Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and/or write a review for my one-shot stories "Decisions" and "The Verdict" (both of which are for mature readers). I really like writing one-shot stories because I don't want to keep my followers waiting for chapter updates. That is why I put so much content into my one-shot stories. All of my one-shots are continuations of each other (almost like chapters). Please continue to read my stories, write reviews, and recommend them to others.
Much Love To You ~ jm.
P.S. I do not own any rights to the Hollywood Heights storyline, characters or the music I mention in my one-shot stories. Blah Ba Blah
Forgiveness Is For You
Against Max and Eddie's wishes, Tyler was charged with accessory to Vehicular Homicide and Felony Hit and Run. He is facing five years in prison.
Eddie's new cd is about to be released and is expected to top the charts. Eddie and Loren's relationship hasn't fully recovered since Chloe's trial and the record label is planning a nationwide tour for Eddie and Loren. Eddie and Loren are faced with a difficult decision that will forever affect their relationship.
Max and Nora want to take the next step in their relationship, but first they have to face their past before they can plan a future.
Nora's dream~
"Hello Nora"
"Hello Katy"
"How are our boys?"
"Our boys are doing fine. The trial brought back bad memories, but Max and Eddie are starting to move forward with their lives. They miss you."
"I miss them too. They are happy and that's all I care about. Eddie is still young and needs the love and guidance of a mother. I am trusting you with my son Nora, he is my pride and joy; my legacy."
"I love him like he's my own Katy. I will always be there for him even if he and Loren do not end up together."
"A storm is coming Nora, and you have to stay strong. Have faith in your ability as a mother, Eddie and Loren will need you to weather this storm. I brought you guys together because you guys have something in common."
"What do we have in common Katy?"
"You guys need to realize that forgiveness is not for the other person, Forgiveness is For You."
"I'm not sure what that means Katy."
"You'll understand when the time comes Nora. Take care of our boys. And take care of Loren; she's the mother of my future grandchildren."
Nora's alarm clock goes off. She feels Max's arms tighten around her pulling her into a hug.
"Good morning," Max smiles with his eyes closed.
"Good morning," Nora says reaching over to turn off the alarm. "I had a weird dream."
"What did you dream about?"
Nora laughs, "My dream was about Katy."
"Katy? What about Katy?"
"We talked about you and Eddie and in the end, she mentioned Loren."
"That is weird. She never even met Loren."
"Maybe my subconscious mind brought her into my dreams because of Chloe's trial and now Tyler might go to jail," Nora says.
"The judge is making his decision today. Tyler's testimony was the most damaging in the case against Chloe. I just hope and pray that the judge read my letter." Max says, as his stomach growls.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Nora laughs getting out of the bed.
"Anything is fine, but before you get out of the bed, can I have a kiss?"
Nora gets back in bed and climbs on top of Max giving his a soft kiss on the lips. Max uses one hand to grab the back of Nora's head and deepen the kiss while the other hand pulls her closer to his body. "Guess you don't want breakfast," Nora says.
"Nope, I want you more than I want food," Max says.
Eddie is in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Loren is on the phone with Melissa and setting the table.
"Mel, I will be there after our meeting with Jake and Kelly." Loren pause to listen to what Mel is saying. "I know Lisa is driving you crazy and yes I'm keeping my promise, I will have dinner with you and Adrianna tonight." Loren pause again, "okay Mel, I have to go, we have to be in court in an hour and I have to finish getting ready, I will see you after my meeting." Loren ends the call and helps Eddie put the food on the table.
"What are you and Mel up to?" Eddie asks.
"Adrianna wants to have dinner with me and Mel tonight. I don't want to go, she and I do not have a good relationship, but Mel claims Adrianna is trying to be a better person and wants us all to be friends."
"You don't think she's capable of changing?"
"I have known Adrianna since kindergarten, she wasn't nice to me then and I don't expect her to be nice to me now. But Mel is my best friend and she's asking me to have dinner with Adrianna and hear her out so I'm doing what a best friend should do."
"Give her a chance Lo. Stay open minded. If she really changed then you two will be friend, and if she hasn't changed, then leave the past behind you," Eddie says.
"That's good advice, thanks Eddie," Loren says giving him a kiss on the cheek. "This smells good, have you been watching the cooking channels again?" She asks as Eddie pulls out her chair for her.
"Well I have to find something to do at night since I can't sleep." Eddie says sitting in the chair across from Loren.
"Why can't you sleep at night?" Loren asked while putting food on her plate.
"I can't sleep because my girlfriend isn't wrapped in my arms in our bed at night. My girlfriend is sleeping in another room these days."
Loren puts down her fork looking him in the eyes, "Eddie you know why I moved out of the bedroom."
Eddie puts down his fork, "Yeah, I know why, I just don't agree with it Loren."
Loren stands up taking her plate to the sink, "we don't have time for this, the car will be here in forty-five minutes and I'm not dressed." Loren walks out of the kitchen and runs into Ian, "good morning," she says and walks up the stairs, not waiting for him to respond.
"Morning mate, what's eating the future misses Mrs. Eddie Duran?" Ian asks Eddie.
Eddie takes a deep breath before answering, "I was trying to talk to her about our relationship. I know why she moved out of the bedroom, I don't agree with it. We can fix our problems and still share the same bed."
Ian grabs a plate from the cabinet, sits down at the table and fixes his plate, "you are my best friend and I feel like I can say this to you as your best friend," Ian says, "Chloe's trial changed you. You said some hurtful things to Loren during that time and although she agreed to move back home, your angry words are still in the back of her head."
"I apologized to her for everything, what more does she want?"
"I don't know mate but you better figure it out fast." Ian says, "on second thought, you have become a better cook since Loren moved out of the bedroom, maybe she needs to stay in the other room for a while longer." Eddie throws his napkin at Ian and gets up from the table.
"You're on kitchen clean up detail since I'm the chef," Eddie says about to walk out the kitchen but a knock at the kitchen door stops him.
Nora walks in, "good morning just checking to see if you and Loren are ready to go, the car will be here in twenty minutes."
"I'm ready but Loren is upstairs getting dressed," Eddie says, "Nora, I need some advice, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure Eddie," Nora says and follows him into the living room.
Eddie sits down on the couch and rubs his face in his hands, takes a deep breath and looks up a Nora, "Loren and I were having problems during Chloe's trial. We were both stressed. Loren was her promoting her cd; I was reliving the death of my mom and trying to finish my cd. It got so bad between us that Loren moved out."
Nora is shocked, but she doesn't interrupt Eddie so he continues, "it was all my fault, I was being inconsiderate of Loren's feelings and said some things I truly didn't mean. I hate myself for doing it. I apologized and she moved back in, but not into our bedroom, she has her own room now. I feel like we're roommates. Every time I try to talk to her about it, she walks away."
"Eddie what exactly happened?" Nora asked. Eddie told her everything, the arguments, the broken promises, Lia. Nora is angry and is about to let him have it, but Katy's words echoes in her head, "Eddie is still young and needs the love and guidance of a mother," so Nora takes several deep breaths and says, "Eddie, you need closure so you can move on with your life with Loren."
"I do have closure, I know Chloe caused the accident that killed my mom and now that I know, I've moved on."
"You and Max needed to know who caused the accident and to see that person brought to justice and you did, so now you have closure for that part of your lives. But now you need to forgive Chloe and not just for causing the accident, but for everything else she has done to you. Once you've closed that chapter in your life, you can move forward."
"Nora, I don't know if I can forgive Chloe, she hurt me on so many levels, why does she deserve my forgiveness?"
