Chapter 31
Luke walked Rowan to the table. Holding out the chair next to the one he’d sat in earlier, he took her hand in his—he wasn’t going to let her go. His heart still pounded in his chest and he found himself glancing at her every other second to make sure she was really there. It was his version of pinching himself.
Walter laced his fingers together on the table. “You must be Rowan,” he said.
“Yes,” she said.
Luke raised their hands and kissed her knuckles.
“I’m Walter Doll. I own Wild West Records.”
“I know,” she said. “I researched you before Luke signed with you. You’re the reason I told him he should sign.”
His lips turned up under his thick, gray mustache. “I’m flattered, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
“All right, let’s make sure I have a handle on everything while we’re waiting on Brett to show up. Rowan, you were given pictures of Luke and Laney kissing at the gala?”
“Yes,” she said.
“By Brett?”
“Yes. He came to Luke’s house with the pictures. He insinuated that Luke had multiple relationships and that Laney was just one of many.”
“I don’t.” His rage, at a low simmer until now, threatened to boil over. “You are the only woman in my life. The only one.”
She ran her free hand over his. Realizing his grip on her fingers was too tight, he relaxed his hand.
“I believe you, Luke. And I’m sorry I doubted you. I’m sorry I let him get in my head and that I didn’t stay to confront you. But seeing thathurt. A lot. It was college all over again and I ran. I can’t promise I’m not going to get jealous of the attention women give you or get pissed off when some woman gets grabby, but I can promise I will talk to you about it.”
She palmed his cheek. “I love you and I won’t let you give up music for me. I may make you fire that asshole, but music is a part of you and I couldn’t live with myself if you quit because of me.”
“You won’t have to make me do anything. He’s fired. Period.” There was no way in hell he could trust Brett now.
A knock at the door of the conference room drew everyone’s attention. Samantha stuck her head in. “Brett is here, Mr. Doll.”
“Thank you, Samantha. Send him in. And ask security to come up as well.”
Samantha grinned. “Yes, sir.”
Walter stood and walked around the long table, patting Luke on the shoulder as he passed. He probably wanted Luke to stay seated and to let him handle Brett, but Luke was too angry. Fuck that. He was pissed the fuck off and he’d be damned if he wouldn’t confront Brett himself. He rose and stood behind Rowan’s chair. She reached up and grabbed his hand.
Looking down, he gave her a reassuring smile. She squeezed his hand.
Samantha entered again and stepped to the side, letting Brett into the room. He strolled in, hands in his pockets as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Hell, maybe he didn’t think he had any.
“I didn’t realize there was a meeting scheduled for today.”
“Brett, I’m going to get right to the point,” Walter said. “Did you blackmail Laney into setting up Luke so you would have pictures of them kissing to give to Rowan?”
Brett’s gaze flitted between the four of them sitting at the table, pausing slightly longer on Laney and Rowan than Marla and Luke. His only tell was the almost imperceptible twitch of his eyebrow. If Luke hadn’t been glaring at him so hard, he might have missed it.
“Walt, I didn’t blackmail anyone. A friend of mine gave me those pictures and I felt Rowan deserved to know that Luke wasn’t as faithful as he claimed to be.” He shrugged. “I don’t personally have a problem with it, but I know it caused them to break up before. I didn’t want her to get even more involved than they are now and find out later—it could have negative consequences on his music and career.”
That smug, self-righteous bastard. He’d kept looking at Laney as if to tell her to keep quiet. She had Marla next to her for support, but Luke could tell it was affecting her.
He tried to let go of Rowan’s hand so he could punch that smirk off Brett’s face, but she grasped his tighter.
