Page 44 of One More Song

“This is different. I...I really like her.”

His gaze narrows. “Then you shouldn’t have fucked her. You know what’s going to happen. You’re going to break her heart, and from what I can tell, the woman has already been fucked over once before.”

“I’m not going to hurt her.”

He snorts. “So what’s your plan? You’re going to ask her to move to L.A.? Have her and the kid come on tour with us?” He shakes his head. “She’d never go for it. Her life is here, and your life is—”

“Fucking supermodels and snorting blow,” I say bitterly. “A life to be proud of.”

Synn shakes his head. “So you want this?” he asks, motioning around him. “A boring ass life in the middle of nowhere, raising some other dude’s kid.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I say, my jaw clenching.

“Yeah, right,” he says. “A couple more weeks of this and you’ll be bored—”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“I know you better than you know yourself. And I know one thing, you’ve never committed to anything in your life.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I’ve given everything for the band.”

He laughs bitterly. “No. We’ve given everything for you. Coddled you like a fucking toddler, cleaning up your messes. I’m over it, Ash.”

“Fine. Then move on if that’s what you want.”

“What I want is for you to grow up for once in your life and think about anyone else but yourself.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” I say, a little too loudly, because I hear a door open, and footsteps.

I turn and see Cadence walking toward us, wearing her pink, princess PJs and rubbing her eyes.

“Hey, kiddo,” I say, lifting her up in the stool and giving Synn a warning glance. “You hungry?”

She grins up at me. “Pancakes?”

I rub my hand over her head messing her hair. “Coming right up.”

Synn is still sitting at the island with her, and as Cadence starts chatting away, I see some of his tension ease, and a small smile tugs at his lips when he looks at her.

She’s got him wrapped around her little finger too.

Chapter Seventeen

Ember

My heart doesa small flip when I walk into the front room and find Cadence with Ash, singing her heart out as he plays the chords to a song I’ve never heard.

I slept in this morning, which I never do. But last night with Ash exhausted me. Emotionally and physically. Even today my head is dizzy with thoughts and emotions and uncertainties...and hope.

“Mommy.” Cadence sees me and jumps up, clapping her hands. “Ash wrote me a song. Do you want to hear it?”

I glance at Ash, who just grins at me.

“Of course.”

“Are you going to sing it?” Ash asks her.

“I don’t know all the words.”

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