Forever My Girl (The Beaumont Series)

me to get settled. I text Noah to let him know that I’m in town and at Katelyn’s, and that we’ll see each other on Friday. I wanted to see him tonight or tomorrow, but Josie was adamant that he spend the holidays with her, Nick and their families. I couldn’t really argue with her, so I accepted what she said and left it alone.
    I bring my bag of goodies with me when I come upstairs. Katelyn is sitting at the table, her fingers rubbing her temple. I see an open checkbook and a pile of bills. I pull out the chair and sit down across from her and tap her lightly. She tries to smile, but she’s been crying.
    “Where are the girls?”
    She picks up her papers and pushes them aside. “They’re watching a movie in their room.”
    “Do you want to talk about those?” I point to the pile of bills. She shakes her head, wiping the tears away from her face.
    “I can’t make it. I have to sell the house.”
    I know I’m over-stepping my boundaries, but I can’t help it. I grab her checkbook and look. There isn’t enough to buy a gallon of milk in there. I reach for the pile of bills, but her hand comes down on mine.
    “Let me help, Katelyn. I know you don’t want handouts, but please listen. I have the means to take care of this. For Mason.”
    “I can’t, Liam.”
    “You can’t sell your house either. This is the home your girls shared with their dad, it has memories.” I reach across and pull her hand into mine. “I want to do this for the girls. Please let me fix all of this.”          
    She pulls her hand away to cover her face as she sobs. She nods, giving me her consent to take care of her bills. I plan to do a lot more.
    I try to convince Katelyn that she needs a night out, but she refuses and pushes me out the door. I want her to come with me to Ralph’s. I told Ralph that I’d do some gigs for him if he charged a cover. I want him to make some profit off me. It’s the least I could do.
    I get there early, the door propped open by a cinder block. I walk in to see him setting up the stage and go over to give him a hand.
    “Hey, you’re early.”
    “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something before I went on tonight.” I tape down the electrical plugs for the amp and mic, making sure they'll be out of my way.
    “What’s up?”
    “I’d like to do a benefit show for Katelyn Powell and the girls. I’ll bring my band in and have my manager set it up. We’ll play for free, but all the door fees need to go to Katelyn.”
    Ralph rubs his chin, his fingers going back and forth. “Absolutely!” he says with much enthusiasm. “Hell, tonight all the door charges will go to them. I’ll have the missus make up some signs.”
    “Thanks, Ralph.” I pat him on the back before he leaves the stage. I head back out to my car and get my keyboard and guitar. I told Ralph we’d really do the show up tonight.  As soon as my gear is set up I run through a quick sound check. I won’t be worrying about mic quality, but I do want to hear how the acoustics are in this place with an amp.     
    Women mill around the stage, some dressed in the shortest of skirts. Before returning to Beaumont for Mason, I would’ve taken one of them into the back for a quick fuck, but not now. Not a single one of them appeals to me. In fact, the way they are dressed just shows how easy they are.
    As soon as the lights dim, I start my set. I’m doing twelve songs tonight, maybe an encore. I haven’t decided yet. I start with Unforgettable . This will be our second single. Sam will kill me if she finds out I played it, but I don’t really care.
    In between songs I take a few requests from the fans up front. They request some of my earlier hits, but most of the songs I’m playing tonight are off our recent album.
    “Okay, I have time for one more request,” I say to the crowd.
    “I have a request,” a male voice yells from the front of the bar. I look for the person to come forward, but no one is moving.
    “I have a request, I said!”
    “Okay, let’s hear it,” I reply, still waiting for the man to show himself.
    “My first request is that you leave my fucking fiancée alone. My second request is that you leave Beaumont and never come back. And my third request of the night is that you tell your son how much of a fucking loser you are so that when you leave, he won’t fucking hate me for driving you out of town.”
    Drunk people suck.
    Nick is finally in view, he’s swaying from side to