Page 123 of Chasing Lyric
But maybe, just maybe, she’ll let her father reach the part of her I can’t right now. Perhaps he can say the words she needs to hear before she’ll even think about listening to mine.
“Now, Lyric, before I start, I want you to know this is a safe place. No one’s here to put pressure on you, gang up on you, or make you do anything you don’t want to. Okay?” She nods. “Insaying that, I think you do need to hear everything I have to say without passing judgment. Once you’ve heard it all, then you can say your piece.”
Her eyes briefly meet mine, then she turns back to her father. “Okay.”
Stylo clears his throat, glancing at me, then focuses back on his daughter, his pride and joy, once more. “I’ve known Chase for a long time. As you know,Savage Riothas gone through numerous production teams and agents… we’ve had a lot. Working with Chase and Chase Sr. was actually one of the easier parts of my career. But as always, we parted ways after a couple of years because our guitarist, Lenny, didn’t like the way Chase Sr. ran things. He felt Chase Sr. was shifty with the royalties.” He shrugs, and I grimace. “It’s just how it was. Lenny runs the show, and it’s why we go through so many production companies. Lenny’s a tightass. Probably not the best way to run a business, but it is what it is, and to be honest, I don’t care. As long as Lenny’s fucking happy, then my life is easy.”
I tilt my head at him, letting him know there’s no hard feelings for them letting us go. It was warranted in the end.
“Anyway, that’s how I know Chase,” her father continues, his voice dipping into something more reflective. “After our time together, we crossed paths at a few events over the years and stayed friendly. Never thought we’d end up needing each other for something like this.” He lets out a heavy breath, and I brace myself.
“You see, Lyri, when Chase realized who you were… my daughter, it rattled him. That’s why he took off so fast after your first kiss.”
Her gaze snaps to mine like a shot fired. I don’t flinch. I hold steady, nod once, slow and deliberate, owning it.
“But the thing is, he couldn’t stay away from you. No matter how hard he tried.” Her father’s voice softens. “That’s the kind of pull you’ve got on him, sweetheart.”
Her lips part, and her eyes gloss over with unshed emotion, but she doesn’t let it fall. Not yet.
Stylo turns his attention back to her, his tone firm but kind. “So once he knew who your family was, and that you didn’t want the music industry chasing you down, Chase figured if he told you what he really did, you’d think the worst… that he only wanted you because of who you are. That he had some agenda…” his pause stretches, “… and that’s exactly what you assumed, isn’t it?”
Lyric draws her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing at it like it might give her answers she doesn’t want to ask out loud. I watch her, her shoulders tensing, her brows pinched, her mind clearly working overtime. But I can’t read her expression, and that uncertainty gnaws at me.
She’s always been so hard to read.
And that?That scares the hell out of me.
Stylo keeps going, filling in what Lyric was too stubborn to let me say for myself. “Chase kept you away from his world, from his family, his friends, because if they ever got wind of your voice, they’d be all over you, trying to sign you to Ego Star Productions. He was protecting you in the only way he knew how.” She starts to frown, her walls flickering like a flame about to go out. “And that’s where Dax comes in,” Stylo adds.
Lyric’s brows lift, her eyes searching for clarification, which Stylo is quick to offer. “Dax is Chase’s best friend. Has been for years. Been through hell with him. But that night at the karaoke bar? It wasn’t Chase who made the call to Chase Sr., it was Dax. He was the one who told Chase’s father you were there. That you had talent. Chase didn’t say a damn word.”
Her head snaps back to me like her whole reality just shifted. Her eyes narrow, confusion etched in every line of her face as pieces start to fall into place. I can practically see her rewinding everything, reanalyzing every moment between us. And for the first time in a long while, I think she’s starting to realize she’s been wrong about me.
Maybe not completely.
Maybe not enough.
But it’s something.
And right now, that something feels like a lifeline.
“The thing is, baby girl, Chase has been in your corner from the very beginning. He’s been hiding that part ofhislife from you so that thisverything wouldn’t happen. So,youwouldn’t feel pressured into signing with Ego Star, which is something people have been trying to get you to do your entire life.” He drops his shoulders a little. “Even me. Chase is theonlyperson who’s actually listened to your needs when it comes to your choice about music.” Lyric’s eyes water, and her bottom lip quivers. “There’s more, Lyri,” her father adds.
This is the part that terrifies me.
This is the part that could make her run for good.
But I need to be the man to tell her. I hope she will listen to me because I’m right here beside her, helping her through hearing this, and I’ll be here to answer any questions she might have about what’s coming.
Taking a deep breath, I clear my throat. “Remember Rip?”
She furrows her brows, turning to face me, then nods. “Doughnut’s dad… of course.”
I take a deep breath as my muscles tense all over.
Stylo looks at me and gives me a nod, encouraging me to keep going because he knows exactly where this is heading.
She needs to know.
