Love Damaged: Rock-N-Roll Heiress Book 2

by McCracken, Kelli

  I needed to be there to support her.

  That would be impossible with the tour coming up in less than a week. I couldn’t cancel. The success of my band depended on it. I couldn’t let them down again.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, drawing my attention to it. I slid it out, catching a text bubble before it disappeared. I tapped on it as the message app opened. Neither the name nor the number of the person registered.

  At first, I thought it was a wrong number or a telemarketer sending out spam. I came close to deleting it, but the first few words kept me from following through.

  Lies surround you, Ayden McAllister. You’ve been given false information. Izzy Giles isn’t who you think she is. Don’t believe everything you’ve been told about her pregnancy or her miscarriage.

  My face grew hot. Who the hell would text me at one o’clock in the morning with such a cryptic message? Furthermore, how did they know about Izzy’s miscarriage unless it was someone who’d been at the ER? Aside from Mia, Andi, Bentley, and Darius, only a few of Music Haven’s staff came to check on her. They didn’t stay after her miscarriage was announced.

  None of the staff had my number, but I couldn’t see my friends sending me a message like this. Mia wasn’t speaking to me. Andi and Bentley wouldn’t stoop to something this low. That only left Darius, and still, I couldn’t see him messaging me either.

  Had someone else been here?

  As I racked my brain trying to remember anyone else who’d been in the waiting room with us, no one came to mind. If this wasn’t someone from Music Haven, was it possible they worked at the hospital?

  “Ayden?”

  My thoughts crashed as I glanced toward the last chair in the row where I was sitting. Chris motioned me to join him in the hall. As soon as I did, we walked to a room that was empty. Once we were inside, he closed the door. Then he faced me.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting this long. I have a few patients here, and their nurses had questions. I was consulted on a couple of cases too. It happens every time I show up here.”

  “It’s okay. Thanks for meeting me now.”

  “So, I know Izzy never had the paternity test completed, and you never found out if the baby was yours.”

  “Yeah. Don’t remind me.”

  “Listen, we can still have the test performed.”

  His answer confused me. “How?”

  “Izzy signed the paper to have the test done, but she never came in to have her blood drawn. We can’t use her blood now that she’s miscarried. What we can do is test the fetal remains.”

  His words were like a punch in the gut. “Beg your pardon?”

  “She’s having a procedure tomorrow to remove the baby’s remains, as well as the amnio sac. Even though the fetus died, we can get DNA from its tissue. If you still want to know if that child was yours, we can give you an answer.”

  I parted my mouth to tell him yes but closed it just as quick. Is this what I wanted? Maybe it was best if I didn’t know. If the test came back proving me as the father, it would affect me differently.

  Yeah, I had compassion for the child Izzy lost, but if I had known for sure it was mine, this situation would be harder to process. I would be mourning the death of my child. Could I go through that?

  I didn’t want to appear heartless about the miscarriage and I didn’t want to do something to cause myself more pain, but I had to know the truth. It was the only way I could put this behind me and hopefully make amends with Mia. I hadn’t given up hope of reconciling with her.

  Besides, the text I received before Chris showed up weighed on my mind. If it wasn’t someone screwing with me, then they were warning me. There might be more to Izzy’s pregnancy than what I realized. I had to take that seriously.

  Releasing a deep breath, I looked at Chris and nodded. “Yes. I still want to know if I was the child’s father.”

  Chapter 22

  ~Mia~

  Ayden’s eyes were burning into me. I could feel them from across the bar where he and Bentley were having a drink. It had been three days since I saw him. Yet, it felt more like three years.

  I never expected him to respect my wishes and allow me space once I was discharged from the hospital. It was easy enough the first day after spending several hours in the ER and coming home late. I wasn’t sure of the exact time Ayden made it in, but I knew it was after two. Andi told me later that Bentley went back to the hospital to give him a ride.

  My emotions got the better of me as anger pulsed through my body. I was an idiot to push Ayden toward Izzy. If he stayed behind to see her, I had no one to blame but myself.

  I didn’t begrudge her the attention. She needed someone to support her while she was going through this horrific loss. It was apparent she didn’t want it to be me, but I never expected as much. I didn’t want to think negatively of my sister after she suffered a miscarriage. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that all of this was to get Ayden to fall back in love with her and break my heart at the same time.

  The second day after Izzy’s miscarriage, I had meetings in St. George that kept me away most of the day. By the time I made it back, I had crashed on my sofa. Andi found me there and demanded I stay in for the rest of the night to rest.

  Yesterday, Ayden and the guys were busy with Doug, prepping for the tour they would be leaving for later today. Between meeting a few new bands and other meetings I had, I never saw him.

  Until now.

  It was eating him alive to keep his distance. I didn’t need to see him to prove my assumption when I was experiencing the same thing. Knowing I was carrying his child only made matters worse. In time, I would have to tell him the truth. Today wasn’t that day. The thought made my stomach flip.

  Damn this morning sickness. I hoped I would be one of the fortunate souls who didn’t experience the dreaded condition of being pregnant. No such luck for me. Hopefully, it didn’t get worse before Ayden left. All I needed was to get sick in front of him. He was already suspicious of what was going on with me.