"Eddie, forgiveness isn't for her, forgiveness is for you." Nora is starting to understand what Katy meant. "After that, you have to forgive yourself for the way you treated Loren during the trial, we both know you love her and would never intentionally hurt her. It's just unfortunate that we tend to hurt the people we love when we ourselves are hurting. Find a way to make Loren feel like this is her home just as much as it is yours and never allow anyone to mistreat her in your home again."
Eddie gets up and gives Nora a big hug. "I really miss my mom; I always went to her for advice. I now feel like I can come to you for good advice. Thanks for being understanding and objective when I told you what happened between me and Loren, I know Loren is your daughter and your first instinct was to let me have it."
Nora hugs Eddie back, "I know you miss your mom, and you can always come to me for advice. Yes Loren is my daughter, but you're like a son to me and I'm just as protective of you. There is no such thing as the perfect relationship; this is just one obstacle you guys have to overcome."
Loren is coming down the stairs, "Hey mom, what are you and Eddie talking about?"
Nora pulls away from Eddie and says, "he just needed some motherly advice." Nora kisses Eddie on the cheek, "are you two ready? I'm sure the car is here by now. Let me go get Max."
They arrive at the courthouse. News reporters and paparazzi are already crowding the walk way. Security quickly clears a path to the courthouse door and Max, Nora, Eddie and Loren make their way into the court room.
Tyler is standing with his defense attorney; Max and Eddie go over and greet them while Nora and Loren find seats behind the defense team. After a few minutes, Max and Eddie take their seats next to Nora and Loren. Eddie takes hold of Loren's hand and kisses the back, then leans over and kisses her cheek and whispers in her ear, "I love you."
Loren smiles and whispers back "I love you too."
The judge calls court to order. "Tyler Rorke, you have some very influential friends who have written to me on your behalf. Their actions and words have helped me make my decision. Mr. Rorke, please stand."
Tyler stands and faces the judge, looking terrified. "Mr. Rorke, the prosecution has agreed to drop the charge of accessory to Vehicular Homicide. However, you are being charged with accessory to Felony Hit and Run, of which you entered a guilty plea. You've waived your right to trial by jury and have left the decision up to this court. Therefore I am sentencing you to three years probation and two-hundred and forty community service hours. Your probation officer will be contacting you in twenty-four hours. Any probation violations or failure to complete your community service hours will result in the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant and you will serve the remainder of your conviction in prison. Do you understand Mr. Rorke."
"Yes I understand your honour." Tyler says.
The judge bangs the gavel and announces that court is adjourned.
Tyler shakes his attorney's hand turns around to shake Max and Eddie's hands. "Thank you Max and Eddie, for all that you have done for me. I know I don't deserve your help but I would like to ask for one more favor. Please allow me to take you guys to dinner; there are some things I need to say to you guys."
Max and Eddie agree to meet Tyler at the new Italian restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard at 7:00 p.m.
Max, Nora, Eddie and Loren exit the courthouse. A reporter steps in their path. That reporter is Lily Park, "Max, Eddie, how do you really feel about Tyler being sentenced to probation and community service?"
"Lily how about you get that microphone out of my face before I say something that will cause you to stand before a judge," Max replies, then moves the microphone out of his face and whispers "don't forget our agreement, you question me, Eddie, Loren or Nora again, and all bets are off, now back up and let us pass."
Lily indicates to her crew that the interview is over. Then says to Max, "my career is over, no one wants to interview with me, the network is about to drop my show. I need a story."
"You're not getting this story, find another story Lily." Max says. Lily steps aside and allow them to pass.
Everyone is quiet in the back of the car, Nora breaks the silence, "Loren honey, do you have time for a mother/daughter lunch today?"
"Sorry mom, I have a meeting with Kelly this afternoon, and then Melissa and I are having dinner with Adrianna tonight. Can we get together for breakfast in the morning?"
"Sure, let's go to the café for breakfast."
The car drops off Max and Nora at the guest house, and is now headed to Jake's office.
"About this morning Eddie, I owe you an apology; I should not have walked out on our conversation."
"I know you need time and space to think things through, it's just that I feel like we're roommates instead of a couple."
"Roommates don't have sex." Loren says climbing onto Eddie straddling him and kissing his neck.
"No, roommates don't have sex, but couples who live together and share the same bed have sex." Eddie comments.
Loren gives Eddie a mischievous smile, "are you saying you don't want to have sex with me Eddie?" Loren asks as her hands travels down his chest and stops at his belt buckle.
"I'm saying I want to have make love to the woman I love, not have sex with my roommate." Eddie stops Loren from unbuckling his belt.
Loren sighs and climbs off Eddie and sits next to him on the seat. "So you're not going to have sex with me as long as I'm sleeping in another room?"
"Look Loren, I love you, I'm in love with you. You are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with but right now I feel like we're roommates. I want us to work through this so we can move forward in this relationship."
"Eddie, how do you know you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"
"I can't explain it, I just know. Are you saying you don't want to spend the rest of your life with me?" Eddie asked.
"Nothing last forever," Loren whispers turns her head and looks out the window. Eddie is hurt, but tries not to show it. The car pulls up in front of Jake's office building; Eddie gets out and offers his hand to Loren, helping her out. He put his hand on the small of her back and guides her into the building. They ride the elevator in silence and walk into the office.
"Loren, Eduardo, how are you guys? Hey what happened in court?" Jake asks as he hugs and kiss Loren on the cheek and shakes Eddie's hand.
"They dropped the accessory to vehicular homicide charge, and accepted his guilty plea to accessory felony hit and run, he got three years probation and over two hundred community service hours." Eddie replies dryly.
"He's lucky he had you and Max on his side," Kelly says hugging first Loren then Eddie.
Jake and Kelly can feel the tension between Eddie and Loren. Jake decides to get down to business. "Well the record label wants you and Loren to do a nationwide tour starting in October."
"That's two months away," Eddie says.
"Yeah well your cd will be released next month, and instead of doing the same ole press junket, they want you to go on tour with Loren," Jake is excited.
"Loren, this gives you more exposure for your cd." Kelly is excited too.
"So I will be opening up for Eddie?" Loren asks.
"Actually, you and Eddie are sharing the spotlight; Jeremy will open up for you two." Jake says handing them the tour details. "The tour will kick off here at the Avalon and end here at MK; it's a six month tour."
Loren is lost in her own thoughts, "Eddie and I will be on the road together for six months. With our relationship in the state it is now, well we be able to survive this tour?"
"Loren, we have to hold auditions for your tour band and back up dancers, and meet with stylist and make -up artist to work out your look for the tour,." Kelly says pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Whoa, slow down, this is a lot to take in." Loren says.
"I know it is a lot, but we only have two months to prepare for this so things are going to move really fast," Kelly says.
"Eddie. Why are you being so quiet?" Jake asked.
Eddie was lost in his own thoughts, "maybe Nora was right, I need to forgive Chloe so I can move forward with my life. If we're going to be on tour for six months together, there is no way our relationship will survive. I have to make her see that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. But first I have to let go of my past with Chloe." Loren turns and looks at Eddie and sees that he is deep in thought; she takes his hand, kisses the back of it, then leans over and kisses his cheek. Eddie gives her a smile, and turns to Jake, "I'm sorry, what did you say Jake?"
"I asked why you're so quiet."
"I'm just taking it all in."
Jake and Kelly finish filling them in on the details. They all agree to meet the next day to start working on the tour. Eddie and Loren leave Jake's office holding hands. The car drops Loren off at the house so she can get ready for her dinner with Melissa and Adrianna.
Eddie has the car take him to the women's correction facility. He needs to see Chloe one last time.
Chloe is shocked when she walks to the window and sees Eddie is her visitor. She sits down in the chair and picks up the phone. "Why are you here?" she asks him.
