by Kim Loraine
“I told you. I’ve been writing.”
“That’s different and you know it. We have to work together, otherwise we end up all wanting different things.”
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Garrett’s stomach. Parker was right. They always worked together, specifically him and Angela. If they weren’t on the same page it was going to be like rolling a boulder uphill to get an album written.
“You’re right. Fine. I’ll try.”
Parker grinned. “Jason’s bringing some recording gear. He wants to record some of the writing sessions Let It Be style.”
“You know that ended badly for The Beatles right?”
“It won’t for us. I think it’ll be very . . . revealing.”
Garrett repressed a shudder as he thought about just how revealing this retreat could be.
Angela groaned as the cabin came into view. They’d been driving on winding mountain roads for the better part of two hours, and she was minutes away from losing the battle with her motion sickness. Parker drove like a maniac.
“You feeling all right, Angie?” Garrett muttered from his seat next to her.
She fought back a grimace. He was so damn perceptive.
They hadn’t spoken since the blow up in the tour bus because he hadn’t given her the opportunity. Even now, his entire countenance remained tense and distant.
“I’m fine. I just need some fresh air.”
As soon as the car rolled to a stop, she was out, sucking in deep breaths of clean mountain air. The aroma of soil and moss replaced Garrett’s all too familiar scent and she was thankful for a reprieve.
The cabin sat nestled into the side of a mountain. Greenery surrounded them as far as the eye could see with the exception of the astounding view from the master suite upstairs—which Parker and Jason would be occupying.
Angela and Garrett were each issued a small bedroom on the main floor of the house, and when she walked into hers she sighed at the sight of the single bed. After all that time bouncing from hotel to hotel, she hadn’t been ready to relinquish her gorgeous queen-sized memory foam mattress. Tentatively sitting on the bed, she winced when the springs squeaked and groaned.
“Sorry. I know it’s not the best mattress, but it’s got the bigger closet. I thought you’d appreciate that.” Parker grinned from the doorway.
She shrugged. “No big deal. I can sleep anywhere.”
She followed him into the living room where Jason waited. Garrett stood facing the window, his shoulders tense. Her heart stopped as he turned to look at them. His face was a cold mask of indifference but his eyes burned with emotion.
“Tour?” Jason offered, glancing from her to Garrett and back again.
“Sure,” she answered before Garrett could run away.
Parker grinned when Jason slipped an arm around his waist and led them through the house.
Cabin was a loose term to describe Jason’s place. The house was bigger than her apartment and it boasted three bedrooms, a full expensive kitchen, dining room, living room, and two bathrooms.
“How often do you use this place?” she asked, gawking at the view of the valley below from the master suite.
“A few times a year. I rent it out most of the time.”
Garrett let out a low whistle. “Must bring in a nice amount in rent. Views like this.”
Jason shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal. “I do fine.”
“Oh, he hasn’t shown you the best part yet.” Parker was practically bouncing like a puppy.
“There’s more?” Angela asked.
“The basement.”
Garrett cocked a suspicious eyebrow. “That sounds ominous,” he muttered.
Jason laughed. “It’s where you’ll be recording and rehearsing. I set the whole thing up as a recording studio, soundproofed, isolation booths, the whole nine. I just have to bring in my recording gear.”
“Isn’t that risky if you’re renting it out?” she asked.
He motioned to the keys in his hand. “Nope. Not when I’ve got the keys.”
A grin of pride crossed Parker’s face as he gazed at the man he loved and Angela was hit with a sharp pang of envy.
“Let’s see it.” She pasted a bright smile on her face and followed.
Garrett’s body—his very presence—kept her on high alert. The tension was like a string pulled too tightly. Any moment the pressure might be too great and the threads would snap.
Before this trip was over, someone was going to end up hurt.
Garrett had been able to avoid her for the first day. They were both busy settling in. Angela searched in vain for a cell signal, and Garrett had locked himself away in his room, feigning tiredness like a little bitch. He just couldn’t handle it. Every time he saw her his chest hurt and he was overcome with the desire to crush her to him and make her see him.
She didn’t want him. He needed to let it go and move on before he destroyed the band and everything they’d worked for. She’d let him go for the same reason, years ago.
This morning he lay sprawled across his bed, staring at the exposed beams in the ceiling and wishing he could go back to that first brush of lips on New Year’s Eve and just keep her mouth from his.
A soft knock brought his attention back to real-life and he startled when Angela stood in his doorway. Her hair tumbled around her face in waves the color of honey, and the shorts and tank-top she wore did little to hide her beautiful body. He bit back the urge to smile as she stared at him. She leaned against the doorframe, and with her wide eyes and sleepy smile she looked so sexy he had to fight a groan.
“I made coffee.”
