Always evelyn, p.1
Always, Evelyn, page 1
Always, Evelyn
LOVE NOTES BOOK THREE
AUTUMN REED
Copyright © 2023 by Autumn Reed
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover by Everly Yours Designs.
For my fellow former church girls.
You be you, without apology or shame.
Contents
Playlist
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Epilogue
A Note from Autumn
Evelyn’s Playlist
About the Author
Playlist
Listen to the Always, Evelyn playlist on Spotify.
1: From Eden - Hozier
2: Perfect - Ed Sheeran
3: surrender - Christina Perri
4: California Dreamin’ - Freischwimmer
5: Saturday Sun - Vance Joy
6: Broken Shadow - Karen Elson
7: All We Ever Knew - The Head And The Heart
8: California 2005 - Phantom Planet
9: Malibu - Miley Cyrus
10: Believe - Mumford & Sons
11: Maybe - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors (feat. Natalie Hemby)
12: As It Was - Harry Styles
13: I Hear the Bells - Mike Doughty
14: Romeo And Juliet - Indigo Girls
15: Meet Me in the Woods - Lord Huron
16: I Ain't Worried - OneRepublic
17: Now I'm In It - HAIM
18: I Don't Want to Be - Gavin DeGraw
19: Come Around - Rosi Golan
20: Butterflies - Kacey Musgraves
21: High and Dry - Radiohead
22: Thank You - Dido
23: Brave - Sara Bareilles
24: Bad Liar - Selena Gomez
25: The Wolf - Mumford & Sons
26: Saint Honesty - Girl Named Tom
27: Any Day Now - Trousdale
28: Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves
29: Renegades - X Ambassadors
30: Snow On The Beach - Taylor Swift (feat. Lana Del Rey)
31: It Goes Like This - Thomas Rhett
32: Geronimo - Sheppard
33: Can’t Help Falling in Love - Kacey Musgraves
34: Crystals - Of Monsters and Men
35: The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
36: Run (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift (feat. Ed Sheeran)
37: Palms - Allman Brown (feat. Liz Lawrence)
38: Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
39: Tattoos (Acoustic) - Jack Botts
40: Searching for the Truth - Katie Pruitt
41: More than Words - Music Travel Love
42: Sweet Nothing - Taylor Swift
43: Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
44: Rising - Julia Lester
45: This Is Me - Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble
46: Downtown - Majical Cloudz
47: Honeybee - The Head And The Heart
Epilogue: At Last - Etta James
Chapter One
Rook
She had an air of melancholy about her.
At least, that was how the songwriter in me wanted to describe her. Not somber or suffering or sorrowful. Not depressed or dejected or downhearted.
It had to be melancholy.
Because there was nothing off-putting about her demeanor. Quite the opposite, in fact. The beauty of her sadness called to me like a vampire to an open wound. In a room full of smiling people, her down-turned mouth was practically a beacon. Never mind her full bottom lip that seemed to give her a perpetual pout.
I fucking loved pouty lips.
More specifically, I loved watching them encircling my cock.
But imagining wrapping her luxurious dark hair around my fist while she took me in her mouth wasn’t what had me so captivated. It wasn’t even about her, admittedly appealing, features. Beautiful women threw themselves at me everywhere I went. No, this was something different. Something new.
I’d been observing her on and off for the past hour, and all number of emotions had crossed her face. Well, the half of her face I could see. Her hair fell over the other half like a curtain of black silk.
She’d smiled and laughed and even wiped tears from her eyes. But through every reaction to the people around her, the melancholy never disappeared. It clung to her smooth, tawny skin like a skintight dress. Nothing like the modest, flowy garment she currently wore. Unfortunately.
“Striking, isn’t she?” Landon said from beside me.
How long had I been staring? Too long, no doubt. “Who?”
He laughed, and I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t fooling anybody.
“Are you going to ask her to dance?” he prodded.
“No.”
Dragging my eyes from my mystery woman, I automatically sought out Tyler in the crowd. He stood near the bar, a glass of clear liquid tipped to his grinning mouth as he flirted with a cute blonde. Stiffening, I began to push away from the table, but Landon knocked his knee into mine, stopping me.
“Whatever you’re planning on doing, don’t. You’ll only draw attention. Besides, Cal is handling Ty.”
I allowed my gaze to stray to Calvin—our band’s manager and Tyler’s babysitter for the evening. He’d taken up position at a table near the bar, and when he saw me looking, he tipped his beer bottle in acknowledgment.
