Page 67 of Fractured Dreams

“So, what did you come to ask me?”

“We’re going to be releasing the album soon.”

Eden had to take a second before she could talk past the tightness in her throat at the memories of playing with the band—with Tex. “That’s great, Noah. You must be very excited.”

He nodded. “You should be too, Eden, since you’re on it. Not that you’ve ever heard the final mastered version.”

Eden wondered if her smile looked as watery as it felt. “Well, of course I’ll buy a copy when it’s released.”

Noah snorted. “As if I’d make you buy a copy. But regardless, what I wanted to ask was if you’d consider coming back to LA next weekend, just for a night. The label’s organized an album preview concert before the release, so we’ll be performing songs from the album… including the one you recorded with us.” Apparently seeing the alarm in her eyes, he quickly added, “Not for you to play live, I know you wouldn’t want to do that, but to be in the audience. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d really like you to be there.”

On one hand Eden was relieved that Noah didn’t expect her to play onstage with them, she wasn’t one of those people that enjoyed the spotlight, but the thought of being back in LA—of seeing Tex again—filled her with trepidation.

Noah correctly interpreted her long silence. “You don’t have to see Tex, apart from onstage. You can stay at my house; I’ll arrange a car to take you to the venue and you can hang out with Lexie. It’s standing room only and you guys would be in front of the stage. Then you can go straight back home afterward if that’s what you’d prefer. But Eden, I want you to be there since you’re a part of it too.”

Eden bit her lip, conflicted. She wanted to be there, to support her brother, to support the band that had been a part of her life for so long. But it would mean seeing Tex, and she was scared that her feelings for him, smothered first by anger, then numbed by time, might just flare back to life when she saw him.

But looking at Noah’s pleading eyes, she knew she would be there for him, because regardless of the mistakes he’d made, he was her brother, and she would always support him.

“Okay, I’ll come,” she said.

Noah’s face broke into a wide smile, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “You won’t regret it, Eden, I promise.”

Eden hoped to God he was right.

Chapter 38

Eden stood at the front of the stage next to Lexie, fidgeting restlessly as the excited crowd shifted around her. She’d dressed carefully in skinny jeans and a green, satin spaghetti-strap top, knowing she shouldn’t care what she looked like when she saw Tex again, but unable to resist the urge to make sure she looked as good as possible.

Her heart was racing, her misgivings about seeing Tex amplified by the excitement of the crowd. Lexie leaned toward her. “How are you doing?”

Eden blew out a breath. “Nervous, excited, scared.”

Lexie smiled kindly at her. “I’d be feeling the same way, but don’t worry, just try to relax and enjoy it. After all, you contributed to the album too.”

Eden gave her a weak smile in return, as she tried to calm the nerves coursing through her. “Um, does Tex know I’m here tonight?”

Lexie’s expression was hard to interpret. “Yes, he does.”

“Oh, okay.” God, why was she being so pathetic. She and Tex had been a thing for a short time. But it was over, and now she had to pull on her big girl panties and see him again. And maybe if she could prove to herself that she could do that without falling apart, it would be one more sign that she’d taken the first step toward moving on.

The lights darkened, and an excited ripple passed through the crowd as a voiceover announced that following the concert, the long-awaited new Fractured album would be released worldwide. Cheers and whistles burst from the crowd, and Eden’s heart started pounding with the same excitement that infected the rest of the audience.

Out of the darkness sounded the throbbing pulse of the kick drum. Despite her nerves, a smile crossed Eden’s face, knowing it was her brother, doing what he loved best. The crowd shrieked in excitement, the noise escalating as the snare drum kicked in followed closely by the deep, resonant notes of Zac’s bass, and then the stage lights flared to life, just as the first chords from Tex’s electric guitar wove their way through the driving beat. When the rhythm and the melody reached a crescendo, Connor’s vocals kicked in and the crowd went nuts.

Eden’s smile faded as she took a deep breath and finally let her gaze linger on Tex, relieved that he had his head down, looking at his guitar as he played, his fingers sliding smoothly over the strings. She watched him move across the stage, relaxed and confident as always, and her heart stuttered, a fierce longing rising up and clawing at her. It was exactly what she’d been afraid of, that all the good that time and distance had done her would be torn away in the space of a few seconds. All the pain of having him and then losing him returning in a rush, sending her heart free-falling.

She stood there staring at him as he played, as if she could soak him in and keep the memory of him tucked away somehow, so that when one day she took it out and dusted it off, she’d feel no pain, only the bitter-sweet remembrance of her first real love.

The audience greeted each new song the band played with wild enthusiasm. Eden waited with bated breath forhersong, wanting to know how it sounded live. But when the violinist finally stepped onstage—standing to the side near Tex—she felt only a red-hot surge of envy that someone else was getting to play with him, wanting it to be her melding her melody with his. She tried to force the irrational desire aside, tried to retreat back into her protective numbness. But as she listened to the way his guitar and the violin almost sang to each other, bow and pick engaged in a beautiful back and forth that had the crowd enthralled, she knew she was fighting a losing battle.

The lump in Eden’s throat, the pain in her chest, only grew as the concert progressed. Like an addict, she only had eyes for one thing, and as much as she tried, she couldn’t tear her gaze away. Not that it mattered, Tex rarely raised his head, and when he did, he didn’t look in her direction. She should have been happy, should have been relieved not to have his eyes on her, but instead, pain seared her nerve endings, made her twitch with longing to see his heated gaze burning down at her again.

She checked the time on her phone. The concert would be over soon, and she could escape from the suddenly suffocating knowledge that she wasn’t over him. Not at all. Not even a little bit. She needed to go, to retreat and lick the wounds that had been reopened tonight.

Finally, Connor announced that the next song would be the last, and the crowd roared again, this time in disapproval. Connor grinned, waiting for the noise to die down before explaining that the song they were about to hear wasn’t actually going to be on the new album. Eden frowned, glancing at Lexie, but she had her camera up to her face as she took a photograph of her husband.

As Connor finished talking, a crew member brought out a stool and an electric-acoustic guitar from the side of the stage. Eden waited for Connor, or perhaps Zac, to take the seat, her eyes widening with shock when Tex did instead. Everyone else must have shared her surprise, since screams and cheers erupted from the crowd. Eden glanced at Lexie again, eyes big. But Lexie just gave her a kind smile and took her hand.

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