That was all she said. No comment about his attitude, no pleading for him to fix what was broken between them. Just a simple offer of coffee.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
She slipped out of sight in silence. Like a ghost. As he trailed after her—following his nose to the delicious smell of brewed caffeine—he took a deep breath to steady himself for the sight of her. She was perched on a barstool in the kitchen. Her hair draped to one side as she scribbled in her well-loved notebook. He knew what lay hidden inside most of those pages. Intimate moments, dark memories, hurt, happiness, and undisclosed desires.
Her hazel eyes met his as the sound of his approach got her attention. She offered a weak grin and pushed an empty mug toward him.
“Cream’s in the fridge.”
He stood with his back to her, pouring the coffee and doctoring it with cream and a packet of sugar. He hated this feeling. They’d always been able to talk to each other. Talking was the easy part for them.
The pressure of her arms startled him as they slid around his waist and tightened into an embrace. He sucked in a harsh breath when she pressed her body against his back. He could feel her cheek against his shoulder and tensed at her heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Me, too.”
He let himself give in to the comfort of her hug for just a moment.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice breaking on the last word.
“I needed to touch you.”
He turned to face her, pushing her away with a gentle hand.
“You can’t touch me like that.”
The pain that radiated from her cut him.
“You don’t understand.” She looked up with unreadable eyes. “If you’d just let me explain.”
“I can’t listen to you talk about him. I don’t want to hear it.”
Her face paled and she started to speak but he held up a hand. “Don’t. I need some air,” he snapped.
Turning away, he didn’t give her a chance to continue before he left the house, relishing the head-clearing effect of the fresh air. He knew what she wa
s going to say. It was inevitable. She’d finally fallen for Aiden. When those words passed her lips he’d never be able to move beyond that truth. It would all be over. There’d be nothing left between them.
There’d be nothing left of him.
Chapter 20
Three years earlier
Angela’s eyes popped open when she heard her mother trying to be quiet as she snuck into the bedroom. The smell of bacon and coffee filled the room and she had to fight off a laugh as her mom muttered curses under her breath every time the coffee cup rattled.
“Happy birthday, Angie.”
Angela turned to face her mom and grinned. “Thanks.”
“I can Irish up your coffee for you if you want.”
She laughed. Twenty-one had finally arrived. “No thanks. Parker and Donovan are taking me out tonight.”
“Don’t go too crazy,” her mom warned.
“I won’t. Besides, Donovan is so overprotective. He treats me like his kid sister.”
“Good.” She smiled and placed the tray of breakfast on the dresser. “I like that boy.”
Angela suppressed an eye roll. Her mom wouldn’t like Donovan so much if she knew how often his bed partners rotated.
“Eat your breakfast, then come down for your presents. Dad and I got you something special this year.”
She didn’t miss the gleam in her mother’s eyes. Her mom was the worst secret keeper—constantly spoiling surprises.
Angela munched on her bacon and sipped at the coffee while she checked her phone to see if she’d missed her annual midnight birthday message from Garrett. Nothing. Her heart sank and she shoveled a forkful of eggs into her mouth.
As she came down the stairs, she realized how different her birthday seemed this year. Twenty-one was special. It was the year her focus wouldn’t drift. She’d been spending a lot of her time writing new material, working at the local vet clinic, and trying to keep her mind off Garrett.
A familiar, deep chuckle rang through the hall and had her stopped in her tracks. Her heart leapt into her throat and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. Garrett. She had to force herself not to run toward him as she came down the hall in her socks and pajamas. She wasn’t going to lose sight of her goals. That was why they’d made their pact.
“There she is,” her dad said as soon as he caught sight of her.
The whole family sat at the big kitchen table. Her brothers, Riley and Brandon, both looked uninterested and slightly annoyed. Little Asher happily played with his oatmeal, and her parents assessed her reaction as Garrett beamed at her.
“Surprise!” he offered, a wide grin on his face.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were too busy to come home.” She had to work to contain her excitement. He hadn’t made it for her birthday for the last two years because it was right in the middle of winter quarter, during mid-terms.
“Twenty-one. It’s a big one. Besides, this is the first time in four years you get to celebrate on your actual birthday. February twenty-ninth. How awesome is that? You turn twenty-one on leap day. There’s no way I could miss it.”
He stood, pushed the chair back, and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. She fought the urge to give in and let his scent overtake her.
“Missed you, Angie,” he whispered against her hair.
She had to clear the lump from her throat as he held her just a little too long.
“How long have you guys been planning this?” she asked.
“It’s been in the works for a while.” Her mom grinned, eyeing them suspiciously.
