At least I’d managed to tell her how I felt. What she chose to do with that information was up to her, but if we didn’t reconcile, it wouldn’t be my fault. Not entirely. Yeah, I’d said some stupid shit I regretted, but I did everything I could to fix things between Mia and me.
Maybe our conversation would have turned out differently if Izzy hadn’t walked past. I couldn’t believe the things she said to Mia, and whether my ex knew it or not, I wasn’t taking her words lightly. A feeling in the pit of my stomach said Izzy wasn’t joking when she said this wasn’t over. If she had any sense at all, she would leave her sister alone. I’d never strike a woman, but I would protect Mia any way I could.
Once I made it to the condo, I headed toward my room. Tonight’s concert didn’t start for a few hours, which left me enough time to eat, shower, and change. I promised Bentley we’d meet up before the show and grab a couple drinks.
He and Andi planned to hang out during the concert, which meant Mia would be alone. Perhaps I could convince her to hang out with me, maybe have a drink. I’d be on good behavior.
As I made my way to my room and opened up the door, I glanced at Mia’s suite. Even if she didn’t want to hang out, it wouldn’t stop me from watching over her. I’d find an excuse to be in the same vicinity as her.
Shutting the door behind me, I yanked off my shirt and tossed it onto the couch. The liquor bottle on the counter caught my eye as I walked toward my bathroom. I turned on the water, waiting for it to get hot. The longer I stood there, the more I contemplated taking a shot before I got in the shower. Maybe it would help relax me.
Just as I walked back to the living room, my door rattled in its frame. Someone knocked hard enough to make it shake. I wondered if it was something urgent.
The second I opened the door, anger pulsed through me. Seeing my ex once today had been enough. Now Izzy was standing at my door, but she wasn’t gloating like she did most days. She’d been in a dark mood since the miscarriage, which was understandable. Still, it worried me.
“What do you want, Izzy?”
“I came to see how you were doing.” She stared at my chest when she asked the question.
“I’m good.” I didn’t know what else to say. Was she expecting me to ask how she was doing? I didn’t want to have a conversation with her. I had shit to do.
“You don’t look like you’re good. After seeing you with my sister earlier, I sensed the tension between you.”
Her response was the reason I didn’t want to talk to her. She was prying into my personal life, trying to obtain information on my relationship with Mia. I wasn’t falling for it.
“Izzy, I don’t have the energy for this. Butt out of my life. You’ve caused enough damage.”
She met my gaze this time. “I never wanted to cause you pain, Ayden. All I wanted was to be with you and make up for the way I treated you in the past. I thought I was getting the chance when I got pregnant, but I guess I was wrong.”
Nope. I was not doing this with her. Not now. Not ever.
“I’m sorry you suffered a miscarriage, but nothing has changed between us. I don’t believe that kid was mine.”
Her eyes narrowed as her nostrils flared. “I wish the baby had survived just so I could prove it was yours.”
I nosed closer. “That makes two of us. I can’t mourn the loss of your child when there’s no proof it was mine. Your word means nothing.” Gripping the door, I took a step back to shut it but Izzy grabbed my arm and came inside. “Get the fuck out of my suite.”
“Ayden, wait. Just hear me out. Things didn’t work out with you and Mia for a reason.”
“Yeah, two reasons—you and Wesley. You guys did everything in your power to tear us apart.”
Izzy cocked her head to the side and snorted. “We may have played a part in it, but things wouldn’t have failed if you and my sister were in love. You lost faith in each other.”
“We have not.” I gritted my teeth and jerked my arm back, but she didn’t release it. Instead, she grabbed it with both hands.
“You and Mia wouldn’t have lasted, regardless of Wesley or me. My sister realized that, which is why she doesn’t want to be with you anymore. But I do, Ayden.” She placed my hand on the left side of her chest. “I love you, despite your faults.”
Her admission made me ill.
“You disgust me. Everything you said proves how warped your mind is.” This time, I used my strength and pulled out of the grip she had on my arm. “I don’t care what you say or do, I will never love you, and you will never replace Mia.”
“You want to bet?”
I had just enough time to hear her when she grabbed the waist of my jeans and dragged me toward her. As I stumbled forward, she stopped me from falling. Then she fumbled with my pants. I didn’t realize she’d unbuttoned and unzipped them until her fingers plunged toward my cock.
“What the fuck?” I tried to push her back, but she went down on her knees. She was like a feral animal attacking me, doing her best to get to my dick. When I tried to back away, she wrapped her arms around my legs.
My mind was slow to process what was happening. It was the gasp I heard that caused me to push Izzy back. Someone was standing at my door.
My gut twisted when I gazed up and saw Mia staring back at me.
~Mia~
My heart raced as I gripped the handle to the front door of the condo and stared in silence. I hadn’t thought about how to start this impending conversation with Ayden, but I was almost out of time. I couldn’t just knock on his door and blurt out that I was pregnant.
More than anything, I feared his reaction.
Hearing voices in the distance, I spotted Andi and Stevie standing near the wall surrounding the condo. Part of me worried they had seen me heading this way and were coming to chat. Andi was waving at someone else but I didn’t see who.
