Page 87 of Tangled in Vows

How I wish she were right.

“Hurricane. Tell me.”

Chapter 27

Olivia

I wrote a hate song about you that got me a record deal.

Seeing Holden all serious makes my already anxious stomach flutter with even more nerves, causing the tension to topple straight into nausea.

But I have to tell him.

I don’t know what’s going on between us, but I know we’re stuck with each other for the majority of the next six months for sure, and I can’t do that with all this shit and baggage between us.

“Is it that bad, Hurricane?” Holden is trying to catch my gaze, but I avoid it.

I don’t want to see the look of indifference, or worse, contempt, in his eyes when he realizes everything that’s about to happen will fall back on him now too, with our marriage being public.

“After you left, I wrote a song about you.”

Holden coughs under his breath. “Sorry to tell you, but it’s pretty obvious “Burn in Hell”is about me.”

That was my angry song, which came after the sad song.

Heat rushes into my cheeks, and I avert my gaze toward my feet.

Left, right.

Left, right.

One foot in front of the other.

If you’re lost, just put one foot before the other, baby. Just keep going.

My mom had a lot of different sayings in that beautiful brain of hers. No matter the situation, she’d find the right words for me. Something that sounded wise and somehow always exactly what I needed to hear.

If you’re lost, just put one foot before the other, baby. Just keep going.

But what if to keep going, sometimes, we have to stop?

I come to a standstill, and Holden follows suit.

After a few more breaths of courage, I will the words to spill out of my mouth. “There was another song I wrote first, a less angry one.” I clasp my trembling hands in the kangaroo pouch of my hoodie. “Someone got a hold of it and sent it to Ian and the higher-ups this week, and they want it on the album. The person made it seem like I sent the email, and everyone is ecstatic about the song. They’re not giving me a chance, practically forcing me to record it.”

Holden’s lips draw into a tight line, the crease between his brows deeper than before. “Someone hacked you?”

“It seems so.” I should be relieved he’s focusing on that part of the problem because it’s a big one that needs to be addressed and solved. But my heart feels like it’s been stomped on ever since Heather told me about recording the song with Ian.

“Have you told Archer?” Holden is in full security mode now. He is my bodyguard and protector, stern and calculated, readyto solve any problem we encounter and eliminate any threat. The softness and heat from earlier are gone.

“I told my agent the email to Ian was an accident, but that’s it.”

He opens his mouth to say more, but I beat him.

“Holden. I . . .” Shit, I don’t even know how to say this. “This song. It’s emotional and raw. After you left, I felt so alone and hurt. There’s a reason why this song never saw the light of day. It was only for me and no one else.”

The change on his face is immediate. His features soften, and his whole posture droops.

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