Page 99 of Places I've Never Been

“That photo doesn’t matter. So they have a group shot of us having a good time? So what?” Adam kissed the top of her head. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Maybe not for you.” Mattie pulled away from him and picked up a skirt to fold. “But for me it’s another headline and another reason why nobody will ever take me seriously. They’ll say I slept with you to get credit for something else I didn’t write.”

She threw the skirt into her suitcase and picked up a cardigan she hadn’t even worn. “And you know what? This time it’ll be true. I did sleep with you. That’s all anybody will see.‘Mattie Bellamy Bagged Brooks.’You’ll get a gold star and a pat on the back, or maybe a line of sympathetic women at yourdoor willing to help you forget all about how horribly mistreated you are, and of course they’ll all buy your new album, and your new song will top the charts for months, but nobody will think I had anything to do with that, because the only way anybody will ever believe I wrote a song at all is if I…I…I don’t know what I’ll have to do. Tattoo it on my ass maybe.”

She was breathing hard, and tears were building up in her eyes, but dammit she was tired of crying over crap like this. Maybe she should change careers.

“Wait just a damn minute.” Adam snatched the sweater out of her hands and threw it on the bed. “I’m not Devon Morales. I’m not Mark what’s-his-name. I’m not any of those assholes who’ve used you for free PR.”

“No. You’re not. But don’t you get it?” She met his angry gaze with one of her own. “Reality doesn’t matter. What matters is the next photo and the next caption. That’s all anybody will believe. I’ll never win Best Song or any other award because nobody—nobody—will ever sing my songs again. Nobody will want to work with me. I’m—”

“Yes, they will, becauseI’mgoing to sing your songs.” He poked himself in the chest to emphasize the point. “Me. You’re not getting out of that. I’m going to rock these songs you wrote on stage, and millions are going to sing along with me, and every goddamn one of them will know that Mattie Bellamy wrote them.”

He shouted the last few words loud enough to startle her out of the doom spiral she’d locked herself into during her rant.

They stared at each other. Ocean waves pounded the shore in the background, and she thought she heard thunder, but maybe it was just the blood rushing through her ears.

She licked her lips, but her mouth was so dry it didn’t help. “Today’s headline is just the start. It’s no telling what other photos are going to pop up now. He can’t have only one.”

He scowled. “I don’t give a damn what the headlines say. Not yours, or mine, or anybody else’s. The only thing that matters is whatwesay. And anybody who doesn’t want to work with you is a moron, because you’re the best songwriter anywhere out there. There’s no one better.”

She sniffed. “You have to say that. It’s in the contract.”

He snorted. “No it’s not, but it should be. Doesn’t matter. I don’t need a contract to tell me I’m working with the best songwriter in the world. I’ve known how good you are from the first Bellamy song I heard on the radio. So fuck them. You’re better than all of them. It doesn’t matter what they say. I got your back.”

“How, Adam? How can you have my back for something like this?”

She sat on the bed and pulled a dress into her hands. It was turquoise and white, made of light cotton. Perfect for the island, but she hadn’t worn it yet, either. The missed opportunity made her want to cry.

Adam knelt in front of her and put his hands on her knees. His gaze locked on hers, sincere and intense. “My manager is hunting for that asshole Donnelly right now. He’s going to buy every single photo that guy has, and make him sign a non-disclosure. Even if Donnelly has another shot, nobody but us will ever see it. If they do, I’ll hunt him down myself.”

The way he said it made her believe something dire would happen to Don Donnelly. She bit her lip at the thought. “Are you having an Adam moment?”

“No. If I were having an Adam moment, I’d hire a hitman.” He bared his teeth.

She shouldn’t smile at that, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Don’t go.” Adam gently pulled the dress out of her hands and tossed it behind her on the bed.

“It’s the smart thing to do. You know it is. They can’t take photos of us if we’re not together.”

He took her hands in his. “Stay with me tonight. Give my manager time to find that guy. I promise, nobody will bother us here. No more photos. No more headlines. Just us and the music. If you still want to leave in the morning, the helicopter will be waiting for us.”

“Us?” She kissed him softly on the lips.

“A gentleman always sees his lady home safely. Besides, it’s not paradise without you.” He took her in his arms, and several long kisses later she forgot about leaving.

Mattie startedawake to the ring of the house phone. She fumbled for the receiver with her eyes closed. “Yes?”

“Miss Mattie,” Abayomi spoke softly, but there was a note of urgency to his voice, “I am so sorry to disturb you but there is a call for you in the office. You must come. I will be outside in the buggy to bring you when you are ready.”

She rubbed her forehead, confused. “Call? From who?”

“Your sister, Miss Piper. She says to tell you she tried to call your cell phone but you did not answer.”

“Can’t she call this line?” She was cozy and too tired to get up, and she didn’t want to wake Adam by turning on the light.

“She says she must speak with you alone. It is urgent. She is waiting now on the office line. I will be there in five minutes. Please come.”

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