Tension drained from my shoulders, but only slightly. I wouldn’t be able to relax until we were on a plane back to California.
Not that I wasn’t enjoying King Sanctuary. The horse sanctuary-slash-record-studio owned by Presley Cole and her husbands was my kind of paradise. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, I didn’t have to worry about rabid fans or paparazzi or the pressures that came with being a celebrity. It was quiet. And—apart from tonight’s unofficial launch party for Sunburst Records—it was pretty damn peaceful.
I understood why Presley had decided to make Wyoming her home. The guys and I had only been here for a little over twenty-four hours, but I already felt calmer than I had in months.
“Why not?”
Snapping my attention back to Landon, I gave him a I have no idea what you’re talking about quirk of my left eyebrow. Though I could only lift the left one by itself, I’d been told it was an impressive—and effective—eyebrow raise. The relatively minor movement saved me a hell of a lot of words.
“Why aren’t you going to ask the raven-haired beauty to dance?”
“We’ve changed subjects, man. Keep up.”
He huffed. “Ty doesn’t count as a change of subject anymore. He’s all we’ve talked about since . . .”
Wisely, he didn’t finish that sentence. This wasn’t the time or place to start in on that conversation again.
“You guys do realize this is a party, right?” Levi asked, plopping into the seat on my other side and reclining back with his feet propped on the table.
Sometimes, it was easy to forget he and Landon were identical twins. Ever since we’d all moved to California halfway through college, Levi had happily embraced the surfer look and attitude. His chin-length blond hair had a life of its own, just as he was always the life of the party. Our rise to success and fame—and our subsequent downfall—never seemed to faze him. He was the epitome of cool in every situation.
Landon, on the other hand, was the self-proclaimed father of our group. I might have been the face of Kings Gambit, but he was the head. He was a lover of order and logic, and he was the reason our band was still intact. If it wasn’t for the personal pitch Landon had made to Presley, we would be without a label and a future in the music business.
Even though the twins were opposites, I loved them both like brothers. My life would suck without them . . . and Tyler. My gaze strayed to him once more. He appeared to be behaving himself. Maybe Landon was right—I needed to relax and think about something, or someone, else tonight.
“Rook is the one who needs reminding,” Landon said, answering his brother. “Seems our boy needs a little pep talk before asking a pretty girl to dance.”
“Oh?” Levi dropped his feet from the table as he began searching the room. “Who’s th
Landon discreetly gestured toward my mystery woman. “Green dress.”
Before Levi could comment, I cut in. “Don’t bother. Whoever she is, she deserves better than me.”
My life was a mess. The band was a mess. And our public image was in fucking shambles. No girl—well, no nice girl—wanted a piece of it. And I would bet my Lamborghini that this particular girl was nice. I’d spent time around enough groupies to be able to spot the difference.
Levi looked from her to me, his eyes alight with something I couldn’t quite define. “You seriously don’t know who that is?”
Unconsciously, I straightened in my chair and gave him a bored look. Again, not that I was fooling anyone. “You do?”
He shook his head, causing locks of hair to fall over both cheeks. “How can you be so famous and yet so clueless about your peers? That’s Evelyn Bishop.”
When I didn’t react, he continued. “Presley’s best friend. The super-secret writer of her songs for the past decade. Outed by Presley’s bitch of an ex-manager. Is none of this ringing a bell?”
I wasn’t completely ignorant. Of course, I’d heard about the scandal that ultimately resulted in Presley starting her own record label. Her personal experiences had caused her to take pity on Kings Gambit, giving us a chance with Sunburst Records.
But I did my best to ignore celebrity gossip, so I hadn’t known the identity of the person behind Presley’s songs. Fuck. The last thing I needed was to be even more intrigued by this woman. If hadn’t already realized she was more than a pretty face, this new information cemented it. After years of listening to and studying Presley’s music, I could say, for certain, that Evelyn was a brilliant songwriter. And I had a feeling what had started as mild interest was transforming into something close to obsession before my eyes.
“If you’re not going to make a move, maybe I will,” Levi said, using his knife to check his reflection. With practiced ease, he returned his hair to its I woke up this way disheveled perfection.
I shook my head. Only Levi.
“Levi,” Landon warned.
“What? We’re not thirteen. Rook can’t call dibs.”
“I didn’t—”
“That’s not the point,” Landon said, interrupting me. “Don’t be a dick.”
