Page 1 of Fractured Frets

Chapter 1

SLIP

Twelve hours ago, on a drunken high, I’d married the girl of my dreams, Madison Reed, in Las Vegas. Ten hours had passed since we’d returned to the hotel and made wild, hot, crazy love...several times. But just before five a.m., she’d woken me, leaping out of our bed with tears streaming down her face, and begged for an annulment—adamant that getting hitched last night was a huge mistake. Regardless of how much I’d pleaded for her to stay and talk things through, she’d packed her bags and left. Taken off. Back to Vancouver.

I’d flown home to LA.

My heart and mind were still in tatters, trying to make sense of what had happened. Our quick getaway before I headed overseas to continue touring with my band, The Flintlocks, had been perfect. Our spontaneous “I do” had been one of the happiest moments in my life. But her heart-breaking blow had shattered my soul.

How had something that seemed so right turned into a fucked up mess?

What had I missed?

Maybe it was just me. I was the problem. She didn’t want to be married...to me.

Beckett, my bodyguard, had gotten my intoxicated ass from Las Vegas to my fellow bandmate’s place. I’d had to meet Flint and the guys there before we headed to Tokyo.

Drunk off my rocker,I’d crashed through the front door and hit a wall that appeared out of nowhere—my injured hip didn’t need that. Cole—our drummer— had rushed to help me, but after shrugging him off, and ignoring Flint’s concern, I’d staggered into the center of the living room. As my band, their girlfriends, Blake—our manager—and April—our publicist—stared at me with what-the-fuck expressions, and asked what was wrong, I’d held up my hand. My gold wedding ring caught the light. “We got fucking married.”

Commotion erupted throughout the room. My mind blurred. In a cloud of vodka vapor, I struggled to stay upright. My hip thudded with pain—old surfing injury ached like a bitch.

But visions of Maddy swam through my mind. Last night, her gorgeous white glitterydress had shimmered like a blanket of stars. Her beautiful dark eyes had captivated my soul.Her stunning smile had stolen my breath.

Underneath bright lights, we’d danced. Laughed. Drunk too much. And damn . . . we’d had fun. No one else existed when she was around. I wanted to hold her close forever. Alleviate all her concerns. Be hers. Her touch had brought my heart back to life. Her tears had destroyed it.

Anguish crushed my ribs. “...And she wants to end it.”

Fuck!

I didn’t want to face the consequences. Losing Maddy had never been part of the plan. I grabbed a bottle of vodka off Flint’s bar and headed for the door. “I just don’t want to think about or deal with this now. Let’s drink and get the fuck out of here.”

But before I made it to the front door, Flint caught my arm and spun me to face him. “You have to deal with this, Slip. What the fuck were you thinking? We’re going away for six months. You’ve barely even dated Maddy. And you married her?”

“Yep. I did. Didn’t you see this?” I held up my hand, thrusting my ring toward his face again.

“Noooo!” A shrill voice came from the hallway.

Harper covered her mouth with her hands. Cole’s cousin...my ex-hookup...had just come home after being away for two years to be Cole’s new nanny. She closed her eyes, staggered back a step—no, wait, that could just be me, still drunk—and then let her hands fall against her chest.

“Sorry. That didn’t come out right. Who...who did you marry?” The anguish in her eyes punched me low in the guts. I still felt bad for hurting her. But the past was the past, right?

“Maddy.” Every time I said Maddy’s name, my chest ached instead of swelled.

“Who...who’s Maddy?” Tentativeness touched Harper’s tone. I was certain she didn’t want to hear the answer.

“My girlfriend. Sutton’s bestie.” I half-heartedly flicked my hand toward her standing beside Flint. The moment I’d met Maddy—at Dalton’s Nightclub almost two years ago—I knew I’d found my forever. I’d never believed in love at first sight or any of that insta-love bullshit until I laid eyes on her.

Back then, the timing wasn’t right to get involved with anyone. Cole and I had been desperate to pull Flint out of his depression. We’d had to stop him from hitting the bottle and find a way for him to reconnect with music. He’d spiraled after he lost his brother, Phil, our bassist, my best friend, in a horrific car crash thanks to drugs on the night of my twenty-fourth birthday. We all struggled with the loss. Grief still lingered.

But helping Flint had delivered more than we could’ve wished for. Setting him up on a few fake dates with Sutton to get in touch with life again had not only reignited his creativity, but his passion. They’d fallen hard for each other. I’d be forever in Sutton’s debt for saving him.

And she’d introduced me to Maddy.

Maddy and I had kept in touch since that night, constantly texting and calling. We’d never planned on hooking up, but no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t stay away from one another. That was what made her wanting to end things so difficult to comprehend.

“Okay.” Harper bobbed her head in short, sharp jerks. “So . . . you’re married. That’s . . . great. Congratulations.”

She stepped forward with her arms wide to give me a hug, but I held up my finger. I didn’t need one. Not from her. “Don’t pop the champagne.” I opened the vodka and took a swig. “It hasn’t gone to plan.”

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