Page 29 of Rock On

I hadn’t realized until just now just how much I’d lost with that one decision.

HARLEY: Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.

PRESLEY: Of course.

HARLEY: Could you do me a favor, though? I hate to ask you to lie to Z, but could you be vague about where I am and what I’m doing? It’s a little embarrassing.

PRESLEY: Well, I have to tell him something, but don’t worry. I’ll come up with a version of the truth that protects your privacy without forcing me to lie to my husband.

HARLEY: I appreciate that. I’ll be in touch with details once I know them. They may not even have availability. I just made the decision about ten minutes ago after I did some research.

PRESLEY: I’m here and have no plans to go anywhere until we leave to go on tour. So I can help as much as you need until Christmas.

HARLEY: Are you going on tour with the band?

PRESLEY: Assuming they still go and Tommy’s knee is okay, absolutely. We’re bringing Jeremy and a nanny, so we can have time for fun in addition to family time.

HARLEY: I can’t imagine being on tour with a toddler!

PRESLEY: If I’m back home by Valentine’s Day, we’ll know it’s harder than it sounds.

HARLEY: LOL Well, I appreciate you all the same.

PRESLEY: No problem at all. Just let me know the timing so I can make plans.

HARLEY: I will Thanks again!

I put the phone down and closed my eyes.

If this was going to work, Wynter had to be on board too, along with Lorna, the nanny who’d been helping out since River was born. If Wynter could take him on her days off, Lorna could help out during the week, and Presley could fill in the times that were left, I could get away for a couple of weeks? Maybe more? It made me nervous, but I’d do whatever they suggested, assuming I could have River visit now and again.

Whether or not that was enough time to fix all my broken pieces, I had no idea, but I had to try.

I had to start somewhere because the status quo wasn’t working.

If Harmony Place could get me to a place where I could continue my therapy with virtual sessions and whatever else they suggested, it might go a long way toward helping me become a better version of myself. The version that would also be a better mother to my child.

I had a lot of work to do, and I wasn’t entirely convinced it would work, but I was willing to try.

Any improvement in my overall happiness would be better than the misery I’d been living with for the last year.

ELEVEN

Tommy

Harmony Place looked like a fucking castle.

It was built on the top of a hill overlooking the ocean in Santa Barbara, with buildings that looked like turrets on either side of the main building, expansive gardens with fountains and cobblestone-style paths, and a swimming pool bigger than any resort I’d ever been to.

This place was hardcore, and as I settled into the private room I’d booked on the top floor with a balcony that gave me a view of the Pacific Ocean, I wondered for the millionth time what I was doing here.

One minute it had been a vague idea.

The next I’d booked myself in for two weeks, with the option to add more time if I liked it.

The woman I’d spoken to on the phone sounded intelligent, professional, and not overly sympathetic. She was straightforward and not at all pushy, which I liked. Of course, at these prices, they probably weren’t hurting for business. The wealthiest of the wealthy were the only people who could afford to come here, and people like us were often fucked up. Hell, this was the kind of place Carter had probably come to half a dozen times over the years.

Too bad it hadn’t worked for him.

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