Page 27 of Hard Rock Temptation
“No,” I said, surprised at the steadiness of my voice. “No, I don’t want to go home. I want?—”
Micah waited for me, then prompted. “What do you want? Whatever it is, we’ll do it.”
“I want to go shopping,” I declared.
He paused. Then chuckled. “Shopping?”
“I want to go to Everly’s music store,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Micah sounded doubtful.
“Yes,” I said. “There’s been something bothering me about the song we were working on before. Something off. I need inspiration.”
“I don’t know if we should be working right now,” he said slowly. “Maybe we should take a break. Do something else. Something fun to get your mind off everything.”
“Musicisfun,” I insisted, turning around in his arms and giving him a beseeching look. “You said anything I wanted, and I want to go do some music.”
He looked into my eyes, searching for something just like he had before when I’d asked to speak to my mom alone. He looked worried, and I didn’t know why. I always worked on songs whenever I was feeling down, or upset, or angry. Or feeling anything, really.
“All right,” Micah said, cracking a smile. “Let’s go do some music.”
TWELVE
MICAH
“There’s something magical about being surrounded by brand new instruments,” Kaylee said. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs, breathing in the air permeating throughout the music store.
“You’re surrounded by instruments all the time,” I pointed out.
“Not like this,” she replied, grinning up at me and squeezing my hand in hers. “This is different.”
I wasn’t sure how it possibly could be. The band had spent thousands, hundreds of thousands, even, setting up our own practice studio with every piece of musical equipment in existence, even the ones we hadn’t yet learned to play.
“How is it different?” I asked.
“I don’t own these instruments,” she said, as if that explained everything. “They’re meant for someone else.” A dreamy smile crossed her pink lips. “Some other person is destined to walk in and lay claim to one. It’s like I’m in the middle of someone else’sstory.” Kaylee’s eyes cleared as she tilted her head up at me. “That’s a pretty good line,” she said. “I should write that down.”
I laughed and tugged her close with an arm around her waist, leaning down to bury my face in her red curls.
“Only you could makenotowning an instrument poetic,” I said. The scent of vanilla filled my nose. Now it was my turn to inhale deeply. The scent of Kaylee’s hair was much more enjoyable than the recycled air coming from the music store’s vents.
“Kay…” I started. “Do you want to talk about what happened now?”
“No.” She pulled away from my side, and I felt a keen sense of loss. “My mom was just being her usual self. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“This time seemed different,” I countered. I didn’t want Kay to think she had to just brush this aside. “You said she’s threatening you. If you need help, you can come to me. You know I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to give her what she wants.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me, remember?” The words could have hurt, but she didn’t say them harshly. Instead, she gave me a warm smile, reassuring. “I’ll be okay.”
I’d never liked Kay’s mom. I’d always thought Susan was a cruel, heartless woman. I’d comforted Kay too many times after her mom had exploded at her, for one ridiculous reason or another. Moving out the day she turned sixteen had been the best decision Kay had ever made, in my opinion. After an entire life of abuse, she finally had a real family who cared for her.
But caring for her also meant respecting her. Trusting her.
“All right,” I said. “If you say you can handle her, I’ll drop it.”
Kaylee bounced back to me and snuggled up against my arm.
“Good!” she said brightly. “Now let’s stop talking about that cranky old woman and have some fun. I haven’t been in a music store in forever!”
