Page 48 of Fractured Dreams

Tex strode over, his eyes intent on hers. He stood in front of her, back to the room. When he spoke, his voice was low, tension vibrating through it. “Eden, that wasn’t what it looked like. I wasn’t going to keep it, I promise. Taking numbers is just something I’ve always done. With the others watching, and without them knowing I’m with someone, there was no reason for me not to take it.”

Eden nodded stiffly. “Okay.”

Tex cursed quietly and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze was as serious as she’d ever seen it. “Eden, I’m not like Mason, I would never,neverhurt you like that.”

Tears pricked insistently at the backs of Eden’s eyes. She was struggling to think straight. Struggling to balance the fear she’d been hiding from all this time with Tex’s words and what Lexie had just said.

She rubbed her temples. “I think I just need a little space right now. I need to think. Can you give me that, please?”

“Fuck, Eden.” Tex rubbed his hand over his mouth, then turned his head as the rest of the guys came in. He quickly looked back at her. “I’ll come to your room tonight, please just let me in, we can talk about it. I promise I’ll leave you alone until then.”

“Okay,” was all she said, before standing shakily and walking away from him. She went up to her brother, slipped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. Without a second thought, Noah draped his arm around her and gave her an affectionate kiss on the head. She closed her eyes.

Her bubble had well and truly burst.

Chapter 28

Tex stared at the barely touched plate of food in front of him. The six of them were having a late dinner after the show, the hotel restaurant having stayed open for them at Drew’s request.

Drew himself was on the phone, managing the album announcement that had been made via their social media channels following this evening’s performance. He was tracking numbers or something like that, and from the smile on his face, it seemed to be going well. But Tex didn’t give a shit about whether or not they were trending. Eden was sitting down at the other end of the table from him, next to Lexie, and as hard as he was trying, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her, although she was determinedly not looking in his direction.

Fuck.How could he have been so stupid. He hadn’t even thought twice about taking the woman’s number. He was given them all the time. He always took them, usually just threw them out later. There was only a handful of times in his career he’d called any of them, and he definitely hadn’t been planning on calling this one. The thought hadn’t even entered his mind. All he’d been thinking about was getting the rest of the evening over and done with so he could be with Eden again.

So, with the others watching him, he’d just smiled and said ‘thanks, honey’ as he’d taken her number, then turned to see wide blue eyes fixed on him. He didn’t know what the others had seen in Eden’s expression—what her brother had seen—but what he’d seen was all his hopes and dreams of a future with her potentially come crashing down right then and there.

It was in the panicked look, the fear, the doubt he could see in her eyes. He didn’t know if she’d believed him or not when he’d taken the couple of minutes before the guys came back from the shower to talk to her. But at least she’d agreed to see him tonight. He’d get her alone, explain to her, make her understand. Her ex had hurt her badly, betrayed her trust, but she needed to know it didn’t matter how many goddamn groupies gave him their phone number, he would never do that to her.

But until then, he had to sit and try to make conversation about whatever shit everyone was talking about. When Noah got up to head to the bar to get another drink, after having already had several, Tex decided then was as good a time as any to talk to him about his ex-girlfriend. He needed the goddamn distraction.

Tex stood and followed his friend up to the bar.

Noah glanced at him as he stepped up alongside, before turning back to the bartender and ordering another beer. Tex didn’t waste any time. “Tell me about Summer.”

Noah’s head whipped back toward him. “What?”

“Summer. She’s why you’ve been acting out since you got back, right?”

Noah scowled, then looked away as a fresh beer was put down in front of him. “It’s been eleven years, and she had to turn back up now.”

“So, what happened?”

Noah grimaced. “She was at one of our concerts.”

“Was she there to talk to you?”

“Fuck no. She had no idea I was even in Crossfire, can you believe it? Apparently, her friend dragged her along to see us.”

“So, you obviously spoke to her.”

“Yeah, I needed to know what she was doing there.”

“And I take it from how you’ve been acting since you got back that it didn’t go well.”

“What do you think? The girl fucking broke my heart. I would’ve been quite happy to never see her again.”

“Well, the chances of seeing her again now are pretty slim, right? You can go back to forgetting she existed, like you have for the last decade.”

Noah didn’t reply straight away and Tex’s brows knitted together. “What’s the issue?”

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