No Place to Hide (Rocking Racers Book 2) Page 24
As for my sisters?
Sloane is making her name as a jazz and blues singer. She’s considering moving to the States to further her career.
Quinn got into Monash University and is working on her medical degree.
Ashton took off overseas a couple of days after the interview aired.
Blake is working on her café. She found a great spot in Carlton and should be opening in a few months.
And tonight Cole and I are off to the Rocking Racers gala. My sisters will be there too, sort of like a Places reunion of sorts. Ashton flew in from Nepal in order to be here, giving up her own time so she could attend the gala. It’s something I never could have imagined her doing a year ago, but it’s good to see I’m not the only one who has changed.
We meet up with the Ryans on the red carpet; all five of the brothers looking devastatingly handsome but nowhere near as dashing as my own racer.
Jax is resplendent, basking in the glow of his six-medal haul from the Extreme Games. We greet him with hugs and kisses on the cheek.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not the acceptable way to greet a god,” he jokes when we step back.
“It is if it’s two gods meeting,” I say, and arch an eyebrow.
“Okay, I’ll give you that, rock goddess, but what excuse does your husband have?”
Cole slings an arm around my waist and pulls me to him. “I convinced her to marry me.”
Jax looks at me, then at Cole, then looks to me again. “Yeah, that’s true, how did you convince her to do that? She’s like, out of your stratosphere, man.” He dances out of the way as Cole goes to punch him while I wander over to Mav.
“Hey.”
He snaps out of whatever reverie he was in. “Oh, hey.”
“How are you?”
He shrugs. “Okay, I guess.”
“I heard the Extreme Games went well. Four gold?”
He shrugs again.
“Mav.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s okay, you know.”
He gives me a weak smile. “Yeah, I know. It’s just....”
“Not that easy, I get it.”
He scratches the back of his neck.
“Come on,” I say, threading my arm through his. “You’re coming off the back of a four-gold medal haul at the Extreme Games. There are plenty of attractive, available women inside, just waiting for you to pick them.” He blushes at my words.
“Why, Maverick Ryan, are you blushing?” I ask, and bump his shoulder.
“What? No!”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
We walk to our table and Cole raises an eyebrow when he sees Mav and me. I shake my head and he relaxes.
“Thank you for the escort, Mr Ryan,” I say as Cole pulls out my seat.
“Yeah, right. I’m gonna go to the bar.” He stalks off in that direction.
“What was that all about?” Cole asks.
“Nothing, we were just talking.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d be jealous.”
“Good thing you know better,” I say, and kiss his nose.
Dinner is a lively affair, but it always is when this group of guys gets together.
“I propose a toast,” Reed says, standing. We all raise our glasses.
“Hang on,” Jax says. “Rock goddess, you can’t toast with water.”
I smile. “I can when I’m not the only one I’m drinking for.”
A cheer goes around the table. Cole quietens them down. “We’re not making an official announcement. We’re still very, very early, but yes, in eight and a half months the Matthewses will be three.”
“Well then,” Reed says, “to family, and all its hopes, dreams, and successes.” We all raise our glasses, and I catch Mav’s eyes across the table. He gives me a wry smile and sips his beer.
More Places
Birth announcement!
Rocking Rumours has learned our favourite former bad girl of rock ’n’ roll, McKnley Matthews, went into labour in the early hours of this morning. Unfortunately we have no further details at this time.
In recent months McKnley and her band, Places, have taken a break, with the members working on individual projects. This has seen McKnley break into producing, riding the wave of success over Places’ latest release, the No Place to Hide EP, which she produced. It spent five weeks at number one on the ARIA charts, two months in the top ten, and is currently sitting at fifty-four.
Motherhood is also a new project for McKnley, and we wish her and husband Cole all the best in this new endeavour.
Epilogue
Cole
You know how I said at the gala that in eight and a half months the Matthewses would be three? I was wrong. We became four. Knley gave birth to twins, a boy, Ryder, and girl, Nia. Unfortunately there were complications, and Knley had to have a hysterectomy. We were devastated, of course, but we have two healthy babies. We can’t ask for more; after all, it’s more than some people get.
Knley became one of the most sought-after producers in Australia.
Places got together and did a couple more albums, but ultimately decided it wasn’t where their hearts lay.
Sloane is in the US singing up a storm.
Quinn followed her dream to Africa.
Ashton travelled the world and ended up hosting a travel show on cable.
Blake now has a chain of cafes, all with spaces for artists to flourish, in every major city around the country.
Helen, well, she got to the top with her reality show Rhodes to the Top.
And me? My second year I challenged Liam for the NRS championship. He won. I don’t like to talk about it. I did get my revenge the next year though, and we can talk about that until the cows come home. I was looking good for going back to back when a massive crash put an end to my career. Compartment syndrome in my leg and a jigsaw puzzle for my shoulder made sure of it. I’m not going to lie, I was pissed. I was beyond pissed. Three and a half seasons in the NRS was all I got. Three and a half lousy seasons. But then I come home to Knley, Ryder, and Nia, and I know that this is real life; this is what it’s all about.
For so long, all I wanted was a family, people who would love me unconditionally, support me, and I have three of them now, more if you count the ever-growing Ryan clan. I thought I didn’t belong to anyone, that I didn’t have a place in this world, but with the family I chose, I found that wasn’t true. I do have a place in this world. It’s with them, and no amount of hiding can keep me from them.
Knley
For five years, I lived my life in the spotlight. Every move I made was examined under the microscope that is the tabloid media. You’d think that living under such intense scrutiny, there would be no place for someone to hide, but in reality it creates a necessity for it. From the time my mother decided my sisters and I would be in a band, I started tucking pieces of myself away. It was the only way I could do what I loved and still be me, the only way I got to have something no one else got to see. I thought I could do that forever, keep those pieces locked away tight, but eventually they get sick of being hidden. They start struggling, banging at the walls and begging to be set free. Cole was the one with the key. He took one look at me and saw straight through me, through all my masks and layers straight to my heart. Sure, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but what relationship is? The most important thing is that we never gave up, we kept fighting, and in the end, it was more than worth it.