Eddie feels sorry for Chloe, she looks like she hasn't had much sleep in months, there are dark circles under her eyes, there is a scar above her right eye, and bruises on her arms. Chloe was one of the most attractive women he had ever seen; now she looks torn down. "How are you?" Eddie couldn't think of anything else to say.
"You really drove all the way up here, to ask me how I'm doing?" Chloe ask sarcastically. When Eddie didn't respond Chloe kept going, "I'm doing just fine Eddie; I'm paying for my crime, and my debt to society."
"Chloe, I came here to tell you I forgive you for cheating. I forgive you for what you did to Loren. I forgive you for lying to me about your past and most lastly, I forgive you for causing the accident that killed my mom." Eddie says with tears in his eyes.
Chloe is speechless; all the sarcasm left her body, she can tell that Eddie really means it, "thank you for forgiving me for everything I've done to you and your family. I hope that you have a good life with Loren, don't ever let her go, Loren completes you," with that Chloe hangs up the phone and walks away from the window.
Eddie feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Eddie thinks to himself, "Nora was right, forgiveness is for me." Now he knows what he has to do to fix things with Loren. He just hopes she is ready for what he is about to do.
Loren, Melissa and Adrianna arrive at the café for dinner. They order their food then find a table in the back.
"Thank you for coming Loren, I know you've had some reservations about meeting with me."
Loren nods her head and Adrianna continues, "I always felt like I didn't have a family. The Sanders have taken me in and given me the family I've always wanted. Living there has made me realize what a mean and bitter person I was. I want to say I'm sorry for all the mean things I said to you. I was jealous of the relationship you have with your mom and even the relationship you have with Mel. I'm trying to be a better person. I hope we can become good friends someday."
Loren is floored by what Adrianna just said, she places her hand over Adrianna's hand and smile at her, "Aid, I forgive you, and can you forgive me? I wasn't always nice to you either."
Adrianna places her other hand on top of Loren's hand and says, "of course I forgive you. So does that mean we can be friends?"
"Yes, we can be friends."
Melissa puts her arms around both Loren and Adrianna and says, "we're all friends." The three of them are laughing and crying at the same time. "Now let's plan this wedding and bachelorette party!" Melissa says.
"When is the wedding?" Loren asks.
"In two months. Will you be my bridesmaid?" Adrianna asks.
"I would love to be your bridesmaid." Their food arrives and they start eating and making wedding and bachelorette party plans.
Max and Eddie meet Tyler for dinner. After dinner, Tyler gets to the reason he asked them there. Looking at Max and Eddie, Tyler begins, "I want to thank you guys for writing to the judge, if it wasn't for you, I would be in prison." He continues, "I am trying to move on with my life but before we part ways, I wanted to tell you guys how sorry I am for my part in Katy's death and all the backstabbing I did to you Eddie. I used to blame you for all my downfalls in Hollywood, but I've learned that I am my own worst enemy. I am truly sorry for everything."
Max is the first to respond, "thank you for owning up to your involvement in the accident, I can now let Katy rest in peace and move on with my life. And so should you. Tyler, I forgive you."
"We used to be friends Tyler, I hope that one day we can become friends again. I forgive you, too" Eddie says, then chuckles to himself, "wow, Nora deserves the best Mother's Day present."
The three stand up and share bro hugs, then Eddie says, "Loren and I will be on tour starting in October, but let me know the date of the premier for the movie you did with Oz so Loren and I can be there to support you."
"Speaking of Loren, where is she tonight, I thought you two were joined at the hip." Tyler jokes, but sees the sad look in Eddie's eyes. "Hey man, is everything okay with you two?"
Eddie gives a heavy sigh, "we're going through a rough patch right now."
"Look man, I'm no expert on relationships, but I do know this, there is something special about you and Loren. Don't ever let that go. Fight for her." Tyler says.
Eddie gives Tyler another bro hug, "thanks, Ty." The three leave the restaurant.
"When did things start to go bad for you and Loren?" Max asks when they are back in the car.
"During the trial," Eddie tells Max the whole story.
"How are you going to fix this?" Max asks.
"I'm working on it," Eddie replies.
"Work fast son; you guys are going on tour in two months and you know how stressful tours can be."
Max drops Eddie off at the main house and heads to guest house he shares with Nora.
"Nora, I'm home," Max calls out when he enters the living room.
"I'm in the tub," Nora calls out from their bathroom.
Max smiles and heads to the bathroom, he opens the door and sees the bathroom lit by candles, soft music playing in the background, and Nora sipping on a glass of wine. "May I join you or is this a private affair."
"You may join me," Nora says holding up her glass of wine to Max.
Max quickly strips off his clothes, takes a sip of wine from the glass and slips into the tub behind Nora. Nora is sitting between his legs resting her head on his chest.
"How was dinner with Tyler?" Nora asks taking the wine glass from Max taking a sip before handing it back to him.
"It was good. He is really trying to turn his life around. I even told him I forgive him after he apologized for his involvement in the accident."
"That's great Max, you know that dream I had about Katy, and she talked about forgiveness. I didn't understand it at first, but I think I'm starting to get it now."
"Did you know that Eddie and Loren are having relationship problems and at one point Loren moved out?" Max asks.
"Eddie came to me for advice this morning, and he told me what happened between them. How could we not have known our kids were having problems? They live next door." Nora says.
"They are adults, in an adult relationship; we have to allow them to make mistakes and learn to fix them. We just have to stay objective and impartial." Max says kissing Nora's neck. "But I did want to shake some sense into my son when he told me the things he said to Loren."
Nora chuckles, "I had to take a couple of deep breaths, but I stayed objective and offered some motherly advice. I'm going to talk to Loren in the morning when we go to breakfast."
"Nora, have you given any more thought to what we talked about before moving in here?" Max asks.
"I just need time Max. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon either. Just please keep the lines of communication open with me."
Nora turns around so that she is facing Max. "I love you Max Duran."
"I love you too Nora Tate." Max says and kisses Nora.
Loren comes home after her dinner with Mel and Aid. Eddie isn't in the music room so she goes up stairs and knocks on his door.
"Come in," he says.
Loren opens the door and walks into the room. Eddie is laying in bed watching a cooking show. He picks up the remote and turns off the television; Loren climbs into bed next to him. She wraps her arms around him and kisses his cheek.
"How was dinner with Melissa and Adrianna?" Eddie asks as he rubs Loren's back.
"It was good. Aid is trying to be a better person, she apologized and I forgave her. We're working on becoming friends. She asked me to be a bridesmaid." Loren yawns and snuggles closer to Eddie. "How was dinner with Tyler?"
"It was good; he's turning his life around. I told him to let me know the date of his movie premier so we can be there to support him."
"I'm happy things went well. Maybe one day you guys can be friends again." Loren's eyes are getting heavy, she feels safe and comfortable in Eddie's arms. She hasn't had that feeling since they stopped sleeping in the same bed. "I love you Eddie," is the last thing Loren says before she falls asleep in Eddie's arms.
"I love you too Loren," Eddie says. After an hour, Eddie carries Loren to her room and puts her in her bed. He didn't want to, but he knows that in order to fix things, he has to give her exactly what she asks for. Eddie returned to his room and turned on the television and watched another cooking show.
The next morning Loren wakes up in her bed. She remembers climbing into bed with Eddie and talking about their evening. She remembers feeling safe and comfortable in his arms. There is a knock at her door. She hopes its Eddie. "Come in" Loren says.
"Good morning honey," Nora says; she sees the disappointment in Loren's eyes.
"Good morning mom."
"Are you ready for breakfast?"
