What Goes on Tour(42)

       
           



       

But her head scolded her severely. Adrian had made it clear their fling  was temporary. Her publisher was giving her the opportunity to fulfil  her dream of a being a full-time author, and she couldn't throw it away  over a man who wasn't going to be in her life for long.

Her experience with Clint made sure her head won.

***

Adrian was weary. He'd had a great day with Kate and George at Sea  World, but today he wanted nothing more than to rest. He sat at the  table and booted up his laptop. He needed to make sure nothing new had  surfaced from their Sea World trip.

The knock on the door signaled Libby's arrival.

Part of him wanted to race Kate to the door. He and Kate had had fun yesterday, but something had been missing. Someone.

How had Libby become part of his life so quickly?

She would have loved Sea World, but he understood why she hadn't come. What they had was temporary and Libby had work to do.

Adrian was googling his name as Libby walked in.

As usual she wore jeans and a top, yellow this time, and loafers. There  wasn't anything extraordinary about the outfit, but when she smiled it  zapped his whole body.

"Howdy," he said.

"Hi. Any latest news?" she asked, nodding toward his laptop.

"I was just checking." Adrian scanned the screen and all the blood rushed out of his head.

No.

It couldn't be. He clicked the link and waited for the page to load.

Please, don't let it be him.

Libby asked what was wrong, but he couldn't answer her. The picture  showed an old man, haggard skin, dirty long black hair, wearing clothes  that could do with an iron.

Adrian's stomach churned so much he thought he might vomit.

The man had aged a lot in the past twenty years, but Adrian still recognized him.

His father.

The headline read, "Rock Star Abandons Father to Poverty."

"What is it, Uncle Ade?" Kate's voice was right next to him and it  brought him back to the real world. He put an arm around her to comfort  himself.

"Give me a second to read this, kiddo." His voice sounded strange, dull, to his ears.

Libby's hand was on his shoulder and he met her concerned gaze and then  turned back to the screen. Libby and Kate gave him the strength to read  on.

The article began with how Adrian's father had struggled to take care of  Adrian and his brother after his wife had walked out on them. It said  he'd worked as many shifts as he could to provide for the boys, to give  Adrian singing lessons, and to take care of them by himself.

Adrian snorted to release some of the anger that was building.

The article continued. The moment Adrian had become successful, it said,  he had left without looking back, cutting all ties with the man who'd  struggled to bring him up as a single father. He'd even gone as far as  to change his name. The boy the man had raised was called Adrian Hart  –   not Kent Downer.

Adrian swore. His father had destroyed the last bit of anonymity he had. Damn him.

His father went on to say he hadn't spoken out before but when he'd read  how Adrian had treated Emily, he knew he needed to say something. The  apple hadn't fallen far from the tree. He couldn't allow Adrian to  abandon his partner like Adrian's mother had abandoned them.

Adrian stared at the screen in disbelief. Who the hell did his father  think he was? Pretending he knew anything about Adrian's life,  pretending he cared, pretending he had been a good father.

Adrian didn't want to read on. His stomach was in knots and his head pulsated with tension.

Libby rubbed his shoulders, gently reminding him he wasn't alone.

He could do this. He let out a deep breath.

What else did the bastard have to say?

When asked who Kate was, Adrian's father said he wasn't sure. She could  be his granddaughter, but if she was, he'd not met her. His heart was  deeply saddened by the fact he didn't know.

There was no way Kate would ever meet her grandfather. Daniel hadn't  wanted her anywhere near him and neither did Adrian. She didn't need to  be exposed to that.

"Is it true, Uncle Ade?" Kate turned to face him, her eyes concerned.

Adrian sighed. He hadn't realized she had been reading.

"No."

"Dad said Grandpa Hart was ill. What's wrong with him?"

It wasn't a conversation Adrian wanted to have now. Not while his head  was still spinning at having the bastard thrust into his life again. He  didn't want to deal with this, but he had no choice.

