Cause For Scandal (Dynasties: The Elliotts #3)(33)
Author: Anna DePalo

Zeke laughed. “You look like you’re not sure whether to give Shane an earful.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“I’m sure he was just trying to help, and, you know, everything turned out well in the end.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Just out of curiosity, though, if I hadn’t called you on stage and proposed—”

“Yes, that was a surprise. In front of all those people, Zeke!”

He grinned unapologetically. “But if I hadn’t done it, what were you planning to do?”

“Get backstage, lock you in your dressing room and refuse to let you out until you realized our relationship deserved a real chance.”

“I’ve known that all along.”

“But Marty said—”

“I know what Marty said. Forget it.” For a second, Zeke looked fierce.

“You do? How do you know what he said?”

Zeke relaxed his hold on her. “He stopped by the house on Thursday, and his conversation with you came up.” Zeke shrugged. “Let’s just say Marty and I had a parting of the ways.”

Summer’s eyes widened. “What? Zeke, no. Not because of me.”

“It wasn’t just because of you, Summer, though that brought it to a head. Marty and I have been drifting in different directions. He thought I should concentrate on being a sex-symbol rock star, but songwriting is my real passion.”

Zeke stepped back, letting her go. “After this international tour is over at the end of the year, I’m settling down in one place for a while.” His lips turned up at one side. “I guess New York City is as good a place as any.”

She moved toward him. “Zeke, you don’t have to do that on my account. I know I said I didn’t want to be on the road all the time, but—” she bit her lip “—that’s because I was so hurt when I thought you were just using me to get through your songwriting block.”

His smile widened. “Too late. I’ve signed up to do the songwriting for a musical that’s being put together by one of the biggest producers on Broadway. That’ll be my next big commitment after I fulfill my contract by recording another CD.”

She clapped her hands. “Oh, Zeke! I’m so happy for you!”

He shrugged. “Writing for the Broadway show is an offer that I’ve been toying with for a while. I was approached about it a couple of months ago, but Marty hated the idea, and at the time, I wasn’t prepared to part ways with him.”

His gaze softened as he looked down at her. “Besides, doing Broadway will give me some time closer to my parents. And,” he teased, “I’m assuming you’ll want me in New York for the wedding.”

“Of course!” She gazed down at the ring that he’d given her and said, “The ring is perfect.”

“I’m glad you like it. I thought you’d like something old and unique. The emeralds remind me of your Irish eyes.”

She looked up at him. “I didn’t think you were ready to settle down.”

“I realized I was waiting for the right woman to come along,” he said thoughtfully. “The rest was just a public image carefully cultivated by Marty supposedly for the sake of my career.”

She nodded, her heart catching on the words the right woman.

“It’s true that the photo of Daphne was my songwriting inspiration after a dry spell,” he said. “In fact, the photo inspired ‘Beautiful in My Arms.’”

“I love that song!” she said. She loved it even more now that she knew the song was about Daphne—or, rather, her.

“Yeah, well,” he said, looking amused, “I composed it after a particularly hot dream about Daphne—er, you.”

She laughed.

“Of course, after that,” he went on, “I couldn’t get another song written—until I met you. I’d been dreaming about another song but I couldn’t seem to hold on to it when I woke up. But when I was around you, the song started coming to me, and last weekend I finally wrote ‘Days of Sunshine and Summer.’”

His eyes held hers. “You may have started out as my muse, but you became so much more than that.”

“Oh,” she said, caught by the look on his face.

His hands clasped her loosely around the waist. “Given the way the fans reacted to the marriage proposal tonight, I’ve got to wonder whether Marty was a little narrow-minded about what was good for my career.”

She laughed. “How ironic.”

He looked confused. “What is?”

“That just when you’re ready to settle down, I’m planning to give notice to Shane that I’m taking a leave of absence from The Buzz and EPH—probably in anticipation of my eventual resignation. In fact, I’ve already hinted as much to him.”

A look of surprise crossed his face. “What?”

“How else am I supposed to follow you as you travel the world?”

“Aw, Summer.” He kissed her, and when the kiss threatened to become deeper, he pulled back and looked at her soberly. “I hope you’re not taking the leave just because of me.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s for me, too. I finally decided to give myself permission to pursue what I really want. You…and photography.”

“Good for you.”

“Thanks. I’m going to freelance, which should give me maximum flexibility for planning a wedding and spending time with you.” She shrugged. “Maybe some of my work will end up in EPH’s magazines. I think Shane would be open to acquiring some of my photos.”

“Sure. I know I would.”

“You’re not exactly unbiased,” she joked, then added more somberly, “I wonder how Granddad will take the news.”

“Something tells me, better than you think.”

Summer looked at him in surprise. “What makes you say that?”

“It would be hypocritical of him to do otherwise, don’t you think? After all, he went off and pursued his dream.”

“Mmm.” It was only recently that she’d come to look at matters the same way herself.

“You know,” Zeke continued, “I wondered whether working your way up at EPH was another way of pleasing your family, just like getting engaged to John was.”

“It may have been,” she said. “My grandparents sort of stepped into the shoes of my parents after the plane crash. Instead of trying to please parents, I was trying to please grandparents.”