Page 87 of Catch
As we stood to leave, I shook Mr. Dunne’s hand, showing him that I had no ill intentions as long as he held up his end of things. “Time to get back to the tour. We have a show tonight.”
“I can’t believe you’re still doing this tour,” he said.
“It’s for the fans,” I replied. “They’ve been supportive and loving. I want to finish this for them.”
Mr. Dunne nodded, and Miles grabbed my hand, leading me back to the elevator. When the doors closed us in, he turned me toward him and smiled. “That was so sexy.”
“Oh?” I giggled. “Wait till you see me order my coffee.”
“You and your coffee,” he laughed, pulling me close.
Chapter Fifty-One
MILES
Loxley had spenta long time resenting her music label—and rightfully so, to an extent. But in the end, they had been just as oblivious to Sam’s manipulations as she had been. He had used his control over her to squeeze more shows out of her, splitting the extra money between himself and Susie Davis.
I was so proud of Lox. Not just for everything she said in that meeting, but for the way she walked in there and demanded to speak to everyone. For the way she decided that walking away was the best decision for her peace of mind.
I was also proud of her for running when she knew something wasn’t right. She had no idea how deep the manipulation had gone, but separating herself allowed opportunities for the truth to emerge. Sam’s lies to the label explained so much about why everything had been kept in such a tight bubble.
No one had known to look for her. No one knew that Sam himself didn’t know where she was. He scrambled on his own, trying to get the cops involved to suit his narrative. He thought she would make a mistake that he could exploit. What he hadn’t anticipated was her resolve growing stronger, or her choicesbeing driven by love for someone else. He never expected her to fall in love.
For the following two weeks, the rest of the tour went back to full swing. Loxley took the stage every night with a flare and brilliance she’d never had before. She was happy. And thanks to Sam no longer being around to run her ragged between shows, she was also rested and excited to perform.
I’d taken to my new role as her bodyguard perfectly. Everyone also knew I was her boyfriend, but that didn’t stop me from doing my job. I cleared paths when she needed it. I shielded her face from cameras when she didn’t want pictures taken. And I made sure anyone who tried to invade her personal space got the side of me that felt like his skills were finally being put to good use better than they ever had been as a small-town cop.
As she performed, I stood offstage, watching her like always. My eyes bounced between her and the crowd. Every once in a while, she’d blow me a kiss. And when it came time for her acoustic set, she played her own guitar and sang songs she’d written, which were mostly about us. A few of them were so ridiculous they made me laugh out loud and I was the only one that even understood them.
If timing’s right and pipes align
Maybe for the next shower you’ll be in mine
Fuck, I loved that woman.
But I was nervous in a way I’d never been before. The tour had taken us to Clemson, close to her hometown. We were going to visit her mom the next day, and even though I’d like to think of myself as charming, I’d never met a woman’s parents before.
“She’s gonna love you,” Loxley assured me as we pulled into her mom’s small driveway in our rental car.
Loxley had started calling her mom every day, which had strengthened their relationship by a thousand percent. There were even times her mom called first, and Loxley had cried about how impactful that was. Something so simple, but it meant the world to her.
“Okay. I’m gonna be cool,” I nodded. “I think she’ll like me.”
“Meeting her comes with way fewer instructions than I had for meeting your family,” she said with a laugh.
I gave her a side-eye to remind her I hadn’t forgotten the chaos of that night.
We walked hand-in-hand up to the front door. Loxley knocked gently, bouncing on her toes with excitement. Her mom knew we were coming, but when she opened the door, she gasped and the tears started falling as she wrapped Loxley in a hug.
“Oh my goodness,” she cried. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, Mama. And I want you to finally meet Miles.”
She pulled back and looked at me. I held out my hand, thinking that was the polite move, but Ms. Anderson wrapped me in a hug too, still crying. It was an emotionally charged moment, but once we made our way inside and sat down, everyone seemed to relax, smiling at the comfort we brought to one another.
“I gotta get you out to a show,” Loxley said.
“You know that kind of travel makes me nervous, especially with all those lights and big crowds.”