It sucks to feel like you have to hide parts of who you are, for whatever reason. No one should have to do it. I thank my lucky stars that Cole came along and challenged me, brought me out of hiding. I wish everyone could be so lucky. Hiding sucks, plain and simple, and no one should have to do it. In the journey of life, none of us should have to hide who we really are.
Playlist
I Prevail – “My Heart I Surrender”
Halestorm – “Amen”
Halestorm – “I Am The Fire”
A Day to Remember – “Have Faith
in Me”
A Day to Remember – “We Got This”
PVRIS – “St. Patrick”
The Beatles – “Help!”
Keith Urban – “Making Memories of Us”
Nashville Cast/ Clare Bowen, Sam Palladio – “When the Right One Comes Along”
Queen – “I Want to Break Free”
Green Day – “Extraordinary Girl”
Falling in Reverse – “Bad Girls Club”
Fall Out Boy – “Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy”
Hands Like Houses – “No Parallels”
Information
Several times in this book I alluded to domestic violence. Even though that is not an accurate description of Cole and Knley’s relationship, it is still an important topic that should not be swept under the carpet.
If you are in a bad situation and need help or to talk to someone, please do so.
If you are in Australia, the number to call is 1800 RESPECT, or if the situation is urgent, call Emergency Services on 000.
If you are in America, the number to call is 1800 799 7233, or if the situation is urgent, call 911.
Please don’t stay in a bad situation because you think you have no option. There are always options to those who need them.
Acknowledgments
This book was a journey to write. I feel like it was emotionally draining when in reality it was just so different to Breaking the Cycle. BTC came so easily to me. In a way so did No Place, but what came was surprising. Almost at every turn I was surprised. Some good, some bad, but it all came together to form what you just read.
First off, I want to thank everyone who supported me with BTC. I still can’t believe I have had a book published and people actually like it! It’s totally insane! I want to thank everyone who bought a copy, wrote a review, liked my Facebook page, blogged and/or tweeted about BTC. Having it published was so incredible and without you No Place to Hide wouldn’t exist.
Again thank you to everyone at Hot Tree. You are such an amazing group of women and I am honoured to be a part of your family. A special thanks to Liv, who sat on my shoulder while I wrote this book and pushed me to become a better writer. I hope I continue to grow and your voice is in my head while I do!
To my mum and dad, thank you for your unwavering love and support. I am blessed to have such understanding and supportive parents. I couldn’t do this without you.
To my ever-refreshing God-sister, yes it’s a thing, Kate Burrows. Thank you for the hours of entertainment you provide and for introducing me to my God-brother-in-law Tim Spencer, who was my unofficial technical consultant and source of inspiration for Cole’s countless injuries. A special thank you also goes to Poppy Spencer, the cutest damn motopug around!
To Jorge Lorenzo, Maverick Vinales, Nicky Hayden, Pol, and Aleix Espargaro, keep up the good fight and may you ride off safe into the sunset after every race.
To M. Never who gave me inspiration.
To the bands who provide the soundtrack of my life, especially Scott Russo and Unwritten Law, Linkin Park, the Foo Fighters, Green Day, PVRIS, A Day to Remember, and in particular Halestorm and their incredible frontwoman Lzzy Hale, for whom Knley was inspired by. You can’t possibly know the effect your music has had on me, but I thank you for it. It’s gotten me through a hell of a lot.
To Cambria Hebert, who knowingly or not, voiced a lot of what I think every writer thinks about at least once; thank you for letting me know I’m not alone. As you said, writing isn’t easy, but it’s a little bit easier when you know your idols go through the same thing you do. Thank you for your words and your friendship.
To the people who feel they have to hide who they truly are, because of their family or society as a whole, don’t be afraid. Our differences are what make us stronger, give colour to our lives. Please don’t deprive us of that because of the small-mindedness of the minority.
And finally to you who have read this book, thank you! I will never get over the fact there are people out there who will take time out of their lives to read my work. I hope you enjoyed No Place to Hide. If you did, please consider leaving a review; it really does go so far. Thank you again!
About the Author
Megan Lowe is a lost journalism graduate who after many painful years searching for a job in that field, decided if she couldn’t write news stories, she would start listening to the characters whispering stories to her and decided to write them down. She writes primarily new adult and contemporary romance stories with sport and music themes.
Based on the Gold Coast, Australia, Megan’s heart belongs to New York City. When she’s not writing, she’s either curled up with a good book, travelling, or screaming at the TV, willing her sporting teams to pull out the win.
Megan would love to hear from reader.
Facebook: facebook.com/MeganLoweAuthor
Twitter: meganlowe87
About the Publisher
Hot Tree Publishing opened its doors in 2015 with an aspiration to bring quality fiction to the world of readers. With the initial focus on romance and a wide spread of romance sub-genres, we envision opening up to alternative genres in the near future.
Firmly seated in the industry as a leading editing provider to independent authors and small publishing houses, Hot Tree Publishing is the sister company to Hot Tree Editing, founded in 2012. Having established in-house editing and promotions, plus having a well-respected market presence, Hot Tree Publishing endeavours to be a leader in bringing quality stories to the world of readers.
Interested in discovering more amazing reads brought to you by Hot Tree Publishing or perhaps you’re interesting in submitting a manuscript and joining the HTPubs family? Either way, head over to the website for information:
http://www.hottreepublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Glossary
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Epilogue
Playlist
Information
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Publisher