"Sure just give me a few minutes to shower and get dressed."
"Okay, I will meet you downstairs in a few."
"Mom? Did you see Eddie downstairs?" Loren asks.
"He was leaving when I came in." Nora replies
Loren gets out of bed and heads to the shower, "I'll be down in twenty minutes."
At the café Nora and Loren order their food and then sit down at a table. "How are things with your and Eddie?" Nora asks.
"Things aren't good mom, and I don't know how to fix it. I love him and I want to be with him, but I know nothing lasts forever." Loren says and starts to cry.
Nora wraps her arms around Loren, "Eddie told we what happened during the trial. Why didn't you come to me?"
"I don't know mom," Loren is now sobbing.
"You have something very special with Eddie. That man loves you and would never leave you intentionally."
"Mom, I think about how easy it was for Trent to walk out. What terrifies me is that I may be just like him."
"You are nothing like him Loren, why would you think that?"
"The night I moved out, I did it without a second thought. I didn't even look back. I packed my bags and left. If I love Eddie that much, why was it so easy for me to walk away from him when things started getting bad? Why didn't I stay and fight for us?" Loren asks sobbing harder.
"Loren, listen to me, you left because you didn't feel wanted and comfortable in your own home, but you came back to face your problems." Nora says trying to comfort Loren, "Trent had no reason to leave, but he left and never came back."
"Do you realize that this is my first serious relationship? I've has boyfriends before but never serious like this. If I could so easily walk away one time, how do I know that I won't do it again? Sometimes I feel like I'm losing myself, like I am defined by my relationship with Eddie."
"You are also very mature for your age, and you're level headed. I'm not the one who decides this for you. You have to look deep within yourself you can answer that question." Loren starts to calm down.
"Mom, I want to talk to Trent McCall."
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Yes mom, I need to know why he left." Loren says. "Are you okay with that?"
"If you feel that it will give you what you need, then I'm okay with it."
Eddie is in the music room playing the piano when Loren gets back from breakfast with Nora. He looks up, "Is everything okay?"
Loren walks over and puts her arms around Eddie's neck and kisses his cheek. "No, but I know what I have to do to make things better."
"Anything for you beautiful." He turns around on the piano bench and Loren sits in his lap.
"I'm going to get in touch with Trent so I can talk to him. I'm hoping I can get the answers I need. Will you be with me when I talk to him?"
"I will be right here with you when you meet with Trent."
"Thanks, I was hoping you'd say that. I miss you Eddie, I love you."
"I love and miss you too. I have something for you." Eddie hands Loren an envelope that was sitting on top of the piano. Loren opens the envelope and pulls out the papers. After reading the documents, she looks up at him.
"This says that I own the house." Loren says, "How? Why?"
"I know I apologized for the things I said to you that night, but I felt like I could do better. I don't ever want you to think that this isn't your home. I went to my attorney this morning and had him draw up the papers. You have to sign in the places indicated. Our home is just one of two gifts I have for you. No one will ever be allowed to disrespect you in this house ever again."
Loren kisses Eddie with all the love and passion she has. When they pull away they are both breathing heavily. "What is my other gift?" Loren asks.
"I will give you that gift when the time is right." Eddie replies.
Loren notices that Eddie's eyes are sad, but she doesn't question him about it.
Loren contacted Trent and he agreed to meet with her the next day. Loren is nervous and kept pacing in front of the couch. Eddie walks up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist and puts his chin on her shoulder.
"Calm down babe, everything is going to be okay. Even if you don't get all your answers, we will get through this. I love you, I want you to always remember that."
Loren relaxes and leans into Eddie's body, "I love you too." The doorbell chimes. Loren holds Eddie hand as they go to answer the door. Eddie opens the door and there stands the man who left Loren fourteen years ago.
"Hello Trent, I'm Eddie Duran, please come in." Eddie steps back and offers his hand to Trent. After Trent shakes his hand, Eddie closes the door.
"Thank you for coming," Loren says, "please have a seat." Loren and Eddie sit across from Trent.
"Thank you for inviting me, I must say I was a little surprised by your invitation." Trent says.
"I need answers Trent, I need to understand why you left me fourteen years ago?"
"Loren, your mom and I were young when we got together; we didn't get to enjoy being young adults because we became parents." Trent begins. "Don't get me wrong, I loved you and Nora very much, but I felt like something was missing from my life. I wanted to travel the world, but I couldn't because I had a wife and kid at home. I wanted to hang out and party with my friends, but I couldn't because I had to hold down a job to support my wife and kid at home. I wanted to be reckless, but I couldn't because I had a wife and kid at home who depended on me. Then one day, I couldn't take it anymore, I had to escape. I felt like I was suffocating and the only way to get air back into my lungs was to walk out the door and live my life. When I crossed that threshold, I felt free. I traveled, I hung out all night, I partied to the wee hours of the morning, I was reckless. I did think of you and your mom often, I even parked outside the house one day and watched you help Nora plant the flowers in the garden."
Loren thought back to that day, she was ten years old. It was summer time and we had a lot of fun planting flowers.
Trent's voice brought her back to reality, "you and Nora were laughing and rolling around in the grass. I wanted to get out of the car and wrap my arms around you two and ask for your forgiveness and come back home."
"Why didn't you?" Loren asked with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"You and your mom were doing just fine without me. I know that I'd hurt you and Nora so much already and I didn't want to cause you guys any more pain. I drove off, but I kept looking back in my rearview mirror until I could no longer see you. I went to Las Vegas and worked hard. I now own several hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. As a matter of fact, I signed the papers this morning, you and Eddie will be performing at my biggest hotel."
"At my concert, you said you wanted to reconnect with me, to get to know me. Did you really think that after all these years I would want you in my life?" Loren asked, she was starting to get angry.
"I was hoping you would." Trent said.
"WELL I DON'T. I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! I HATE YOU TRENT MCCALL. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Loren was shouting and Eddie was trying to calm her down.
"What just happened here?" Eddie thought to himself. "This talk with Trent was going well. Why is Loren shouting at him now?" Eddie then realizes why Loren is reacting the way she is. "It's time to give Loren her second gift."
"I'm sorry Loren; I'm not sure what I said that made you so angry. I will leave." Trent gets up and walks to the door; he turns around and says, "my flight doesn't leave until tomorrow morning. I'm staying at the Beverly Wilshire, if you change your mind call me."
Loren gets up walks to the door, opens it and says, "get out!" Once Trent walks out the door Loren slams the door behind him.
Eddie walks over to Loren and wraps his arms around her, she cries in his arms. He picks her up and carries her to her room and lays her down in her bed. "Please lay with me," Loren says. Eddie climbs into bed with Loren and wraps her in his arms.
"What did Trent say that made you so angry?"
"I don't know," Loren whispers.
"Yes you do Loren; you know why you got angry." Eddie says sadly.
After thirty minutes of silence, Loren starts to cry again, but instead of answering she pulls Eddie's face to hers and kisses him passionately. Loren tries to climb on top of Eddie but he stops her. Loren looks at him with a question in her eyes.
"I think it's time I gave you your second gift." Eddie says.
"Why are you so sad Eddie?" Loren asks.
"My second gift isn't that easy to give."
"What is it?"
"Your freedom."
"My freedom?"
"Yes, your freedom. Loren you are eighteen years old. You just graduated from high school, this is the time that you should be traveling the world, hanging out all night, sneaking into clubs and partying. Enjoy being eighteen."
"Eddie, I don't understand."
"Loren, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, you are my soul mate. I know this because I've traveled the world, hung out all night, partied at clubs and bars until the break of dawn, I've been reckless. I've been with other women; I fell for the wrong woman, but now, I'm in love with the right woman. The woman I love, you Loren Tate, have not experienced those things yet. So I'm giving you your freedom to go live your life. I will wait for you."
