Sound of Heartache ("Sound of" Book 2) (27 page)

“
Look at us, all glammed up for the night. Damn, we’re smokin’ hot!” Regan quipped. The three of them laughed. Aimee couldn’t deny the truth of her statement. Regan was wearing a body-hugging sapphire jumper with a plunging neckline, Aimee was in her red, and Ellie in her emerald green. Maybe she wasn’t the only one with an attack of nerves, because each woman was dressed to make a statement. Only, Aimee didn’t know who Regan was making a statement about.

“
You’re not here with anyone?” Aimee asked Regan, curious about the stunning woman. Regan gave an elegant shrug.

“
Not exactly,” she responded cryptically.

“
What Regan means to say is that she won’t settle down and put the poor man out of his misery,” Ellie said with a grin. Aimee did some quick math and arrived at what she thought was a safely logical answer.

“
Let me guess. He’s about six four and built like a body builder?” Regan laughed wickedly.

“
Oh Ellie, I like this one. She’s crazy smart. What is it you do, anyway, hon?” Usually Aimee despised being called honey, baby, or any other name but her own. Coming from Regan’s mouth, though, it sounded strangely natural.

“
I’m a pediatrician,” she said, a little bewildered by where the conversation had gone. Regan snorted.

“
I’m an attorney,” she confessed. “A damn good one, but you know doctors and lawyers aren’t supposed to get along. Since we don’t have dicks for penis envy, I think we’ll do just fine.” Aimee laughed as she understood why Regan had been amused. She was coming to like the blunt woman and thought she’d make an excellent addition to Aimee’s very small circle of friends.

Spinning around, Ellie smacked her hand to her forehead. “I almost forgot!” She grabbed a bottle out of an ice bucket that was sitting on the coffee table and wrestled it open. She poured the drink into three tumblers and handed them out. Aimee immediately recognized the label as an insanely expensive brand of champagne. As she lifted her glass to smell the unique scent of champagne, the bubbles tickled her nose and she grinned.

“
To an unforgettable night!” Ellie toasted. Aimee raised her glass, and the edge of all three clinked together at once.

In perfect unison, they cried, “Cheers!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Brent felt the normal pre-show adrenaline buzzing through his body and he welcomed the surge of energy. He was especially ramped up tonight because he knew Aimee would be out there watching him. He admitted to himself that this was how their lives should have been all along, and having her there tonight watching him perform with his band was incredibly important to him. He wanted to perform for her, but more importantly, he wanted her to understand that his reason for playing was her.

“
Dude, you are all over the place tonight,” Jacob commented as he messed with his guitar.

“
It won’t interfere with my performance.” Brent was quick to offer the reassurance but Jacob gave him an impatient look. With Jacob’s size, his impatience sometimes came across to others as intimidation but Brent was long used to him so he didn’t take any offense.

“
I never once thought it would. You’re stupid talented. I’m just worried about you, man. I’ve never seen you like this, not even when you were using.” Jacob’s backhanded compliment gave Brent pause in the midst of his pacing. The band had been playing seamlessly together for so long that they rarely handed out kudos to each other. There didn’t seem to be much point because they all had healthy egos and were well aware of their success.

“
I just didn’t realize it would be so important for me to have Aimee here. I mean, I knew I wanted her here, of course. But knowing she’s going to be here and I’m going to be playing for her? It’s got me all kinds of messed up.” Brent glanced up at Jacob and frowned when he saw the other man smiling.

Jacob clasped his hand on Brent’s shoulder. “Man, don’t you realize that’s what it’s all about? Ultimately we’re all in it for that.” Jacob tightened his hand and looked down into Brent’s eyes. “Tonight you’re the lucky son of a bitch who gets to have it. Enjoy it instead of stressing about it.” He slapped Brent on the back before moving away to help Eric with his drums.

Brent stared after Jacob, perplexed. Jacob’s words had been solid advice but the man had sounded envious of Brent. Brent knew he was lucky to have found Aimee and Brenna again after all this time but he had no idea his bandmates were watching so closely. He knew Jacob was right about one thing, though. He needed to stop stressing and start enjoying.

Resolved, he threw himself into the final preparations for the show. He could hear the increasing volume of the audience from the other side of the heavy velvet curtain that cordoned off the stage. Brent loved performing in venues like this. They were old school and really gave the fans a chance to connect more personally with the band. As they all got into place he held his breath as the curtain began to part. This time he knew exactly where Aimee was standing in the crowd. He’d lined up the seats himself.

As the audience was revealed to him, his heart came to a screeching halt in his chest when his eyes lit on the absolute perfection of Aimee in a tight red tank. Their eyes met while she, Ellie, and Regan screamed along with the rest of the audience for the band. Aimee’s hand came to her lips and she blew him a kiss and attached it to an enormous smile. Brent grinned as he listened for his cue to start. He couldn’t have scripted a better way to cap off an amazing day.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Aimee’s eyes slowly crept open, reluctant to start the day. She wasn’t sure what had woken her from her deep sleep, she only knew something had. Arriving at the hotel around 3 a.m. pretty much guaranteed an afternoon wake-up and from the fuzziness of her brain, she knew it was nowhere near noon.

She stretched under the covers, moving her arms and legs slowly outward. One of her legs ran into a solid object and she stopped. The reason for her premature wakeup became suddenly clear in a mind that was still refusing to function.

“
Morning baby,” she muttered to Brenna. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and she smacked her lips together. God, what she wouldn’t give for something cold.

“
How was your date, mama? Was it wonderful? Did daddy do everything someone should when they’re trying to romance you?” Lucky for Brenna, she had a voice like an angel so her inquisition was delivered so sweetly Aimee couldn’t possibly be irritated.

