Claudia’s eyes filled with tears, but she said nothing. She started searching for the quickest exit. Wandering along the perimeter of the yard, she realized the only way out was through the house. She kept her head down and hurried through the hushed crowd of parents, children, and the most well-known names in the music industry, all eyes on her now that Mike had been hauled out. Her body shook and her vision tunneled. She fumbled through her purse for her keys, not knowing where she would go, but knowing she couldn’t go back home. If he was willing to do what he did in front of a crowd, she didn’t want to know what he’d do if he got her alone.
ZANE
Only a handful of guests—the people closest to the family—stuck around to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ while a furious and humiliated Sienna brought out the cake. The rest made excuses and rushed off, no doubt to phone friends and tell them what transpired. Steven, Dean, Kitty and Rusty, along with their children, remained. When the cake had been eaten, Kitty quietly instructed her kids (the youngest of whom was sixteen) to keep the McCreight children busy while the grown-ups talked. Decisions had to be made, and interruptions would not be tolerated.Exceptions would only be made for blood, fire, or broken bones.
The adults sat on the white shabby-chic sofas in the formal living room, tight-faced and quiet. Zane, who had positioned himself next to Sienna, tried to put a hand on her thigh, only to have it brushed off.
It was Kitty who spoke first. “Well, that was certainly something I never thought I’d see.”
Rusty stared at Zane. “What do we need to know?”
Sienna flashed a glare at her husband, then returned her gaze to the carpet. “Yeah, Zane. What do we need to know?”
The fury of an innocent man being accused of wrongdoing flowed through him. “There is literally nothing to know, but thanks a lot, Russ, for making my wife think I’ve been cheating on her.”
“That’s not what I did, and you know it. This mess affects us all. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
Steven sat forward and stared at Zane. “Rusty’s right.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Zane answered, shaking his head. “You’ve been on the road with us the whole time. Have any of you ever seen either of us do anything wrong? Even once?” Fear gripped him as he remembered sitting too close to her on the plane or rubbing Claudia’s shoulders. He quickly answered for them. “No, you haven’t. Because there’s nothing to see. There’s nothing there. Not on my end anyway. If she’s got feelings for me, I can’t help it, and I’ve done nothing to encourage her, except be good to her when Mike’s being an asshole.”
Rusty stared at Zane for a long second, then looked at Sienna. “It’s true. I’ve never seen him lay a finger on her.”
“If you didn’t want her, why’d you write that goddamn song, Zane?” Sienna asked.
Zane stared at her, his brain scrambling. He couldconfess and tell them Claudia wrote it. It would free him from suspicion. He could even call Claudia and have her confirm the truth. But eventually Sienna or one of the guys would realize there had been a pattern. And he couldn’t have that. “Come on, Sienna, you know me.” He put a hand on her thigh, but this time, he tightened his grip so she couldn’t brush him off. “It’s me. Your husband. And I’m telling you there is nothing there. Because there isn’t. Why the hell would I want to throw away the life I have with you for her? Look at her. She’s barely even pretty and you’re a goddess.”
“Cheating isn’t about looks. It’s about how the other woman makes you feel.”
Steven nodded. “That’s true. I saw it on Oprah.”
Zane glared at Steven and muttered, “Thanks.” Turning to Sienna, he added, “She makes me feel nothing. Honestly.” He swallowed the guilt that was bubbling up in his chest. “And I’m getting sick of telling you the same thing over and over.”
Kitty answered for Sienna. “Even if you don’t have feelings for her, her feelings for you are obviously a problem for the band. Mike’s already riding the edge as it is, and this whole thing has tipped him over. It’s the first time he’s ever loved a woman. In his entire life. And now, clearly, she’s in love with you.”
Dean sighed. “I hate to say it, but she’s got to go.”
“Oh, come on, so she said my name once when they were in bed? It means nothing,” Zane said, his anger being replaced by fear. They were about to go back to the studio, and he hadn’t written one good song yet. But he’d bet Claudia had.
“Yes, it does,” Sienna answered. “Women don’t make that kind of mistake.”
“Never? Not once in the history of women?” Zane asked, feeling like he was fighting for his life. “Not one woman has ever let her mind wander and said the wrong name?”
“Not unless their minds are wandering to who they wish they were in bed with,” Sienna answered firmly.
“She said she was thinking about what present to buy Poppy and my name came out of her mouth,” Zane said.
Sienna shrugged. “I don’t believe that. If you do, you’re naïve.”
“Either way, she’s still got to go,” Dean said. “It’s enough that Mike believes she’s in love with him. There’s no way we can go back to the studio and have the three of you in a room together day and night.”
Steven let his shoulders drop. “He’s right, Zane. Mike will never stop being angry about it.”
“Mike’s never going to stop being angry regardless of whether we fire Claud or not,” Zane answered. “He’s an angry guy. Always has been. He’s jealous of me and this whole mess is only making it ten times worse.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely affecting him,” Rusty added. “By the end of the tour, I don’t think he was sober for more than ten minutes.”
“Maybe we need to give him an ultimatum,” Zane said. “He goes to rehab or he’s out.”
