Author: Olivia Cunning

“I’m glad I’m here too.” Even though it meant she had some troubling feelings to sort through.

He smiled, his even features just visible in the dim light. Jace touched his fingertips to Aggie’s cheek and then returned to the stage.

Sed took Jessica by the hand and led her toward center stage.

“What are you doing?” Aggie heard Jessica’s tremulous voice through Sed’s microphone.

“What I planned to do before you one-upped me and proposed before I had the chance.”

The band played a sweeping intro to a ballad. All three guitarists used bows on their instruments, so the music sounded more orchestral than metal. It was hauntingly romantic. When Sed started singing the tender words of a love song to Jessica, Aggie’s breath caught in her throat. The pair was so lost in each other that the twelve thousand other people in the arena were forgotten. Watching them gaze at each other brought tears to Aggie’s eyes. She’d never witnessed anything like it—unmistakable, unconditional love flowing between them—and she’d never thought she might have something like that. Never even wanted it—until now. She tore her eyes away from the couple at center stage and watched Jace, again caught up in his first love, his music. As scary as the idea was, she couldn’t deny it. She wanted that—what Sed and Jessica had. And she wanted it with Jace.

Chapter 17

Aggie tossed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her mother, who was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar. “So when are you leaving?”

“When it’s safe,” Mom said, sprinkling Tabasco sauce on her eggs and then digging in.

Standing, as it would take actual effort to climb onto a stool, Aggie yawned and picked at her own eggs. She’d had a rough night at the club. Some drunk dickhead had climbed on her stage and gotten fresh. Well, fresh was putting it lightly. The bouncers had to mace him to get him off her. She hated men. Well, most of them. At the moment, Jace was the only exception, and as he was touring the Northeast, she hadn’t seen him for several weeks. He was always gone. They kept in contact via text message. He didn’t like to talk on the phone. She missed him and worked hard not to feel bitter about his touring. Or that he was never out of her thoughts for a moment, while he was undoubtedly having the time of his life. Sinners were on their way home to LA today. Maybe she could see Jace sometime this week. She didn’t handle these long stretches away from him well. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

“Most people sleep at night, you know.” Mom waved a hand at the early morning sunshine streaming through the kitchen window.

“Most mothers don’t visit their daughters for three fuckin’ months, you know.”

Mom pointed at her with her fork. “Watch your mouth, Agatha Christine. I’m leaving soon.”

“You’ve been saying that every day since you moved in. The least you could do is admit that you’re here to stay.”

Mom shook her head. “I’m waiting for the all clear.” She reached into the neckline of her baggy sweatshirt and pulled a necklace free. “Here, I want you to have this.” She lifted the long chain over her head and handed a hideous, heart-shaped locket to Aggie. It attempted to be gold, but the paint was flaking off to reveal the white plastic beneath. Aggie had never seen it before.

“Gee thanks, Mom. Did you pick this up from Goodwill or the dumpster behind Dollar General?”

“I found it in an old shoe box the other day. Your father gave that to me.”

Aggie rolled her eyes. “The deadbeat Elvis impersonator?”

“Don’t disrespect your father.”

“I don’t think I can call a man I never met my father. He doesn’t know I exist.”

“Oh, he knows. I told him I was pregnant. That’s why he split.” Mom smiled nostalgically. “He was really handsome, doll. You look a lot like him.”

“Yes, my legacy is to be the greatest female Elvis impersonator to ever live. Too bad I sound like a strangled ostrich when I sing.” Aggie slipped the locket’s chain over her head. It wasn’t like her mother gave her things of importance on a regular basis. She did appreciate the gesture. She was just… tired. And really wanted her life back. And to be able to make love to Jace on the kitchen floor whenever the urge struck her. Not that he was around enough to appease those urges, but if he had been.

“Be proud of who you are, Agatha.”

Aggie nodded and squeezed the gaudy locket in her hand. “Thanks for the necklace, Mom. It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, but I’ll treasure it.”

Mom smiled one of those rare smiles that touched her tired eyes. She’d had a hard life. It showed in every line of her face. Hard to believe the woman was only forty-seven.

Mom grabbed Aggie around the waist and pulled her next to her side. “Are you happy, baby?”

For some reason, her mother’s question made an image of Jace dominate her thoughts, like it did every twenty seconds or so. Aggie smiled, examining the locket more closely. “I’m working on it. Is there a picture inside?”

“It doesn’t open. Never did. It’s not really a locket.” Mom elbowed Aggie in the ribs affectionately. “We’re okay, right?”

Aggie nodded. “We’re okay.”

Mom kissed Aggie’s arm and patted her butt. “Go on to bed.”

“I have someone coming to pick up a corset this evening,” Aggie said. “I have to get it done before I even think about sleeping.”

“No, you don’t,” Mom said with an ear to ear grin. “I finished it for you.”

Aggie felt the blood drain from her face. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

“I did a bang-up job.”

