Page 44 of Fractured Dreams

The realization sent exhilaration coursing through him, but it was followed by a surge of uneasiness. The temptation to tell Eden how he felt—to tell the world—was overwhelming. But it was all happening so fast, and there were still complications they had to overcome—namely one currently emotionally volatile and overprotective big brother and an upcoming six-month separation. He couldn’t tell her how he felt just yet, not with those things still up in the air, not with everything still being so new.

He refused to be like his father, sweeping Eden off her feet, using the strength of his feelings to convince her of hers. Eden wasn’t as young as his mother had been when her father had fallen hard for her, but she was young enough to still be easily swayed from what she wanted. He needed to give her time, time to make her own decisions. The last thing he wanted was to start planning a future with Eden only to have her realize when it was too late that it wasn’t what she wanted.

Tex’s eyes shifted to Noah, where the drummer was now sitting slumped back in his chair, his mouth in a flat line, eyes narrowed as he stared into the distance while Eden peppered Connor and Zac with questions. Maybe Noah’s bad mood was a good thing, if it meant Tex was forced to take it slow. The delay would ensure he didn’t do something stupid like tell Eden how he was feeling too soon. That way she’d have longer to figure out for herself how she felt about him.

So, he’d keep his feelings to himself for now, or at least the words. But he’d show her. As soon as he got her alone again, he was going to show her exactly how he felt.

???

Tex groaned and stretched his arms out; recording sessions were tedious at the best of times. He and the others had already been in the studio for a while, setting up their instruments while the sound engineer positioned microphones around them, testing the sound and tweaking it as she went. They hadn’t wanted Eden possibly getting psyched out as she waited, so they’d told her to come just before they would start the recording process. Noah had left a few minutes ago to meet her and bring her and her violin back to the studio.

The last week and a half practicing the new song with Eden had been amazing. Tex always loved watching her play, watching her feel the music, and seeing her enjoyment in being a part of creating something with them made it all the better. He couldn’t wait to get the track recorded and for her to hear the final sound.

Tex realized he was smiling at nothing, just as Noah ushered Eden into the recording studio. She looked around nervously, clutching her violin case, but when she caught his eye and he winked at her, her gorgeous smile broke out.

The sound engineer had followed them in, and she took Eden over and showed her where to stand. Once she had her in the right spot, the engineer set up the microphones, asking Eden to play some sample tunes so she could make sure the sound balance was right.

She left and returned with headphones, helping Eden get them on and running her through some checks to make sure she could hear properly. Noah hovered nearby, explaining everything that was happening, and what she could expect from the session. Tex wanted to be the one standing by her, reassuring her, but since they were still pretending there was nothing going on between them, he had to sit and watch, catching her eye now and then and giving her an encouraging smile.

Connor had laid down some rough scratch vocals earlier that morning so that everyone could keep track of where they were in the song, and once Eden was set up, they did a quick dry run, just to make sure the individual sound levels were good.

Tex could tell Eden was nervous, her bow movements were stiff, her playing choppier than normal. The sound engineer could tell too, as she called for another run through. The second time Eden seemed to have gotten into the zone because the sound was perfect.

After that, they played the song several times, with the focus on Noah’s drums and Zac’s bass, until they had the perfect basic track down. The basic track was the foundation of the song, and once they had it, they moved on to recording his guitar and Eden’s violin.

The five of them played the song several times, waiting for the sound engineer to tell them they had a perfect, or near perfect, recording of him and Eden. Tex kept his eyes on her as they played, watching the sway of her body, her long lashes brushing her cheeks as she closed her eyes to concentrate, her lips tipped up at the corners as she lost herself in the music.

She was so fucking beautiful—like a dream he didn’t know he’d had. The eloquent sound she drew from her violin wove with the smooth tones of his guitar the way he’d started to picture their lives weaving together. Every time they finished a take, her eyes would turn to him first, bright with the joy of playing with them, and he wanted to pull her to him and kiss her breathless. But he fucking couldn’t. Couldn’t do anything but sit there, trying to contain his emotions. Keeping their secret—and his—was getting old. He wanted to claim her, wanted everyone to know she was his. He wantedherto know she was his. He wanted to tell Noah about them, then tell Eden how he felt. He wanted to find out if she’d thought about a future with him the way he’d been thinking about one with her.

Unease slithered down his spine again. What if she didn’t want that? What if she got to Portland and called it quits, decided she didn’t want to tie herself down so soon? Tex tried to push aside his concern. That was a risk he’d have to take. The first step was telling Noah, so they could stop sneaking around and concentrate on figuring their relationship out. They’d have to do it soon. They needed to, because they didn’t have long before Eden left, and Tex wanted some certainty on where they stood before she went.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. He needed to focus on what he was there to do—get the song recorded so that Eden would forever be a part of this album.

One more run through, and he and Eden had nailed their track. Now it was only the vocals left. Connor, with Zac singing harmony, got it within a few takes. The four of them had been doing this long enough to get a perfect take pretty damn quick compared to most other bands.

Tex could see the relief on Eden’s face once they were all done. Even for professionals, recording could be a long process, but Eden had done fantastically. And he didn’t have to hold himself back from going to her then, since everyone else had gone up to congratulate her on a job well done.

Eden hugged them all, thanking them for the opportunity, her hug for Tex lasting a little longer, her lips subtly brushing against his chest just before she pulled back from him. He smiled down at her, his hand lingering on her waist as he fought the urge to sayscrew itand grab her to him, to take her mouth in a kiss, to let Noah know in no uncertain terms what was going on.

Instead, he let her go, watching as Noah joked with her about finally getting to hang out with the cool kids; smiling to himself as she laughed and said something quietly back to her brother, a teasing expression on her face.

He just needed to relax and keep his cool. This thing between them was going to work.

Chapter 26

“Hey Eden, want to come to New York with us this weekend?” Noah asked as he ended the call he’d been on with Drew.

Eden perked up. She’d never been to New York. And ‘with us’ meant Tex, and she was always up for spending more time with him. “Why are you going to New York?” she asked.

“Drew’s set up a couple of interviews and a surprise performance, and we’ll make the album announcement after that.”

“Surprise? Like when you played with EoD?”

“No, it’ll just be us. But the label will only give the fans a couple of hours’ notice that it’s happening before we hit the stage, and since it’s not a particularly big venue, the number of tickets will be limited. It’ll give us a huge amount of attention for the album announcement.”

“I would have thought it’d be a big concert if they’re announcing the album?”

Noah shook his head. “It’s what’s called an underplay. Because it’s a much smaller venue than we normally perform at, it’ll be far more up close and personal experience for the fans that manage to get their hands on a ticket, which will generate a ton of social media buzz—exactly what the label wants. Plus, it’s kind of a sneak preview of the more intimate style of the new album.”

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