Page 72 of Love is a Harmony
And he would have a coronary if he knew she was here.
Pushing thoughts of her dad from her mind, she walked across the front sandstone pavers to reach the aqua blue door that reflected the starlight back into the sky.
“Breathe, Melanie,” she whispered. “Just breathe.”
Her knuckles tapped against the door, the sound reverberating through her heart.
The wait lasted an eternity and no time at all.
A light flickered on overhead, and she wondered if Noah peered out the peephole, trying to decide if he’d let her in.
Don’t,she pleaded silently.
Do.
The lock rattling sounded louder than it should in the still of the night.
As the door opened, she straightened her spine, trying to be the hardheaded woman she’d become.
Yet, the moment her eyes locked on his, all hardness faded away.
“Mel.” His voice was rough from sleep.
A voice she’d heard in her dreams.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
His eyes crinkled, but his lips didn’t form a smile. “You couldn’t sleep.”
“I’m still not used to you and Stella being so far away.”
“Me and Stella.” He nodded. “Well, she’s not here, but I’ll tell her you came to see her.” He tried to close the door, but she slapped a hand against it. She already knew Stella wasn’t home tonight.
But whatever Noah thought of her, Stella wasn’t the only one Melanie had grown attached to. “I—”
As if sensing her vulnerability, Noah’s expression softened. He pushed a hand through his dark hair and blew out a breath. “I might regret this, but would you like to come in?”
She nodded. More than anything, she wanted to go in. Her steps slowed as she passed him, her heart hammering at his nearness. He closed the door.
Melanie had only been to Noah’s once before. Last year, after he bought the place, he’d had a housewarming party and invited everyone at the label. She’d used it as a way to get to know her client more. At that point, they’d already been in Rockstars Anonymous for a while, but the group didn’t really start coming together until months later. None of them had trusted each other.
And now? What happened when all of this went very wrong? Would they bring the entire group down with them?
Melanie surveyed the entryway before walking down the hall into Noah’s living room. Large glass sliding doors spanned the back wall, and she remembered how one could watch the waves from his couch during the day.
The space didn’t scream Noah, or at least, the Noah in the tabloids. It was more understated than the British bad boy’s reputation. But she knew now it was very much him. Noah Clarke loved the ocean, almost obsessively. He enjoyed his calm when he wasn’t on stage or wreaking havoc with scandals. There was something contemplative about him, like he walked through most of his life stuck in his head, writing lyrics to a song he’d never finish.
Noah didn’t say anything as Melanie walked from the windows to a wall of pictures. She smiled at the first one hanging there. It was taken right before they left France, probably by Mathieu. She stood with Noah and Stella on the pebbly beach with the cliffs and dark waters framing them.
Her gaze skittered to more photos. Noah and Jo on stage. The entire Rockstars Anonymous group in the throes of laughter. A young man she guessed was Carson and an older woman who must have been his nan. There was nothing of his parents.
Her breath stuttered when she took notice of the final picture. “Who is she?” She recognized the girl but couldn’t place her.
Noah stepped up beside her. “Ava.” With that one word, he turned away.
Melanie’s heart squeezed. Ava Sinclair, the British model who’d featured in many of Noah’s scandalous photos. She smiled wide at the photographer, love shining in her eyes. The picture was taken with great care. “Do you love her?” Melanie didn’t know what answer she wanted. If he said yes, it would free her from the pain these feelings caused.
But if he said no… there were no more excuses.