The door eased open as I stepped inside and proceed through the hall. The sooner I found Ayden, the quicker I could do this. I didn’t want Andi or Stevie walking in during this conversation. Hopefully, he would invite me in and we could have our discussion in his suite.
When I was a few feet away, my steps slowed. I was no more prepared for our conversation than I was when D suggested I do this. Maybe there wasn’t a way to prepare. How was I supposed to look him in the eye and tell him I not only lied, but I was pregnant with his child?
Once I approached his door, it appeared to be open. Voices came from inside, and they sounded strained. The instant I made it to the doorway, I froze. My body felt as though it had been weighed down, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain in my heart. The sight before me caused it to shatter.
Izzy was on her knees in front of Ayden. Her head was in the same spot as his dick, and she was facing him, pulling at his unfastened jeans. I wasn’t sure if he was pushing her away or pulling her closer. The fact he had no shirt on only convinced me of the worst. So did the wide-eyed look he gave me once he pushed her away.
Footsteps sounded down the hall, but I didn’t look to see who it was. They grew louder just before they stopped. It wasn’t long before I heard Andi say my name. I assumed she saw me enter the building. Maybe she was coming to ask me questions. I didn’t know, didn’t care.
She stood beside me a second later. Regardless of that fact, I couldn’t look at her. I wasn’t sure how long it took her to figure out what held my attention, but I felt her tug my arm.
“Mia, let’s go.”
Ignoring her request, I kept focused on Ayden. He’d managed to zip and button his jeans. Then he advanced toward me. My heart slammed in my chest at the thought of talking to him. There was no way I could mention anything I’d come to tell him.
Just before he reached me, Bentley cut off his path. I hadn’t realized he was with Andi when she found me, but it didn’t surprise me. Ayden disappeared from my sight as Bentley pushed him back.
I didn’t see what happened after that. Andi grabbed my arm and guided me down the hallway and
out the main door. As soon as we were outside, she helped me into the golf cart then jumped in the driver’s side. Sand flung from the pavement as she pressed the pedal and sped toward the arena.
Instead of pulling into our usual parking spot in the front, she drove around to the back near the tour bus parking area. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the steering wheel. She must have sensed me staring because she glanced at me.
“Are you okay?”
I did my best to answer, but no words would come out. I didn’t know how I felt and I wasn’t sure what I’d witnessed, but every nerve inside of me throbbed. My chest was tight, breathing shallow. I wasn’t sure if I was going to throw up or pass out, but I broke into a cold sweat.
“Mia, please talk to me. I’m worried about you.”
Tears blurred my vision. My body racked with sobs as I cried. What the hell had I interrupted? I wanted to believe Ayden had been fighting off my sister, but doubt crept into my mind. From where I stood, it appeared as though she was about to give him a blowjob.
My stomach knotted. Had Ayden been lying to me this whole time? He’d told me less than an hour ago that he wasn’t giving up on us. Now it seemed as though he had changed his mind. I sure as hell hadn’t given him a reason to hold out hope. If he was hooking up with my sister, I had myself to blame.
God, what was I going to do? I couldn’t tell Ayden about the baby now. It wouldn’t be much longer before I was showing. That left one conclusion. I had to leave Music Haven. The question was, for how long? Andi would take care of the place, and my father would step in if I asked. I trusted that he would protect my secret when I told him.
I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t see Andi park the cart or leave it until she was standing beside me. “Mia, tell me what to do. How can I help?”
Slumping my shoulders, I shook my head and covered my eyes. There was no help for me at this point. My hopes and dreams just went up in flames. The sinking feeling in my gut said this was everything that I feared. Ayden was moving forward. He had every right, but why was he with the one person he swore he despised?
Andi moved back when I stood from the cart. “Where are you going?
“Backstage.” My voice cracked when I spoke. “I have to prep for the . . .” A twinge in my stomach had me doubling over. I cradled my belly and sucked in a deep breath.
“Mia, what’s wrong? Is it the baby?”
“I don’t know.” Fear spiraled through me. I prayed I wasn’t having a miscarriage. Was this my punishment for lying to Ayden and keeping the news from him? Not only was I losing him, but I was also losing our child too?
Everything spun around me. I stumbled back to the cart and leaned my weight against it. Andi was saying my name and hovering over me, but she sounded far away, even when she yelled for help.
My vision grew darker. Everything around me was fading. As my eyes fluttered shut, all the sounds around me disappeared. So did everything else but the strong arms lifting me.
A sense of peace washed over me, and I gave in to the darkness.
Chapter 6
~Ayden~
Bentley glared at Izzy before his eyes made it back to me. Much like Mia and Andi, he was thinking the worst. Izzy had set me up again whether she had planned to or not. Mia would never believe me when I told her the truth. After what she saw . . .
Why in the hell had she come to my suite anyway? When we spoke earlier, I didn’t get the feeling she wanted me around. Of course, I’d asked her one last time if she had cancer before asking if she was pregnant. I was sure she was tired of my shit.
“Izzy, you need to leave, and you better listen this time. Do not test me.”
She huffed as she stood and adjusted her clothing. After she smoothed her shirt, she backed to the door. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.”
