Page 20 of Edge of Heaven (Crimson Edge #2)
Mick
She’s got the lips, baby grinds and dips
But all I see is the sway of her hips.
She’s not mine, but my baby’s so fine
And I’m ready to sign that dotted line.
Let me touch you, baby, let me hear you sigh
Let me touch you, pretty girl, I’ll never make you cry.
Let me touch you, baby, take you for a ride
I’m always gonna touch you, baby, no one’s gonna hide.
I don’t write songs on my own these days, it’s usually a group effort, but this one came pouring out of me. I hear the melody in my head, a grinding beat with a lighthearted melody—exactly the kind of music we play and what our fans expect from us.
Obviously, I have Taryn on the brain, and while this isn’t a love song, per se, it comes pretty close from my perspective.
We only have one ballad because it’s not really our thing, so that would be off-brand both for me and for the band, but she’ll know what I’m trying to say the minute she hears it.
There’s something about your eyes, they never tell me lies,
Your body makes me cry, our love is never gonna die.
I’m stuck on the next line when I see the WhatsApp on my phone flashing.
Taryn.
We decided to communicate that way when she’s out of town, and then she’ll delete the app before she gets back to Callum. That way, there’s no easily accessible record of our conversations.
“Hey, beautiful,” I say as I accept the call. “I was just thinking about you.”
“Yeah? What were you thinking?”
“About kissing you.”
Oh, that’s a good line…
It’s the edge of heaven when we kiss, closest thing to bliss,
I’m not a patient man, but you know we’re doing this.
Okay, maybe not exactly what I want, but it’s close.
“I think about that a lot too. But right now, I have exciting news.”
“Tell me.” I put down my pen.
“I’m walking in an Alexa Humboldt show tomorrow.”
Even I know who Alexa Humboldt is. She’s big-time, right up there with Michael Kors and Vera Wang.
“Babe, that’s amazing! Congratulations!”
“It doesn’t pay much but they’re covering my expenses, and the exposure could be huge for me.”
“I didn’t know you were up for that.”
“I didn’t either,” she says. “I ran into Stevie Marchand a couple of months ago and I think she must have thrown my name in the hat.”
Stevie Marchand is another well-known name. She’s one of the top supermodels in the world, so the fact that she vouched for Taryn is a big deal.
“Good things are happening,” I say. “And maybe you’ll be able to get away from Callum sooner than you thought. Things may be looking up.”
“I hope so.” Her voice is suddenly a little subdued.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, always in tune with her changes in mood.
“Oh, nothing new. I had a fight with my mom earlier and then when I told Toby I was going to be gone for two days, because it turns out tomorrow is the rehearsal and then the next day is the fashion show—he was really upset. And then my mom turned it around and made it sound like I’m putting my career before spending time with Toby. ”
“Does she have any idea what you’re going through with Callum?” I demand incredulously.
“She knows, but I think she’s minimizing it in her head because she doesn’t want to think about it or acknowledge it.”
“Why the hell not?”
She sighs. “She’s having second thoughts of turning over custody to me.”
“Why?”
“She says I make bad choices. Like I should never be forgiven for getting pregnant at sixteen.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry, honey.”
“It’s all right. I just wish one damn thing in my life was easy.”
“There is,” I say gently. “Me. I’m the easiest thing you’re ever going to have. Whatever you need from me, all you have to do is ask.”
“You know that saying about how love is wasted on the young?”
I chuckle. “Yeah.”
“That’s us. Too stupid to know what we had at twenty and twenty-two.”
“But look at us making up for lost time at twenty-four and twenty-six.”
“I’ll be twenty-five later this year.”
“And I’ll be twenty-seven. We’re growing up. Finding our way back to each other, even if it’s taking longer than we wanted.”
“How do you always know the right thing to say?”
“I guess because this thing between us is real, you know?” I pause. “So, you want to hear the song I’m writing?”
“Sure.”
I put her on speaker and then pick up the acoustic guitar I borrowed from Sam. “Okay, it’s rough and not finished, but here goes…”
She’s got the lips, baby grinds and dips
But all I see is the sway of her hips.
