Love Damaged: Rock-N-Roll Heiress Book 2

by McCracken, Kelli

  Next to him, I felt like a failed project.

  He laughed a moment later. “This is why so many clients prefer to work with you, Mia. When you dance, you have fun. You make it fun.”

  “You’re the one who’s had me in stitches for the last few minutes. I haven’t danced like this in years.”

  “Then you should do it more often. You’re beautiful right now.”

  I shook my head at him then laughed when he spun me again. We’d been friends for many years. He was one of my mother’s students when she was alive and teaching dance. It’s where we first formed a friendship.

  When the song finally ended, he pulled me into an embrace. “Thanks for the dance, boss.”

  “Hey now.” I eased away and playfully smacked his shoulder. “None of that shit. We were friends first.”

  “And we always will be.” He kissed my hand then bowed to me.

  Shaking my head at his antics, I glanced at Andi and motioned her to follow me. “I need a drink. Max is super busy tonight, so we’ll go to him.”

  “Sounds good. I’m ready for another round of shots.”

  “You really are trying to get me drunk tonight, aren’t you?”

  “At least we’re having fun.” She hooked her arm with mine as we walked toward the bar. We were almost to the edge of the dance floor when she tugged her phone out of her back pocket. “I forgot to show you this.”

  “Listen, if this is a dick pic, I don’t want to see it.”

  “Haha, you’re so funny. I haven’t received any of those weird texts since Bentley and me . . .” she grew quiet for a moment. I knew what she was going to say anyway. Now I’d made her think of Bentley, the one person she didn’t want on her mind tonight. I wish I hadn’t interrupted her.

  Whatever was going through her mind, her frown turned into a massive grin as she pulled up a text message. “Wait until you see this picture.”

  “Who’s in it?”

  “Mark Fender from Echo Grace and his wife, Gina.” She shoved her phone in my face a moment later. “They had their baby. Look how adorable.”

  I observed the photo, taking in the round, chubby face, the snow-white hair, and the perfect pink bow wrapped around a portion of it. A baby girl. She was beautiful. My friend had to be proud.

  Mark’s band came to Music Haven at my grandfather’s request. Their agent had ripped them off, and they were left with nothing, not even a recording contract they thought they had earned. Once the news got back to my grandfather, he brought the band here as guests.

  It was something hard for Mark to overcome. We had become friends during his stay, considering I was helping my grandfather with every aspect of the business at that point. I watched him struggle to trust what we promised him. In a way, it reminded me of when Ayden first arrived here at my invitation, but there was one big difference. I was never interested in Mark.

  After my grandfather had passed, Wesley tried starting a rumor that we were involved, but Mark called him out on it and made sure everyone knew it. He was one of the reasons I found out about all the lies Wesley had told me. I owed Mark a lot.

  “What did they name her?”

  “That’s the best part of why I’m showing you this.” She clicked out of the picture, revealing the texts she and Mark’s wife had exchanged. “Look at what Gina wrote.”

  I leaned closer, reading over the words in the text. “Amelia Grace.” I said the name as soon as I read it. It brought a smile to my face. So did the rest of the text. Gina asked Andi to show me the picture and to thank me once again for introducing her and Mark. She said they wanted to honor me, and this was the only way they knew how.

  The sentiment touched my heart. My friends did more than honor me. They honored my grandmother as well. After all, she was my namesake.

  The photo made me happy as I stared at it. It was good to see two people who loved each other find happiness. Mark had a successful band. Gina was one of the best agents around. They met, fell in love, and now had a family. I was glad to be a part of something so beautiful.

  It also made me want that same life even more. I longed to meet someone who would love me unconditionally, take me at my word, and want to start a family. I wanted someone to help me extend Music Haven’s legacy.

  Clanking glasses was enough of a clue that we’d reached the bar. Just as I handed Andi her phone and glanced up, I saw that she wasn’t looking at me. Whatever held her attention had stolen the smile from her lips.

