UNBROKEN (Friends, Lovers, or Nothing Book 5) Read online

  “Before you start goin’ in on me over that interview,” I said as I sat down. “I have to tell you something that is way more important than Good Day LA.”

  “And what’s that?” Tracy asked doubtfully. She had a stern look on her face and a folder that I’m positive contained printouts of every blog that wrote about my interview.

  Right now, I can’t think about Sunny’s insistence that only family know about our engagement. This is the kind of thing that my management has to know about, especially since another marriage is going to impact my career and my image. There’s no doubt in my mind that telling Tracy and Roxy is the right thing to do.

  Before I got a word out, Summer and my mom walked into the conference room and sat down too. I wasn’t expecting my mother to sit in on this meeting but oh well. I’m not going to ask her to leave.

  “So, you guys know that things are going well with me and Sunny,” I started. I didn’t know why I was nervous but the four pair of female eyes on me had my palms sweating.

  “We know that they were going well until you got on TV and did the one thing that we told you not to do,” Tracy replied.

  “Well, they still are,” I replied. “And last night, I asked her to marry me. She said yes.”

  For a moment, there was nothing but silence. I couldn’t even tell if Roxy and Tracy were still breathing. For a hot second, I thought their prediction had come true and I’d finally killed them. I shifted in my seat and looked at my mom and daughter. Summer looked up from her fruit snacks and glanced around the table.

  “Daddy,” she said loudly. “What did you do now?”

  Thank God for little four-year-old girls. Her innocent question broke the tension in the room and everyone started laughing with her.

  “Wow! Congratulations, Aiden!” Mona said. “I’m so happy for you. This is exciting.”

  “That’s because you weren’t around for marriage number one,” Tracy kidded. “For real, Aiden, this is great news. I’m happy for you.”

  “Whew.” Roxy pretended to wipe sweat off her brow. “I thought you were going to say something much worse. A million things ran through my mind and marriage wasn’t even on the list.”

  “You’re funny,” I muttered in Roxy’s direction.

  “Well,” Tracy nodded. “this changes everything. Does Jade know?”

  “I doubt it,” I shrugged. “I haven’t got any profanity laced voicemails from her. Here’s the thing. Sunny doesn’t want to go public with it until after Fashion Week.”

  “You did give her a ring though, right?” Tracy asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Does she plan on wearing it when she’s in public?”

  “Why wouldn’t she wear her engagement ring?”

  “Alright, Aiden,” Tracy sighed. “Let’s skip the part where you act completely naïve about the situation and get right to you understanding my questions. By noon yesterday, videos of your little interview had already been viewed, blogged, and tweeted over a million times. You, of all people, know that the spotlight is glaring on the two of you now. As soon as they spot the ring, the engagement speculation is going to start. In addition, if she takes off the ring after they see it, the breakup rumors start. You know how this works. Either she’s going to wear the ring and we strategize how to keep the speculation under control or she’s not going to wear the ring and we go public after Fashion Week.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll talk to her about it. I just wanted to give you all the heads up. As soon as Fashion Week is over, I’m moving full speed ahead with the wedding. Delilah’s already asking to start wedding planning. Then I want to take a few months off after she—” I stopped myself because I almost said has the baby. “I want to take a few months off and just enjoy being a married man.”

  Roxy shook her head. “A few months? Do you realize that you are booked practically every day for the next nine months? You have obligations and you have studio time booked with five different artists. You can’t take a few months off.”

  “Well, if you have me booked like that, then that sounds like I’m definitely gonna need a vacation,” I joked lightly. Roxy didn’t change the screwed up look on her face.

  “Don’t play with me, Aiden. You want to get married, fine. We can squeeze in a wedding and a two-week honeymoon at the most. But you have a new album out and that little three-month promo tour wasn’t anything. We’re planning a world tour. No disrespect to you and Joey, but you’re not signed to Power anymore. You’re with an independent label with major label distribution. Sony isn’t kicking in marketing dollars. The marketing budget for Plead the Fifth is almost gone and we have to keep this album high on the charts until we start the tour. That means as much promo as we can do. Nobody promotes an Aiden Tyler project better than Aiden Tyler. You know that.”