"What makes you think that I need to experience those things?"
"Loren I know you like I know my own heartbeat. You weren't angry with Trent, you're angry with yourself because you fully understand how he felt all those years ago. You understand because you feel that way right now. I don't ever want you to walk away from me and never come back, so I'm letting you go."
"What about the tour?" Loren asks.
"We will still go on tour together just not as a couple." Eddie whispers, "my mom once told me, if you love someone let them go, if they come back to you then it was meant to be. Well Loren, I'm letting you go, and I pray you come back to me." Eddie kisses Loren one more time before he gets out of her bed and walks out of her room.
Eddie can hear Loren sobbing and it breaks his heart, but this is the only way he knows how to fix things with Loren.
Nora is pacing back and forth in front of the door, waiting to hear from Loren or Eddie about Trent's visit.
"Nora, come sit down, they will come tell us what happened when they're ready."
There is a knock at the door. Nora turns to Max with a worried look on her face. Max gets up from the couch and walks to the door with Nora standing behind him. Max opens the door to see Eddie with tears in his eyes.
"What happened? Is Loren okay?" Nora asks.
"Loren is fine." Eddie says trying not to cry.
"Why are you so upset?" Nora asks.
"I just did the hardest thing I've ever had to do next to burying my mom."
"Son, what are you talking about?"
"I gave Loren her freedom. I told her to go experience the world, enjoy being eighteen."
"Why would you do that?" Max asks.
"Loren is young, she just graduated from high school, her career is taking off, she needs to experience life before she commits herself to one person."
"Did Loren tell you this?" Nora asks
"Nora I love Loren, I am in love with Loren, I know Loren like I know my own heartbeat. I didn't want to believe it at first, but when Trent told Loren why he left, the look in her eyes made me admit it to myself. Loren is feeling the same way Trent felt all those years ago." Eddie continues, "so I knew I had to let her go, so that she could be free to enjoy being eighteen."
"You two are supposed to go on tour." Max states.
"We will go on tour, just not as a couple. I'm moving back into the penthouse for a while."
"Where is Loren?" Nora asks
"When I left, she was in her room."
Nora gets up from the couch, hugs and kisses Eddie then goes to find Loren.
A few weeks later Eddie, Loren and Jeremy prepare for their upcoming tour. Eddie watches Loren from far away, he can tell she isn't happy, but neither is he. He had to let Loren experience life so that she would know without a doubt that she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. The tabloids have been speculating about the break-up but neither Eddie nor Loren will confirm.
"Well if it isn't Eddie Duran," someone says to Eddie breaking him from his thoughts. Eddie turns around and sees his old friend Crystal.
"Hey Crystal," Eddie says giving her a hug. "How have you been?"
"I've been good, how have you been?"
"I've been better. What are you doing here?" Eddie asks.
"I'm choreographing Loren's segment of the show." Crystal says.
"That's great; I haven't seen you since you had the baby, how old is he?"
"He's five and has a little sister who just turned two yesterday."
"I didn't know you had another baby, Nick must be very proud."
"Yes, he's very happy to be a dad."
Loren is watching Eddie from across the stage where she is supposed to be rehearsing with her band. "Who is that woman laughing and talking to Eddie." Loren thought to herself. "Why is he hugging her? Has he moved on already? He said he would wait for me, but I guess that was a lie."
"Earth to Loren." Kelly said waving her hand in front of Loren's face.
"I'm sorry," Loren said turning her attention back to her rehearsal, "what did you say?"
"Dave asked about your set list." Kelly says.
"Oh, here it is," Loren says and hands it to Dave, her music director. "Are we done here? I need to go meet Mel for dinner," Loren says sneaking a peek at Eddie and that mystery woman.
"Not yet, I'm waiting for Crystal, she's the choreographer I hired for your segment of the show." Kelly says. "She should be here by now."
"It was good seeing you again Eddie," Crystal says, "let's get together for dinner tonight if you're free."
"That sounds good, I'm finished here anyway."
"Okay, let me go meet with Kelly and Loren and I will meet you at Rumor in an hour?"
"It's a date." Eddie says and hugs Crystal again before she walks out on stage to meet Kelly and Loren.
"Here she is," Kelly says. "Loren, this is Crystal your choreographer."
Loren immediately didn't like her, and didn't try to hide it. "Hello" Loren said ignoring Crystal's outstretched hand.
Kelly is surprised by Loren's behavior; she shakes Crystal's outstretched hand instead.
"Hmmm, another rock star diva," Crystal thought to herself, "if I didn't need the money, I would walk away and not look back." "I'm looking forward to working with you. I've heard a lot of good things about you Loren."
Loren looks her up and down and whispers, "just remember it's me you're working with."
"Excuse me?" Crystal says
Kelly decided to let Loren leave; she can't believe how Loren is acting. "Hey Loren, Crystal and I can finish up here, I know you're late dinner date with Mel. Call me when you get home and I will fill you in on everything."
Loren left the stage without saying goodbye. "I know I'm acting like a diva, but I can't help it. I didn't like the way she was all over Eddie." Loren thought to herself. She turned around one last time to look at Crystal before walking out the door and heading to Rumor for dinner with Mel.
"Hey Mel, sorry I'm late," Loren says when she sits down at the table.
"It's okay, I just got here," Mel says looking up from her phone. "What's wrong Lo, you look upset."
"I think Eddie is dating someone else." Loren says on the verge of tears.
"What makes you think that?"
"I saw him hugging some woman. Well she isn't some woman, she's my choreographer."
"She's probably just an old friend of Eddie's; you know he knows a lot of people in this business. They've probably worked together before."
"Oh really, well if she's just an old friend, then why does he have his arm around her waist?" Mel turns around and look in the direction Loren was just looking.
Eddie is trying to maneuver around the crowded restaurant; his hand is on the small of Crystal's back guiding her to their table. He didn't see Loren and Melissa staring at them. "It's really crowded tonight." Eddie says.
"I love it," Crystal says smiling at Eddie, "I miss the fast pace Hollywood life. Don't get me wrong, I also love the peace and quiet of my suburban neighborhood."
"How dare he flaunt her in front of me," Loren thought.
"Lo, I think they are just friends," Melissa says.
"If Eddie wants me to experience life, that is exactly what I'm going to do. No more sitting around the house missing him because he obviously doesn't miss me. He's moved on and so am I."
"Lo you're being irrational. Eddie told you he would wait for you to come back to him. Why would he start dating someone else? That doesn't make since."
Loren isn't paying attention to her friend; she pulls out her phone and makes a phone call.
"Hey Jeremy, do you still want to take me to that club?" Loren asks. She pause to listen to Jeremy's reply. "Fine, pick up me and Mel at my house in two hours." Loren says and ends the call. "Come on Mel, we're hitting up club Magic tonight."
"Lo that club is twenty one and up, we are eighteen, they are not going to let us into that place."
"Did I question you when you got us into the Avalon that night for Eddie's concert? Did I question you when you got us into MK that night of the grand opening? Well now it's my turn, so stop questioning me. Now come on, I need your help picking out the sexiest, tightest outfit in my closet. Tonight, I'm going to start enjoying my freedom."
Loren stands up waiting for Mel to follow her. "I have a feeling this isn't going to end well." Melissa thinks to herself. The two head to Loren's house to get ready for a night out at the club.
