Page 7 of One More Song

Chapter Three

Ember

I breathein Cadence’s sun-kissed skin, running a hand over her dark blonde hair. My entire existence feels topsy-turvy at the moment, but she is my one sure thing. My constant. My whole wide world.

Nothing - and more importantly, no one - is going to screw that up.

“What happened at school?” I ask, but she is already pulling back, a question in her eyes.

“Who’s that?” she asks, her finger pointed at Ash.

I hesitate. And in the second it takes me to stand and look back at the man who is arrogant and ornery and so handsome that my belly is flip-flopping, he answers.

“I’m Asher Stone, Madame,” he says, bowing at the waist, the earlier intensity in his eyes replaced by something almost playful, kind, making my heart stutter. He grins down at Cadence. “And who might you be?”

She smiles, a giggle escaping her and she gives him a curtsy, never one to shy away from dramatics, and having watched Cinderella one too many times. “I’m Lady Cadence Hamilton, Sir.”

To his credit, Asher lifts his eyebrows and waves his hand theatrically. They teach this in rock star school for all I know. “Well, I’m certainly pleased to make your acquaintance. I wasn’t expecting to me meet a Lady today, but I suppose it makes sense considering we’re in this large estate.”

Her face squishes up. “Large state? Like Texas?”

Asher laughs. “No, milady.Estate, it means a very big house. And your house is quite large.”

“It was my grandma’s.” Cadence walks over to the piano bench and plops down, running her hands over the uncovered keys. My own fingers itch for a simpler time. When I was just a little girl like her, at my grandmother’s house for my weekly piano lesson. When my world was still upright, when both Mom and Dad were alive. Now, everything is on an axis I wasn’t prepared for. You’d think four years would be long enough to get over my failed dreams. Turns out, it’s not.

“Well, it’s a lovely house,” Asher says. “I mean, from what I’ve seen of it. I just arrived.”

Cadence shrugs. “My dad hates it. Says it’s an expensive memory.”

I flinch at her words - wondering when Mitch would have filled her head with something like that. Add it to the list of things I need to discuss with him. It can go along with the talk aboutNo more unsupervised YouTube binges.Our custody agreement works in my favor, but it seems like three days every other week does more harm than good.

“Are you my mom’s friend?” she asks him.

“I am.” Asher grins. A grin that reveals dimples I didn’t need to see. Because seeing them does something to my core. Tightens it. Warms it. Reminds me just how long it’s been since I’ve been with a man.

Years.

And even when I was with Mitch, there was no tenderness. Only his needs.

“How do you know her?” Cadence asks, strumming her little fingers over the keys. She can pick out a melody, but the thing needs to be tuned. Maybe now that I have extra money for the first time in ages, I can get it fixed, teach her to play properly.

“Actually, I want to talk to you about that,” I say, reaching out my hand to her. “Let me fix you a snack in the kitchen, okay?”

She jumps off the bench and waves goodbye to Ash as we leave the living room. Ash watches me go, and I feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look back. I can’t. Because for the first time in years, I don’t trust myself.

In the kitchen, I slice cheddar cheese for Cadence and arrange a handful of crackers on a plate. Pouring her ice-cold lemonade from the fridge, I watch as she pulls herself onto a stool and sits at the island.

“So I wanted to tell you, Asher and his friends Dusky, Synn, and Saint will be here for the next few months, with us. In the house. They’re the ones who are renting out the upstairs bedrooms.”

Cadence’s mouth is full of saltines and she keeps crunching away, unfazed by my declaration.

“Did you have any questions about that?” I ask.

She shakes her head, making a cheese and cracker sandwich and cramming it in her mouth. Her princess manners seemed to have been left with Asher in the living room.

I turn on the oven and slide the casserole in to bake. “And the special thing is, they play music, so they’ll—”

“What kind of music?” Cadence asks just as the foursome makes their way into the kitchen.

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