Page 42 of Fractured Frets

“No one is perfect.” Understanding lingered in her whisper. “You don’t have to be. I’m not either. Far from it. But if you ever struggle or need to talk or feel like you’re faltering, call me.”

“I will.” God, I love her . . . Holy shit . . . I love Maddy.

“Slip? You’ve seen addiction.” So had Maddy via her mom. “You’ve lost someone to it. Remember what that was like?” Sadness clouded her eyes as she gave my hand a gentle shake. “Don’t go down that path. Stay focused on what you love and what’s important—your friends, your music, your family—and you’ll be okay.”

“I’ll do my best.” I hooked my arm underneath her head and drew her into my embrace. As I held her tight, a warm wave like nothing I’d ever experienced before swirled through my chest, washed over my body and wrapped around me, drawing me closer and closer to Maddy. I’d do anything to see her, be with her, be all that she needed. “But I think I’ve found something just as, if not more, important to add onto that list. I have another reason that has me wanting to be a better man...and one that has me questioning everything about who I am—my music, my band, and my future direction.”

“What’s that?”

I smiled, tilted her chin up, and touched my lips to hers. “You.”

Chapter 13

MADDY

THE PRESENT – MAY

“Who the hell is texting at this hour?” I groaned, pulling my pillow over my head, and ignored my cell phone vibrating on my nightstand.

But the second it stopped jumping around, it started again. And again.

There was only one person who’d text like that. A playful smile slid across my lips. Slip. Was he home from South America early? I tossed my pillow aside, rolled over, and grabbed my cell phone.

His text notifications covered the screen. Shit. I unlocked my cell phone and read his message:

SLIP: Babe, don’t freak out.

I was photographed with Harper yesterday.

it’s all over the net.

Press are pissing me off.

We were having lunch with Cole and Charlotte. I swear.

but paparazzi cut them out of the shots.

On the plane home. See you in LA.

miss you so freaking much.

love you.

There was nothing wrong with having lunch, but anything that involved Harper twisted my stomach. I opened Google and typed in Slip’s name, and my feed flooded with links to sites loaded with clickbait headlines.

Slip Caught Cheating On Madison Reed Two Months After They Wed

The Rockstar and the Nanny get Cozy Over Coffee

Is Slip’s Marriage Over?

Fuck! This was not what I needed to wake up to. He was on his way home for another break during the tour. I was hours away from getting on a plane to catch up with him in LA. I hadn’t seen him in a month. He knew I had trust issues with Harper; why was he even near her? I clicked on the first link to GossipOnline—Slip caught cheating...

Photos of Slip and Harper in a café filled the screen. Sitting opposite each other at a table by a window, in clear view of everyone, seemed innocent enough. But there was no sign of Cole or Charlotte, and there were multiple shots. In the first one, Slip and Harper were laughing. The next image was of Harper looking straight at Slip as she rested her chin in her hand and gazed at him. Ergh! But the picture of her feeding him a forkful of food prickled my skin. No...breathe. There was an explanation. Trust him...Or was I just setting myself up for more heartache and humiliation?

I skimmed through the other photos. Harper touching Slip’s hand. The two of them, smiling and talking. Then hugging each other before they left the shop.

I didn’t need to see anymore.

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