A month later, Loren wakes up to the dings and beeps of her phone. She looks around and sees that she is asleep on the couch, Melissa is on the other end, and Jeremy is sprawled out in a chair. She tries to sit up but is hit by a way of nausea and falls back on the couch. Her head is pounding and her mouth is dry. "What the hell happened last night." She thought to herself. She tries to sit up again and this time her stomach starts to roll, she quickly runs to the bathroom and vomit. After her stomach is empty, she sits on the bathroom floor, she's too weak to stand up.
"Lo are you okay?" Melissa asks knocking on the door.
"Stop shouting and pounding on the door Mel," Loren says holding her head.
Melissa opens the door and sees Loren sitting on the bathroom floor. She walks in and helps Loren up. "Come on; let's get you out of these clothes and into the shower." This has been the same routine for a month.
"Okay but can you please stop shouting."
"I'm not shouting Lo." Melissa says helping Loren up the stairs. Once they are in Loren's room Mel sits her down on the bed and quickly goes in the bathroom and turns on the shower. She goes back to Loren and helps her take off her clothes then helps her into the shower. "Are you going to be okay while I go downstairs?" Melissa asks.
"Yeah I think so, but can you make the water not be so loud? My head is pounding."
"Sorry Lo, I can't do anything about the water." Melissa goes downstairs and wakes up Jeremy telling him to leave. Melissa picks up Loren's phone and reads the news alerts.
Alert #1 Headline – Loren Tate partying at club Domino
Alert #2 Headline – Is Loren Tate becoming the next Hollywood diva?
Alert #3 Headline – Did Loren Tate replace Eddie Duran with up and coming rock star Jeremy Hawk?
Alert #"4 Headline – Is Loren Tate on a downward spiral?
Melissa deletes the news alerts from Loren's phone and goes in the kitchen to make breakfast.
Loren comes downstairs in her bathrobe, "Thanks for taking care of me Mel."
"Lo you can't keep this up. Getting drunk, partying, and being reckless. This isn't you. The tour is set to start in five days and you look dead on your feet. Everyone is worried about you but you keep pushing them away."
Just then Nora walks in the kitchen door. "Loren, what the hell is wrong with you? I do not know this person you have become and I don't want to know her. Why are you so hell bent on destroying your life?"
"This is the new me mom. Like father like daughter. I'm living my life the way I want to live it. Get use to it or get the hell out of my house." Loren says as she gets up and goes back upstairs to her room.
"What are we going to do Mel, she can't go on like this. She won't listen to me, she won't listen to Max. My baby is going to crash and burn and it's killing me because I can't stop it." Nora says crying.
"Stay strong Nora. Loren is trying to find herself."
Nora hugs Melissa and walks out the door.
Melissa goes to Loren's room, "YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND, MY SISTER AND YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A HOLLYWOOD BITCH! EDDIE TOLD YOU TO GO EXPERIENCE LIFE, NOT RUIN YOUR LIFE! IF YOU KEEP THIS UP, YOU'RE NOT GONNA LAST ON THAT TOUR, THEN THE TABLOIDS WILL REALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT "LOREN TATE."
Loren picks her head up from the pillow, gives Melissa a cold stare and says, "like I told Nora, if you don't like it then get the hell out of my house."
Melissa slams the door and leaves.
Loren is two hours late for the final rehearsal. She walks in wearing sweat pants, a tank top, high top tennis shoes and dark sunglasses.
"Loren you are two hours late, and you look a mess, what is going on with you?"
"I'm fine Kelly, let's get this rehearsal over with so I can go home and finish packing." Loren says and walks onto the stage.
Eddie is standing back stage feeling guilty as he watches Loren "is this my fault? Did I push her too far?" He has been watching Loren's downward spiral for a month. It is killing him on the inside, but he has to keep his distance. His heart breaks every time her reads a headline about Loren.
Jeremy walks over to Loren and kisses her on the cheek. "How about I come over and help you finish packing?"
"Sure" Loren says distracted, she is looking for Eddie. He hasn't been around to watch her rehearse since she started hanging out with Jeremy.
"Come on Loren, it's time for you to rehearse." Kelly says.
Jeremy walks backstage, Eddie steps in front of him. "You'll never have her." Eddie tells him.
"What makes you think that rock star?" Jeremy asks.
"I am the love of her life." Eddie replies.
"What makes you think I want her love?" Jeremy says with a smirk "I will be happy with one night in Loren Tate."
Eddie grabs Jeremy by his collar and pushes him up against the wall, "Loren will never give you her body. I'm her first, and I will be her last."
"We'll see about that," Jeremy says.
Eddie punches him in the mouth and is about to punch him again but Ian pushes him off Jeremy. "Let him go mate, he isn't worth it."
"Keep your hands off Loren." Eddie says as Ian pushes him towards the door.
"She can't keep her hands off me," Jeremy shouts at Eddie. "I'm sleeping with Loren tonight," Jeremy says to himself as he looks back at Loren on stage rehearsing.
"Thanks for offering to help me pack, but I'm all finished." Loren says as she opens the door to let Jeremy in.
"Well how about we just hang out and watch a movie?" Jeremy suggests.
"Sure, you pick out a movie and I'll go make us some drinks."
While Loren and Jeremy are watching the movie, Jeremy puts his arm around Lorena and pulls her closer to him. Shesmiles and puts her head on his shoulder. Loren feels Jeremy looking at her so she turns her head and looks at him.
"Why are you looking at me?" Loren asks.
"You are so beautiful." Jeremy says.
Loren is starting to feel uncomfortable. So she tries to move away from Jeremy, but he tightens his arm around her and uses his other hand to lift up her chin. He leans in to kiss her but Loren pushes him away.
"Jeremy what are you doing? We're just friends." Loren says struggling against him.
"We're more than friends Lo." Jeremy says and shift positions pushing Loren down on the couch, falling on top of her.
"Get off me Jeremy!, I don't like you like that." Loren is scared.
"You don't have to like me to have sex with me." Jeremy says trying to kiss Loren again but she turns her head and his lips land on her cheek.
"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This can't be happening!" Loren thinks to herself. "GET OFF ME!" Loren shouts and pushes Jeremy with all her strength. She manages to push him off her. Loren gets to her feet and runs to the stairs but Jeremy recovers quickly and tackles her before she can get to the stairs.
"Where do you think you're going Loren? You have been teasing me with your body for weeks. You know you want this." Jeremy says as he tries to turn Loren over.
"EDDIE" Loren starts screaming.
"Eddie isn't here, he doesn't want you remember, he left you, and I was there for you."
"NO EDDIE DOES WANT ME. HE LOVES ME AND I LOVE HIM!"
Jeremy flips Loren over and pins her down using his body. "I want you too baby," Jeremy says trying to kiss Loren but she keeps turning her head to avoid his lips as she struggles to free herself.
"I don't like you like that Jeremy, please let me go." Loren pleads with him.
"I will let you go after I have sex with you."
Loren begins to cry, she starts thinking about how she's been acting, how her recklessness has led to this. She thinks about how much she misses Eddie and wants to be in his arms. At that moment Loren knows the answer to the question Eddie asked her three months ago. "I want to spend the rest of my life with Eddie Duran." Loren thought to herself. Loren stopped struggling against Jeremy and turns her head so that he can kiss her.
"That's right baby, you want me just as much as I want you." Jeremy begins kissing Loren and she kisses him back, his tongue licks her lips ask for permission to enter her mouth. Jeremy's body starts to relax. Loren opens her mouth and when Jeremy's tongue enters she bites his tongue as hard as she could. Jeremy screams, "YOU BITCH!" and slaps Loren across her face. Loren knees him in the groin causing Jeremy to roll off her and ball up in a fetal position.
Loren quickly gets to her feet and runs to the kitchen; she grabs a sharp knife and a cast iron skillet and walks back into the living room, Jeremy is trying to get to his feet.
