Page 43 of Fractured Dreams

Tex drummed his fingers on his thigh, checking the time on his phone again. He was sitting with Connor and Zac in Connor’s living room, impatiently waiting for Eden and Noah to arrive.

But while the other two talked recording timelines and song choices, he was silent, wrapped up in his own thoughts, which were unsurprisingly centered on the gorgeous blonde who was the reason they were all there that day.

The weeks spent trying to steal time with Eden were flying by too fast, and it seemed as if a countdown clock was ticking in his head all the time lately. As her departure grew closer, he had the uneasy feeling that if he didn’t claim her publicly soon, she might just slip through his fingers.

But right at that moment, Tex wasn’t thinking about her leaving, only looking forward to seeing her reaction when she found out why she was there today.

As if reading his mind, Connor asked, “So how do you think she’ll react?”

“I think she’ll be ecstatic,” he said, smiling as he imagined Eden’s expression when they told her.

“I hope so, since we’ve already brought the recording schedule forward,” Zac said.

Tex shot a glance over at the bass player, wondering if he was annoyed about the schedule change—although he hadn’t seemed to be when they’d initially discussed it. But there was no irritation in Zac’s expression as he met Tex’s gaze, just a slightly concerning speculative gleam in his hazel eyes and the shadow of a grin on his lips. Tex cleared his throat and concentrated on making his expression blank. “It’ll be worth it.”

“Yeah, I think this has the potential to be one of the best songs on the new album if everything goes to plan,” said Connor. “What time is Noah bringing her over?”

Tex checked the time on his phone again. “Should be here in just a few—”

The doorbell chimed, and Connor laughed. “Good timing.”

Voices sounded in the hallway; Lexie’s laugh followed by Eden’s making Tex smile. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she heard what they had to say. Noah had been under strict instructions not to let on what they were doing there today. And despite his recent volatile mood, he’d been more than happy to play along.

Tex’s eyes were fixed on the door so that when Eden walked in, followed by Noah and Lexie, he caught the widening of her eyes when she saw him. He hadn’t mentioned he would be there since he didn’t want to have to dodge her questions. He grinned at the surprise on her face, giving her a wink when Noah turned away to say something to Lexie. Eden’s cheeks tinted pink as she gave him a small smile in return. He still got a kick out of that blush, wanted to see it all the time, especially when he could strip her naked afterward.

God, she was so fucking perfect, and fuck it, he wanted to keep her. Wanted to hold her hand in public, kiss her pretty lips whenever the fuck he felt like it, wanted to be able to pull her down onto his lap and bury his nose in her neck, just so he could breathe in the scent of cherry blossoms and her.

But he damn well couldn’t, could he? He couldn’t do any of those things. He glanced at Noah, at the tense angle of the man’s jaw, even now. What the fuck was his problem? Noah had always been the easiest going of them all, the affectionate, fun-loving one. Apart from those first few months of their first tour, after—

Realization hit him.Fuck. It was Summer.It had to have something to do with Summer.Noah’s high school sweetheart was the only one who had ever been able to get under his skin. And she’d broken his heart in the worst possible way just after they’d left to go on their first tour.

Tex ran his hand through his hair. Now wasn’t the time, but when he got the chance, he was going to have to talk to Noah about Summer.

Eden and Noah had sat down on the couch opposite the three of them. Eden had a question in her eyes as she looked between them all. “This is weird. Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Well, we wanted to talk to you about something.” Connor said, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Me?” Eden raised her brows, her eyes immediately darting to Tex, but he just gave her a neutral smile. “Um, okay, what’s up?”

“Well, we were wondering if you’d like to play the violin with us again.”

She looked surprised. “Sure, you know I love to play with you guys.”

Connor leaned back in his chair, still with that small smile on his lips. “Great, we’re going to be at the recording studio next Friday. You want to join us there?”

Eden’s brow creased. “The recording studio?”

“Yeah, we’re going to fast-track recording one of our songs so we can include the violin. And we want you to be the one to play with us.”

Noah was grinning as he watched his sister’s face, but it was Tex’s gaze she sought out as realization bloomed in her eyes. All those years when she’d watched from the doorway as they practiced, those times when she’d played with them her smile as bright as the sun, and now she was going to be recording with them. And Tex couldn’t be happier that he’d had a part in it. He and Connor had spent the last few weeks refining the song, adding in violin riffs and a small solo for her, and he couldn’t wait to hear it—hearher—play it live.

Eden laughed, surprise and excitement clear on her face. “I suppose I could bring myself to lend you my talents.”

“Excellent,” Connor said. “We’d better get practicing then.”

Another upside of this plan? More time with Eden.

She must have had the same thought because her eyes brightened even more as they came to rest on him. She flashed him a smile and fuck, right then, right at that moment, with her blue eyes wide and excited, a smile on her lips, he knew without a doubt, he was in love with her.

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