Page 23 of Fractured Trust

What the hell was Zac getting at? “You know as soon as we had a break in our tour schedule, I flew back home to see her.” Noah’s jaw tightened. “Which was when I saw her and Deacon. Kissing.”

“And?”

“And what?” Noah’s words were clipped now.

“What did you do about it?”

Noah blew out a breath and rolled his shoulders. “What could I do? She’d made her choice. I walked away.”

Zac rasped his palm over the stubble on his chin, his eyes steady on Noah’s. “You know, I have no doubt you and Summer were in love back then. But honestly? I don’t think either of you were ready for it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Aggravation sharpened Noah’s tone. Once again, thinking about Summer had his emotions all over the place. The fingers of his right hand tapped out a beat against his thigh.

“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d fought for Summer? If instead of walking away, you’d pulled her away from Deacon. If you’d done everything that was humanly possible to win her back. To prove to her she could trust you.”

Noah opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated, closing it again.

Zac watched him as he struggled to answer, then he gave a half shrug. “You and Summer were both young, and I don’t think either of you fought for each other. I never doubted the love between you—the two of you together could light up a room. But sometimes…”—he paused, his gaze briefly turning inward before he focused on Noah again—“sometimes a love can be so strong, so intense, that it’s almost frightening. Sometimes, when you realize how much having a love like that torn away from you will hurt, you loosen your grip, even if it’s only for a moment. Because choosing to let something go hurts far less than holding on to it with everything you have and losing it, anyway.”

Noah stared at Zac as his friend’s words tumbled around his head. Had he chosen to let Summer go? Had they both chosen to let each other go? He ran a hand over his face. Fuck, he didn’t know. Maybe he could have fought harder. Could have confronted Deacon. Could have ripped Summer away from that asshole and shown her what she meant to him.

But he hadn’t.

He’d turned and left.

Remembering that night, seeing Summer’s lips pressed to Deacon’s, her arms wrapped around him, sent a gut-punch of pain through Noah. His hands squeezed tight. Zac didn’t know what he was talking about. He hadn’t chosen to let Summer go. She’d dumped him. Why would he fight for someone who obviously didn’t care enough to fight for him?

Zac must have seen his thoughts written on his face because he shook his head and took another pull of his beer. “Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he said, then wandered off.

Noah let out a harsh breath and forced his fists to unclench. Zac was wrong. He hadn’t let Summer go. He’d wanted to hold on to her forever. It had been her decision—all hers. And he had a horrible feeling he might never find out why.

Chapter 11

Eden was eyeing Summer from the other side of the room as she spoke to Tex on the phone.

“Mm-hm, mm-hm, sounds good. Yeah, okay. Hey, how would you feel if I asked—” She smiled suddenly, then laughed. “You know me too well.” She listened for a few more seconds, then lowered her voice slightly. “I know. I love you too, Tex.” Her expression was almost too intimate, and Summer swallowed, looking back at her computer screen as envy rippled through her.

Instead of getting caught up in memories of failed relationships past, she did her best to focus on the newsletter she was finishing, ready to send out to all the charities on their mailing list.

Eden said goodbye and hung up, but when there was only silence instead of a clacking keyboard, Summer raised her eyes and looked over. Eden was gazing back at her with a hopeful smile on her face, and Summer’s brows arced upward. “Um, is everything okay?”

“Everything’s great. Tex was just reminding me we’ve been invited to a fundraising gala Saturday night. The whole band has. It’s a silent auction.”

Summer smiled. “Oh, sounds like a fun night.”

“Uh-huh. Actually, Drew was supposed to be coming, but he’s had to pull out,” Eden continued. “Aaaand… I was hoping maybe you’d like to take his place.” When Summer immediately started to shake her head, Eden clasped her hands together in front of her chin and batted her lashes. “Pleeease.”

Summer couldn’t help but laugh, though she quickly sobered. “I’m really not sure…”

“Look, I know it’s still awkward between you and Noah, and if you truly don’t feel comfortable, I understand. Really. But I think this would be a great opportunity for you both to spend some time together with lots of other people around. And Lexie will be there too. You had fun with us the other night, didn’t you?”

She’d definitely had fun with Eden and Lexie. But afterward, it was Noah’s hand on her arm that she couldn’t stop thinking about. The way he’d pulled her closer. The look in his eyes. She had no idea what had been going through his head in that moment. But his expression had both thrilled and terrified her. Thrilled her because she could almost see the boy she’d once loved looking out at her, and terrified her because her heart had raced uncontrollably, she’d lost her breath, and for a second, wanted nothing more than to step forward, go up on her toes and press her lips to his. And that was the one thing she couldn’t afford to do. Because she needed this job, she needed this new start, and she didn’t want to lose it because of a lapse of judgment. One they would both invariably end up regretting.

So, she’d run. Home. As fast as she could. And stood under the shower until the water turned cold. Then she’d crawled into bed and tried to keep her mind blank until she fell into a restless sleep.

Summer sighed. “I did, but…” she wasn’t sure how much to say to Eden, so settled on being vague. “I’m not sure me and Noah spending time together is helpful.”

Eden scrunched her nose up. “I mean, with you working here, the two of you are bound to see each other now and then. Wouldn’t it be better for you to be friends? Or on friendly terms anyway?”

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