Page 60 of Extended Bridge

His hands cover my shoulders and pin me to the bed. “I better not be a way to pass the time.”

A sarcastic retort is on the tip of my tongue, but it dies when I see the hurt look in his green eyes. “I was kidding.” My honest reply fills the room. “I only want for you to open up to your bandmates a little more. Let them in. You might be surprised at their perspective on things.”

“Why does this matter to you?”

I collect my thoughts and say, “Because you walk in a world few understand.Theydo. Let them help you wrestle all the pressures you’re under.”

He settles over my body, every part of his long frame warming me. “No one has ever cared about me the way you do, Jenna. You make it seem like I can share my life with the band, that my truthswon’t make them run away. They don’t need to know my monsters; they have their own problems. To them, I’m the cocky lead singer, who handles all the minutiae and keeps UC running.”

My gaze roves over his perfect face. “What if they saw a fraction of the truth? Maybe about how hard it was when your father passed and you decided to join the band?”

His cheek ripples. “They were there.”

“I’m sure they knew your dad died and you dropped out of high school when Darren asked. But did you share your feelings back then?” I trace his eyebrows. “How hard this was for you?”

“They knew.”

“Fine,” I relent. “They didn’t leave you all alone to study for the test, did they? I know for a fact Darren used to quiz you for the GED. The others helped you prepare, too. Does that sound like a group of guys who didn’t care?”

He drops onto his side. “Well, no. I thought they didn’t want a high school dropout representing the band.”

“Oh, Bennett. Darren told me how proud he was of you for passing the test on the first try. All of you took the GED together, because you all studied for it.”

He doesn’t say a word, but I can see him processing. After a few minutes, he whispers, “I guess you’re right.” He smiles at me. “We all celebrated when I passed.”

“Because you let them in to help you. Can you remember how that made you feel?”

“Good. Proud.”

“As youallshould. How about when you selected Tristan to join the band?”

“It was a grueling process. Applicants submitted videos, which our team screened, passing along only the top ones. We met with a few candidates, but Tristan vibed with us right away. It took some time for him to be a part of UC, but he’s here now.” His face swivels toward mine. “The rock climbing outing cemented it.”

“See what happens when you come together as a unit to achieve a goal?”

“I’m not sure what goals we still have to achieve.”

“How sad.” I turn on my side. “Don’t you—meaning UC as a band—have any milestones you still want to achieve?”

“We’re selling out stadiums, have won a few awards.” He waves his hand. “I guess it would be cool to win an Oscar for best song in a movie.”

I latch onto this. “What an awesome goal! What do you have to do to make that happen?”

He shakes his head. “I have no idea.”

“How about this. Why don’t you research what it takes to win, and then talk with your band members about it?” I use the pronoun “your” on purpose, and consider it a win when he doesn’t correct me.

“Or, I could ask Luke. It could be fun to work toward a goal again. See if we can reach it.”

I nod, keeping the tears in check. This man is opening up to his band whether he realizes it or not. “The challenge will be worth it.”

His hands skim down my body. “Thank you. I haven’t felt this much excitement about UC in a long time.”

“Glad to be of service.”

His pupils dilate. “I know how else you can be of service.”

“The doctor said two more days.”

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