Page 54 of Backstage with a Billionaire Rockstar

There’s no way I’d ever be able to leave the band indefinitely, only until the stalker fixates on someone new.

Mia squeezes my hand, her silent support swimming through my veins, while the rest of the guys give me their own support.

All that’s left is to make sure news spreads of my exit, that has to get the stalker off my trail… right?

Later that evening, Mia and I find a quiet moment alone in my room. The weight of my decision hangs heavy between us.

"A break," Mia says, her voice laced with concern. "Are you sure about this, Evan?"

I run a hand through my hair, sighing. "It's the best compromise I could think of. I can't abandon the band entirely, but I need to prioritize you and Liam right now."

Mia nods slowly. "And the guys? How do you think this will affect them?"

"They understand," I assure her, though a pang of guilt hits me. "It's temporary. Once this stalker situation is resolved, I'll be back."

"If it gets resolved," Mia mutters, and I know she's still frustrated with the lack of progress in the investigation.

***

Mia wasn’t sure this would be a good idea, but I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time away from the band.

I glance at Mia, noticing her furrowed brow. "What's on your mind, darlin'?"

She sighs, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I'm just... trying to figure out where I fit in all this now. Am I still your bodyguard? Your girlfriend? Both?"

I reach for her hand, squeezing it gently. "You're whatever you want to be, Mia. This break doesn't change how I feel about you or your importance in my life."

She squeezes back, but I can see the conflict in her eyes. It's clear we have more to discuss about our future and her role in it.

Liam is humming along to the music in the back seat, eyes casting rapidly out the window as we pass tiny shops along the main road, and my lips tip into a smirk.

When I told my mother that we would be coming for a visit this week, she was more than delighted and let me know everything would be ready for us. She still doesn’t know about Liam, thought that would be a nice surprise, but I at least let her know that there would be two people joining me on the trip.

She’s likely assuming it will be Brent and Julia, since she knows they are the love birds in our group, but will quickly grow excited to know I’ve got Mia at my side. If I had to hear about my lack of a love life from her one more time, I was going to go insane.

I make the turn up my parents driveway, which is littered with trees on either side, and clear my throat from the front seat to get Mia’s attention. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m still mad at you,” Mia mumbles, but she still allows me to squeeze her thigh as I coast up the small hill that leads to my parents house.

It’s nothing big, but enough that it gives them the privacy they deserve. They lived in the city for a while, wanting to be close to me, but eventually my mother came to the decision that she wanted to venture somewhere else — a place less crowded. That’s how they ended up here, in a small town a few hours away from New York City.

“I will apologize as much as I need to,” I say softly, then thread my fingers through hers and press a tender kiss against her knuckles. “This was for the best, you know that.”

“Don’t get any wild ideas,” she mutters. “You’re going right back once this dies down.”

Not only is she upset that I chose to temporarily leave Raising Havoc, but she’s also been beating herself up for not being able to figure out who the stalker could be.

As we near my parents' house, doubts start to creep in. Will this break really throw the stalker off our trail? Or will it make them more desperate, potentially putting the band at risk?

I push the thoughts aside, reminding myself that this is the best decision for my family right now. We'll deal with whatever comes next, together. For now, I need to focus on introducing Mia and Liam to my parents.

I’ve told her that it’s okay, we’ll get it under control, but she hates that it’s caused me to make this decision.

When we come to a stop in front of my parents, it doesn’t surprise me that my mother is already waiting on the front porch for us with a big smile on her face. She waves to me, then glances at the front seat, and her eyes widen in surprise. I smirk when she disappears through the front door, likely getting my dad, and then comes back out with a hand over her chest.

“You ready, darlin’?”

Mia blinks, looking carefully at my mother, and then she glances at me while chewing her bottom lip. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

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