Page 52 of For One Night Only

I hang up before she can do the honors. Sometimes, I wonder what it’s like to have a mother who isn’t like this: selfish, controlling, emotionally manipulative. But wondering won’t fix all the broken things between us—she shattered any last trust between us years ago.

That contract, though—it just proves everything I already knew. I’m not a daughter to her—I’m an opportunity.

I fire off a quick text to Wade:

Me:Can you please tell security my mother is persona non grata? Probably best to tell the hotel too.

Our security is pretty minimal, but we do usually have someone posted to this floor. The last thing I need is Mom sneaking into my room.

Wade takes a few minutes to reply, and I hope it means he’s spending time with his family. Or god, taking care of other clients. I’m sure I take more time than he bargained for when we first signed with him.

Wade:Consider it done. You okay, kid?

Me:No, but I will be.

I’ve been letting other people control me—and the narrative—for so long, and I’m done being told what I can and can’t do. Before I can think better of it, I send another text.

Me:You wanted some exclusives, right? How about one-on-one with me?

This response comes right away.

Mary Kate Hampton:YES! Name the time and place. Hell, I’m free today.

My palms go damp—because really, today?—but I’d rather get this over with.

Me:That’s perfect. What about my hotel bar, 4pm? I’ll send you the info.

Mary Kate Hampton:Riker already let slip where you’re staying. I’ve got you in my calendar.

As soon as I have a plan, I do finally hear shuffling next door. Really, for such a fancy hotel, you’d think the insulation would be better, but maybe it’s just because our rooms share a door. My stomach twists, and I worry maybe I was trying to control Caleb the same way my mother was controlling me. But I don’t go bother him right away. Instead, I listen for the shower, and try not to listentoohard, or think about hot water dripping down his muscled torso…

Nope. Not going there.

But finally, I hear the shower turn off. I give Caleb a few minutes to get dressed, and then I head to the door connecting our two rooms. He knocks before I get the chance.

I swing the door open immediately. Caleb’s waves are damp, and the scent of herbal bodywash radiates off his skin, like a sweater I want to wrap myself up in. But instead of moving closer to him the way every part of me craves, I hang back.

“Hi,” I say.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

I blink, stunned. “What? I’m the one who owes you an apology.”

He runs a hand over his hair. “No, you don’t. You were just trying to share information this morning, and I panicked. It’s not fair of me to shut down any conversations about the future of this band without hearing you all out. I need to…stop running away whenever we talk about hard things.” He clears his throat. “And, uh, singing ‘Daydreams’ at the concert is a really good idea. It would be really special for the fans. We’ll just follow Wade’s instructions and be careful.”

I bite my lip, bracing against the guilt. I can’t believe I put him in this situation. “You said you were done, and that means I need to respect your boundaries.”

He frowns, crossing his arms. “Well, I thought I was done, but something about being back in the city, making music with the band again, writing withyou…I don’t think I realized how much I wanted it.”

“Oh,” I say, because I don’t know what else there is to say. I’m too scared to hope for more, but my chest warms at the thought. “So what are you saying?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. But I’m going to try to be more open instead of so bitter and wounded all of the time. No matter what we decide, we should all decide it together.”

“Right, that sounds good,” I say, trying to swallow the lump inmy throat. This is better news than I ever thought I’d get, but my mind is a mess. I don’t want to pressure Caleb the way my mom is trying to pressure me.

His arms fall back to his sides, and he steps just a bit closer to me. “Are you okay?” he asks.

“No,” I admit. And then the hell of today all comes out in a rush. “I tried to confront my mom just now, and she totally dismissed me. But even before that, Theo was running his mouth in front of the media again, and I’m so tired of him controlling the narrative. I texted Mary Kate to do an exclusive tonight. I’m meeting her down at the hotel bar in an hour.”

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