  “First, are you seriously calling what I just did a promo tour? I played forty shows! How is that a promo? Joey said—”

  “Joey says a lot of things that he doesn’t discuss with me first. I am your manager, not Joey. He doesn’t make decisions for your career. You said you wanted a world tour for this album. Your label agreed to a world tour for this album. We’re doing a world tour. Your commitments to CMG as a partner are not my problem. So forget about that dumb ass concert Joey came up. It’s not happening for you. So, I’m telling you again, and you know how much I hate repeating myself, we have to do promo. No one’s buying your album if they don’t know about your album. The higher your album sales, the more money your label is willing to put into your budget.”

  “Roxx, you do realize that I’m Joey’s partner, right? If we need more marketing dollars, we got it. Even if I have to come out of pocket, it’s nothing. I can afford to drop a few hundred grand if we need it.”

  “That still doesn’t mean you can afford to disappear for a few months,” Roxy argued. “You and Sunny are cute but y’all ain’t Jay-Z and Beyoncé.”

  I got the sense that Roxy and I could go back and forth over this issue for hours. It’s been known to happen. I don’t know why Roxy doesn’t understand that I’m not a machine that doesn’t need to eat, sleep, and rest. There’s only one way to end this conversation. I pray that Sunny doesn’t kill me.

  ***

  “Pregnant, huh?” Mom spoke up after we were back in my Maserati and driving towards the Bentley dealership.

  I had to tell Roxy just to get her to shut up about me taking some time off. I did swear everyone to secrecy though. I know Roxy and Tracy will take my secrets to the grave unless I tell them otherwise. Mona already signed an NDA when she started working for me so we’re good.

  “I have to ask, Aiden. Is that why you proposed? You’re smart enough to know that getting married because of a baby rarely works.”

  “I honestly didn’t know until after I gave her the ring,” I told my mom. “This is real. I love her.”

  She sighed. There wasn’t any happiness or joy in her eyes, only worry. “I know you do, baby. We all love Sunny. I just want both of you to be sure you’re doing this for all the right reasons.”

  “Well, I didn’t spend all that money on a ring for all the wrong reasons,” I snapped. “What the hell is happening here? Don’t think I didn’t notice the look on your face when I told you yesterday morning. What’s the problem now?”

  My mom stared out the window. She didn’t say anything. I listened to her breathe for a few seconds.

  “Mom!”

  “Okay, Aiden. You want the truth? Here it is. You and Sunny have had this roller coaster relationship since you’ve known each other. One minute you love each other. The next, you hate each other. When you do get together, it’s always a major event, like the climax in a never-ending movie. Your relationship is chapter marked with some of the most dramatic events.”

  “What are you talking about?” I scoffed.

  “You got her pregnant when she found out that Xavier cheated on her. She told you about your child after you ran away to the Caribbean when your dad
died. This time around, you hooked up days after your fiancée called off your wedding. Then, on top of that, you get engaged hours after you announce to the public that you’re dating. I know that you love Sunny, but geez, Aiden, your relationship is exhausting. And if it’s exhausting to the people who aren’t in it, I can only imagine what it’s like for the two of you.”

  My blood was boiling. I was so mad that I couldn’t even talk. If I opened my mouth, some shit that I didn’t mean to say was going to come pouring out. Instead of speaking, I pulled into the customer parking lot of the Bentley dealership and parked the car. I cut the engine but made no moves to get out of the car. Dina didn’t either.

  “The other day, when Delilah told you and Sara that I was going to propose, you didn’t say any of this. Why now? What’s changed?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  “Honestly,” my mom sighed. “I didn’t think she’d say yes.”

