Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 (20 page)

Damn, damn, damn, damn!

He was barely home ten minutes when he received a text from Dirk alerting him to the photos. “Congratulations! Hollow Fellows is back on the public radar thanks to you. Good work!”

Dirk believed that all publicity was good publicity. That may be the case for the band, but it was a disaster for this fledgling relationship. Worse yet was the journalists’ speculations, that Sebastian had set up the shot to boost publicity.

Hollow Fellows were now trending on twitter all over Europe.

He immediately called Eva. “Hey, just a heads up…”

“I’ve seen it.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Honestly.”

She didn’t respond right away and Sebastian’s stomach clenched. She said she didn’t care about the paparazzi. Here was her first test.

“It’s okay.”

He let out a long breath. “I should know better. I’m really sorry. No more public displays of affection from now on, I promise.”

“I hate that. But, you’re right.”

He could hear the pain in her voice. Already he had cut her. He’d dreaded leaving her when he went on tour, but maybe it was for the best. Give the hounds a chance to find something new to talk about. Give them time to forget about Sebastian Weiss’s “mystery girl.”

“Has anyone else seen it?” Sebastian was thinking about Eva’s father and wouldn’t be surprised if he had another visit from the man tonight—this time with serious threats.

“Yes. My parents. Probably my sister. The whole country, I think.”

Sebastian paced the floor and gripped his hair. “These things have a short shelf life. Someone else will do something way more scandalous by the morning, and we’ll be old news.” He hoped to comfort her, but she was the one living in the same house as Herr Baumann. It couldn’t be pleasant.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. Anyway, my sister is turning into Bridezilla. I have to go help her.”

“Okay. Good. Get your mind off this. Like I said, it’ll blow over before you know it.”

They hung up, and Sebastian collapsed into a chair and rubbed his face with his hands. He was certain Eva would be getting an earful along the lines of “our house, our rules.” Her parents would insist that she end things.

The thought was a knife to his heart.

But he knew they were right. This was just the tip of the iceberg. Hollow Fellows was positioned to get bigger, even worldwide. Especially with the new CD and their new songs.

Eva’s songs.

Staying with him would mean greater heartache for her.

He picked up an empty beer bottle on the coffee table and threw it across the room with a roar.

The bottle crashed and splintered, sending green shards across the tile floor. He stared at the mess, groaned and then went to the closet to search for the broom.

Eva expected a verbal storm, but it didn’t come. She guessed Gabriele’s wedding was providing a temporary shield and that the onslaught would arrive the next day.

Gabriele had shaken her head at her when she got home the night before. “I never in a million years thought you’d manage to upstage my wedding day.”

“Gabi.”

“Save it, Eva. You managed to not only embarrass yourself, but our whole family. Not to mention the church.”

Eva crumbled. “It’s not that bad.”

“If you say so. I’m just glad this is the last night I have to sleep in this house. Have fun dealing with Mama and Papa without me here to buffer you.”

Annette was the only one who thought she’d done something cool. She’d texted:
oohlala. S and E for the win!

That was right. Eva and Sebastian for the win. They would survive this. It would blow over in a few days. Maybe less time than that. Everyone would be talking about Gabriele and Lennon soon enough.

She’d texted Annette back:
Thanks. You don’t know how much I needed that.

Now she sat on the chair by her guitar with a sage green satin dress that ended just below her knees. It had two thin straps that ran over her shoulders and crossed along her bare back. She had to compensate for weak legs with her upper body, and as a result she had shapely arms and back muscles she rarely got to show off. Her hair had been done, a messy up-do with curls that escaped around her face. Her hair was by nature, stubbornly straight, so it was an unfamiliar look. The curls were hard fought for by the hairdresser, and Eva worried the girl was going to burn Eva’s hair off with the curling iron. She swore they went through a half bottle of hairspray to keep the curls in place.

Julia had given Eva an exaggerated wink when she arrived earlier to help Gabriele get ready but didn’t say anything. None of Gabriele’s friends said anything, and Eva had the feeling Gabriele had issued a gag order.

Eva’s nerves were taut with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see Sebastian again and especially looked forward to seeing him in a suit. The thought brought a smile to her face. She grabbed her guitar and began picking. The tune brought a calm to the room, and more than one girl glanced at her appreciatively.

Gabriele was last to get her hair done. She shot a look at Eva. “You’re wrinkling your dress with your guitar.”

Eva stopped plucking and gently put the guitar away. She sighed. It was going to be a long day.

From the pedestrian lane of
Neustäder Platz,
the Three Kings Church was just a flat stone front with a large wooden door. On the other side, the structure loomed tall with a blackened clock tower that shot up to the sky. Tall, narrow doors opened to a vast cobblestoned space dotted with trees and benches focusing on a tall stone fountain in the middle. Eva watched from an upper-floor window as the guests arrived. Her eyes searched for Sebastian’s familiar form though she knew she wouldn’t see him. He’d said he’d arrive late.