Angela separated herself from Garrett and snatched her coffee mug from the counter. She’d been so resolute just minutes before. Now that he was here, she didn’t know how to act. Filling her cup, she kept her eyes trained out the window to the bare bones of their garden.
Her mom’s warm hand rested over Angela’s arm. “Honey, was this a mistake?”
Taking a deep breath, she smiled. “No, it’s great. I’m just . . . really surprised.”
Garrett was playing with Asher while the family sat around the table eating breakfast. Angela smiled as she realized she was making this a bigger deal than it needed to be.
Her phone rang in the pocket of her robe and she scrambled to answer it.
“Morning, Val.”
“Happy birthday! Did you get your present?”
She could practically hear Valerie’s ear-to-ear grin. “I did. He’s sitting at the table playing with Ash right now.”
“Aw, what a guy.”
“Are you already at work?”
Valerie sighed. “Yes. I’m up to my eyeballs in gopher duties for this new guy.”
“How’s Grace?”
“Heartbroken, humiliated, take your pick.”
She shook her head. “She has nothing to be humiliated about. It was an accident. She didn’t cause the roof collapse.”
“It’s more . . . complicated than that, but I can’t talk about it.”
Angela nodded, and muttered a slight, “Mmm-hmm. Are you coming tonight? There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Actually, that’s part of the reason I called. I can’t come out. I’ve got to work late.”
Disappointment settled between her shoulders. “Val, you have to come. It’s my birthday.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been doing double duty, working with Grace and managing my new boss. I’ve got too much on my plate. I’ll take you to lunch today though. Will that work?”
She swallowed her frustration and put on a smile. “Fine, lunch sounds good. You can take me to The Creekside. I’m getting the biggest steak they serve.”
Valerie laughed on the other end of the line. “Okay. I deserve that.”
“It’s fine. The guys and I will have fun without you.”
She heard her sister’s soft chuckle followed by a cough and a murmured, “Right away, Mr. Ingram.”
Not wanting to get her sister in trouble, she muttered a soft, “I’ll see you for lunch.”
“Okay, I’ve got to go,” Valerie whispered and the line clicked.
She felt Garrett before he spoke. His presence radiated through her. “Your sister?”
“Yeah, she’s back from the UK for a few months.”
“Why?”
“Accident at their work site. Someone died. The project was put on hold until further notice.”
He winced. “That sucks.”
She nodded and shifted a few inches away from him. His arched eyebrow made it obvious that he recognized her discomfort.
“So that’s how it’s going to be?”
She feigned ignorance. “What?”
“You’re going to keep your distance.”
She wanted to tell him how hard it was for her to see him and not be able to give in to her feelings, but she couldn’t. She’d been the one to enact the pact in the first place.
“Angie, we decided this wasn’t going to be a thing a long time ago. I’ve moved on. You don’t have to worry about me making a move.”
He’d moved on. She’d suspected as much, but he’d never really admitted it to her. The realization hurt, but at the same time it freed her from the threads that had connected them.
“I’m not. It’s fine.”
Chapter 21
They started writing to ease the tension. Sitting in the living room at Jason’s cabin, Angela worked hard to keep the hurt at bay. After all, she’d been the one to tell Garrett no and shoot him down. She couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to realize the truth. Garrett had always been her endgame. It was his dark eyes that had haunted her dreams, his soft groans that fueled her fantasies, and his arms she wanted to feel around her.
Garrett’s mood changed as they im
mersed themselves in writing. Awkward and broody minutes gave way to less discomfort and more friendly partnership as time went on. When they finally broke for lunch she felt like they were on their way to healing a little of the rift between them.
“You guys finally ready to start putting something real together?” Parker called out from the dining room.
“What?” Garrett’s eyebrows shot up.
“You know, adding a bassist.”
Garrett visibly relaxed and his reaction made her curious.
“I think we could start putting some meat on the bones at this point.” She motioned toward the stairs and the waiting studio.
Jason started the recording and they worked together as a team, laying down basic demos of a few things they’d had brewing and then working to flesh out the new song she and Garrett had just written. His eyes stayed trained on his drum kit, avoiding her, but she could feel it—the spark that always struck between them when they wrote something great.
“Nice, guys.” Jason pressed a button and turned off the recording.
They sat in silence, and she could tell they were all enjoying the hum of what they’d just created.
Parker looked at his watch and grimaced. “Jase, if we don’t go now we’ll never make it.”
Angela’s head snapped up from the point she’d been staring at on the floor. “Go where?”
Parker flushed. “It’s our anniversary. Jason and I are heading out for dinner. He made us reservations at the resort’s spa, too, so we’ll be staying there tonight.”
Garrett coughed. “What about the band retreat?”
Parker had the grace to blush. “Sorry. I’ll be back tomorrow. You guys can work on writing some more while we’re gone.”