Page 111 of Love is a Harmony
Melanie ignored him, leaning into the microphone. “Go for it.” They came to her then, the words. Words that could destroy everything she’d built. “I know each one of you are here for gossip.”
“We don’t report gossip, we report news,” a woman near the front called.
Melanie lifted a brow. “Sure, you do. But do you ever think about the subjects of this news? Do you ever wonder how your craving for clicks on your articles can change a person’s entire life?” She was on a roll. “Because that’s what rock stars are, people. They don’t roll out of bed in the morning and wonder what they can do that day to cause scandals.”
“Except Noah Clarke!” Someone laughed. “He loves his scandals.”
It was the truth, or it had been, so Melanie didn’t refute it. “These men and women we represent… they just want to make music. While you clamor for their secrets, the things that can take them down, they push forward. They are stronger than you know. To be able to keep going despite the crap you all publish?” She shook her head, remembering how the media nearly ruined things for Ben and Piper before they even started, or how they continued to write articles about the debauchery of Drew’s tour since he fell in love with a dancer.
This was why Jo hid away during her pregnancy, ashamed of something that should have no shame. Why Dax kept his real identity a secret.
A fierce protectiveness for her Rockstars Anonymous crew wound through Melanie. The media couldn’t win. They couldn’t succeed in tearing Noah down.
Looking to the sky, she closed her eyes, wondering if Justin watched her from above. She hadn’t written to him since giving in to her feelings for Noah, and she now knew why.
She’d always love him, but…
“I am married to Noah Clarke.”
Silence.
And then, pandemonium.
She hadn’t realized the words were out until it was too late. People yelled questions. Cameras flashed.
And Melanie wasn’t nervous anymore. Her heartbeat calmed. She uncurled her fingers from her fists and lifted a hand, waiting for the noise to die down.
“Most of you have known me for years, so I trust you know my honesty. I am not spinning a story, not this time.” A smile curved her lips. “I married Noah Clarke in a French mairie surrounded by new friends. I will not tell you every reason, only that there was someone who needed us. And since then, I have…” She cleared her throat. She couldn’t say she loved Noah for the first time to a bunch of reporters. No, that was for his ears only.
She stared out at the expectant faces. “Does anyone know what time it is?”
Jack was the one who answered. “It’s almost two.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have time for any more questions.” She walked from the microphone, letting the yelled questions follow her back inside. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned to find her dad.
“Mel—”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I know you don’t want this for me, but I need to go to him.”
He put a hand on each of her shoulders. “Melanie.” His lips twitched into a smile. “I may not have chosen Noah Clarke, but all I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy again.”
“I have to get to London.” In twelve hours, Noah would say goodbye to his brother forever. Stella was right. He needed her there, not just Drew and Ben.
“Go. I’ll have a plane ticket waiting when you get to the airport.”
She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”
She made a quick stop at home for her passport and a few essentials before heading for the airport. By the time she took her seat in first class, the nerves returned.
What if she got to London, and Noah sent her home?
What if he couldn’t forgive her?
For the first time, thinking of Noah wasn’t accompanied by guilt. She didn’t owe her entire life to Justin, she realized. He’d loved her so much he wouldn’t want that for her.
All he’d ever strived for was her happiness.
Ten years later, she could finally fight for it as well.
