Page 43 of Reckless
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the pictures online. The photographs of you cozying up to a girl, some nobody, I might add. How is everyone supposed to believe that you’re there to look after your mom if you’re hooking up with a woman?”
Photographs?Shit.
I was used to being dragged through the media. My image was online all the time, but Kelly had never experienced this type of scrutiny. Plus, what pics were they? I was usually pretty good at noticing if someone was taking my image, but I’d been so wrapped up in her, so consumed by everything Kelly that it had been a chore to notice anything other than my mom.
“Iamlooking after my mother. The woman is…” Some part of me wanted to keep her a secret, just to hold the sweetness between us to myself for a little longer, before any part of it could be tainted by the press. “She’s just an old friend.”Dammit. I had no idea what the pictures would portray.
“The fans don’t mind when you’re with another famous person, Gage. They get to watch that develop and pick it apart. They can pretty much guarantee that it won’t last, and even when it does, they feel like they are a part of it through the press. You can’t be hooking up with some random girl, especially when fans are already all riled up. If you aren’t careful, there’s going to be some fallout.”
I shook my head. Ron was a dick, but he had a lot of experience with the business and the ups and downs that came with media scrutiny. He knew what was acceptable and what to avoid. It was okay for Bryan to be in a serious relationship because he’d been with his girlfriend from the get-go. Him being loyal to his partner was good, though the relationship wasn’t mentioned much. The best thing for fan interest was for the rest of us to seem available, to allow the spark of a crazy hope that they could hook up with one of us.
I’d agreed readily to this setup when Ron became our manager, I’d been happy to remain single. After Kelly and I broke up, I didn’t want a relationship with anyone else. Right now, I didn’t know what I wanted, but the whole thing pissed me off.
“Ron, I’m not trying to cause any issues—”
“You’re hidden away in a small town, you don’t know what’s going on.”
I sighed. “What do you want me to do?”
“What you might consider doing is coming back for a bit. If we get Gaged back on track for even a couple of tour dates right away, then maybe the fans will forgive you.”
“I would love to be able to do that, Ron, but I can’t. My mom is all I’ve ever had. I can’t leave her now while she’s…” I still couldn’t say the worddying.
“I do understand that you’re stuck, I’m not debating that, but you also have responsibilities to the band. What if we brought in a new singer to take your place temporarily? Someone famous who would already be well loved, like Steven Tyler for example.”
I blew a breath out through my nose and paced the hall. Ron was asking my permission to replace me. Even temporarily, it made me angry. Could a lead singer of a popular band not take a few weeks off for his dying mother?Steven Tyler. At least the ladies loved him. I gritted my teeth and said, “Do whatever you need to do, Ron.”
His relieved sigh was long in my ear. “Okay. In the meantime, keep me more up to date about things. I do need to know your status so I can plan.”
“Sure, I’ll make sure of it.”
As the screen went black, I schooled my expression and pushed the door to Mom’s room open, forcing a smile for the woman who looked paler and frailer by the hour.
“Is everything alright, honey?”
“Yeah, all good.”
“Don’t lie to me.” She rolled her eyes, making the yellow where her whites once had been all that more apparent. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
I couldn’t tell her everything, not without making her feel bad, so I told her about the lead singer of Aerosmith.
“Steven Tyler!” She clapped her hands, obviously a fan. “I wish I could see that!”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Also, there are apparently some pictures of me and Kelly online that makes it look like we’re dating.”
She looked even more excited. “Ooh, there are? Let’s see them!”
I typed my name into the Internet search bar, and I scrolled through all the usual crap until I saw it. The newest web page about me and my dating life that showcased the pictures of me and Kelly talking in the pub. I was so genuinely happy in that moment, you could see it blaring from my face like a loud speaker announcement.
“Well, are you going to keep the pictures to yourself or what?”
I handed Mom the phone and braced for a reaction, but it seemed she’d been stunned to silence herself for a moment.
“Oh wow, she looks good when she’s all dressed up, doesn’t she? Beautiful.”
“She’s beautiful alright.”