"GET THE HELL OUTTA MY HOUSE AND IF YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN, I WILL DO MORE THAN KNEE YOU IN THE GROIN."
Jeremy gets to his feet and walks toward Loren; she swings the cast iron skillet at him hitting him in the head, and then she swings the knife, slashing his arm.
"DON'T EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE BEFORE I SLASH YOUR FACE!"
"You're gonna pay for this bitch." Jeremy stumbles out the door. Loren runs to the door and locks it, and then she runs to all the windows and doors in the house making sure they were locked. She grabs her phone off the coffee table and runs up to her bedroom; she locks the door and calls Nora.
Nora and Max are awakened by the sound of her phone ringing. "It's one in the morning, who's calling this late?" She looks at the caller ID and sees that it is Loren, "Hello?"
Loren is crying on the phone, "mom?" Loren whispers
"Lo, baby what's wrong?" Nora asks as Max turns on the lamp next to the bed.
"Mom. I need you." Loren whispers.
"Where are you Loren? Max and I will come get you." Nora and Max jump out of the bed and start getting dressed.
"I'm in my room. Please hurry mom." Loren is sobbing.
Nora ends the call, grabs her keys and tells Max to hurry. They run down the stairs and sprint to the main house. The back door is locked so Nora uses her key. Max almost knocks Nora down as he runs to the stairs.
"LOREN!" Max yells out. Loren did not respond so Max and Nora take the stairs two at a time. They reach her bedroom door, Max did not hesitate, he busted through the door and there they find Loren sitting in the corner of her room with a cast iron skillet in one hand, and a knife in the other and a hand print on her right cheek. The knife had blood on it.
Nora rushes over to Loren as Max takes the skillet and knife from her hands. Loren sobs harder.
"Loren honey what happened, are you hurt?" Max asked while Nora wraps her arms around Loren trying to calm her down.
Loren shakes her head because she can't speak.
"Whose blood is on the knife sweetheart?" Max asks.
"Jeremy's" Loren says.
"Is that bastard still here?" Max asks has he walks towards the door.
"No he left." She replies.
Just then they hear the front door bang open. "LO!" Mel yells out. "LO, WHERE ARE YOU?"
"We're up stairs Mel," Nora calls out. Melissa can be heard running up the stairs.
Melissa rushes over to Loren and wraps her in a tight hug. "It's going to be okay Lo. You're safe."
"What happened?" Max asks.
Loren takes a deep breath and tells them what Jeremy did. When she finished talking Max is furious. "Max, please don't tell Eddie. I don't want him to know about this. He will blame himself when it isn't his fault. I was being stupid."
"I can't promise you that sweetheart. It is his fault. He should never have left you."
"Pop. Eddie didn't leave me. I left him, emotionally, before he decided to give me my freedom. And if I hadn't been so jealous of him and Crystal and started acting out then Jeremy would not have attacked me."
Max walks over and bends down and kisses Loren's forehead. "You called me Pop." Max smiles.
Loren smiles at Max, "you are like a father to me, and you came running when you I needed you. Promise my you won't tell Eddie."
"Okay I promise." Max concedes.
"And promise me you won't blame him for this. It's all my fault."
"Lo, It doesn't matter how you were acting, that does not justify Jeremy attacking you." Nora says.
"You need to file a restraining order against him." Melissa says.
"I can't do that, the tour is supposed to start in five days, it would be hard to honor a restraining order when we're on tour." Loren says.
"To hell with that tour," Mas says.
"Mom, Pop, Mel, I owe you guys an apology. I acted like such a diva. I was mean to you guys and I am so sorry. Please forgive me." Loren begins to cry again.
"Sweetheart, I forgive you." Max says.
"Lo we've been best friends since kindergarten. Do you really think I would walk away from our friendship that easily? I forgive you." Melissa says.
"Oh honey, of course I forgive you." Nora says.
"It's late; Nora and I will sleep in the guest room, Mel you stay here with Loren. We will talk more in the morning." Max says.
"Mom, I need to go see Trent, will you go with me?"
"Sure sweetie, I will go with you."
"Thanks mom." Loren kisses Nora and gives her a hug, "I love you."
"I love you too."
Max helps Loren to her feet. "I love you Pop."
"I love you too daughter."
Max and Nora leave the room closing the door behind them. Loren and Melissa climb into bed. "Mel?"
"Yes Lo."
"Will you go somewhere with me and not talk me out of doing what I want to do?"
"That depends on where you're going and what it is you want to do." Melissa replies.
"I want to go to a tattoo shop." Loren says a little hesitant.
"Really Lo, I've always wanted a tattoo. Yes I will go with you. I'm gonna get a tattoo too."
"Mel?"
"Yes Lo."
"I need you to help me make a video. I have a new song I want to sing for the first concert and I want a video to play while I'm singing."
"I would love to help you make a video, what do you have in mind?"
Loren gives Mel all the details.
She wakes up early in the morning and decides to make breakfast for everyone.
"Good morning honey." Max says walking into the kitchen kisses Loren's forehead and then pours himself a cup of coffee. "I know I promised you I wouldn't tell Eddie, so I'm hiring you a personal body guard while you're on tour. I don't want you to be left alone for one minute if Jeremy is going to be there too."
"Pop, that isn't necessary. I plan have something planned for Eddie the night of the first show."
"Oh really, what are you planning?"
"It's a surprise; you just have to be there to see." Loren smiles and winks at Max.
"Good morning honey," Nora says walking into the kitchen. She kisses Loren the walks over and kisses Max and then pours herself a cup of coffee. "How did you sleep?" She asks Loren.
"I had a nightmare and I couldn't go back to sleep so I wrote a few songs and rehearsed my dance choreography."
"Huh Lo, I need to tell you something" Max begins, "Crystal and Eddie aren't together. She's happily married with two kids, she choreographed Eddie's first show and her husband was Eddie's drummer on his first tour."
"I told you," Mel said walking into the kitchen and pours herself a cup of coffee. "I told you that night at Rumor that they were friends."
Loren was embarrassed. "Please don't make me feel worse that I already feel."
"Sorry Lo."
"It's okay Mel, oh by the way, I made us an appointment for 11:30."
"Where are you and Mel going?" Max asked.
"Another surprise." Loren says. "Breakfast is ready."
They sit down and eat breakfast. Afterward, Loren and Melissa head out to run errands.
Loren and Nora land at the Las Vegas Airport. A limo is waiting to take them to Trent's hotel. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Nora asks.
"I have to do this mom, it's part of my journey back to Eddie. Plus I think it would be good for you too."
The limo pulls up to one of the biggest hotels in Las Vegas. Trent is standing out front waiting for them. "Loren, Nora, it's good to see you guys. Follow me inside." Loren and Nora follow Trent to a private elevator, then up to his penthouse suite. "Please make yourself at home," Trent says opening the door to his penthouse.
Nora and Loren walk in and sit on the couch. "Can I offer you guys something to drink? Or something to eat?"
"I'm fine," Loren says.
"No thank you," Nora says.
There is an awkward silence. "I was a little surprised to hear from you Loren." Trent says breaking the silence.
