One More Song

by Seabrook, C. M.

  But I have responsibilities. Synn reminded me of that. Contracts that need to be fulfilled. And people counting on me. But the only two people I care about right now are Ember and Cadence.

  Someone clears their throat, and Ember quickly pulls back, eyes widening when she sees Synn watching us.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” he says, expression unreadable. He looks at me. “But I need to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck and following him into the front sitting room, where all our gear is spread out like the place is home.

  It’s what it feels like.

  A place I could grow some roots. Settle down, but still write music. Not that I have any delusions that the guys would go for it, they’re already stir-crazy, longing to get back to L.A.

  “You going to lecture me again?” I ask. “’Cause right now isn’t the best time. Ember is going through—”

  “I get that her ex fucked her over, but that’s not our problem.”

  “You’re an ass, you know that?”

  He glares at me. “You can think whatever you want, but a couple years from now, you won’t even remember the chick’s name. What you will have is another platinum record if you can manage to keep your head on straight.”

  “We’ve already got enough songs—”

  “Exactly.” He leans against the wall, arms crossed. “We’ve been sending them to Maryll every few days. And like Saint mentioned, she loves them. She just called and she’s flying us home in two days. She’s already set up time in the studio—”

  “You had no right.”

  “I have every right.” He pushes away from the wall and pokes a finger at my chest. “You owe us this. After everything you’ve put us through the past couple years, it’s time you gave something back.”

  “Ember needs me.”

  “I need you.”

  I hold my best friend’s gaze, knowing he’s ready to fight. But so am I.

  “We can record the album any time. We stay the three months like we planned.”

  “Why? So she’ll fall even more in love with you?” He shakes his head and starts to walk away. “I’m not having this same fight with you again. We’re leaving in two days. End of discussion.”

  When he’s gone, I sit down heavily on the sofa and drop my head into my hands. He’s right that I owe him. But I’m not ready to leave.

  How in the fuck am I supposed to tell the woman I’m falling for, goodbye?

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ember

  “I just can’t believe Mitch would do that to you,” Millie says. “I don’t understand why he would think a judge would grant this.”

  I’m on her couch, a glass of wine in hand, and we’re catching up during a commercial break. Our weekly Bachelor date has been canceled lately, but I am overdue for a heart-to-heart with her. The girls are having a school night sleepover in Tabitha’s room, which they think is the most exciting thing ever. They’re already tucked into the bunk bed. I plan on crashing on Millie and Keith’s couch. No way was I going to ask Mitch to watch her after this curveball was just thrown at me.

  “We’ve never had a formal custody agreement,” I explain. “It was just a verbal understanding. Nothing in writing.”

  “Really? All this time? Why wouldn’t you have—”

  I cut her off, lifting a hand. It’s not fair to keep her in the dark any longer. She doesn’t understand where I’m coming from because I haven’t let her in.

  “I had my reasons, Millie.” I set down my glass of Pinot Grigio and exhale. “I’m not who you think I am.”

  Millie lifts an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I have a past.”

  She twists her lips. “Honey, we all do.”

  Rolling my eyes, I tuck my feet under me, shoving a throw pillow across my chest. “Mine is pretty bad.”

  She squeezes my hand. “I’m here for you, girl.”

  And I know she is. So I tell her everything, missing the second half of our coveted show and instead telling her more about my marriage, the pregnancy, the drug bust. The jail time.

  By the time I’m through, we’re both in tears, have finished the bottle of wine, and it’s nearly midnight. “And so now he is serving me this custody agreement knowing if I fight it, if I go to court, I’ll lose. No judge is going to see my record and let me retain custody. Ash may have hired a fancy lawyer, but the facts remain. I took the fall for Mitch and now he’s going to make my life a living hell.”

  “Don’t give up hope, babe,” she says. “I know that sounds trite, but I mean it. You never know what might happen.”

  I nod, taking the final sip of my wine and then setting down the glass. “That’s what Ash says.”

  Millie’s eyes soften. “You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”

  I bite my bottom lip, tears falling down my cheeks. “Am I just repeating the past? Falling for a guy who’s no good for me?”

  “From what you’ve told me about him, Ash is nothing like Mitch.”

  “You’ve seen the video.”

  “Yeah, but people change. Like I said, we all have our pasts.” She squeezes my hand.

  “I know. But as much as I want it, I just don’t see a future with him in it. He’s a freaking rockstar, Mil. And I’m...”

  “An amazing, beautiful, kind, loyal woman who deserves to be happy.”

  I hug her, more tears burning my eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You’re sure you want to crash here tonight?” she asks, one brow raised. “I mean I love you, babe, but if I had to choose between sleeping on this lumpy old couch versus sharing a bed with Asher Stone—”

  I toss a pillow at her and laugh.

  “I’m serious. Go home, Em. I’ll take Cadence to school in the morning. Have a night to decompress. Everything will look better tomorrow.”

  I hope she’s right. But it’s hard not to let my anxiety overwhelm me. I can’t lose Cadence. It would destroy me - completely.

  Ash is on the couch playing his guitar when I walk in the front door. He stands when he sees me, concern flashing in those gray eyes as he walks toward me.

  “Thought you were gone for the night.” The house is quiet, the other guys either in their rooms or gone out, and he doesn’t hesitate to pull me into his arms.

  I relax against him, fingers curling in his shirt and breathe him in. Millie was right, this is where I need to be tonight. “I needed this,” I whisper against his chest.

  His hand cups my jaw and he forces me to look at him. Those stormy eyes of his are full of emotions I can’t interpret. But I see the worry there. “Ember—”

  “I don’t want to talk right now. I just...I need...”

  He nods, understanding, and takes my hand, leading me to my bedroom.

  Our clothes are discarded quickly, his mouth and hands roam across my body, making me feel and forget. And when our flesh connects, I’m lost in him.

  My nipples ache, my clit throbs, and trails of heat and sensations whip across every nerve in my body. Both lost and found in his arms.

  I focus my anger, my fear, my frustration into taking what I want - the pleasure, the pain. I ride him, hard, uninhibited, my head rolling back, my moans filling the room.

  Electric pleasure races through me, my pussy tightening around his thick cock. My nails dig into his flesh, my hips rocking against his deep, penetrating movements that have my entire body pulsing, throbbing.

  “Ash,” I cry out, sensations exploding through my core, pleasure erupting inside me, so powerful I feel the world tilt, my vision go dim.

  He flips me on my back, thrusting deep as I ride the seemingly never-ending wave of my orgasm, and he comes hard inside me, my name a guttural sound on his lips as he does.

  We lay there for a moment, our bodies still connected, catching our breaths.

  God, I love him. There’s no denying it now.

  He rolls over and discards the condom, before tu
rning back to me and wrapping me in his arms.

  I run my fingers over his abs, my cheek against his chest. It feels right, having him here, in my bed.

  Safe.

  Protected.

  That’s what I feel.

  Like even though I’m terrified of losing my daughter, I know somehow Ash will make it right.

  “Cadence wanted me to ask you if you’ll go to her dance recital this Sunday,” I murmur sleepily.

  I feel him tense, and he shifts to his side, his expression heavy when he looks at me. “Actually, I need to talk to you about that.”

  “If it’s too weird, I get it. I know there’ll be people who’ll recognize you.”

  “It’s not that.” He sits up, and his lips turn down, a deep V forming between his brows.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He sighs, dragging a hand through his hair, jaw clenching. “Synn was talking to our manager today.” He looks at me then, and I feel the weight of what he’s about to say. “She wants us back in L.A.”

  “Oh.” Ice pricks at my skin, and I sit up, pulling the sheets around me. “When?”

  He winces. “Two days.”

  The shock has me silenced for a moment. He’s leaving. Already. I knew it was inevitable, despite how hard my heart didn’t want to believe it. But two days?

  It’s too soon.

  I get out of bed and gather my clothes, dressing quickly.

  “Ember—”

  “It’s okay, really. I get it.”

  “You don’t have to worry about the money. You’ll get to keep the full amount and—”

  I laugh harshly and turn on him, frustration and hurt making me want to lash out. “Great. I appreciate that.”

  He stands and grabs his pants, shrugging them on. “I know you’re upset.”

  Tears threaten, but I blink them away. “I’m not. I knew what this was when we started. I don’t expect anything from you.”

  “Ember—”

  I hold up my hand when he moves toward me. “Don’t. It’s fine. You have your life and I have mine. And honestly, I can’t worry about anything other than Cadence right now, so it’s probably best that you’re leaving.”

  His eye twitches and his nostrils flare. “Right.”

  We stand there in silence for a moment, and I feel my heart shattering, my insides breaking into a million pieces. But I won’t let him see it.

  “I’m exhausted,” I say, opening the door. “And I need to get up early tomorrow.”

  He hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t want things to end like this.”

  “It was always going to end, Ash. This was just...sex.”

  His lips thin and he nods. “Sure. I guess you’re right.” He walks out the door but stops to turn back to me.

  I shut it before he can say anything else. Because there’s nothing else to say.

  He’s leaving.

  And I’m here.

  And my whole world is collapsing around me.

  I fall into bed, curling into a ball, the heaviness of the day finally taking its toll. Tears start, and they don’t stop until sleep finally consumes me.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ash

  I need a drink. Or something stronger. Because I can’t get Ember’s eyes out of my head. The look of betrayal. The hurt.

  And then her words.

  It was always going to end, Ash. This was just sex.

  That’s what it was supposed to be. What it should have stayed. But my heart got twisted up in hers. Ember made me feel things I didn’t think were possible.

  At the Graveyard, I sit down at the bar and order a whiskey neat, telling the bartender to keep the bottle beside me. He lifts a brow, but nods.

  Day drinking isn’t something I’ve done since I’ve been here. I’ve tried to stay clean. And I realize that I did it more for Ember than anything. But what’s the fucking point now? I’ve lost her.

  Or maybe I never had her.

  Just sex.

  Did she really believe that?

  “Bullshit,” I mutter, slamming back another shot.

  Half a bottle later, my head is fuzzy, but my heart still hurts like a son-of-a-bitch.

  “Christ,” Synn says, sitting down beside me. “You look like shit.”

  I grunt. “How did you find me.”

  “Just followed the scent of whiskey.” He pushed the bottle away when I reached to pour another glass. “You doing this to spite me?”

  I laugh harshly. “You really think everything is about you?”

  He sighs. “I get that you’re pissed—”

  “I’m not pissed, I’m in love.”

  His brows shoot up, then he shakes his head slowly, before reaching over the bar for a glass and pouring himself a drink. He downs it before turning back to me and saying, “And what the fuck am I supposed to say to that? You want advice, because I doubt you’ll like what I have to say.”

  “No shit, it’s because of you that I’m going to lose her.”

  He snorts. “Bullshit. If you really loved her, you wouldn’t let me stand in the way.”

  I glare at him. “You’re the one with the ultimatum. You need me, right?”

  “I need you to grow the fuck up. If you love her, then maybe...” He drags a palm over the back of his neck. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe you have.”

  “She doesn’t want me.”

  Synn snorts. “I know you’re not that much of an idiot. The woman is in love with you.”

  “Maybe. But I’m not good for her. Shit, she’s about to be in the middle of a messy custody battle. The last thing she needs is that douchebag using me against her.”

  Synn shrugs. “Yeah, it’s messy all right. But both she and her kid could use someone in their corner.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  He lets out a heavy breath. “We get this record done and come back here. See if this is what you want. And if it is...figure out a way to make it work.”

  I stare into my empty glass, emotions lashing through me. So many that I can’t pick out one from the other.

  Synn smacks my back. “Let’s get you back and sober you up before Ember sees you like this.”

  I place a wad of bills on the bar, then follow Synn out, the sunshine blinding me and making my head ache like a motherfucker.

  Thankfully, Ember isn’t home when I get there, so I manage to make it up to my room without her seeing me pissed out of my head. I kick off my shoes and fall into bed, passing out within minutes.

  The room is dark when I wake up to my phone buzzing in my pocket.

  “Yeah?” My voice is groggy when I answer, not bothering to check the name on the screen.

  “Ash, this is Tina LeBlanc.” My lawyer. “I have some information about Mitchell Hamilton.”

  That has me sitting up, and my head spinning with the movement. I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Anything good we can use against him?”

  “His record is pretty clean.”

  “Fuck,” I mutter.

  “But there is something. Did your friend Ember ever mention that the man was abusive?”

  Ice pricks at the back of my neck. “No. Why?”

  “She was admitted to the hospital with a spiral fracture, and a few other injuries that suggested abuse. Hamilton was the one who brought her in. He was questioned, but no charges were laid.”

  “I’ll kill the bastard.”

  “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

  I breathe in a few steady breaths and try to get my anger under control. But the thought of that asshole putting his hands on Ember stirs a violence inside me I’ve never felt before.

  “Anything else?”

  “He had a DUI when he was eighteen, but other than that, no. I’m sorry.”

  “Can you win this case?” I ask her.

  She sighs. “Because the child has been with the mother this entire time, we have a good chance.”

  I hear the hesitation in her voice.
“But?”

  “Her drug charge will hurt her. Plus, there was never a formal agreement before.”

  “Just do whatever you need to do to make sure that bastard doesn’t win.”

  When I end the call, I fall back into bed and stare up at the ceiling.

  I’d been a selfish prick earlier, feeling sorry for myself. Ember may not want my help, but she’ll damn well get it.

  My past isn’t squeaky clean - I’ve fucked up more times than I can count - but I’ve never laid a hand on a woman and I sure as hell never will.

  Mitch may be Cadence’s father, but I know there’s more to him than he’s letting on. And I’m not going to sit back and let him take away Ember’s happiness with unfair threats. I may not have always been the man I needed to be - but we all deserve a second chance.

  This is mine.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ember

  The guys are packing up their gear when I get home from my morning shift at the grocery store. I try my best to be polite and paste a smile on my face when Dusky makes a joke, but there’s tension in the air.

  Ash watches me from a distance, those stormy eyes darker than normal. But when he follows me into the kitchen, I make myself busy, pulling out eggs and flour to make a chicken pot pie for dinner.

  “I need to talk to you.” He leans against the counter, arms crossed.

  “Then talk.” I crack an egg, then start measuring flour.

  His hand rests on my arm, and he gently pulls me toward him.

  “Ash, don’t.”

  “Tell me about your arm.”

  I blink up at him. “What?”

  “Your arm. How did you break it?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “I told you I had someone looking into Mitch, into your case.” He brushes my hair away from my face. “Tell me what happened.”

  I let out an uneven breath. “It was nothing, really.”

  “Is that the truth? Or what he told you to say? You don’t have to protect him anymore.”