“
So wonderful,” she breathed, smiling. She finally opened her eyes to see her daughter perched at the edge of the bed grinning at her. Her hair was neatly combed into two perfect pigtails and she was dressed for the day. “Is that juice for me?” She asked hopefully. Brenna nodded, making the pigtails bounce. Aimee managed an awkward lean forward and snatched the juice from her daughter’s hand, draining the glass in one gulp. Handing the glass back, she slumped back down in the bed.

“
You’re not getting away with wonderful, you know. I need details.”

“
Brenna, baby…” Aimee searched for the right thing to say. She didn’t want to hurt her daughter, but the dynamic between mother and daughter had to change with Brent’s arrival into their lives. “The things that dad and I do are between us. I can’t share everything with you like I used to because it’s between me and him. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” Aimee hated having this conversation with Brenna because she knew it would hurt her. But she wasn’t going to lie to her daughter, nor was she going to overshare. In Aimee’s opinion, good parental relationships were maintained by keeping the dynamics of the relationship treasured and private between the couple.

“
I just want to know what you did,” Brenna whispered, making Aimee feel even guiltier for drawing boundaries.

“
He took me all over the city. It was wonderful to get to spend time with him and to see the city I grew up in again. It’s been forever since I’ve been home.” She was willing to share that much with her girl.

Brenna looked around the small suite. “I’m surprised you’re in here. My friend Lacy told me her mom and dad sleep in the same room. That’s what parents who are together do, so I had Jack let me in dad’s suite this morning instead of here.” The simple explanation of what parents were supposed to do made Aimee smile. She sat up in the bed and pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

“
Your friend Lacy is right. Parents who are together sleep in the same bed most of the time.”

“
So why aren’t you with dad then?” Brenna was like a dog with a bone and Aimee had to admire her intrepidness. The truth was, Aimee and Brent had decided during the very late limo ride back to the Ritz that she would be sleeping in the smaller suite where Brenna was to be dropped off in the morning. Although they both hated the idea of being separated after having only one night together, they agreed it was the right thing to do until they had a chance to figure things out a little more definitively.

Their sleeping arrangements had been just that, though. Brent had brought her into his suite and made excruciatingly slow and tender love to her until she was breathless and panting his name, begging for him release. Aimee’s cheeks heated as she thought of her shameless promises to him while he was between her legs, his wicked tongue making her thighs tremble around his head. She gave an embarrassed cough.

“
We both thought you were coming here this morning and dad fell asleep in his bed, so I came back in here.” Close enough, and it was all Brenna needed to know.

Laying there in the luxurious hotel bed with her body sore in the best possible way and her daughter cradled in her arms, Aimee was certain life was just about perfect.

“
Do my girls feel like some insanely good French toast?” Aimee and Brenna turned toward the doorway to see a freshly showered and dressed Brent standing there, smiling happily and looking incredibly handsome with no disguise in sight. Her throat suddenly closed with emotion.

“
We’d love some!” She enthused, knowing within her very soul that she was right – life was perfect.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Brent was just the littlest bit uneasy as he boarded the flight back to San Diego with Eric. Most of the time, he and Eric booked two seats each so they could have some space but Eric said they needed to talk and it needed to be now. Brent had an idea what was on Eric’s mind but surely wasn’t planning to spill his guts mid-air? As he and Eric found their seats, he figured he would soon find out.

The pre-flight routine had both he and Eric reaching into their bags for their cellphones and earbuds. The band flew all the time so they tried to be productive with the down time. Sometimes Brent would mess around with his music program on his tablet. Other times, he would listen to rough cuts of their songs. Today, though, he felt like zoning out and listening to some of his favorite bands. He stuffed the buds in his ears figuring Eric would get his attention when he was ready to talk.

It wasn’t until the plane had reached cruising altitude that Brent felt Eric’s large hand land on his forearm. Brent immediately tugged the earbuds out and turned to look at his best friend.

“
Dude, what has Aimee told you about when she was taken away?” Eric looked disturbed, and from what Aimee had told him about what happened when she left San Diego, Brent wasn’t surprised. It was a hard story to hear, especially if you were hearing it with the ears of someone who cared deeply for her.

“
She told me her parents had her committed. I know things were bad, but she was able to escape by climbing over the fence on the 4
^th
of July.” Brent grimaced. The thought of a hugely pregnant and awkward Aimee clamoring over a fence gave him severe heartburn. They were all so lucky she hadn’t been injured.

“
That’s true. But did she tell you anything about what went on while she was in the facility?” Eric shifted in the small airplane seat restlessly. He was agitated.

“
Not really…” Brent said slowly. “She mentioned sedation. Was there something more she should have told me?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear whatever it was Eric had to say. It was hard to stomach, but maybe it was better to hear it from Eric than to have Aimee tell it and watch her relive it.

“
Did you know they drugged the hell out of her with anti-psychotics? That’s how they were able to keep her down for so long. They shot her full of the shit so she was too lethargic to go anywhere.” Eric twisted his hands around in his lap and then looked into Brent’s eyes. “It sure as hell was more than simple sedation.” Eric looked tormented, and deeply upset. Aimee must have confided in him when she spent the night in his suite and someone as kind-hearted as Eric wouldn’t be able to keep his feelings inside without exploding. Brent could see the love Eric felt for Aimee there in his eyes, but Eric was doing the right thing for their friendship by telling Brent information he needed to know. He knew how rare of a man that made Eric and loved his friend all that much more for it.

“
Doesn’t that stuff hurt the baby?” He asked, as Eric’s words began to sink in. Brent knew a little about anti-psychotics and anti-depressants. When he was in rehab it was hard not to pick up a thing or two from other patients and prescription drugs, especially those kind, were frequently abused. A sickly feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. What had Brenna been exposed to as a result of Aimee’s parents?