"Trent, first I want to apologize for the way I talked to you. I invited you into my home then mistreated you. I'm here to explain myself." Loren takes a deep breath, "I got upset with you because I could identify with your reasons for leaving me and mom fourteen years ago. You see, I thought I wasn't ready to be in a serious relationship because I felt like I was losing myself. Like my relationship with Eddie defined me. I yelled at you and put you out my house because I didn't want to admit it to myself, I was feeling trapped. I blamed you for my problems with Eddie. I recently learned some things about myself and the most important thing I learned is that I make my own decisions. Mom taught me right from wrong; mom taught me that I define myself. My past doesn't define me. In order for me to move forward in life, I have to let go of the past. I have to let go of all those feelings of hurt and betrayal. I have to move on. I can't change the fact that you left, what I can change is my decision to go back. I've been so angry with you for so long but I'm choosing to let go of that anger. I've learned that true love last forever. Trent, I forgive you for leaving me when I was four years old. I forgive you for not coming back and being a parent to me. I understand your reasons for leaving, I just don't agree with them." Loren wipes the tears falling down her cheeks.
"Trent," Nora says, "I too forgive you for leaving me fourteen years ago. You walking out on us made me a better mom, friend and person. I've finally found someone who I can know I can trust to never leave me. And now I know it's okay to trust in love again because I've let go of my past."
"Loren I accept your apology, although there is nothing to apologize for; you are nothing like me, you are just like your mom, amazing, strong, intelligent, creative and loving. I'm sorry I left and tried to come back fourteen years later thinking we would pick up where we left off. I'm happy you figured things out and didn't wait until it was too late to make things right. Thank you for your forgiveness."
Trent looks at Nora, "I'm sorry I walked out on you fourteen years ago, I was a fool. You are an incredible woman and I regret not being there for you. I'm happy you found someone who truly makes you happy and I wish you all the best. That you for your forgiveness."
"Trent, we have to get going, our flight leaves in forty-five minutes. My first show is tomorrow night at the Avalon. I will leave two tickets at will call and back stage passes. I hope you can come see me perform."
"Thanks Loren. I would love to come see you perform." Trent says with tears in his eyes.
"I can't promise that we will ever have a father daughter relationship, but I would like for us to try and be friends." Loren tells him.
"I would love that." Trent says holding out his hand but Loren pulls him into a hug.
Loren and Nora leave Trent's penthouse and heads back to the airport. "Now I fully understand what Katy meant by forgiveness being for me," Nora thought to herself.
It's the night of the kick off for the tour. Loren is nervous and is pacing back and forth. She hopes that the record label execs will agree to the change in her set list. Only Mel and her band know about the changes. Loren didn't want to tell Kelly because she didn't feel like arguing about it. There is a knock at the door, "Loren? You wanted to see me?" Crystal asked.
"Yes, please come in." Loren says.
Crystal comes in and closes the door behind her.
"Crystal, I owe you a big apology, I acted like a diva towards you and I'm sorry. I thought you and Eddie were together and I was jealous."
Crystal starts laughing, "Eddie said you were probably thinking we were together and that you were jealous."
Loren chuckles then thinks to herself, "he did say he know me like he knows his own heartbeat."
There is another knock at the door. "Have a good show Loren and no hard feelings. I hope we can work together again." Crystal leaves out as the head of the record label comes in.
Jeremy is on stage finishing his set. "Thanks, you've been a great audience. This is my last song, it will be released in a few weeks, I hope you like it." The music begins (Jeremy is singing the remake of Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" but replace the name "Jessie" with "Eddie.")
Loren didn't let it get to her, because she knows she would never be with Jeremy.
Eddie is furious! Jake is trying to calm him down. Max and Nora come over help Jake calm him down.
"Eddie, don't let him psych you out before you go on." Nora says.
"Don't worry about him, his days are numbered." Max says.
Eddie looks at him curiously but didn't have the chance to ask a question because Jeremy just finished his song and is walking off stage toward Eddie with a smirk on his face. Jeremy walks over to Eddie and purposely bumps into him. Max reacts before Eddie has a chance.
Max punches Jeremy in the mouth then grabs him by the collar, picks him up and whispers in his ear, "if you ever come near my daughter again, I swear I'll kill you." Max lets go of Jeremy's collar, he stumbles and runs off.
"What did you say to him?" Eddie asked.
"I'll tell you later, Loren is about to go on." Max says. Nora wraps her arms around him and squeezes as they walk to the stage wings so they can see Loren's performance.
The announcer announces Loren and the crowd goes wild. Loren walks up to the microphone. "Wow, thank you. I'm going to change things up a bit tonight, if that's okay with you guys." The crowd goes wild. "Ok this is the song that made me famous. I know you guys know the words so sing along." A stage crew member hands Loren her guitar and Loren starts singing "Mars." The audience sings along with her.
When she finishes, the crowd goes wild again. "The next song is "Alive"" (by Loren Tate/Brittany Underwood) Loren says as her band starts playing the song. It is time for Loren's wardrobe change so the band continues to play while she runs to her dressing room to change. Loren comes back out in her "I Love Eddie Duran" t-shirt, black skinny jeans and nude pumps. She walks up to the microphone, "These next three songs are not on my cd, because I wrote them two days ago. I will record them and release them as singles. But I dedicate these songs to my soul mate, the man who knows me like he knows his own heartbeat, Eddie Duran," Then her band starts to play "Love Like This" (by Natasha Bedingfield featuring Sean Kingston). When she finishes the song a stage hand brings out a stool and Loren's guitar.
"You guys are really great, I'm about to slow things down with this next song." The lights dim as Loren begins to play the guitar and sing "You've Got This Hold On Me" (by Cassidy Ford), the video Melissa made also begins to play. Pictures of Loren and Eddie flash on the screen, the first one is the night of Eddie's concert when he holds Loren's hand while singing, then the two of them at MK the night of his song writing contest final; followed by them playing foosball at the café; then pictures of them on the set of Eddie's music video, and out to dinner for Eddie's birthday; next was a picture of them that night when Eddie took her to MK, and pictures of them at the recording studio recording Mars; the night they performed together at MK. Then more personal pictures like of them sleeping in each other's arms and quick kisses, having fun with friends and family, her private prom.
Loren is so overwhelmed with emotions that tears start rolling down her cheeks while she sings. Eddie is filled with love and pride; he walks out on stage while Loren is singing. He's looking up at the screen and then at Loren. The last two pictures to show on the screen are pictures of her brand new tattoos. The tattoo on her left wrist is of the planet mars surrounded by music notes; the tattoo on her right wrist is of earth surrounded by music notes. Then the very last picture to flash on the screen is a tattoo of a guitar on the small of her back, on the guitar it says Eddie and Loren 4 ever.
Loren finishes the song and Eddie scoops her up in a big hug. The scream and applause from the audience is deafening. Loren is laughing and crying at the same time. Eddie puts her down and is about to walk off stage but she grabs his hand and signals to her band to begin the next song. Loren starts dancing around him singing "These Words" (by Natasha Bedingfield). Eddie laughs and dances with her. When she finishes the song, Eddie kisses her.
"You have been an amazing audience. Thank you so much." Loren and Eddie walk off stage together. Nora and Max walk up and hug her. Mel comes running and throw her arms around Loren and Eddie. Eddie takes Loren's hands and turns them over so he can see the tattoos up close.
"When did you get these?" Eddie asks.
"Two days ago." She says smiling. "I'll show you the one on my back when you move back home." Loren says kissing him again.
"Hey Eddie, you're up!" Jake says pushing Eddie towards the stage.
"Don't leave," Eddie says heading to the stage.
"I'm not going anywhere," Loren promises.
Jake notices Jeremy standing off to the side watching Eddie and Loren, he walks over to Jeremy. "Max told me what you did to Loren and if you ever touch her again, you are in for the beat down of your life. Don't let the business clothes fool you, I kick ass first and ask questions later." Jake walks away.
Thank you for reading my extremely long one-shot. I do plan on doing another one-shot called "The Tour" as a continuation of this story. Keep reading my one-shots, writing reviews, and recommend them to others (if you like them). I love hearing from you guys so send me a PM.
~jm~