  “That’s not what you said!” I shouted.

  “I know what I said, Aiden,” Mom frowned. “I didn’t want to steal your joy and that isn’t my intention now. I didn’t say anything because I thought Sunny might not be ready to marry you and she’d tell you herself. You both are so career-driven, especially Sunny. It took a three-month tour for you all to spend any time together. I’m not saying don’t marry her,” Mom said as soon as I opened my mouth to protest. “All I’m saying is don’t rush it. Maybe you guys need to have a long engagement. There’s so much to sort out. You just bought her that house. Are you going to put it on the market again, in this economy? Other than the fact that you love each other, you and Sunny are never on the same page. Hell, I don’t even know if you’re in the same book. And you’re adding another child to the mix. I think you’re moving too fast, honey. That’s all.”

  “That’s precisely what I want to hear from my mother when I tell her that I’m getting married and having a kid. Thanks for ruining what was going to be a perfectly good day.”

  “Oh, grow up,” she said shortly. “The only reason you’re upset right now is because you know I’m right. Of course I’m right. I’m your mother, for God’s sake. No matter how smart you think you are, I’ll always be smarter. Instead of pouting like you’re fifteen again, try putting some real thought into the decisions you make, Aiden. Think about the next conversation you have with Sunny. Don’t be mad because I’m just telling you what you already know. Now get your daughter and let’s go buy me a car. I’m not going to let your attitude ruin a perfectly good day.”

  I really didn’t know what to say. My mom usually doesn’t go off like that, especially on me. Still, her apprehension cut me deep. Sunny and I are ready. We’re ready to get married and be a real family. We’re ready to have what Sara and Tahir have, what Paulie and Delilah have, what she and my dad used to have. There’s always going to be drama in my relationship but it’s not as bad as my mother made it sound. We’re fine now and we’re going to be fine forever.

  Chapter 3: A Woman’s Worth

  A FEW DAYS LATER, after accepting the delivery of my mother’s champagne colored Bentley, I had to leave my house and go stay at Sunny’s for a few days. I’m still a little pissed off by Mom’s assessment of our relationship. She’s been staying at the mansion because little Tyler is sick and Sara, even though she’s a doctor, acts like she can’t function without her mother. I didn’t feel right about asking my mom to go back to Sunny’s house but one of us had to leave.

  “Boy, let me call you back,” Sunny said into her phone when I walked into the living room. “Aiden’s home.”

  “Who was that?” I asked as I laid Summer on the loveseat. She was knocked out.

  “Clay,” Sunny answered.

  She got up from the couch and wrapped her arms around my waist. She looked up at me and smiled.

  “Hey you.”

  “Hey baby.”

  She stood on her tiptoes to kiss me. It’s a damn shame that we live in the same city, not even ten miles apart, and it’s been three days since we’ve seen each other. Sunny had to go to New York at the last minute, some fashion emergency I suppose, and I’ve been locked in the studio with Joey and this R&B duo he signed a few months ago. They were big back in the late nineties but fell off. Now, they want to get their careers back on track. Even though I was hesitant about getting into the career restoration business, these boys can sing! Joey is confident that, with my songwriting skills and his production, we can get them back on top and make a lot of money.

  I’ve missed Sunny like crazy. I’m surprised she didn’t go directly to her studio to see what disaster Kirk, Candace, and Delilah managed to create when left alone to their own devices, especially since it’s only seven-thirty. I placed my hand on her stomach and kissed the top of her head.

  “Why aren’t you at work? Is everything okay in there?”

  “Everything is fine,” she said, placing her hand over mine. “We’re good. Right now, I’d rather be spending tonight with you than sewing in my studio all night. You got a problem with that?”

  I grinned and lowered my lips to hers. “You know I’m okay with that.”

  “Are you hungry?” Sunny asked. “I could fix you some dinner.” She wiggled her left hand in my face. “Better start practicing my wifely duties now.”