What had driven his father to suddenly make a statement? Was it because  Adrian's photo had been splashed all over the news, exposing him as  Kent? Had his father only just realized who Adrian was?                       
       
           



       

If so, it was another thing he owed Emily.

The newspapers and magazines would pay his father well for his story, no  matter what the truth was. Perhaps that was all it was. A need for more  money, for more booze.

"Uncle Adrian?" Kate's voice was quiet, almost fearful.

Adrian rubbed his face with his hands before pushing his chair away from  the table so he could turn and face Kate. He took hold of her hands,  conscious of Libby standing behind him, a silent support.

"My father is an alcoholic," he said.

Kate gasped.

"When we were young, he didn't take very good care of your dad and me,  so we ran away. George's dad and mum cared for us until we grew up."

"What did he do?" Kate asked.

How could he explain the sadness, the neglect, the fear, to someone who  had always been surrounded by support and love? "He forgot to feed us  when he was drunk," he began.

"Did he hit you?"

Trust Kate to come straight to the point. "Why do you ask?"

"Charlie's dad gets drunk and hits his mum," Kate said, naming a child from her school.

Adrian deliberated for a moment. She needed to know the truth. "Yes, he did hit us."

Kate's expression turned sorrowful. "Then you were lucky Hank and Marla were so nice." She hugged her uncle.

Adrian held on to her tightly. He had been lucky, but it wasn't so simple.

"You need to tell the reporters he's lying. Then they'll go away."

Adrian smiled at her view of the world. The reporters wouldn't go away,  they'd swarm around for more information, wanting to drag out every  sordid detail about his past.

She didn't need to know. "I don't want to bring Hank and Marla into  this." George's parents had saved them but Adrian still didn't know what  Hank had said to his father. He wasn't sure if they could get into  trouble for not reporting the case to social services. He sighed.  Perhaps it was time he found out.

"They won't mind."

She was right. They wouldn't mind confronting the media, exposing  Adrian's father. Since he was twelve, Hank and Marla had been his  parents and had protected him. But in this, he wanted to protect them.

"I'll talk to George."

"I'll get my notebook and we can make a list of what is right. Then  George can write up a statement." Kate strode away into her room.

Adrian watched her go. She was determined to see things right. His heart  swelled with love. He would do whatever he could to protect her from  the worst people in this world.

It was the one thing Susan and he agreed on. Kate's welfare came first.

Susan.

He swore.

"What's wrong?" Libby's hands tightened on his shoulders.

Adrian turned to her. "Susan knew nothing of my childhood. She'll see  what my father says as proof I'm neglectful." He drummed his fingers  over the table. "And if I tell the truth she'll question my parenting  skills and whether I could succumb to alcohol." Would this be the final  straw? Would Susan sue for custody of Kate?

Kate came back into the room before Libby could respond.

"I'll write down all his comments and you can tell me what the truth  is," Kate said as she sat down with her notebook and started her list.

He couldn't do this now. He had to talk with George, work out what he  was going to say, get past his gut reaction, which was to hide until it  all went away. "I'll do it tonight after the concert," he said, checking  the time. "Tonight I want you both to stay inside. Neither of you needs  to face the press outside. They'll be back after this."

"But Uncle Ade, we were fixin' to go to the movies," Kate protested.

He hated saying no. Hated the fact she hadn't been able to do all the  things they'd planned. She deserved better. "Not tonight. Order one of  the movies through the hotel."

He'd promised Susan Kate wouldn't be harassed by the media. He didn't  want to lose Kate, but maybe he was being selfish. Susan would be able  to give her a more stable home environment.

Adrian's phone rang. "That'll be George. Will you be all right?" The concern was clear on his face.

Kate was pouting, but she nodded.

He stood and turned to Libby. She opened her arms and he stepped into them, drawing strength from her calm support.

"We'll work it out," Libby whispered.