She’s not mine, but my baby’s so fine
And I’m ready to sign that dotted line.
Let me touch you, baby, let me hear you sigh
Let me touch you, pretty girl, I’ll never make you cry.
Let me touch you, baby, take you for a ride
I’m always gonna touch you, baby, no one’s gonna hide.
There’s something about your eyes, they never tell me lies,
Your body makes me cry, our love is never gonna die.
It’s the edge of heaven when we kiss, closest thing to bliss,
I’m not a patient man, but you know we’re doing this.
“Mick.” Her voice is rough, as if she’s too emotional to say anything but my name.
“You like it?” I ask softly.
“You wrote that about me.”
“I did.”
“Michael…you’re going to make me fall in love with you.”
I love hearing her say my full name.
“Would that be so bad? It’s only fair since I’m falling in love with you.”
“But we haven’t even…been together again,” she protests.
“You think the sex is suddenly gonna be bad or something? I remember every detail of what it’s like to make love to you. And when we can finally be together, it’s going to be just as incredible as it was four years ago. There is no doubt in my mind about that.”
“Mick…” There’s a sadness to her voice I’ve never heard before. “You know if I’m going to get custody of Toby… I have to be in Los Angeles. I can’t be on tour with you. I have to be with him and we don’t know what’s going to happen with the leukemia.”
I hadn’t considered that but from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t matter. All I care about is her—and Toby. Kids aren’t on my radar, but if Taryn and Toby are a package deal, I’m all in.
“We’ll figure it out,” I say quietly. “Right now, we have a lot of things working against us, especially finances. But that’s going to change soon.
Now that we’ve got a platinum album under our belts, the money is coming.
Sasha said next quarter we should all see nice checks, probably in the six-figure range. ”
“Oh, wow.”
“So once you’re away from Callum, all you need to think about is Toby getting well. And when I get that money, I can help you get set up in an apartment or a house or whatever you need. We can?—”
“Wait, wait.” Her voice is shaky again. “Mick, you can’t just give me your money.”
“Why? I can do whatever I want with it, and what I want is to make your life—and Toby’s—better.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“Not yet, but I will. And I’ll win over your mom too. Just wait and see. I’m a nice guy, you know.”
She sniffles. “You are. A really nice guy. Maybe the best guy I’ve ever known.”
“We’re going to find a way to make this work, babe. Trust me. It might be tough in the beginning, while we figure out the logistics, but it can’t be harder than what you’re going through now, right? We can survive a long-distance relationship while we sort things out.”
“I fall a little more in love with you every day,” she whispers.
“Ditto.”
“I have enough money saved for the last month’s payment,” she says. “So instead of three months, let’s count on two. As soon as he makes that payment in June, I’m leaving.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m not going to fly to L.A. next month, so that’ll save me about a thousand dollars, and I’m pretty frugal right now in general. My agent is depositing the money from Rock Vibe into my account soon, and I’m not making much for the Alexa Humboldt event, but every little bit helps.”
“If you need my Rock Vibe money, it’s yours,” I say and continue before she can protest. “I know you want to say no, but if you need it, you can have it. There is literally nothing I need. I get a per diem from the band, and they feed us on show nights, so I’m good.
I’m frugal right now too, so let’s look at our finances together and see what we can do to get you away from Callum. ”
“Oh, Mick.”
“I like when you call me Michael,” I say softly.
“Only when we’re alone,” she whispers. “That’ll be part of our love language.”
“Yes. Yes, it will.” I desperately want to tell her I love her, but the time isn’t right, and I don’t want to say it for the first time on the phone.
“Kick ass for Alexa,” I say instead. “And I’ll see you in a few days.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” she promises.
“Give Toby a high-five from me,” I say.
“Good night, Michael.”
“Good night, beautiful.” I hang up and pick up my guitar again.
I’m going to finish this song and play it for the band tomorrow.
And whenever she finally leaves Callum, I’m going to talk the guys into playing it live for her.
A public proclamation of my feelings.
That’s my love language.