Page 48 of One Last Song

Kennedy smiles and tosses her red hair over one shoulder as Annika starts reaching for it. “I forgave you a long time ago, Tyler. You’re a good man. You just got a little lost on the way. We’re all glad that you’re back to being yourself now. It’s been a long few years.”

Guilt surges through me again. “I really am sorry, Kennedy.”

“I know.” She taps her feet on the ground and drums her fingers on Annika’s stomach, making the baby shriek with laughter. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do about Cassie? There are a couple days between this show and the next. That’s plenty of time to get on a plane and go see her.”

Shaking my head, I pick at a loose thread on my ripped jeans. “I’m not going to do that, Kennedy. I love her, but she made it clear that she’s done with this. Done with me. I’m going respect that and not go after her.”

Kennedy rolls her eyes. “Cassie’s crazy about you, Tyler. If there’s any woman that would ever give you a third chance, it’s going to be her.”

I sigh. “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not going to happen. She’s done with me.”

“Did you tell her that you love her?”

My chest tightens. “No. It wouldn’t change anything even if I did. I betrayed her again. I didn’t fight for her. All I could see was the need for more money to build the kind of life she deserves. I went into survival mode, and I did nothing to prove to her that she is the only person in the world who matters to me.”

“That’s a cop-out and we both know it.” Kennedy’s smile falls as Annika starts whining. She carries her over to the playpen and puts her inside before coming to sit on the edge of the coffee table. “You need to make things right with Cassie.”

“There is no making things right with her. Not when I fucked up this bad again.” I run my hands down my face.

Once again, the walls are closing in around me. The ceiling presses down from above, and I feel like I’m going to get crushed if I don’t get out of here quickly. My breath comes in short spurts as I clasp my hands together.

“Breathe,” Kennedy says, her voice soft. She puts her hand on top of mine and gives them a squeeze. “You need to promise me that this isn’t going to make you spiral out of control. Not again. I can’t risk you bringing my husband down with you.”

“I’m not going to spiral.” I take a shuddering breath and count backwards in my head. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ll callCassie again and see if she’s willing to talk. Maybe we can find a way to make things right together.”

Though I’m lying to Kennedy right now, the guilt doesn’t overwhelm me like it has been lately. I’m not going to allow myself to spiral, but I’m not going to call Cassie again.

She’s ignored every call for the last three weeks. There’s nothing that I can do to make things right with her.

This time, there is no fixing us.

CHAPTER 21

CASSIE

As I stare at the positive pregnancy test, all I can think about is how I’m going to tell Tyler. Even if we have our problems. I want him to know about our baby. I want him to be part of our child’s life and I’m sure that he wants that too.

“They’re doing a show in Portland tonight,” Paige says as she walks downstairs with her purse slung over one shoulder. “We could drive there and make it before the show starts. You could talk to him after the show.”

I put the pregnancy test into a little white box. “I don’t know if surprising him at a show is the way to go.”

Paige crosses her arms, her eyebrows raising. “You’re going to tell him about the baby, right?”

I tuck the box into my purse and take a deep breath. My hands shake as I zip the purse shut. “Of course. It’s his baby too. He deserves to know about our child, and I need to tell him in person, but telling him at a show might not be the best way to go.”

Paige takes her phone out of her pocket and hands it to me. I look down at the concert tickets on the screen. Front row seats for tonight. She gives me a guilty smile before giving me a gentle push toward the stairs.

“Go to your room and get dressed in something comfortable. It’ll be a long drive, but I think we’ll make it in time as long as we get going in the next half hour.”

“You’re coming with me?” I ask as I take the stairs two at a time.

“Of course!”

When I come back downstairs in a pair of leggings and a black tank top, Paige is standing near the door with my purse and hers. She opens the front door and gestures to the car.

My stomach ties itself into tight knots as I head for the car, already trying to work through what I’m going to say to Tyler.

Cornering him after a show still seems like a bad idea, but I need to do it in person, and I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity.

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