Page 38 of Rock On

“We haven’t properly introduced Tommy and Harley,” Allisha said toward the end of the session. “So I’d like to start with Harley. Please tell us a little about your loss. You don’t have to go into any detail unless you want to, but everyone knows the basics considering Carter’s fame.”

“Well.” I felt a stab of discomfiture. The only person I ever talked to about my relationship with Carter was Wynter, but if Allisha was right, then I had to stop running. Even if I wasn’t ready to tell the whole story, I had to stop pretending I was some kind of villain. Because there was no villain in this story.

I took a deep breath and lifted my gaze to Tommy’s. He was watching me intently, though his face was expressionless again.

“Carter was my ex-husband’s friend and bandmate. I assume you all know that he killed himself? If nothing else than from the tabloids?”

Everyone in the room nodded other than Tommy.

“Carter was also my very good friend.” I smiled faintly, despite the ache in my chest as I spoke the words. “He was kind and sweet and soft-spoken. Even when he was high or drunk or completely out of his mind—he was never a mean drunk, so to speak. He had the best smile and when he looked at you, it was like no one else in the world existed. He was very special.” I paused, because the next part was so hard. “We were never in love and never had a romantic relationship, but we made a baby together.”

I watched Tommy’s brows knit together as I fumbled over the next few words.

“It was one night of what I can only call experimental sex.” I took a shaky breath. “A threesome with my ex-husband. And five weeks later I got the news that turned my entire world upside down.”

FIFTEEN

Tommy

Harley was still talking but my head was spinning.

She and Carter had gotten pregnant the night of the threesome?

I didn’t understand.

River was born approximately six months later, so the math didn’t math.

But she had no reason to lie, especially not here in this room.

“…and without him there at my side, suddenly nothing made sense anymore.” There were tears in her eyes when she stopped talking, but I’d missed all but that last sentence.

She’d gotten pregnant the night of the threesome?!

I had so many fucking questions and it took a lot of restraint not to demand answers right fucking now.

The group was breaking up, though, and Harley was currently surrounded by Harriett and Mina, who seemed to be comforting her.

“That’s your ex, isn’t it?” Quinn said quietly, sinking into the chair beside me.

I nodded, my eyes still fixed on Harley.

“You doing okay with her being here?”

“I have no idea,” I admitted.

“She just dropped some kind of bombshell, didn’t she?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, I’ll be out on the patio for dinner around six if you want to talk. And if you want to not talk, we can do that too. Sometimes it’s nice to not be alone when you’re having a shit day.” He got up and walked away, leaving me both grateful and annoyed. Grateful he was a good guy and annoyed that Harley had blindsided me once again.

How had she gotten pregnant the night of the goddamn threesome?!

And how had I not known that before now?

“You and Harley should come to my office,” Allisha said.

“I don’t think—” I began.

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