Aggie dashed into her dining room and stopped dead in her tracks. Spread across the surface of the dining room table beside her sewing machine was the corset she’d been working on before she’d headed to the club the night before. Her mother had done a bang-up job all right. If bang-up was a synonym for fucked-up. The stitching was uneven. One cup of the garment was the premeasured D, the other a lopsided A. The Forget-Me-Not embroidery pattern didn’t match because Aggie’s practiced stitches decorated one side, and her mother’s kindergarten project disgraced the other. It wasn’t like Aggie could remove the misplaced stitches and fix it. Unlike cloth, if you poked a hole in leather, it stayed there. She’d have to completely start over.

“Mother!”

“Not bad for my first try. Maybe we could go into business together.”

Aggie picked up the corset and tugged at it to see if by some miracle it would straighten itself out. The ribbing was sewn in so that any woman unlucky enough to put it on would have her rib cage punctured and suffer a collapsed lung. “It’s ruined.”

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Aggie. It’s fine.”

She couldn’t make out her mother’s expression through her tears of frustration. “It isn’t fine. Nothing you touch is fine.”

Her mother took a deep, shuddering breath. “You’re right. I’m the biggest fuckup on the planet.” And now she was crying. Great, just fucking great. She destroyed Aggie’s work and then somehow managed to make her feel guilty about it.

“You need to not be near me right now, Mom,” Aggie said. “I have a lot of work to do.” She grabbed a seam ripper and tore the garment into sections, praying that she might be able to salvage some of the panels—especially the one she’d embroidered—and just replace those her mother had messed up.

“I’m sorry,” Mom said in a shaky voice. “I thought I could help. I know how hard you’re always working, and I’m a huge burden on you. I make up stories about the Mafia so you’ll take me in, and I eat your food and borrow money out of your purse to buy cigarettes. I know I deserve to be kicked out, but I don’t have an-anywhere else to gooooo.” She was wailing now.

Aggie paused in her angry retaliation against a helpless corset. “Wait. What? You made up that story about borrowing money from the Mafia?”

Mom probably should not have revealed that while Aggie had a sharp object in her hand.

“Are-are-are-are you mad at meeeeee?”

The woman should go into acting. She was a natural.

“Un-fucking-believable. Well, at least I can stop working overtime, since I no longer have to save money to pay off your stupid loan.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” Mom turned off the waterworks like a plumber with a pipe wrench.

“No. Just go away. You’ve done enough.”

“Now you’re just being bitchy.”

Aggie stiffened. Bitchy? “I need a freakin’ vacation,” Aggie said under her breath, shredding the ruined half of the corset with her seam ripper so she didn’t attack her mother with its deadly point.

Chapter 18

Sitting in the studio on their first day off-tour in three weeks, Jace smiled when he saw who the text message was from. Aggie. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He had plans to see her in Vegas that weekend, though he hadn’t shared those plans with her. As he read her words on the screen, his smile faded.

I’m in LA. Text me your address. I thought I’d stay with you for a few days. Mom is driving me insane. I had to get out of Vegas.

His place? He’d never invited her to his place for a reason. He lived in a dump in a bad neighborhood. That was sure to cause a barrage of uncomfortable questions. Jace needed to intercept her and convince her that they should spend a romantic weekend in some expensive hotel. He turned to the producer, Chris. They were sitting outside the booth where Eric was recording drum tracks for their upcoming album.

“Do you know any five-star hotels in Los Angeles?” Jace asked.

Chris lifted an eyebrow. “I dunno. That big pink one where all the celebs go. What’s it called?” He snapped his fingers. “The Beverly Hills Hotel.”

“Where’s that?”

“Sunset Boulevard. Where else?”

Jace didn’t hang around Beverly Hills. He did know Sunset Boulevard though. “Do you think I can get a reservation there?”

Chris chuckled. “If you can’t, I’m sure Trey can.”

Unlike Jace, Trey hung around Beverly Hills regularly. He’d been raised there and had social connections with the rich and famous. Jace texted a message back to Aggie.

Why don’t you meet me at The Beverly Hills Hotel? It’s on Sunset Boulevard. We’ll spend the weekend there together.

He decided to sweeten the deal.

I’ll bring my suitcase and spoil you.

Waiting for her response, Jace gave Eric a thumbs-up in the booth when he came to the end of his track.

“Perfect,” Chris said to Eric through the mic.

Eric shook his head. “I stumbled over a beat at around three minutes. Is Jace breaking your concentration?”

Jace’s cell phone beeped with the arrival of another text.

I’d rather just stay at your place.

I’m not prepared for company, he returned.

I’m not company. I’m your girlfriend.

If you see where I live, you might change your mind.

I’m not that shallow, Jace.

Jace supposed there was one way to find out if she could handle the real him. He texted his street address.

I’ll meet you there.

“I’ve got to go,” he said to Chris.

“You’ll be back later, won’t you?” the producer said. “You’re up next.”

“I don’t know. I might be back later today. Tell the guys I’m sorry, but I have unexpected company.”

In the parking garage, Jace climbed onto his bike and started the engine. He headed toward home with demons on his heels. He had to beat Aggie to his place and hide his dirty laundry in his closet. Put clean sheets on his bed. Scrub the toilet. Then he’d have to take her grocery shopping. He’d just returned from touring for three weeks, and his refrigerator was empty. Maybe if he made her a nice dinner, it would make up for the fact that she had to eat it off a paper plate.