Page 52 of Fractured Dreams

Foreboding twisted in Tex’s gut, and suddenly he didn’t want to hear what Noah had to say. But he couldn’t stop the compulsion to ask. “What do you mean?”

“She’s not used to this life, she doesn’t know what she’ll be getting into, how hard it can be when you’re the one watching from the sidelines as the person you love is getting attention from everyone else out there.”

Noah paused, his eyes narrowing, then widening as he stared at Tex. “That’s why she looked so upset after the concert tonight, she saw you taking that woman’s number, didn’t she?”

Tex’s jaw clenched, but he nodded.

Noah shook his head. “How did she take it?”

“She was upset, understandably, but I explained that it didn’t mean anything, I wasn’t going to call her, and I wouldn’t do it again. She believed me.”

Noah scoffed. “Of course she did. This time.”

“This will be the only time; it won’t happen again.”

“That might not, but what about the rest of it? What about the groupies following you around? What about the paparazzi that take that one shot at just the right angle to make it look like you’re doing something you shouldn’t be, the tabloids printing articles saying you were seen out with some mystery woman? How many times will she have to just believe you before the doubt creeps in? How many times until she can’t take it anymore, except by then she’ll be in love with you and it will break her heart. And yours.”

“If this is about what happened with Summer—” Tex started.

Noah cut him off, face tense, blue eyes narrowed and his voice as hard as Tex had ever heard it. “It’s not about Summer, it’s about Eden. It’s about my sister. My sister who deserves to love someone who doesn’t make it hard for her. She deserves someone who’ll be there for her, not spending weeks, months at a time away on tour. And what about her career? What do you think’s going to happen once you go public and everyone finds out? How many people are going to want to bring their kids to therapy knowing they might be accosted by paparazzi at any time. How many people are going to want to employ someone like that? She’s worked hard for what she’s achieved and being with you could strip that away from her.”

Tex’s heart hammered and his chest tightened as Noah kept twisting the knife.

“What happens when she wakes up a year, two years down the track and realizes she has nothing left of the life she wanted except a man who won’t be there for her half the time, someone who asks her to trust, and trust, and trust. Eden deserves an easy love, and that won’t be you, Tex. You and I both know that.”

Tex’s heart was racing now. Noah was stripping away all his defenses and highlighting his greatest fear, that he’d pull Eden in, make her fall for him, and then she’d be trapped in a life she didn’t want. Suddenly he realized the thing that had bothered him about what she’d said earlier: that being with him would be a struggle. Noah was right, Eden deserved better than that. He’d hurt her already, how many more times would he hurt her again before she gave up. Until she decided that they had been a mistake.

Thathehad been a mistake.

Tex sank down on the couch and put his head in his hands, his heart like lead in his chest. All Noah had done was expose the fears he’d been carrying around for the last two months. He was already in too deep; addicted to her. He’d just left her, and he was already craving his next hit. If he didn’t let her go now, he’d never be able to. He’d love her too much, need her too much. And when the reality of what it meant to be with him hit her, it’d be too late. She’d stay because she loved him too. Until one day, she didn’t. And it would break both of them.

Tex felt his heart tear in two. Noah was fucking right, she had her whole life ahead of her, she didn’t need him taking it over, making it all about him and his crazy life. She wanted to use her talent to help people, and he couldn’t be the one to take that from her. He should never have fucking touched her. Then he wouldn’t be feeling this pain—wouldn’t know what he was going to be missing out on every day he didn’t have her in his life.

Noah’s voice softened. “I know you care about her Tex, so I know you want what’s best for her too. And I think deep down you know that’s not you. Not because you’re not capable of loving her, but because sometimes that’s just not enough.” His voice had turned bitter again, but Tex realized that if anyone knew what it meant to lose someone because of the job, it was Noah. So, it didn’t matter if what he was saying was because of what had happened with Summer, it was still just as true.

“You need to break it off with her. Let her go to Portland, forget about all this, meet someone she can have a future with, someone who’ll make her life easier rather than harder. Someone she doesn’t have to share with the rest of the world. But you need to do it now, before she gets too attached, because if she does, I can guarantee she won’t listen to reason. She’ll fight you on it.”

Tex nodded, staring down at the floor. “Just give me a few days, I’ll break it off.” He looked up at Noah, face blank. “And don’t tell her you know about us. Maybe we can salvage one relationship from this shit show.”

Chapter 30

Eden tapped her fingers on the island countertop, checking her phone for the tenth time to see whether she had a message from Tex.

Being back home after New York sucked. Not being able to see Tex whenever she wanted, not being able to fall asleep in his arms again the way she had for those two nights, was awful. She wanted him in her life, full time, not this sneaking around part-time bullshit. It was time to tell Noah and face reality head on. But first she needed to talk to Tex and make sure they were on the same page. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him, what she wanted, and she just had to hope he felt the same way too.

Eden picked up her phone again, messaging him to let him know she had a volunteer shift at the hospital and asking if she could meet him at his place afterward. He didn’t reply straight away, which was unusual, but she shrugged it off. He was probably in the middle of something album related.

She jumped down off her stool, feeing buoyed by her decision. Excited by the possibility of spending more time with Tex again, she rushed upstairs to get ready to head to the hospital.

Later, when she got a break in her shift, she checked her phone again, but there was still no reply. Eden’s brows knitted together as she tried to recall whether the guys had any recording commitments or PR events on that day. She couldn’t remember hearing about anything, but that didn’t mean they didn’t, or that something hadn’t come up. It wasn’t like she could expect Tex to be at her beck and call. He had a lot going on at the moment, what with the band being back in the recording studio and making last minute tweaks to songs and playlists. Once they finally came clean to Noah, they’d be able to see each other whenever they wanted. Eden smiled at the thought, but her smile faded. She’d left it so late to tell Noah that they had just over a week to spend with each other and then she’d be gone.

Chest tight, Eden put her phone away so she could concentrate on the next patient.

By the time she’d finished her shift two hours later, Tex had finally replied. His message was brief—he was home, and she could come by when she’d finished. Eden frowned at the terse tone of his message, but if he’d been busy, he might have just been in a rush to answer.

She messaged back to let him know she was on her way, then drove to his house, punching in his code and letting herself in the front door when she got there.

“Hello?” she called, looking around to see where he was.

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