Chapter 20

20

King woke with a smile on his face. The night before had been nothing short of magical. He'd known it would be special if he ever spent the night with Sadie, but he hadn't realized that he'd be a total goner. The love that had radiated between them filled his soul, made him whole, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

He reached for her, but when his hand only found an empty bed, he opened his eyes and glanced around. She was gone, but there was a note on her pillow.

King,

You were sound asleep and looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you. I had to go to work. If you have time, come by if you can. Thank you for last night. It was wonderful.

Love, Sadie.

"Damn," he muttered, already missing holding her. He threw the covers back and stumbled out into the hallway bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, when he was showered and dressed, he walked into the kitchen to find Briggs sitting at the table. He was kicked back, drinking a cup of coffee as he read something on his laptop. There was a stack of waffles along with fresh strawberries and whipped cream in the middle of the table.

"Wow, nice spread," King said. "Did you do all this?"

Briggs nodded and grinned at him. "I figured you'd need a good breakfast to replenish all those calories after last night."

King raised one eyebrow, but otherwise didn't respond. He wasn't surprised that his friend was needling him about his night with Sadie. But King wasn't taking the bait. His time with Sadie wasn't up for discussion. What they shared was between them and them alone.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" Briggs said, looking serious. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I figured that was how that'd go."

"You did?" King asked as he got himself a cup of coffee.

"Anyone with eyes could see you'd fallen hard for that girl. Good for you, man. I'm happy for you both."

"Thanks." King sat at the table and helped himself to a waffle. He doctored it with the strawberries and whipped cream. "You must be feeling better to get up and make all this."

"I am. Whatever that was last night, it's gone now. In fact, I feel great. And so should you. Look at this." He turned his computer around so that King could see the article from one of the most respected music critics in the game. The headline read, Look out, world. There's a new duo in town, and you're going to fall in love just like I did.

King scanned the article and then scanned it again. It was two full pages of how much the author loved the new single. He broke down all the elements of the song and ended by saying he'd be the first one in line for the concert tickets.

"And look at this." He pulled up his music streaming service. Right there on the Hot 100 new releases was King and Sadie's song. "It's trending everywhere. Streaming stations and social media sites. King, my bro, you and Sadie have a hit on your hands."

King sat back in his chair, stunned. He'd known the song was good. Felt it was great even. But he hadn't expected this. Not this fast. Usually it took time for songs to build. But this felt like… magic.

There was that word again. King decided that Sadie was the reason. She was magic, and as far as he was concerned, everything she touched became magical.

But then suddenly a dark cloud formed over him as he remembered the note his mother had left the night before and how he'd been so convinced Sadie had been cursed. Had he imagined that? Last night, when she'd come back from seeing Melissa, she'd seemed completely normal. There hadn't been a sign of any sort of a curse.

Had his mother been messing with him? He wouldn't have put it past her. But then what had happened when they were on stage last night? King had never felt that sort of magical energy when they'd sung previously. Sure, he'd heard her thoughts, and he was certain she'd felt his emotions, but it hadn't been all consuming like that with magic sparking everywhere. It had almost been like he and Sadie were sucking all the emotional energy out of the room, and then when they were done singing everyone had gone apeshit.

He just didn't know what it meant, and it frustrated him. He had to talk to Sadie. That's all there was to it. King glanced at the clock. She'd likely have her break in a few hours. He'd go down to the brewery then and tell her about the note.

King turned to Briggs. "Can I ask you something?"

"Like what? Do you have questions about the birds and the bees? It sounded like you knew what you were doing, but I suppose those moans could have been from disappointment," Briggs said with a cocky grin.

"Shut it. It's not about that, and nobody was disappointed in anything."

Briggs snickered. "If you say so."

King rolled his eyes. His friend could be so juvenile sometimes. "Why do you never get serious with anyone?"

"Uh, what?" Briggs asked, looking taken aback. "What kind of question is that? Are you trying to marry me off to someone?"

"No." King shook his head. "Not at all. You can stay single for the rest of your life if that's what makes you happy. Or get married and pop out a few kids." King glanced around the kitchen. "Just leave a room for me, will you?"

