you mean?”

  He studied her face. “Something seems off.”

  “Just overworked is all, which is why I’m glad for another extended vacation,” she lied. God, hopefully he didn’t pick up on her lie.

  By the look on his face, Blaine figured she’d be pestered to answer more questions, but Jameson left it alone. “Well, whatever the case is, I love having you home. I have some really cool news I want to share with someone, so you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Did you pop the question?” Blaine blurted. It would actually surprise her if he had, but she’d be happy for him either way.

  Jameson laughed. “No, not yet. This is Baby Stetson news. I convinced the radio station to play some tracks from our demo, but not until Avery and Lucas come back from their honeymoon. That way everyone gets to hear it at the same time.”

  “Oh my God, that’s amazing news! I’m so excited. I haven’t even heard the demo yet.”

  “We finished a few weeks ago. Avery really wanted to have it done before the wedding, even though we all wondered if it would be too much for her.”

  Blaine laughed. “That girl is a go getter. I can’t wait to hear you guys on the radio! This is so happening for you all!”

  “I know! Still feels surreal. Come on, I’ll let you hear the tracks, although you’ve heard most of them live.” Jameson pushed the chair back and jumped to his feet. Blaine followed, eager to hear how the band sounded in a studio.

  She watched her brother slip the CD in the player and couldn’t stop bouncing with excitement. When the music began for the first track, Blaine recognized the song as one of the fun, upbeat ones Avery sang live last year.

  There were six tracks on the CD. Each of them had their own special mark. The fourth one made Blaine squeal. It was the song Jameson and Melody wrote, the first one he’d ever sang lead on. “I’m so glad this one made it on the demo,” she said quietly after it ended.

  “I never pictured myself doing a lead on a song, but I like the variety it brings. The first time we did this one live was opening for Belinda. We ended our show with it. The response … I still can’t get over how much they loved it.” Jameson hit the off button when the last song finished.

  “You’ve got some amazing tracks. I don’t think it’ll be too long before Baby Stetson is world famous!”

  He laughed as he put the CD back in it’s case. “Wouldn’t that be neat. I wish Dad were here to see this happen.”

  Blaine’s heart skipped a beat. “Me too. He’d be so damn proud of you.”

  Blue eyes that reflected her own stared back at her. “He’d be proud of you too.”

  That did it. She let a tear slide down her cheek, and quickly wiped it away. “I’m not so sure. I was hardly around. I went and did my own thing without thinking too much of everyone else.”

  “He was proud. Sure, he wished you were home more. We all did, but don’t think he wasn’t proud.”

  She hoped so. Blaine kept any other thoughts to herself, unsure what to say. Her phone went off, and she groaned when she noticed the all too familiar California area code come up. Would he ever take no for an answer? She was done! Jameson’s eyes were still on her, so Blaine answered as calmly as possible. “Yes?”

  “When will you return? We have so much to do!” Damn, that voice. Frederic and his snobby attitude.

  “I’m on vacation. There’s no need to rehash this right now.” Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm.

  “There is so much to be done! You come back immediately!”

  So many things she wanted to tell him. She was done. Finished. Did he not get that? But with Jameson sitting right there, she couldn’t speak her mind the way she wanted.

  “This discussion is over,” Blaine snapped. So much for calm. “I’m going to go enjoy time with my family now.” She hung up in the middle of Frederic’s string of curses and comments she was better off not hearing anyway.

  Even after she’d quit and divorced him, Frederic wasn’t about to leave her alone.

  Damn him to hell.

  Marsha was on the porch when Randy walked up. He’d said good-bye to Blaine and hadn’t even noticed his sister’s car parked until Blaine drove off. This was turning into a normal occasion for her. She’d fight with her husband and leave him with the kids, then run to his house for a break. Granted, he always allowed her to stay a night and calm down and maybe he should stop enabling her to hide out from her problems, but she was family. Marsha had her first daughter at seventeen and struggled with motherhood and being a wife at a young age. Still, that was nearly fourteen years ago and she needed to learn to handle her own problems. If it wasn’t Marsha, it was another sister, even though the other three finally started to settle down.

  “What did he do this time?” Randy hid the annoyance in his tone.

  “Did I just see Blaine Grant drive off? When did she come back in town?” Go figure, Marsha ignored his question and fired her own at him.

  “She came in for Avery’s wedding and is spending some time out here.”

  “You still have a thing for her or something? We all thought that was a teenage crush.”

  Randy clenched his jaw. “She’s a friend, Marsha.”

  His sister’s dark brown eyes searched his face. “Whatever you say.” When he approached the steps to the porch, she stood. “Jackson needs to spend time with his children for once. Can I-?”

  Randy’s hand froze on the doorknob, and he turned to face her. “Marsha, go fix your problems with your husband. You run over here for the tiniest things when what you really need to be doing is fixing your marriage.”

  She took a step back and her nostrils flared. “What the hell? All I wanted was a tiny break! What’s your problem? Family is supposed to help each other!”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “I think I do plenty to help. You can’t run over here every time you want a little peace and quiet. You have a family who needs you. Think about that when you throw helping family in my face, why don’t you? If your husband hurt you, or cheated on you, then I’d get it. But because you can’t handle your own kids?”

  Tears rolled down her face. “You don’t get it!” she wailed.

  Randy sighed. “No, I probably don’t. I’m not married. I don’t have kids. I’m not a young mother. I know it’s a struggle sometimes, but you chose this. Hiding all the time isn’t going to solve anything. I’m sorry I snapped. Sometimes I feel like I’m only needed when everyone has a problem.”

  She hugged him. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. If it helps, you’re my favorite big brother.”

  Randy couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a suck up. I’m your only big brother. You know if you want, you can bring the kids by one night and go on a date. You can still date if you’re married,” he said.

  She gave him a strange look. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. There’s no law that says you can’t.”

  Marsha socked him on the arm. “Haha, jerk. I knew that. I meant about taking the kids.”

  He shrugged. “Why not? I’ve done it before.”

  “Yeah,
a long time ago. They’re … kind of wild and unruly now.”

  He wanted to point out that it was her who let things happen, but instead kept his mouth shut about it. “It’s a few hours in one night. What could it hurt?”

  “Famous last words, big brother. Famous last words.”

  “Bring them by tonight. Six o’clock. Games, fun, dinner. Pick them up at eleven. I’ll have them worn out and in bed.”

  “I’m telling you. Famous. Last. Words.” Marsha walked away with a smile.

  Dramatic much?

  Later that day, he found out the truth.

  Six forty five rolled around and Randy soon realized how undramatic his sister was about her kids. The oldest, Madison, was on the phone talking to some friend and screaming at the others to shut up. The middle child Frank, kept trying to climb up the door frame to show off his ‘bad skills’, as he kept saying. And finally, the youngest, a mere two and a half years old, kept pulling down her diaper and trying to throw it at her siblings.

  Randy stood in the middle of the living room feeling more than ready to pull his hair out. Nobody was hungry, even though he’d made a pot of pasta, which was now getting cold.

  No way in hell was he going to call his sister and tell her to pick up her zoo animals. He’d have to get this situation under control and quick!

  “Hey! You put your hands all in that sauce and got it everywhere! Eww!” Madison yelled at Frank.

  “Okay, that’s it!” Randy shouted. “Everyone calm down! On this couch right now!”

  They did. Three faces stared back at him.

  “We’re going to have time out. Everyone needs to quiet down for fifteen minutes. I’m going to make a phone call.” A spur of the moment idea popped in his head. Blaine. He could call Blaine. She’d be the only one that might help and not judge.

  Here’s to hoping she answers.

  “I could really, really use your help, Blaine,” he pleaded when she answered.

  Defeat. He’d just admitted defeat.