  “You can’t cook,” I teased her. “Unless your wifely duties include ordering take-out or getting cooking lessons, we will stick with my chef.”

  “Chef? Who?” Sunny laughed. “Your mom?”

  “That’s not funny. I have a real chef. You know that.”

  Sunny sat back on the sofa and opened the Grub Hub app on her iPad. “If you think for one minute that I’m gonna let you keep Michelle around after we get married, you are in for a rude awakening. My mama taught me well. You don’t let another woman in your kitchen cooking for your man. You best believe that I will know how to cook like my mama before I walk down that aisle. What are you in the mood for tonight?” She grinned slyly. “And I’m talking about food.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Get whatever you want. So,” I smiled and sat next to her. “You and I both know that you are not getting rid of my chef when you move in. That’s just out of the question. Michelle is very married so you don’t need to worry about that. Just because I gave you that ring doesn’t mean you can start erasing people out of my home. Next thing you know, you’ll be saying that Marisol is fired.”

  Sunny finished placing an order for what I’m positive is going to be a shitload of Chinese food then slid over to me and sat on my lap.

  “Marisol and her staff can stay because Marisol is your mom’s age and keeps her girls in check. Mona can stay because you need a good assistant and you aren’t getting Delilah back. Speaking of your little sister, did she tell you about her fight with Paulie?”

  I started laughing because Sunny didn’t become a gossip until she moved to California, at least not around me. “Are we gonna be that couple that talks about everyone else’s business over dinner?”

  Sunny laughed too. “We could be. Lord knows the people around us give us enough to talk about. They’re always in some drama. Did you know that your sax player is sleeping with Clay’s little brother?”

  I knew what Sunny was trying to do. We haven’t mentioned Erica in weeks, especially not her hooking up with some other guy. Sunny’s trying to gauge my reaction and I’m not going to give her one. I’m not falling into that trap. Erica can go back to screwing every straight guy in LA and it won’t bother me any.

  “Speaking of Clay and Erica, what did they say when you told them about us? Were they happy?”

  “Of course,” Sunny answered quickly…a little too quickly.

  “And? Are they excited? What did your parents say?”

  Sunny climbed off my lap without answering my questions and walked over to Summer.

  “How long has she been asleep?”

  “She fell asleep in the car on the way over. She had a long day. Swimming in the pool and keeping watch over her little cousin all da
y wore her out. Mom says she keeps calling Tyler her little brother so she might be okay when she finds out that she is actually having a little brother.”

  “Don’t you mean a little sister?” Sunny chuckled.

  Sunny began to gently nudge Summer out of her slumber. Our little sleepyhead started whining like she does whenever anyone wakes her up. Sunny picked her up and headed upstairs.

  “I’m going to put on her pajamas and put her to bed. She ate already, right?”

  “I’m pretty sure my mother fed her.”

  Either Sunny didn’t pick up on it or she was choosing to ignore my irritation because she kept walking up the steps without any further comment. The way she refused to talk about her friends aggravated me. Any other time, I get a detailed story, down to the octave of Erica’s voice or the expression on Clay’s face, when she’s telling me about her friends. Now, when asked about their reaction over our engagement news, all she has to say is that they’re happy for us. Obviously, they said something that I’m not going to like. I want to know what they said, especially the runaway bride.

  If Erica said anything even the slightest bit inappropriate, I’m going to be pissed. Erica should not feel any type of way about our relationship when she’s the one who encouraged it in the first place. It doesn’t matter that she’s my ex.

  When it comes to her best friend, Sunny drives me crazy. She’s always talking about how we shouldn’t throw our relationship in Erica’s face because it might hurt her feelings. Erica’s feelings aren’t my problem. She had her chance. Sure, neither one of us actually loved each other the kind of way that usually ends in marriage, and we both agreed that it wasn’t a great idea, but the point is that I would have gone through with it if she hadn’t come into our villa crying about how she didn’t want to be anyone’s wife.