  I noticed Bentley a second latter, followed by Ayden. We’d been so focused on her phone and the baby of our friend that we hadn’t paid attention to where we were walking. I hadn’t meant to come to this part of the bar. Now it was too late.

  I was face to face with Ayden.

  “Mia . . .” When he didn’t say anything else, I did my best to turn away and avoid him. Then his voice sounded again. “Can I talk to you?”

  Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I’m listening.”

  He hesitated a moment. In that brief period, I spotted Bentley and Andi making eye contact. He wanted to talk to her too, but he hadn’t said anything yet.

  Shifting my gaze back to Ayden, he released a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I know what I did to you was wrong, but instead of staying here and fighting it out, you just ran off. Why, Mia?”

  “I didn’t have any more energy to fight with you. You scared me, Ayden. I’ve never seen you as angry as you were that night. I saw hate in your eyes.”

  “Anger, yes. Hate, never.” His voice was steadier than I expected. All of our previous conversations were already getting out of hand by this point. I was relieved to know he was behaving himself.

  He opened his mouth to say something just as Andi marched off. Bentley was right behind her. She was headed toward the main doors but didn’t get very far before he cut off her path.

  “Will you sit with me, have a drink, and talk to me about what’s happened? Please?”

  Nodding at him, he motioned for Max to bring us a couple of drinks. While we waited, I debated on my decision. I knew where this conversation was headed. It would end in a fight unless I could keep my wits about me and make sure things didn’t get that far.

  Peeking in his direction, I caught him staring at me. He wasn’t going to wait until we got our drinks before he said what he wanted to say. His mouth parted as he began speaking.

  “I know you probably hate me right now, and I can’t blame you for feeling that way. I know how I felt when I thought you slept with Wesley’s friend.”

  “You shouldn’t assume things so easily, Ayden.”

  “Believe me. I know that now. Hell, I knew it then. This whole situation has snowballed. I never intended for things to get this bad.”

  “How bad would that be? Are you referring to the moment you stopped believing me or the moment you decided to sleep with my sister?”

  I should have stopped there, but I was angry that he’d approached me with this. Tonight was supposed to be fun for Andi and me. Now, we were dealing with the exact thing we were trying to avoid.

  “Mia, your sister broke into my suite and snuck into my bed. I swear to you. Didn’t you check the security video? Darius mentioned that you did.”

  Guilt burned through me. I hadn’t told Ayden about checking the tapes. Knowing that D had upset me, but I understood why he did it. He thought he was helping.

  “Yes, Ayden, I checked the cameras. You were right. Izzy broke into your suite. I can’t say what happened past that.”

  “You have proof she lied about that. Why wouldn’t she lie about the rest?”

  I noted the frustration in his voice. It caused my patience to thin. Anger spread through me like an aggressive disease wreaking havoc on my body.

  “You never caught Eddie in my bed, but you can’t say the same thing about Izzy. Perhaps if Bentley hadn’t walked in and found her, you could have hidden your dirty little secret. At least it would have been easier to fool me.”

  Ayden rubbed his
face as Max approached. Once he set our drinks in front of us, his brows folded. “Everything okay?”

  “We’re fine, Max. Thank you for the drink.”

  He nodded at me, stared harder at Ayden, who was still covering part of his face, then finally left to wait on another customer. I didn’t miss the way he kept peering over his shoulder, as if he was waiting for Ayden to blow up.

  Sadly, he wasn’t the one Max should worry about losing it. I was the one on edge.

  “Mia,” Ayden said in a raspy voice. “I know what Bentley discovered that morning makes me look guilty as hell, but I swear on my life—no—I swear on my career that I didn’t sleep with her. I will take a lie detector test to prove it.”

  My anger diffused. The fact that he was swearing on his career was enough for me to reconsider my stance. I knew how much music meant to him and how hard he and the guys worked to get Breaking Silence to this point. I didn’t think he would jinx everything by swearing on it.

