Page 58 of Love is a Lyric
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Piper
It was so easy for him, wasn’t it?
“Why haven’t you tried?”
That, right there, was one of the many reasons she couldn’t tell him the truth. She hadn’t talked to Melanie about meeting with anyone at the label, she hadn’t told Ben or Conner she was a songwriter because if she did, the lies would unravel quickly, destroying both her and Quinn.
Shewasa lyricist. Radio stations nationwide played her songs over and over. Fans requested them, sang along at concerts to her words.
Words that didn’t belong to her but toFate.
So, Ben Evans, she hadn’t shared her words with the world because they’d already been stolen.
Chase was a silent source of strength beside her. She clutched his hand underneath the table. He didn’t know what Quinn had done when Piper wrote the songFatewhen she was fifteen. He didn’t know Ben named the band after the song Quinn stole, the one that made them famous.
Piper spent the last six years writing the songsFate’s fans loved, and Ben asked why she’d never tried to achieve her dream?
She clenched her jaw, trying not to be angry about something that wasn’t his fault, something she’d let happen out of a misguided notion of being her sister’s rock.
“Piper?” Ben cocked his head with a worried frown.
She schooled her face, wiping away any emotion, and offered him a smile. “Some of us just aren’t meant to be dream catchers, Ben. But it’s okay. I’m happy with my life.” She enjoyed being a part of the music world, surrounding herself with those who’d made it. And now that she’d work for Drew, maybe things would improve.
He didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t have the energy for more lies, white or otherwise.
Just like she’d always done with Quinn, she had to protect Ben, this time from the truth.
A middle-aged woman finished a song at the piano, and Piper slid from the booth, extending a hand to Ben. “Come on. If I had to sing, so do you.”
He shook his head. “It’s not a good idea.”
“Ben, hate to break it to you, but with your curly hair and glasses, you look nothing like theFatefront man. We’d need a gallon or two of hair gel and about three tubes of eyeliner to make people recognize you.”
She watched his resistance waver. Ben had never been able to resist performing, and this was why she and Chase wanted to bring him, right? It wasn’t to reveal secrets or eat too much food.
They needed the music to heal him.
“I don’t have my guitar.”
She smiled at that. His guitar had always been like a safety blanket for him. He never went on stage without it. “You can use Tommy’s. He always keeps it in the back.”
He slid his hand into hers, and warmth flooded through her, radiating out from their connection. Everything in her said to let go, but she didn’t. She pulled Ben from the booth.
“We have to sing something I know.” Ben didn’t release her hand.
“We? I’m not singing with you. I’m just getting you there.”
Chase ran ahead of them to retrieve the guitar from Tommy, and Ben pulled her to a stop. “Piper, I want to sing with you.” He looked down into her eyes. “I think I need to.”
She closed her eyes, remembering when she’d decided to do anything to get him back to the music. Was this the way? If she took the stage with him, would it lead him back toFate? Back to his career?
Away from her?
That had always been inevitable, hadn’t it?
When she opened her eyes again, he hadn’t looked away. His gaze burned into her with an intensity unlike anything she’d felt before. A crack of thunder sounded as someone ran in through the front door, and the lights flickered.