  At least he would be gone tonight. He hadn’t been happy to learn their departure for the tour had been pushed up a few days, forcing him and the guys to leave sooner. While I had nothing to do with that happening, it provided me with an immeasurable amount of relief.

  Unable to resist the urge, I peeked in his direction. It was a mistake. His eyes locked with mine for a brief moment. I saw the pain within them, along with desperation. When he realized I was looking his way, he didn’t move an inch. Yet, the way his forehead creased said he was contemplating something.

  Great. I hoped he didn’t plan to approach me. I couldn’t deal with him. At this point, I wasn’t strong enough to keep my pregnancy a secret. If it weren’t for our busy schedules right now, I’m not sure I would still be hiding this from him. It was tempting just to let it all out.

  As I refocused on the bar, I turned my stool enough that my back was to him. I placed my hand beneath my navel and thought about our child. This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my pregnancy. After wanting a baby for the last few years, I wanted to enjoy this special time in my life. Instead, I was hiding the news from the child’s father.

  God, my life was a mess.

  “You okay?” Andi looked up from the laptop she’d been using to enter data into a spreadsheet. Her brows folded as she lowered her gaze to my hand.

  “I’m fine.” I closed my eyes and slumped my shoulders. “Just feeling a little queasy.”

  “You sure?”

  My lower lip trembled. “No.”

  Her hand warmed my shoulder as she rubbed it. “Mia, hiding your, uh, special news, is not worth the amount of stress it’s putting on you. Just tell Ayden the truth. It’s for your own physical and mental well-being.”

  I opened my eyes and glanced at her. “You know what will happen if I do that.”

  “Yeah, I know exactly what will happen. Ayden will be happy to hear about—”

  “Watch it,” I warned her.

 
; “See. I can’t even say the right words because I have to be careful of what I say or who’s around when I say it. You can’t live like this, Mia.”

  “It won’t be permanent. Ayden’s leaving tonight and will be gone for a few months. As much as I love him, I have to sort out my feelings and decide what to do from here. He needs this time too, and he won’t have it if he knows the truth.”

  Andi stared at me as she shook her head. “God, you are so stubborn.”

  “Have you forgotten that my sister just came home yesterday after losing her baby? This news isn’t just affecting Ayden and me. It will affect her too.”

  “This is going to backfire, girl. Can’t you see that?” She regarded my hand again and grunted. “You’re going to start showing at some point, and if you haven’t told anyone by then, it’s going to be harder for people to forgive you for keeping the secret. Ayden will be hurt, and Izzy will be furious.”

  “But what if something happens in the next few weeks and I lose this child? The first trimester is the most dangerous. If I tell Ayden now and something happens, he’s going to be crushed. We both will be.”

  “I don’t think that will happen, but even if it did, it doesn’t give you the right to keep this from him.”

  My stomach knotted. The thought of a miscarriage shook me to my soul. While I didn’t know if Izzy wanted children the way I did, part of me worried that the universe would punish me for what happened to my sister.

  Although I didn’t push her, I didn’t react in time to save her from falling. That fall took away her baby. Now I was pregnant. If the universe was screwing with me, it had a sick sense of humor.

  Acid churned up my throat. I choked on it as my mouth watered. It was happening again. The morning sickness was causing havoc. Up to this point, it had been nothing but nausea. This time was different.

  “Andi, I gotta go. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  I didn’t wait around for her to ask questions. Instead, I scooted off the stool and made quick strides toward the main entrance where the restrooms were. My biggest fear was not making it in time before I vomited everywhere. If I did, Ayden’s suspicions would grow worse. Then again, maybe they already had.

  The way he stood from his stool and advanced in my direction warned me as much.

  * * *

  ~Ayden~

  I had no way to tell what happened to Mia to cause her to run out of the bar, but my curiosity had gotten the best of me. I had spent three days without seeing her, and the way today was going, I doubted I would get a chance to talk to her unless I took the initiative.

  It was hard to stay away when everything in my life reminded me of her. Every time I looked in the mirror, I knew I had no one to blame but myself. If I had just kept my shit together at the ER and not questioned our relationship, we wouldn’t be going through this.

  Then again, maybe we would. If Mia had cancer, she wouldn’t want to subject me to her suffering. It wouldn’t matter that I wanted to be there to support her. She would push me away, just like she was now. It's what worried me that I’d figured out the truth.

  As soon as she disappeared into the ladies’ room, I quickened my steps. This bullshit had to stop. We loved each other. Now she was sick and needing someone to care for her, and I was heading out of town. Regardless if it was a terminal illness or something that was curable, I wanted to be the one she leaned on.

  Before I reached the main door, a hand curled over my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to find Andi standing behind me. She had one hand on her hip as she tapped her foot against the carpet.

  “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

  “Uh, I was going to . . . ” The lie stuck in my throat. I didn’t have an answer, and Andi knew it.

  “Ayden, you’ve respected Mia’s request for the last few days. Don’t ruin that now. Please, give her some space.”

  “How can I do that when there’s clearly something going on with her. She’s sick. Why?”