  “You’d really take a lie detector test to prove your innocence to me?”

  He swept his hand over mine. “I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I didn’t touch your sister. Yes, I was drunk the night I chased you away. That doesn’t mean I was desperate enough to sleep with her. I was in pain over what happened with us. Izzy can never replace you, Mia, not in my bed or in my heart.”

  His words hit me hard. I felt my lip trembling, so I faced the bar instead of him. Part of me wanted to believe every word coming out of his mouth.

  Yet the part of me that had been burned by Izzy kept me questioning his innocence. Was it possible that he’d been so drunk he didn’t remember sleeping with her? Just because he didn’t recall it didn’t mean it didn’t happen.

  And despite how much I loved him, I couldn’t forget the night we had our worst fight or the look on his face. He’d been so angry with me. His words were cruel, and his actions were unlike anything I’d witnessed. He turned his back on me when I need him most.

  “Mia, whatever you are thinking, please don’t.”

  Did my face reveal my distress?

  “Maybe you slept with Izzy. Maybe you didn’t. That isn’t what hurts me the most, Ayden.” I played with the rim of my glass while trying to avoid his gaze. “You believed a lying son of a bitch over me. I was supposed to mean something to you, but you turned your back on me when I needed you to stand by me. I’m sorry, but I can’t forgive you for that right now.”

  “I can’t take back my actions. All I can do is apologize and try to make it up to you. I want you to see how much you mean to me and how sorry I am for being a fool.”

  Shaking my head, I kept my eyes on my glass. “I can’t do this.”

  “Mia, look at me.” When I didn’t, he grabbed my hand. “Please, Mia. I don’t know how to prove how much I love—”

  “Don’t say it.” Struggling to keep my emotions in check, I closed my eyes. “You don’t have the right to say those words to me anymore. It’s over, Ayden. Let it go.”

  I thought the words would make me stronger. All they did was break the dam inside me. My eyes watered as I shot off the barstool. Before I could step away, he grabbed my arm, forcing me to face him again.

  “Don’t walk away from us. You and I had something special. We still do. I’m in love with you, Mia. Nothing is going to change that.”

  “Except a pack of lies.” When he shook his head, I didn’t back down. “If you loved me at all, you would have believed me.”

  “I was wrong.” He paused when I jerked my arm out of his grasp. “I need you to be a better person than I was. Please, Mia. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Taking a few steps back, I laughed halfheartedly and spoke words that stung my soul.

  “It’s too late, Ayden. You already lost me.”

  * * *

  ~Mia~

  “So, what do I do?”

  My question went unanswered for a moment. Then Andi turned from the French doors in my office and glanced toward my desk. She studied my face before lowering her gaze.

  “What is your heart telling you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know if I can trust my heart right now. Should I be a better person than he was to me?”

  “I don’t have any answers for you, at least none that I think are the right answers. I’m not sure if there is such a thing.” She moved from the doors and inched closer to the desk. “When you were gone, I saw what Ayden went through. As soon as Gary showed us your bloody shirt, I saw the pain in his eyes. He thought you were dead. We both did.”

  “You told me this before.”

  “Yes, but you’re asking me what to do. I’m just stating what I witnessed. Ayden grew distant after Gary showed up. Then Wesley confessed to setting you up. I didn’t see every second of the fight, but Bentley swore that if he hadn’t dragged Ayden off Wesley, he would have beaten him unconscious.”

  “What about the night Izzy claims they slept together?”

  “He was a mess. After you left, he stood there yelling at you like you could hear anything he was saying.” She rolled her eyes then pursed her lips. “Bentley convinced him to go to bed and talk to you the next day. He went straight to his suite. I didn’t see him again until the next evening.”

  “So it’s possible that he and Izzy did have sex.”

