“Thank you. That would mean a lot.”
Jo walked in just then and her gaze bounced between us. “What’s going on? Did you talk to Thompson?”
“Yeah, we’re working on it. I think we’re going to sneak Ivy here tomorrow, so at least she can be with Ty through all of this shit. We’ll just have to keep her hidden.” Zane pushed to his feet and walked toward the door.
“Nice to see you finally stepping up. I’m talking to my parents soon, so prepare for me to make a statement about Rayne.”
“One thing at a time, Jo,” he said as he nodded at me before stepping out of the room.
“That’s awfully big of him. I don’t trust him, Ty,” she said.
“I know. But I think he’s actually trying right now to help Ivy, and that counts for something.”
“I guess so, but I still think he’s shady as fuck,” Jo said, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve talked to Ivy a few times today. She’s such a badass. The girl refuses to let any of this get her down.”
“Yeah. She puts on a tough front, but I’d feel much better if she were with me.”
Ain’t that the fucking truth.
I had everything planned for Ivy to come here. Our show had run late last night, and I was definitely feeling it today when I arrived at the venue a few hours before we went on. I hadn’t been sleeping because I’d been worried about my girl. Tanner Jalson had texted and asked if he could meet me backstage so he could hand-deliver the schedule they’d come up with for our tours for the upcoming year. He wanted to talk to me alone. I’m sure all this drama wasn’t sitting well with them either. He asked me not to tell anyone he was coming, which was strange, but I trusted the dude and I’d agreed.
I called Ivy once I was alone in my room, as I had a little time before Tanner was stopping by.
“Are you feeling all right?” I asked her because she was whispering.
“Yeah. I’m just peeking out the windows with Addy, and we’re in spy mode.” She laughed. Of course Ivy would make this a game. She hadn’t let any of this get her down, and it only made me love her more.
“You’re leaving in twenty minutes for the hangar?”
“Yep. Jett just went out to put a blanket in the back seat for me to hide under. I feel like I’m on an undercover mission. He and Addy will be in the front seat.”
“I guess, in a way, you are. Declan and Anton will meet you at the hangar, so you will never be alone. They’ll get you inside after the show starts and I’ll meet you backstage. I can’t wait to see you, baby.”
“Me either. I’m excited to get out of here. And I have a few things to talk to you about,” she said, and I could feel her smiling just by the tone of her voice.
“Oh yeah? Something good?”
“I think so. But it’s a surprise for later.”
“Ah, I can’t wait.” I dropped to sit on the couch, and someone knocked on the door. “I think Tanner’s here. I’ll see you soon. It’s less than a ninety-minute flight, and you’ll be here. Love you, Ive.”
“Love you more.”
I ended the call and opened the door for Tanner. He wore a navy fitted suit, and the guy always looked like he was dressed for a board meeting.
“Hey, thanks for stopping by and delivering that. I appreciate it. Come on in.”
He shut the door behind him, and I pulled out a chair to sit in and motioned for him to take the couch. He handed me the paperwork.
“It’s exactly what we discussed. Half the tours of last year and we shortened them as well. It was an insane amount of travel that you were doing for the past few years.”
“I appreciate the support,” I said.
“I wanted to just drop by, Ty, and talk to you about the current situation in the media,” he said, and he folded his hands together and cleared his throat.
“Yeah. I’m sorry about that. Zane’s trying to get that under control.”
“Is he?” he asked, catching me by surprise. “That’s what I came here to discuss. You know we have a legal team that is at your beck and call. Thompson has reached out to Zane several times and been shut down.”
“What?” I pushed to my feet and ran a hand through my hair. Zane had been working hard to get this shit shut down. This made no sense. “There must be a miscommunication because Zane hasn’t been happy with the way Thompson has handled this situation. It’s almost made it worse for Ivy.”
“Ty, Thompson is one of my closest friends. I just left his office. We’ve been talking nonstop about this. Your manager has declined his help. Zane released that statement against Thompson’s recommendation. We thought you should come out and just say that you and Jo have never been romantically linked. Jo told me she is going to speak to her parents about Rayne this weekend, and I think it’s time that everyone, including you and Ivy, to get this shit out in the open. Rock stars are allowed to have relationships, Ty. The fans don’t get to choose who you date.”
Zane had said the label didn’t want our relationships public because the mystery worked better for our fans. The whole thing sounded stupid now as I thought about it.
“You are fucking kidding me with this shit? Zane is behind this? Why the fuck would he do that? He’s been so stressed out trying to put these rumors behind us,” I said, grabbing two bottles of water and handing him one.
“Has he? You know, a lot of people believe any press is good press. I don’t feel that way, but I have a hunch your manager does. I also think you making these big changes lately threatens him. I mean, think about it, Ty. You’ve made him a very wealthy man. You work with a label, you’re an established artist, you don’t really need a manager anymore, do you? I’m guessing he doesn’t think so. Creating issues probably makes him feel more important. My dad and I have had our doubts about Zane for a long time, if I’m being honest, but we respect the team that you chose, because we like working with you. But make no mistake, if you cut that guy loose, we will support your decision. This whole campaign against your girlfriend has been repulsive and could have been easily handled. It kind of makes you wonder where it started, right? An insider? It may be time to clean house, Ty.”
I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was saying. “You think he’s responsible for the rumor?”
“I can’t think of anyone else who would want the attention and wouldn’t mind coming between your relationship. I haven’t been working in this business as long as my father has, but I’ve been around it since I was a little kid. Money makes people act irrationally. You’ve never been in a relationship since you made it big in the music world, am I right?”