The Rocker's Muse

“It’s a drop in the bucket for me.”

All my blood rushed to my head. “Why didn’t my mother tell me about this?”

“I asked her not to until I had a chance to explain it.”

Was I crazy for feeling disappointed that someone had given me a million dollars? “I can’t believe this.”

He put his arm on the back of my seat. “Don’t be upset. Just let me do this for you.”

He wasn’t getting it. My disappointment wasn’t about the money. Tristan wanted me to go anywhere I wanted and have adventures. But having the freedom to do that made me realize my heart only wanted to be with him.

CHAPTER 32

TRISTAN

“Oh look, Emily just got here, and Nazarene left this morning. What a coincidence,” Ronan cracked as I ushered Emily in.

“Shut it,” I warned him.

Emily waved. “Nice to see you, too, Ronan.”

“Don’t pay attention to that asshole, Emily,” Atticus shouted from the other side of the kitchen.

The guys and I were having an evening barbecue at the house, so I’d invited her. Atticus had just brought in the meat he’d grilled while Ronan handled the sides, which included corn on the cob, pasta salad, grilled vegetables, and cut-up watermelon. I’d somehow gotten out of cooking, although I’d been tasked with running out to buy everything earlier.

Emily and I hadn’t seen each other in a few days, since the cemetery visit and my awkward announcement that I’d given her a million dollars. Things had ended on a tense note after I told her I’d transferred the money to her mother’s account.

Emily looked adorable in an aqua-colored, sleeveless top and jean shorts. She wore flip-flops that showed off her blue-painted toes. Her hair was up in a ponytail, which I secretly loved because you could see her cute little ears sticking out.

“Thank you for coming,” I said, holding back my natural inclination to hug her.

“Well, you said there’d be ribs. I’ve never been able to turn those down.”

“Actually, I think the magic words might have been ‘Nazarene left this morning’. Am I right?”

“That definitely helped.” She smiled.

She didn’t seem mad at the moment, which brightened my outlook considerably.

“What’s your guy doing tonight?” I asked. “You could’ve brought him.”

She looked down at her feet. “Ethan and I broke up, actually.”

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

Ronan snorted from somewhere behind me. I had no idea he was paying attention.

I touched her shoulder. “Let’s go out back and talk.”

“What happened?” I asked when we reached the yard and I’d closed the door behind us.

“You were right. I didn’t feel about him the way he felt about me. I’d known that for some time, and it wasn’t fair to keep things going, as much as I wanted the stability of a relationship in my life. Something about him reminded me of the years I was happiest, back in high school before everything turned sour in my life. Nostalgic. And while I enjoyed his company and felt safe with him, that’s not a reason to be with someone. You have to have a stronger connection. I tried. But I’m done lying to myself.”

I tried not to seem overly pleased. “Fair enough.”

“I take it you’re not surprised.”

“Can’t say I am. I always felt like maybe you rushed into things with him.”