  Andi shrugged this time. “Anything is possible, Mia, but I can attest to the fact that he was wasted. If he was able to have sex after that, I’d be amazed.”

  “What would you do if this happened to you and Bentley? Would you believe him?”

  “I can’t give you an honest answer right now. Bentley thinks I’m upset that he saw Izzy naked. Yeah, it’s upsetting, but I’m angrier with him for keeping the truth from me.”

  I understood why she felt the way she did. Lies and secrets had affected our lives. How could we get over being hurt by the people we loved most?

  Granted, Ayden and I didn’t have a long relationship, as far as dating went, but we were friends before that. We formed a bond long before we agreed to see each other. I didn’t just lose the man I’d fallen in love with. I’d lost my friend.

  I replayed his words in my mind. He was so confident that he hadn’t slept with Izzy. I had that same confidence when I’d been accused of sleeping with Eddie. The difference was that I’d been drugged and couldn’t recall if he’d sexually assaulted me.

  Though it wasn’t something that I heard about often, there were cases of men being raped. If Izzy had succeeded in getting Ayden hard enough to climb on top of him and have sex, he might not remember. And in that case, it would be rape.

  Was I doing the right thing by breaking off my relationship with Ayden? Was I punishing a rape victim, something I thought I was until test results proved I wasn’t?

  Chapter 7

  ~Mia~

  I glanced over the railing near the bar to the main floor of the arena where countless fans were waiting for tonight’s concert. Rebel Stone had no plans to tour or attend special performances for at least a year. When I saw D in Tucson, he said he wanted to get some new music written and recorded before they went on the road again. After he told me a few days ago that he’d changed his mind, I felt special.

  Just one day after announcing the surprise performance on the local radio stations, the concert was sold out. I knew the locals would go nuts. Rebel Stone hadn’t performed at Music Haven since before D and I split up. I received plenty of letters from fans who begged me to invite them back. They had no idea of the tension that existed between D and me at the time.

  I was glad to know we’d worked through those issues. Had we not, I’m not sure what I would have done when I left my home a few weeks ago. D had provided me with the support I needed to lick my wounds and find my strength again. He never once came on to me or suggested we hook up. He was the friend I needed to help me pick up the pieces of my broken heart.

  And I repaid him by using him to hurt Ayden . . .

  I bent my arm and rubbed my shoulder.
The tension from the last few days had caused my muscles to tighten. I needed to decompress. My breakup with D hurt me, but it was nothing compared to what I’d gone through since Ayden and I ended things.

  Was it because I loved him more than I did D?

  It still didn’t give me the right to use him the way I had. At least he’d forgiven me when I apologized. It didn’t lessen my guilt, but it was good to know he didn’t hate me.

  “We’re all clear backstage,” Andi’s voice echoed from the security radio I had clipped onto my jeans. I glanced at it just as my head of security, Tommy, answered back.

  “We’ve all checked in. You’re good to get the show started, Mia.”

  Grabbing the radio from my side, I pressed the button and spoke. “Thanks everyone. Let me know if anything changes. Andi, it’s time for introductions.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Security was always a top priority when we had public concerts, and my team was one of the best in the country. Music Haven had no incidents or threats against any employee, guest, or performer nor had we ever. I owed it all to Tommy and his crew.

  I raised my glass for another drink of my cocktail but found it empty. Guess it was time to ask Max for another one. Before the night was over, I planned to be so buzzed off alcohol nothing could bring me down.

  As I turned toward the bar, my shoulder brushed against someone. “Pardon me. I didn’t mean to bump—”

  All thoughts left my mind as soon as I realized it was Ayden. He trailed his eyes over every inch of me. Then he shook his head. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

  After a moment of awkward silence, I moved to sidestep him, but he blocked my path. “I know you’re busy, but do you think we could talk after the concert?”

  I stuttered for an answer. By now, I should be used to him seeking me out every few days and begging me to talk. Perhaps he was hoping he’d get a different response from me.