Page 51 of Signature Of You

“Well that’s how the world remembers her. As a got damn kid. They also remember all the headlines of her being passed around an industry party, studio sessions, and being linked to sleeping with the A&R that was supposed to be in charge of her career.

That was all within a matter of months before she just disappeared. No traction at all until this morning when her name was in yet another scandalous headline, linked to yours.”

Passed around industry parties and studio sessions? Sleeping with an A&R?

“What the fuck are you talking about, Drew?”

“You really don’t know?”

“No, I don’t. Tell me what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Search her name. Read the articles. There are plenty out there that will fill you in on what type of mess I’m going to have to clean up now that your name is attached to hers. You’ve got enough shit to deal with, Sol. Getting mixed up with her isn’t helping. And she’s got a kid for fuck’s sake. They’re already speculating that the kid is yours. Do you know what that does to your image? You sell because of who you are. The guy that all the women want to fuck. Photos of you in the got damn park, doing face painting with a kid kills that image, Sol. The label is losing their shit telling me I need to fix this or they’re going to lose money. They’re talking about dropping you.”

“You think I give a damn about that? Let them drop me. It’s what I want anyway. What we’ve been planning.”

“Plan, Sol. With these assault charges, they’re already on the fence. You break the ethical clause and you owe them millions for the tour and the last album, then you walk. You leave on your own terms. Not them forcing you out.”

Fuck.

He was right. I had money. Plenty actually but to be in debt to the label for half of my net worth wasn’t a place I wanted to be. The projected sales for my last album and the tour would be just that if not more.

“So what now?”

“You stay out the fucking headlines and let me decide the best approach to make this go away.”

I exhaled my frustration for yet again being forced into the position where my future rested in someone else’s hands.

“Aight, I can do that. Maybe I should just head home.”

My chest felt tight with thoughts of just bailing. No matter what she’d kept from me, it hadn’t overshadowed what she had given.

“Oh you’re definitely heading home. I’m sending the jet but I need to figure some things out first. I have to get you out of there before the blogs show up and start tearing your life apart one article at a time.”

“Aight. Just let me know the move when you figure it out.”

“I will, and Sol, stay away from them.”

Them, not her.

Cadence and Gracie.

“Yeah.”

“I mean it, Sol.”

“I said yeah, Drew. I heard you.”

Heard him loud and clear but I didn’t lie to Drew. Never had in the past and wouldn’t start now. The only way we worked was if there was a certain level of trust.

I wouldn’t lie but I wouldn’t make a promise I couldn’t keep either. I wasn’t sure if I could do what he was demanding and stay away from Cadence and Gracie. Not until I had the answered I needed and not the ones I was about to find in the blogs but the ones I needed from her.

“Give me a couple days. Stay out of trouble. Please.”

“I got you.”

Drew hung up and I tossed Kaliq’s phone on the bed and searched for mine, digging the device out of my jeans which were in a pile on the floor.

I snagged the end of my charging cord and plugged it in, waiting impatiently for the phone to come to life, halfway thankful when Kaliq was back to get his.

---