Page 20 of Fractured Trust

There was silence from the kitchen. Summer was about to turn back to the TV, to lose herself again in the beautiful movie she was watching—the one where the prince stayed forever and never left the princess behind—when her mom spoke again. “What do I tell Summer? How do you explain to a little girl why her father isn’t coming back? How do you tell her that the man who was supposed to love and protect her is gone; all because he managed to impregnate the twenty-two-year-old floozy he was screwing on the side.”

Summer’s heartbeat faltered. Impregnate? Didn’t that mean having a baby? No, it couldn’t. She was her dad’s only baby. He wouldn’t replace her… would he? She scrunched herself into a little ball on the couch as tears welled up and overflowed again.

She just didn’t know anymore.

Her aunt spoke. “I know it’s hard. But Summer needs to learn the realities of life. That’s what men are like. They want novelty. They can’t resist when it’s thrown in their face. Why do you think I never tried to remarry after Bob? Men are just heartbreak waiting to happen.”

“I feel so stupid.” Summer’s mom’s voice was choked. “I trusted him. I never thought he’d hurt me like this. I thought I was enough for him. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t enough.”

The muffled sobs from the kitchen made Summer’s own come harder, and she put a hand over her mouth to stifle them. She turned the television back up even louder than before, trying to drown out the sound of both of their tears.

Summer closed her eyes and exhaled jaggedly, doing her best to dismiss the memory. She couldn’t ask Eden or Lexie how they handled it, as much as she might love to know the answer. There was no sense opening that can of worms. Nor did she want to answer the questions she might get in return. And what would be the point, anyway? She wasn’t in a relationship with Noah anymore. She’d been burned once; she wasn’t interested in throwing herself into the fire again. Not that she had that option… Which was good, obviously, because that was the last thing she wanted.

Summer tried her best to put it out of her mind, instead concentrating on enjoying the rest of the concert. The three of them finished off the flask and Summer was able to relax again. She swayed to the rhythm, her hips moving to the relentless kick of Noah’s drums that felt almost like a second heartbeat pulsing in her chest. More than once she’d caught him glancing over in their direction, but she didn’t know if that was normal for him when his sister was in the audience, or if having her there was bothering him. After a while, though, she stopped caring.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or that she was having fun with two new friends, or maybe it was the incredible music mellowing her out, but Summer decided it was about time she and Noah called a truce. Dwelling on the hurts of the past wasn’t doing her any favors; she needed to focus on moving forward. And what better way to do that than to forgive him and become, if not friends, then amicable acquaintances? It seemed like such a good idea that she even gave him a tentative smile the next time he glanced over in her direction.

He stared intently for a second, his hands never missing a beat, before flashing her an unexpected smile in return that made her heart stutter in her chest.

Okay, well, that was probably because she hadn’t seen him smile much recently, and definitely not at her—she just wasn’t used to it. And he’d always had the sexiest smile. Summer’s mind drifted to memories of Noah, smiling down at her as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, right before he kissed her; the crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he was laughing at something she’d said; the intimate curve of his lips after they’d made love; the wicked grin he’d give her from between her legs after he’d made her come…

Like a flash fire, Summer’s body heated instantly, and she mentally slapped herself. That was not what she needed to be thinking about. She wanted to be friendly with Noah, even if they’d never beclosefriends, but she definitely didn’t want to get swept up in her memories of the good times.

Trying to distract herself, Summer turned to Eden, who still wore a dreamy expression on her face as she watched Tex onstage. “They’re amazing,” she said.

Eden looked over at her and beamed. “I know, they’re brilliant. And I’m not saying that because my brother and my boyfriend are in the band. I swear, every album just gets better and better. And I love where they went with this one. It has a far more personal feel. Each song has so much emotion in it.”

She leaned closer to Summer, her eyes darting toward Lexie, who appeared absorbed in photographing the men onstage. “Don’t tell the guys I said so,” she whispered, “but I think it mostly had to do with Connor being in love when he and Tex wrote the music.”

“Just Connor?” Summer teased.

Eden’s cheeks reddened. “Well, they’d already written most of the songs when Tex and I… um, started seeing each other. But there might be a little inspiration from him mixed in there.”

Summer laughed at the younger woman’s modesty, but another surge of melancholy hit her. Oh, to be in love like that again.

All too soon, the concert came to a close. The last song ended with a blur of Noah’s hands over the toms and an explosive crash of the cymbals that rang in Summer’s ears for a split-second before it was drowned out by the clamoring of the crowd. The men on stage were all smiles for the fans as they shrieked their approval. Eden grabbed Summer’s hand and the three of them walked back toward the gate, one of the security guards opening it and ushering them through.

Lexie led them backstage, but as the warmth from the alcohol faded, and the excitement from the music dissipated, apprehension curdled in Summer’s stomach. For all her happy, tipsy thoughts during the concert, she wasn’t really feeling up to another meeting with Noah so soon after what had happened last time.

They stopped at the side of the stage to wait for the four men, who had turned away from thanking the screaming, chanting crowd, and were heading in their direction. A flash of bright blue eyes spiked her pulse, and she touched Eden’s arm. “Do you know if the car’s available to take me home? I’m assuming you and Lexie are going to stay to hang out with the guys, and then you’ll want to go home with Tex after that.”

Surprise widened Eden’s eyes for only a moment before she wiped it away. Lexie shot Summer a sympathetic smile, but it was Eden that answered her, albeit a little reluctantly. “Well, yes. I mean, the car will be waiting in the same spot it dropped us off. And we were planning to hang out at the after party. But don’t you want to stay too? We can have a couple more drinks.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Summer glanced over to where the four men were striding toward them, and despite her resolve not too long ago, nerves still skittered over her skin. She wasn’t sure she was quite at the point of hanging out with Noah just yet.

Baby steps.

She looked back at the two women. “I’m actually kind of tired. I’m not used to these late nights, you know?” She smiled, but it must not have been as convincing as she’d thought, because Eden’s gaze slid to where Noah and the others were almost upon them, then back to her.

She returned Summer’s smile, but there was a hint of sadness there, too. “Of course, I understand. I’ll walk you out to the car.”

“No, that’s okay. Honestly, I know where it is. And I think someone wants to see you.” She nodded over at where Tex was bearing down on them. His whiskey-colored eyes fixed on Eden.

“Oh, okay, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure. Thanks for inviting me, I had a great time.” She gave Eden a quick hug, then turned to Lexie. “It was nice meeting you.”

Lexie smiled warmly. “It was lovely to meet you, Summer. I hope we’ll get a chance to hang out again soon.”

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