"There's always a room for you, dumbass. You're family." Briggs shifted his gaze away and added, "My only family."

"Exactly," King said. "We're the only family we have, you and me. And I have to be honest; I'm hoping that Sadie and I can make a life together, too."

"Is this you telling me that I'm being replaced or something?" Briggs asked with a forced laugh.

King sat back and stared at his friend. "Are you serious right now? Do you really think that there is anyone who could replace you? That I'd drop you because I found Sadie?"

"Well, no. But that's what it sounds like you're saying." He got up abruptly and took his plate to the sink. "No matter what happens, if you marry Sadie or someone else, you have a place with me and so will she. I don't even know why we're having this conversation." He rinsed his plate and shoved it in the dishwasher.

"Because you deserve more, Briggs," King said softly. "More than just me."

His friend didn't turn around to look at him when he said, "Let it go, King. I'm fine. I don't need a woman to make me happy." Then he left the kitchen, his head bowed.

King let out a long sigh, wondering how he'd messed that up so badly. All he'd wanted to do was… Hell, he didn't even know exactly what he was trying to do. Briggs was a grown man. He could navigate his own love life any way he pleased.

It was just that deep down, King thought he knew Briggs well enough to know that he did need someone. Someone more than just King. Someone he could devote himself to. He was a caregiver. He was always doing things like making them breakfast and protecting King from fans. He had a lot of love to give. There was no doubt about it.

King also knew that despite Briggs's brash joking about womanizing and only wanting one-night stands, the truth was, he rarely hooked up with anyone who wasn't a friends-with-benefits situation. And since Briggs had moved to Keating Hollow, King didn't think he'd even had one of those. He just wanted more for his friend. Whatever that looked like.

After King cleaned up the kitchen, he took Cosmo on a walk and then jumped into his Jeep and headed to the studio.

"King!" Austin said when King walked into his office. "How's my favorite pop star this morning?"

"I'm good. How are things going here?" He sat in the chair across from Austin.

"Fantastic. Listen, I'm glad you stopped by." Austin tapped on a legal pad he had on his desk and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

"Paper?" King said, just to be a smartass.

Austin ignored him. "It's a list of media outlets that either want a live performance or an interview with both you and Sadie. The phone has been ringing off the hook this morning. That performance last night… I'm telling you, King, it was pure magic. Everyone is talking about it. I've never seen anything take off this fast before. We've got to get you and Sadie out on the road as soon as possible. Capitalizing on this is going to make your single the song of the year. Mark my words."

"Hey, that's great," King said, trying to quiet the voice in his head that was warning him that his mother had done something to Sadie. He just didn't know what yet. And committing to a grueling marketing blitz before they figured it out didn't seem like a great idea. "Listen, Austin, has my mother popped up in the news yet?"

"Nope. But I'd be prepared for it now," he said, suddenly serious. "Once she sees all these headlines, she's going to be right back at your door asking for another handout."

"I figured," he said, feeling defeated. He knew she was in town, and he'd be on edge until she made her next move.

"I'm sorry, man. I've never been in your shoes, but I do know what it feels like when your family isn't who you want them to be." Austin leaned back in his chair and then suddenly let out an amused huff. "Of course, I found out my father was shitty because he was possessed by a ghost, but that's probably not your mother's issue." He paused and raised both eyebrows. "Though it wouldn't hurt to check."

"I should only be so lucky," King muttered. "But she's always been shit, so not likely."

"You never know. That ghost took up residence in my father for a decade."

"Huh." King wished with all his heart that he could blame his mother's behavior on a possession, but somehow, he just knew that wasn't in the cards for him. "You know, if the opportunity comes up, I might look into that just to rule it out."

"Couldn't hurt," Austin said. "In the meantime, stick to the plan that PR came up with. The last thing you want to do is let your mother take what isn't hers. We'll be behind you every step of the way. Don't worry about that. Plus with how big this song is going to be and your already solid fan base, nothing is going to stop you now. Enjoy it, okay?"

"Sure, boss." King stood. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"Anytime," Austin said. "And King?"

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations."