by Luxie Ryder
‘Because, I’m wise to him this time, Seth. I’ll get my cut up front and put it somewhere he will never find it.’
Aiden wasn’t buying it. ‘Why would you risk getting involved with someone like him again?’
‘It’s a great opportunity and more money than I’ve seen in a long time.’
‘Well, you might only be doing it for those reasons, but Wade’s got a much higher stake in this.’
Misty turned away, picked up her brush, and dragged it through her hair roughly. ‘Yes, I know. But what Wade wants and what he will get is two different things. I’m doing this for me. I made that much clear to him before I agreed.’
‘Then somebody didn’t get the memo because he was swaggering around here like he owns you,’ Seth said, leaning down beside to her meet her gaze in the mirror.
‘Nobody owns me.’
‘What if we asked you not to go?’
‘And do what instead—starve?’
Aiden had to stop Seth before he pushed her too hard. He could sense Misty wouldn’t take kindly to the Seth’s brand of persuasion. ‘You could work with us until something better came along—help us set up the business. We couldn’t pay you much of a wage, but you’d have all of your meals provided and a roof over your head.’
Misty smiled, trying to take the sting out of her words. ‘And what about my career? If I can’t sing, I may as well be dead. It’s the only thing that’s ever mattered to me.’
‘We could have a setup like this.’ Seth looked around, thinking out loud. ‘We’d have to get a little bit of money behind us first so we could refurbish one of the barns, but it could work.’
‘That’s not a bad idea, ‘Aiden said, catching Seth’s enthusiasm and turning to Misty. ‘Would you consider it then?’
She got to her feet, the sadness already in her eyes. ‘At any other time in the last couple of years, your offer couldn’t have made me happier, but not right now. This is a huge opportunity for me. Can’t you guys see that?’
Aiden did a better job of hiding his disappointment than Seth, but then he still hadn’t given up. ‘Okay, so once you’ve done this gig, you could come join us then.’
Again she didn’t react how he hoped. ‘Thing is, if things take off after this tour, I’ll be really busy, you know, promoting and stuff. Wade says…’
Her voice trailed off into a whisper when she looked into Aiden’s face, probably able to see he didn’t believe her. He would put everything he had on the odds of Wade spending every minute of his time with her trying to worm his way back in.
‘Are you rejecting the job or us?’
As usual, Seth cut to the chase, braver in some ways than Aiden could ever be.
‘I’m not rejecting anyone, just following my dream.’
‘And Wade’s a part of that dream?’ Seth asked.
‘Not in the way you think.’
Aiden didn’t need to hear anymore. ‘Then I hope get all you want from life, Misty. It obviously isn’t anything we can give you.’
‘That’s not fair. It’s not my fault this offer came when it did. If we’d met earlier then—’
‘Ah, but we did, remember. And as I recall, you ran away from us that time too.’
Aiden couldn’t regret causing the blush crawling over Misty’s cheeks. She needed to know that her actions had hurt them, not once but twice.
He turned and unlatched the door. ‘Come on, Seth. We’re in the way.’
Chapter 7
The tour bus rumbled to a stop at the back of a small theater about a hundred miles north of Nashville, and Misty got to her feet before the driver even opened the doors. Wade got up too. She wanted to scream at him to sit back down and give her some breathing room.
She couldn’t wait to get away from him. He worked her like a dog over the last two months, slotting extra gigs into her already hectic tour schedule. Being part of a touring show made things a little easier on her—a thirty-minute slot every other night didn’t wreck her throat or wear her out the way a full concert did. But Wade wasn’t the kind of guy to even consider the ramifications of putting strain on her voice, the very instrument that had made them money and saved his skin.
Just one more night, she thought yet again. She’d clung to these words like a mantra for weeks, counting down the days until the tour ended. Not only because she would finally be free of Wade. Her future happiness depended on how things went tonight—and only if Aiden and Seth accepted her invitation.
She carried her bags up to the last hotel room she hoped she would see in a very long time. Thanks to Wade’s determination to come on tour and the fact the promoters would only cover the bill for one room, they had to share. Sure, she could have made him pay for his own, but she would only have had to reimburse him for it out of the substantial amount of money she saved.
Wade had been as good as his word—paying off his debt as soon as he could, although it left him broke. Misty didn’t mind too much that he’d kind of assumed she would ensure he got food, clean laundry, and somewhere to sleep. At least this time there was a reason for her to put up with his sense of entitlement.
She’d been able to at least insist on twin beds so it wasn’t as if he could try anything with her, even if she wanted him to—which she didn’t. It didn’t stop him asking though. But since the night in North Carolina a week or so earlier, when she’d told him she was in love with someone else, he’d stopped even trying. Misty refused to divulge any details, letting him believe it was one of the cowboys he met in Broken Jaw.
He handled her confession better than he did the news she would never tour again. Wade told her she lost her mind to throw her career away just as it had begun to take off, but she stuck to her guns. Misty didn’t need to remind him that he wouldn’t have been involved anyway, no matter what she did next.
Wade followed her into the room and threw his bag onto one of the beds. Misty ignored him in favor of taking a long bath and easing the ache out of her shoulders. When she came back into the bedroom, he hadn’t moved from where she’d left him.
‘Aren’t you even gonna bother to unpack. There’s dirty laundry in your bag, Wade.’
Over the last few weeks, she’d begun to feel like his mother. With the sexual chemistry between them dead, for her at least, Misty realized they had very little in common. She couldn’t help but worry for him though. She loved him once and even considering all he had done to her, she wanted him to be happy.
‘I don’t need to unpack. I’m not staying.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m gonna head back to Nashville. You don’t need me here tonight.’
Misty told him of her plans to invite Aiden and Seth to come watch her perform a few days ago, but didn’t think he’d taken much notice. ‘You don’t have to leave, Wade. If they show up, I’m gonna let you have this room to yourself tonight.’
‘Which one of them is it you’ve fallen for?’
His swift change of subject was a tactic she remembered from the many times they argued in the past. Back then, she’d have blurted out an answer, but somehow, Wade had lost his ability to manipulate her. Or maybe she just didn’t care enough for it to work anymore.
‘What difference does it make?’
‘None I guess. They both seem like decent guys.’
‘They are. You really don’t have to leave you know.’
‘Yeah, I do.’
Wade opened his arms, asking for a hug for the first time in forever, rather than just trying to take one. Misty walked into his embrace, genuinely moved by the thought she may never see him again. He pressed a kiss onto her forehead and pulled away.
‘The least you can do is let me do the honorable thing this one time. I’d rather leave you through choice than have you taken from me, Misty.’
Her stomach dropped when she saw the pain in his eyes and realized that he really did still love her. She’d dismissed his feelings for so long, assuming all she ever been to him was a meal ticket. Misty h
adn’t believed he truly cared for her at all.
She grabbed his hands as he pulled away and gave them a little tug to force him to at her. ‘Do you have enough money for the bus?’
‘Yes. You’re not gonna have to pay me to leave you alone this time’’ He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a thick sheaf of papers. ‘I had these drawn up, and I’ve signed where I need to. You only have to add your signature and get them notarized, and you’re free.’
Scanning the document releasing her from the contract with Wade, Misty smiled at the irony of getting back the rights to her talent and career when she no longer cared about any of it.
‘Take care of yourself, Misty. Thanks for the ride.’
Wade kissed the top of her head and strode out of the room. Just like that, he was out of her life.
Misty sank onto the bed, stunned by another sudden development. She expected Wade to make things difficult for her when she tried to leave him after the tour. Fear of what he might do in front of Aiden and Seth had consumed her thoughts. Now, without the fight she readied herself for, she had nothing to do but sit and fret over whether they would turn up at all.
A couple of hours later, Misty’s nervousness escalated to such a pitch, she barely thought straight. Her hands shook so much as she dressed for the show that she had to ask one of girls she shared a dressing room with for help with a zipper on the back of her costume.
She turned to the mirror, taking small comfort in the fact that the outfit she would wear for them this time was one she actually liked. She smiled, remembering Aiden’s quip about Elvis impersonators and allowed herself a little moment of anticipation as she tried to imagine how the pair of them would react to seeing her now. The corset bodice in emerald green did amazing things to her eyes and complemented her pale skin. Her skintight jeans had multicolored sequins sewn down the seams that caught the light and glimmered like peacock feathers when she moved. Most nights, she curled her hair and swept it into an asymmetric chignon and allowed the ringlets to fall over one shoulder, but she didn’t want it that way when the boys saw her again. Misty knew they loved her hair down, natural, and flowing to her waist.
What if they didn’t come? The thought slammed through her once more. She knew she had hurt them deeply before and they may not want to forgive her a second time. Misty hadn’t been ready for what they offered back then, but now she was. The weeks spent on the road taught her that nothing meant more than their love. If she had any doubt she loved them before, she didn’t anymore. She spent too many nights missing them desperately and crying into her pillow not to be sure.
‘What’s wrong with you, honey?’
She jumped at a voice behind her. Rita, one of the older members of the troupe, placed a hand on Misty’s shoulder.
‘Are you sad the tour is coming to an end?’
She smiled and nodded, happy to let Rita believe whatever she wanted. The backstage intercom buzzed, and she heard them call her to the waiting area behind the stage. She went on in five minutes. Blowing out a hard breath to relieve some of the tension building in her throat that made it feel like it closed, Misty picked her guitar up from the table and made her way through the labyrinth of corridors at the back of the theater.
‘Come on,’ one of the crew whispered loudly, with a frantic wave meaning she should hurry. ‘Mary-Jo just cut her set short. You’re on—now!’
A hand made contact with the small of her back and Misty found herself propelled through the stage curtain before she had time to even worry if Aiden and Seth were waiting for her. She saved them the best seats in the house, in the very front row, so it took all of ten seconds for her to see they had chosen not to come.
The empty seats seemed to taunt her and the gap in the crowd reminded her of their absence, and how it would leave a gap in her life no one else could ever fill.
A movement at the corner of her vision made her heart leap into her throat and she strained to see the figures approaching down one of the aisles. But it wasn’t who she hoped for, just an old couple having trouble finding their way in the darkened auditorium.
Her eyes filled with tears, turning the faces of the crowd into a blur. Misty smiled. Years of training took over, reminding her to at least go through the motions until she got a hold of herself. By the time she’d finished the first verse of the song she always opened with, she didn’t need to hide her tears anymore. They dried up, along with any hopes she’d had, leaving her feeling nothing, but the hard lump in her chest.
Misty watched the audience while she worked her way through the short set list. How many knew a broken heart when they heard one and could feel the sadness in her voice? Were they even listening or simply waiting for her to get her set over with so the headline act would come on?
The time came for the last song, and Misty turned to the band, warning them she made a few changes to the playlist and needed no backup for this one. They didn’t care either way, shrugging as they exited the stage, happy, she felt sure, to have the unexpected five-minute break to get a beer or have a smoke.
Misty sang a new song, one she written about Aiden and Seth. One they would have known had been just for them. It spoke of their special kind of love and how the world wouldn’t understand. It told of her gratitude for finding someone who had known better than she did what she needed and how she thanked God every day that she’d come to know the truth. The last line of the song simply said she didn’t want to live in a world that didn’t have them in it.
The words could have been meant for a family or friends, but Misty knew Seth and Aiden would have understood them. As the last notes from her guitar strings faded into silence, she was crying openly and didn’t even try to stem the tears.
The audience didn’t know what caused her display of emotion, and no one seemed to care. To a person, the crowd got to its feet and began clapping, cheering, and shouting for more. Seeing their reaction just made her cry even harder. To achieve one of her dreams only when it didn’t matter to her anymore seemed so ironic. Misty ran from the stage.
Out in the cool night air a few minutes later, she thought of going back to the dressing room and reassuring everyone that she was okay, but she couldn’t face anyone. Not yet. Thankful she had the sense to grab her purse before she stumbled out of the building. She turned and headed up the alleyway leading to the street that ran along the side of the theater.
Two shadows loomed in front of her and blocked out the light from the streetlamp. Her heart lurched, more from surprise than real terror. The thought that she should run the other way barely formed before a voice she recognized made her start for an altogether different reason.
‘We were just coming to find you.’
‘Aiden?’ Misty didn’t care who the voice belonged to. She put a little distance between her and the dark shadows just in case.
‘Are you okay?’ The shape with Seth’s voice took a step forward. ‘We saw you crying and wanted to come see what was wrong.’
‘You were there?’ They nodded. ‘Why didn’t you use the seats I gave you?’
Aiden looked away and Seth cleared his throat before he spoke. ‘We didn’t intend for you to see us, Misty.’
‘Oh…’
They didn’t want her to know they were there? That meant they didn’t want to have to speak to her or spend time with her. Did Seth’s confession hurt any more than thinking they hadn’t come at all? She couldn’t be sure. Misty only knew she wasn’t handling her disappointment well and the thought of breaking down in front of them made her want to be sick. She tried to plaster a smile on her face.
‘As you can see, I’m fine. Thanks for coming, guys. Why not go back and enjoy the rest of the show?’
Misty angled closer to the wall so she could slip past them and escape another cruel irony—being so close to them again in a way she had dreamed of, yet knowing they didn’t want her anymore. At least the semi-dark alleyway saved her from the torture of being able to see into their eyes and finding them
empty of the love she craved.
A hand closed around her arm and pulled her back to where she stood only seconds earlier.
‘Where are you going?’
Frustration, at being unable to get away, stretched her reserves to breaking point and she began to cry. Her hands bunched in Aiden’s shirt when he moved to comfort her, and she dragged him closer with all her strength. Misty pressed her face into his chest, not caring that she stole the intimacy she’d been starved of, and sure it would be the last time she ever got to hold him.
Aiden took a couple of steps to the side, turning with her still in his arms, then she felt Seth’s hands on her shoulders and his lips pressed into the hair covering her ear.
‘Don’t cry anymore, Misty,’ he whispered.
The kindness in his tone just made her sob all the more, despite her efforts to stop. When Aiden began to pull away, she forced herself to let go of his shirt.
‘Where are you staying?’ he asked.
‘The Regal.’
‘Come on. We’ll walk you back.’
‘It’s okay. It’s only a block away.’
Aiden didn’t answer, so she let him lead her from the alleyway, clasping the hand he offered. A fresh bout of tears threatened, but she wouldn’t allow them to fall. Misty didn’t want to make them feel any worse than they probably already did. She definitely couldn’t handle their pity. She brought this on herself. She let Aiden’s hand slip from hers, determined to handle whatever they had to say with some measure of dignity.
The dark, quiet street seemed to amplify every sound around them as they walked in silence toward her hotel. Misty noticed how the clump of their boots set a counter rhythm to the fast click of her heels while she struggled to keep up with their long strides. The hotel entrance had come into view before anybody spoke.
‘That last song…’ Seth left the words hanging and turned to her. Aiden stopped walking too.
‘Oh, you heard it? ‘Her stomach began flip-flopping again. Of course they heard it.