“Get. Out.”
I heard her scoff before walking out of my suite. Bentley didn’t waste any time closing the door behind her or turning to glare at me. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“Ben, it’s not the way it looks. I swear to you.”
“So you weren’t about to get a blowjob from your crazy ex?”
“No!” I shook my head. “If you had arrived five minutes sooner, you would have seen me telling her to leave. When I tried to shut the door, she pushed her way inside.”
Bentley folded his hands behind his back and paced in front of the door. He stopped after the third pass and faced me again. “So she pushed her way inside. Then what?”
Slumping my shoulders, I rubbed my face as I thought back to the moment Izzy came into my suite. “She did her best to convince me that Mia and I aren’t meant to be together. When I told her she was wrong, she unzipped my jeans and went straight for my dick. I tried to push her away again, but she dropped to her knees and attacked me.”
“And that’s when Mia showed up?”
“Yes. I heard someone gasp right as I pushed Izzy away from me. I know it made me look guilty, but I swear I’m not.”
Bentley pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. “I won’t lie. What just happened doesn’t look good.”
“Tell me about it. I don’t know if Izzy did this on purpose or if it was a coincidence. After chatting with Mia earlier, the last thing I expected was for her to show up at my suite. I’d still like to know why she came.”
“Good luck finding out the answer.”
His words made my blood chill. My relationship with Mia was not ending like this. I refused to let it happen. Izzy wasn’t controlling my life anymore. Before the night was over, Mia would know the truth.
“Where did Andi take her?”
Opening his eyes to look my way, Bentley shrugged his shoulders. “I have no clue.”
“Text her. I want to know where Mia is. No way in hell am I leaving things like this. She has to hear my side.”
My friend clenched his phone in his hand and stared at it like he was debating to text or not. I needed him on my side in this. If the roles were reversed, I would do what I could to help him.
“Ayden, I want to help you, but—” His phone vibrated. When he glanced at it, he grimaced. After typing a reply to whoever had texted, he looked at me. “Andi just sent me a message. Mia passed out again.”
“What the hell?”
He motioned for me to stop talking. “Chris is with her. Andi is waiting for him to finish his examination. She wants me to join her.”
“Where is she?”
Bentley slipped his phone into his pocket and avoided my gaze. “She’s backstage in one of the dressing rooms.”
I strode toward the door and grabbed the handle. Before I pulled it, Bentley placed his hand at the edge, preventing me from opening it.
“Where are you going?”
“Where do you think? I have to see her.”
When I tried opening the door, he shut it back. “Don’t do this, Ayden. There is no way in hell Andi will let you in the room. Have you forgotten how protective she was at the hospital?”
“I have a right to be there. I love Mia, damn it. I want to know she’s okay.”
Bentley patted my arm. “I get that, man. I do, but it would better if you waited. Give Mia some space. She may have to go back to the hospital.”
Stepping back from the door, I glared at my friend. “You’re right. She may have to go back. That’s why I need to be there.”
As Bentley pressed his back against the door, he faced me. “I promise I will call you if it comes to that. For now, let’s diffuse the tension. Stay here until I get back to you.”
“But what if something bad happens?” I didn’t know if it was the stress of what Mia saw that caused her to faint again. It could have something to do with whatever caused her to pass out at the hospital, but I felt like it was my fault. If something happened to Mia because of me . . .
“Bro,” Bentley left his spot near the door and approached me, “if anything happens, I will call. I give you my word.”
&nbs
p; All I did was nod. It was enough to satisfy my friend. He thanked me for my decision and turned to leave. As soon as the door closed, I began counting. It would take Bentley a few minutes to reach the backstage. Once I was sure he had, I’d put the second part of my plan into action.
~Mia~
Music filtered through the arena as Andi blocked the entrance to the dressing room. I could see Bentley’s shirt and the sleeve he’d rolled up to his elbow. Both had remained in the same position since Chris finished my exam and opened the door.
Their voices were low enough that I couldn’t hear them, but I knew they were discussing me. Why else would they whisper?
Shifting my focus across the room, Chris sat at the vanity writing some notes inside my chart. He’d taken care of me since he began working at Music Haven years ago, but my chart was thin. I never had any medical issues in the past. Now I’d fainted twice since getting pregnant.
The sound of Andi’s voice caught my attention as I heard her speaking to someone beside her. “Hey. Thanks again, for earlier.”
A lower voice replied, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. From what I could see, Andi was filling in whoever it was about my condition. I knew it wasn’t Ayden just by the tone of her voice. It held no hostility.
She peered in my direction a second later. I noticed Bentley doing the same. Then I saw D.
Relief swept over me to know he was the one standing outside the door instead of Ayden. I wasn’t ready to see him. The mere thought made my chest tighten.
Chris placed his pen inside his shirt pocket and closed my chart. He clutched the folder, putting it in the bend of his arm before doing the same with the fetal heart Doppler. After he motioned for Andi to shut the door, he walked toward me.
“I didn’t find anything abnormal in your exam, and the fetal heartbeat is perfect.”
“So what’s wrong? Why do I keep passing out?”
Love Deserved (Rock N Roll Heiress Book 3) Page 5
