Total pages in book: 195
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
“Hi,” she breathes as soon as she sees my face. “You’re okay.”
I stare back at her blankly, and she closes her eyes and murmurs what sounds like a prayer. I don’t know what’s happening, but when she opens her eyes to meet mine, it only amplifies my pain.
“I was so worried,” she whispers.
“Why?”
She wipes away a stray tear and shakes her head. “I’m so sorry, Madden. How we left things before wasn’t okay. I know you deserve an explanation, but—”
“It’s over and done with,” I tell her. “Let’s not talk about that.”
Silence falls between us as I wait for her to say something else. I’m not in the headspace to figure out what to talk about, but it does feel good to hear her voice.
“Are you at the beach?” she asks finally.
I nod, letting another long moment pass before I tell her the truth. “Ranger died.”
Her face falls. “How?”
“His heart.”
She processes that for all of a second before she bursts into tears, and this is the thing about Bianca. She has big emotions and a big heart. And even though she didn’t know Ranger, she knows I’m in pain, and she’s sharing that grief with me.
“I’m sorry.” She wipes at her face. “That’s so unfair.”
I tell her about the time we spent together. Our road trip. Meeting Wyatt’s mom and his baby daughter. I tell her about all the places Ranger and I saw along the way, and gradually, that conversation moves on to the next one. We fall back into an easy rhythm, just like we always do. But when Bianca hears that I’m leaving for a tour, the sadness in her eyes unsettles me. Asking about it would be against the unspoken rules, so I don’t. We dodge and weave around topics like Adam or Stefan or what’s happening back in Texas. Instead, she tells me about school and how much she’s learned, along with a few embarrassing stories of times she messed up.
Hours pass, and she gets sleepy, but she doesn’t seem to want to let me go. I know because I feel the same. But she has to get up early, and I tell her she should get some sleep.
“Can I call you tomorrow?” she asks.
“If you want.”
“Will you answer?” she presses.
There’s a moment of hesitation on my part as I consider that this can only ever end one way. I know we both need a clean break. But right now, I’m not strong enough to tell her no.
“I’ll answer if you call.”
She offers me a sad smile, kisses her fingers, and presses them to the screen. “I miss you.”
I dip my head in the only acknowledgment I can manage.
“Good night, Bianca.”
“I have someone I’d like you to meet,” Asher tells us.
Ryan raises an eyebrow in question, and our manager, Jimmy, opens the door to a tall, curvy brunette in ripped jeans and a Van Halen tee shirt.
“Lil, come on in,” Asher says.
I don’t miss the way Kieran and Colt eye her as she walks in with a cool, easy smile and sits down like she belongs here.
“This is Ryan, Colt, Madden, and Kieran.” Asher goes around the room, pointing us out. “Guys, this is Lilith Jones.”
After a few mumbled hellos, I’m wondering what she’s doing here, and Ryan obviously is, too. “What’s this about?”
“Lilith is an artist who recently signed with my label,” Asher explains. “She’s doing the opening act for the second leg of my tour, but she’ll be tagging along with us in the meantime. So here’s the deal. You have a few weeks. I need you to work together to hammer out a duet. I want her and Madden to sing together during your opening acts.”
“Do we get to hear her first?” Ryan asks, clearly unnerved by this news.
“Worried I’m not up to par?” Lilith teases.
“I can assure you she is,” Asher tells us. “I have faith you’ll work it out. But I want you to get started now. We need something solid to go on stage with.”
“The audience is going to love it,” Jimmy assures us. “They go crazy for duets.”
I stare at the floor, fucking annoyed. I’m not in the headspace to work on a new song right now. Especially not with someone I don’t even know. But I guess this is what happens when you sign your name on the dotted line.
“I have a meeting to get to.” Asher heads for the door. “Get to know each other and throw around some ideas. Let me know if there are any problems.”
Jimmy stays behind to referee what I’m sure is going to be a shit show.
“I think we need to get a feel for your voice first,” Ryan grumbles. “Do you mind?”
“Sure.” Lilith shrugs, opening up her guitar case and walking to the middle of the room without so much as an ounce of fear.