I shrug my shoulders. “I honestly don’t remember?”
Tate puts his head in his hands, and Zoey strokes his back. They’ve been through so much recently—Zoey’s had to deal with her mother’s suicide attempt and Tate has finally confronted his parents about the way they’ve hidden the drug related death of his sister, Heidi. I feel guilty I’ve now added to their stress, especially as we’re in the middle of a world tour.
Tate, Cameron, Austin, and I make up the four members of the rock band Saving Tate. Several of our recordings have gone platinum. We’re taking over the music world with our heartfelt lyrics, compassion, and resilience as a clean band at a time when a lot of rock stars are losing themselves in the drugs flooding into the industry.
Zoey smiles warmly at me. “Did the woman say anything this morning?”
“What do you mean?”
She bites her lip. “Did she mention being sore in her feminine parts?”
I gulp. “I…er… I think we might have. She checked herself and must have felt something because she went pale.”
Austin chuckles. “You really don’t do things by halves do you?”
Damn, I wish I could remember what happened.
“If you’ve fucked her, it’ll make the annulment harder, but we’re in Vegas… nothing is impossible here,” Tate explains.
“That’s part of the reason Las Vegas is one of the most volatile places on Earth for bands,” Leo Nash interjects over the phone.
Leo’s our mentor and the lead singer of Nash, the biggest band on the planet. He’s been listening to the entire conversation ever since I first told the guys I was married. Tate phoned him straight away, needing his input before we tell our manager and Zoey’s boss, Fred Wilder.
Leo continues, “It’s a stupid thing to have done, Liam. You’re going to have to put a lot of money into getting it fixed, and it’s not really the kind of press you need with all the good publicity you’ve been getting with the Saving Tate Foundation.”
The Saving Tate Foundation was set up by the band and Zoey after what happened to Zoey’s mother and Tate’s sister. It’s to help those less fortunate than us get back on their feet and deal with addictions and other issues at home. We’ve been widely praised for the amount of time and energy we’ve put into the Foundation, and switching newspaper headlines to me drunkenly eloping in Las Vegas is not going to be good for the band as a whole or our charity work.
“What do you suggest we do?” Tate asks Leo.
“I think Liam needs to suck it up and inform Fred. He’ll get a lawyer out there today to sort out an annulment. Meanwhile, you need to be polite to the girl, Liam, and preferably keep your dick in your pants. How did she seem to you when you discovered the two of you were married?”
“Terrified,” I blurt out.
“That could be a good thing. She doesn’t sound like she knows who you are and therefore what she can get out of you. I know this sounds callous and is purely my mistrust of the world of fame at large, but try to keep it that way as much as possible,” Leo advises.
Leo is very much a voice of reason to us as a band. We trust him implicitly because he’s already been through so much of what we‘re experiencing. Hard times and good. He advises us on the best way to protect the band’s future, ensuring we preserve both our fame and sanity at the same time.
“I’ll get a hotel room booked for her, so we can keep her close until we find out what’s happening with the lawyers,” Zoey informs us all. “Unless she already has one booked at the hotel? Do you know? Has she traveled here with anyone?”
I shake my head again. “I don’t know. She’s not mentioned anyone.”
I remember looking in Harmony’s bag. I saw the marriage license so distinctly because there was little else in there. No phone, no wallet, no key card for a hotel room, just a bit of change and the official looking document.
That can’t be a good sign, can it?
My stomach sinks. I try to think back to the bag. Was it designer? I only recall it was tatty and looked like it’d seen better days. I’m not sure rich and Harmony Ward go together. But I remember the look on her face when she first saw me. She was so scared. It wasn’t the face of someone who was after a drunken marriage in order to secure a financial payout.
When I look up, I see Harmony standing there, hiding as best as she can behind the door. She looks sad and scared again. Zoey follows my line of sight. She lets go of Liam, and bending down to my height where I sit in the chair, she says softly, “Let me go and talk to her. This will be as much of a shock to her as it is you if it’s a genuine drunken mistake. She’ll probably want someone to talk to who isn’t a big strapping man covered in tattoos and piercings. No offense, but you guys can be a bit scary on first impression.”
“And extremely hot on the second,” Tate adds, allowing his anger with me to dissipate for a few moments.
We all laugh and then fall silent.
“Please,” I reply to Zoey.
She kisses Tate on the lips. “Be nice.”
“Aren’t I always?” he replies and smacks her on the ass as she leaves.
I watch Harmony as Zoey approaches her. Her eyes go wide, and she quickly disappears back into the bedroom. Something tells me I haven’t married a deranged fan but a scared little girl.
“Dickhead.” Tate slumps down into his own chair.
“I know,” I reply.
“You are okay, though?” Tate offers.
I nod.
“Listen, guys, I’m going to head off. I’ll speak to Fred for you and get a lawyer to sort out the annulment papers,” Leo speaks from the other end of the phone call.
“Thank you,” I offer, grateful to have his support.
“Don’t beat yourself up too much, Liam. It’s one of those things that can happen in Las Vegas. It’s the lure of the city. Be grateful it’s something we can fix easily and not a tattoo on your backside of a Disney princess, which takes months of painful laser treatment to remove.”
I raise an eyebrow at my fellow bandmates as we all listen to Leo’s words.
“Was that you?” I question.
“Maybe another drummer.” Leo chuckles and hangs up the call.
“How’s the head?” Austin asks. For once, he’s not attached to his game console or phone.
“Easing. I think I’ll be taking a few days off the beers, though.”
“I might join you there.” Cameron lays back on his seat, and I can tell by his relaxed pose, in spite of the dark glasses, he’s closed his eyes.
“What are we going to do with you?” Tate shakes his head.
“I have no idea. I’m sorry. I know I’ve created extra work for Zoey.”
“Don’t worry, she thrives on it. I think she’d be bored if we didn’t give her something she has to placate the press about.”
I chuckle. “Thank you. I know it’s not going to be easy to sort out, but I will protect the band. It’s my mistake, and I’ll clean it up.”
“No you won’t,” Cameron pipes up with a big yawn.
“What?” I lean forward in my seat shocked at his comment.