“I’m not.” Levi stood. “I happen to think she’s fascinating, and I’d love to get to know her.”
Before he’d made it more than a few steps, Landon grabbed onto his arm and hauled him to the edge of the room.
I sighed and followed them. So much for not making a scene. It was a sad state of affairs when I was acting as the voice of reason.
Bypassing the twins by a few feet, I stopped at the dessert table and picked up the first three plates I saw. Then I handed one to each of them. “Eat.”
Levi rolled his eyes but wasted no time in stuffing a chocolate confection into his mouth. Mid-chew, he said, “This is good.”
His brother huffed. “Mom would have your hide if she witnessed your lack of table manners.”
“We’re not sitting at a table, are we?”
“I’d almost forgotten how lame you three could be.”
I stiffened at the sound of Tyler’s voice from directly behind me. Apparently, there was no winning when it came to him tonight. His nearness stressed me out just as much as when he was out of my sight for more than a minute.
Turning slowly, I made a concerted effort to relax my expression and stance. “Hey, man. Having a good time?”
He shrugged, looking Levi, Landon, and me over. “What is this, a middle school dance? Too scared to talk to girls, so you’re skulking around the dessert table?”
An amused snort filled the air, and it took me a second to realize I was responsible for it. “You must be remembering one of your other friends from middle school. I never had trouble talking to girls, even back then.”
Tyler tilted his head in assent. “That doesn’t explain what you three are doing over here.”
Landon started to open his mouth, but I shook my head, and he snapped it shut. Unfortunately, his brother wasn’t as tuned-in to my silent communication.
Levi gripped my shoulder. “Our little Rookie can’t seem to work up the nerve to approach his crush.”
“I didn’t realize there were any A-list actresses in the room,” Tyler replied with a wink in my direction.
My empty hand curled into a fist, and I immediately started counting backward from ten. Nine. I couldn’t let. Eight. Him get to me. Seven. Not tonight. Six. Of all nights. Five.
At that point, I shook out my fist and allowed my mouth to curve into an unaffected smile. My therapist would be proud. “I’m taking a break from actresses for a while.”
He smirked. “Too bad.” Turning, he began scanning the immediate vicinity, and within seconds, his gaze zeroed in on Evelyn.
Fuck.
Looking back at me, his smirk widened. “Thankfully, I know your type.” He threw back the rest of his drink before plunking his empty glass on the dessert table. “Don’t worry, friend. I’m more than happy to play wingman tonight.”
He held out his fist for a bump, and when I hesitated for too long, his brown eyes sparked with a hint of chaos. No matter what I did, there was no turning back now.
Tyler got his way.
Always.
I bumped my fist against his and sent up a quick prayer to the rock gods that tonight would turn out better than last time . . .
Chapter Two
June, Camp Shining Light
I met a boy today.
With his shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and glasses, he’s what Jane would call “nerdy cute.” But, to me, he’s just cute.
I wish Jane were here to tell me what to say and wear. She always knows how to act around boys, while I only know how to be me.
Is it possible a cute boy could like me for me?
Evelyn
“Dance with me.”
I jumped at the sultry voice directly over my shoulder. Hadn’t I been giving off my best “leave me alone” vibes? Maybe this guy was oblivious.
Turning my head, I found myself almost nose to nose with a stranger. And yet, there was something vaguely familiar about his perfectly styled brown hair, sparkling eyes, and chiseled jawline. Shoulders tensing, my instincts screamed at me to get far away from the too-handsome man.
“No, thank you,” I said in an overtly polite tone while shifting to the edge of my seat, putting as much distance as possible between us without making my retreat obvious.
Not deterred by my rejection, the man rested his arms on the back of my chair and leaned in. “Sorry, babe. I can’t leave this party without dancing with the most beautiful girl in the room.”
The charming grin he shot me suggested he was accustomed to getting his way. Not that I was surprised. Beyond his good looks, his mere presence at this event meant he was a big deal in the music industry. Given the confidence rolling off him in waves, I’d guess an artist. I really should have paid closer attention to Presley’s guest list.
“I’m not sure what you’re doing with me, then,” I replied, adding the appropriate amount of dryness to my tone. When in doubt, self-deprecation was always the answer.
“You’re funny. I like that.”
I wasn’t trying to be. There were more glamourous, sophisticated women at this party who would be far better dance partners. I hadn’t attended a single school dance, and my only boyfriend had considered fishing at dawn the height of romance.
“I’m not that funny, I assure you. I’m also not interested.”