  Andi stammered for a response before she got frustrated and sighed. “It’s not my place to talk about—”

  “Don’t give me some bullshit excuse, Andi. I know she’s sick, and I want to know what’s wrong with her. Be honest with me. Does Mia have cancer?”

  Her silence terrified me. How could she leave me hanging? If the roles were reversed and Bentley was hiding his illness from her, I would be the first to . . .

  Okay, maybe I would keep his secrets too, but I would urge him to talk to Andi and tell her the truth. Had she done that with Mia? Right now, it seemed she was doing her best to hide the truth from me as much as Mia was.

  “Andi, please. I’m going out of my mind. I can’t go on tour like this. Mia will be the only thing I think about while I’m gone. Please, tell me what’s wrong with her.”

  “Ayden, I can’t.” Her shoulders slumped as Bentley joined us.

  “Hey. What going on?” He glanced at me for a split second then studied her again.

  “She won’t tell me what’s wrong with Mia, and she knows something.”

  “Dude, you know she’s not going to tell you. Don’t badger her about it.”

  “I’m not.” I gritted my teeth. “If this were Andi who was sick, you would be asking Mia the same questions. Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t.”

  I thought Bentley would argue with me when he opened his mouth to speak. Instead, he closed it and lowered his eyes to the ground. “You’re right. I would ask Mia every chance I saw her.”

  Andi shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she crossed her arms. She stared at Bentley with an angry expression, but after a moment, it faded. Then her attention returned to me.

  “Ayden, I’m not doing this to punish you. It’s not my place to tell you anything. You need to talk to Mia.”

  “How? She won’t talk to me, and you won’t let me near her.”

  “You’re right. I’ve been running interference, but I’m done. If you want to talk to Mia, go for it. However, I want to give you a piece of advice.” She stared at me for the longest time before she spoke words that jarred me. “If Mia won’t talk to you, make her.”

  * * *

  ~Ayden~

  The rich scent of diesel fuel invaded my nose as I stood beside the tour bus. Jason and Ryan were loading the rest of their luggage while Bentley said goodbye to Andi. As I watched them hugging and kissing each other, it made my chest grow heavier. I wanted Mia here to say goodbye to me. Instead, she was standing in the distance, talking with Doug about our tour.

  Despite how much I searched for after seeing her in the arena earlier, I couldn’t find her anywhere. It was if she had disappeared. Avoiding me was more like it. Had I found her before Doug, I would have asked her why she was sick, and I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. Now, it was too late.

  Once Jason and Ryan walked onto the bus, Bentley waved one last time to Andi before he joined me. “You ready to get this show on the road, pun intended?”

  I shook my head at him. He was in a great mood. Why shouldn’t he be? We were about to embark on an essential journey in our career. Over the last several years, we’d been dreaming of this moment. It had finally arrived, but instead of being as excited as my best friend, I was miserable.

  “I have everything loaded. All that’s left is to walk on the bus.”

  The smile fell from Bentley’s face. He looked toward the spot where Mia and Doug were standing near the wall that surrounded the community. Then he focused on me. “Cheer up, dude. You’re giving her the space she wants. When we get back, I’m sure things will be better.”

  I doubted it, but I didn’t say as much. As unhappy as I was, I refused to make everyone around me feel the same. So I nodded and stepped onto the bus.

  After we were inside, I took a seat near the window, the same one facing the wall where Mia was standing. The entire time I stared at her, I wished she would look my way. She didn’t. After Doug waved goodbye to her, she walked around the wall and disa
ppeared toward the condos.

  My heart felt like it fractured.

  As the bus pulled out of the main gate and onto the dusty dirt road, my phone rang. I felt a smidgen of hope when I slid it out of my pocket. Maybe Mia had changed her mind and wanted to say goodbye to me.

  When I looked at the screen, my hope faded. It wasn’t Mia calling. It was Chris.

  “Hello?”

  “Ayden, thank goodness I reached you. I tried to find you before you left, but I was a few seconds too late.”

  “What’s going on?”

  The phone went silent again. I thought I lost my connection, but Chris hissed out a long breath before he spoke again. “Listen, I don’t want you talking to anyone about what I’m about to tell you. Can you promise me that?”

  “Of course.”

  “This is all speculation, but after spending the last hour going through Izzy’s chart and online health records, I have to say, something isn’t adding up.”

  His words caused a chill to climb my spine. “What do you mean?”

  “To start, her chart is missing information, like the letter she gave me confirming her pregnancy. The dates she gave the ER staff aren’t matching up with the dates in her chart in my office. There are a few other things too. As it stands, it’s going to be a few days before I can have the DNA test performed.”

  It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but there was little I could do about it. I trusted Chris and knew he would get the paternity test done as soon as possible. I’d hoped to have an answer before I left town, but since the tour dates had been pushed up, it didn’t happen.

  “This isn’t the news I was hoping to get, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m already gone. At least I’ll have answers soon enough. I appreciate you letting me know.”

  “I will keep you up-to-date. I promise.”

  “Thanks, Chris.” I thought about ending the call, but something weighed on my mind. “Hey, can you answer a question?”