At 14:00 precisely, the girls escorted Gabriele down to the back of the sanctuary where Lennon was waiting. The room was smaller than one would expect from looking at the outside, and not nearly as ornate as the
Frauenkirche
, but another story was about to be added to its ancient whitewashed walls. The chairs were decorated with the ribbons Eva had helped to make, and candelabras burned brightly adding an ethereal touch. White cherub statues hanging from the upper balconies looked down on the ceremony as if to bless it.

Lennon’s handsome face was awash with emotion: excitement, pride, anxiety—

Weddings were nerve-racking (!)—and love. His eyes glistened with deep adoration as he gazed at his bride.

Gabriele was simply stunning. Her blond hair was styled and decorated with diamond-like Zirconia pins that reflected the candlelight. Her chiffon gown draped beautifully over her curvy body and landed in a delicate pool on the stone floor.

They walked down the aisle toward Papa who waited for them at the front and then sat in the two chairs facing him.

Papa officiated the ceremony. He led Gabriele and his soon-to-be son-in-law through the vows of marriage before man and God. “… until death do us part.”

Papa smiled at the couple with fatherly affection and pride. Here was a daughter who was doing it right, Eva thought.
This
daughter married a good Christian boy. Papa could boast to his friends about
this
daughter.

The crowd exploded in applause when her Papa pronounced them as husband and wife. Eva had never seen Gabriele happier, and the crowd roared as Lennon kissed her passionately. Gabriele broke away with an enormous smile and a rosy blush on her face. She beamed as she walked hand in hand with her perfect new husband down the aisle and into the spacious foyer. The guests emptied the chairs, family first, which comprised of Gabriele’s side only, as Lennon sadly had no family.

Eva had been given a white cane decorated with a white, silky ribbon and a matching carnation to use for the occasion. Her eyes scanned the back row for Sebastian and she broke into a huge smile when she spotted him. She nodded subtly to the foyer, indicating that she wanted him to meet her there.

She was trapped behind a crowd as guests came to congratulate the couple. A commotion grew on the other side of the foyer and caused Eva concern. A group of girls, and some older women too, had created a circle around Sebastian and were making a scene. Their giggles and requests for autographs echoed in the cavernous space. Soon the attention of the people had turned from her sister to her boyfriend.

Eva willed him to look at her, and when she finally caught his eye, she waved him over. There was no way she could navigate this crowd and steal him away, which was exactly what she wished she could do.

Sebastian managed to escape—he had a lot of practice dodging fans—and made it to her side. Gabriele glared at both of them.

He leaned over and muttered, “I think I should go.”

A pit grew in her stomach. She didn’t want him to leave. Didn’t want him to leave her. “Sebastian.”

He smiled gently. “This is your sister’s special day. I’m stealing her thunder.”

“But…”

“It’s okay.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear. “I’ll meet up with you later. Oh, and by the way, you look gorgeous. Save that dress, okay? I want to see you in it again. When we’re alone.”

Eva blushed and held a hand over her mouth to conceal her sly smile. Sebastian looked amazing himself, and she’d like another private occasion to see him in that suit again, too. She waved weakly as she watched him sneak out the side entrance. Once all the handshaking and kissing ended, the bridal couple headed out to the park in front where more pictures would be taken before everyone headed to the wedding party celebration.

Eva was already exhausted from this day and still had several hours ahead of her to endure. She hung back from her family so she could sneak into the public WC to freshen up. She was drooping like the flower on her cane, and she let out a long sigh. She locked herself into a stall just as a couple of girls came in giggling loudly.

“Oh my God. I would die if Sebastian Weiss showed up at my wedding,” one of them said.

“I’d probably leave my groom at the altar and run away with him.” More giggling ensued and Eva’s heart lightened. Even though she and Sebastian had been official for only a short time, she had loved him for much longer. If he asked her to marry him tomorrow, she’d say yes.

“Did you see the girl he was with? The one with the cane? I saw him kiss her cheek.”

“That’s Gabriele’s younger sister.”

“Really? They don’t look anything alike.”

“Yeah, so sad about that accident. She’s going to need that cane for the rest of her life.”

“What does Sebastian Weiss see in her? She doesn’t have Gabriele’s looks or her charisma. If Lennon weren’t so hot, I’d say Sebastian hooked up with the wrong sister.”

“I know what you mean. Maybe it’s a publicity stunt. You know. Famous rock star dates cripple girl.”

“I saw that on Facebook. I didn’t know the mystery girl was Gabriele Baumann’s sister. That’s so random.”

The girls left and Eva turned to the toilet and dry heaved. Her eyes blurred and she gasped for breath, bending over like someone had punched her in the gut.

People believed what they read in the news and it stung. And it was partially true. Sebastian could do better. He could be with someone who could ride her own bike. Could hike up hills and ski down mountains. What would happen when Sebastian decided he wanted to do those things? She knew he skied the Alps in the winter. She’d faithfully followed his adventures on his blog last year.

And worse yet, what if the story were true? She didn’t really know Sebastian all that well. What if he were using her to boost his publicity?

She bent over and dry heaved again.