“What?” I asked, turning my attention back to my brother. “Did I just hear you right?” I asked, shocked.
“I didn’t stutter.”
“Don’t you have to get married and all that shit first to be thinking about kids? Besides, you're the absolute last person I had ever expected to hear utter those words.”
Talon laughed. “I’m not gonna run out and drop little Talon bombs everywhere. But I have been thinking about it a little lately. Ya know, wondering what it would be like to have someone to come home to. As much as I love the attention we get from all the women on the road, it does get a bit old after a while. I can't help thinking about what it might be like to have something more...you know...lasting. Permanent.”
I thought about what my brother said, and once again Nalia overtook my mind. I had to force myself not to think about what it would be like to come home to her, to have kids with her. But that just wasn’t meant to be. The facts were clear: she was gone and I was sitting beside the ocean with Talon, not her.
“I want the same thing,” I admitted. “Actually, it would be pretty amazing to have that, the more I think about it. Just not so sure it’s in the cards for me.”
Touring was a blast, and so were all the perks that went along with it, but once the fans went home and the bright lights were shut off, there was nothing left but a lonely hotel room. I had filled mine with a woman I thought would stick around for those times, but apparently, I had been wrong.
I guess I couldn't blame her; we had agreed on certain things beforehand, just so that neither of us would wind up getting hurt. But I guess that hadn't been enough, because here we were. Or rather, here I was. Hurting like hell.
“Dude, what’s with the weird look?” Talon asked.
“Nothing, man, nothing. Don't worry about it.”
He laughed. “Yeah, let me guess. I bet it has to do with Nalia, doesn’t it?”
I exhaled sharply. “I just don’t understand. I thought she was, hell, I guess... I guess I thought she was the one.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Are you serious? I knew you cared about her, but I didn’t know you were in that deep.”
I sighed, shook my head and looked out over the ocean. “She just left. Left me high and dry without an explanation.”
He swore. “I don’t know what happened with you two, but, dude, that’s fucking cold.”
“I know. And now, after everything, I don’t think she even cared about me in the first place.”
Talon burst into laughter. “Yeah, right. You’re as blind as she is. That girl loves you, man. How could you not see that?”
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at my brother. “What did you say?”
“She loves you. Trust me, dude, she is head over heels in love with you and was completely devastated when those girls were crawling all over you. That girl, she would have done anything for you.”
I grimaced. She loved me? Then why the hell had she left? Those girls, they meant nothing. Being a rock star and having girls crawling all over me was part of the gig. I had told her that, I had explained it. Just because they were coming on to me all the time didn’t mean I wanted them.
Our waitress arrived and set our food on the table, but I just looked at it, no longer ravenous like I had been when we arrived for breakfast. In fact, my appetite seemed to have disappeared altogether.
Talon leaned forward and stared at me over his omelet. “Dude, just go get her.”
“What if she doesn’t want me anymore?”
“Seriously? Dude, come on! Are you a pussy? Or are you my brother, the legendary Owen Young?”
“Fuck it, I’m going after her,” I announced, looking at my watch. I could catch a flight out before noon and have a few days to coax her to come back again before the second leg of the tour would kick back up. I just needed her to at least listen to me, no matter what I had to do. I would put on a hell of a show to get her to do just that if I had to.
“So, what’s the plan? How are you gonna make this happen, bro?”
I thought about it and a smile spread across my face. “The check. She’s coming to get the check. It’s still five in the morning there. I need to catch a flight out of here.” I had sent my secretary an email to drop a pretty significant amount in the form of a bonus to Nalia, knowing she could use the money. But now, that check would turn out to be my saving grace.
“I have a plan, Talon. I have a plan.”
He grinned. “Well, what are you waiting for, bro? Go get her!”
Chapter Thirty-Six