Page 19 of Resilient Rhythms
Fuck. My hands curl into fists as I try to temper the surge of fury that rolls through my bloodstream at that fucker’s name. “I want to work through that with you,” I rasp out.
She gives me a heartbreaking smile. “I’m scared to trust you, Mav. And have us not work out again. I’m not saying this to hurtyou but the bender you went on…walking into the brownstone the next day and seeing you like that. All those women and the drugs and alcohol and…” She bites her bottom lip. “Trust is hard for me.”
I nod solemnly. “Then let me earn it, beauty. Just tell me you’ll give me a chance to earn your trust back. That’s all I want—a shot.”
She’s quiet for a beat and my heart hammers in my temples. But then she smiles and it’s like seeing pure sunshine. “Okay, yes.”
“Yeah?” I grin so hard my cheeks ache.
“Yes, Mav. I want us to have another shot at things too. For real this time.”
“For real,” I repeat.
“But—”
I frown.
Mckenna snorts. “Don’t give me that face. After everything that’s happened between us, I need to set some ground rules.”
“You and your rules,” I laugh. “All right, let me hear them.”
“Okay.” Mckenna takes another sip of Coke before forging ahead. “We stay focused on our own professional paths. I need to study for the bar exam and you need to sort things out with the Clovers and what’s coming next for the band.”
“We’re recording a new album,” I explain. “But, yes, I see your point. We can’t get so lost in each other that we blow off real life.”
“Exactly. And that’s cool about the album. Are any of the songs you wrote going to be on it?”
She remembers. Of course she does. “I hope so,” I admit. “I still have to talk to the guys and show Reign some new lyrics I wrote but…fuck, I hope so.”
“Me too, Mav. You deserve it.”
I shrug, feeling my cheeks heat under her praise. “What other rules?”
“We keep up with therapy and consider doing some sessions together if there are things we need to work through.”
“Done,” I agree.
“You’re being very accommodating.”
“I’ve grown a lot since we last had hard conversations.”
“Apparently,” Mckenna murmurs. “And this is important?—”
“Okay.”
“We can’t blur the lines.”
I frown, my eyebrows bending together. “What’s that mean?”
“It means…no intimacy. No sex,” she whispers the last word, her eyes darting around as if she’s scared we’re going to get caught talking about getting busy with each other.
Oh, my sweet Mckenna. She truly is a good girl.
“No sex,” I repeat, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Shh!”
I chuckle. “Beauty, I’ll make you a deal.”
