“He was the guitar player,” I answered. “Fair skin, dark hair, piercing blue eyes.”
She got quiet, and I turned around to find her studying her phone.
I dropped my head back onto my shoulders. “Don’t tell me you’re googling him.”
She didn’t bother lifting her eyes from the screen. “Okay. I won’t tell you.”
I snatched the phone out of her hands, but her face was already filled with concern.
“Kenz…” Her brows drew together as she frowned. “He’s very handsome, but those first headlines that popped up…Is all of that true? Because if it is—”
“It’s not,” I said, cutting her off. “Or at least, it isn’t anymore. He’s…kind and understanding and—”
“Not a womanizer?” she asked softly.
I shook my head emphatically. “He isn’t. I swear. I know what you’re thinking.”
“And can you blame me?”
I sighed. “No. I can’t.”
“Sweetheart, your dad was charming and sweet and beautiful once upon a time too. Before he started drinking and sleeping with every woman he could convince to get into bed with him.” Her face fell as she looked at me. “Before he left me with two children and no way to contact him.”
“You know I’d never get involved with someone like him.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You think I thought your father was like that when we got together?”
She took her phone back and enlarged one of the articles she’d found before handing it back to me. The headline read:Loaded Luca Sterling Gets Tossed Out of Bar After Late Night Brawl.
“Mom, I’m telling you.” I pointed to the date on the piece. “This is from three years ago. He’s not like that anymore. He’s sober. Don’t judge him before you even know anything about him.” My words came out sharper and more defensive than I intended. “I…Sorry…”
“No, it’s okay. You’re right.” She took a breath as she tucked her phone back in her purse. “Tell me about him.”
I sighed, a faint smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. There was only one thing I needed to tell her in order to make her understand.
“He was there for me the night of the…anniversary,” I explained. “I was at a bar drinking alone, with every intention of getting drunk. I just wanted to…not feel anything anymore.”
Her face fell, and she pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you here all alone.”
“I’m not sorry,” I said with a shrug. “Because you deserved the break. And also because Luca found me. He didn’t know at first what was going on. All he knew was that he wasn’t going to let me deal with it alone. He stayed with me the whole night. Looked out for me. Made sure I got home safely and carried my drunk ass up the stairs. He held my hair back when I got sick.”
Tears shined in her eyes. “Sweetheart…”
“And then do you know what he did?” I asked. “He took care of me. He got me water and tucked me into bed and didn’t make a single move on me. The next morning, he got breakfast, and we talked. He wanted to know what had me down, so I told him. And Mom, he understood. Do you want to know why?”
“Why?”
“Becausehe’dfelt like Brennan did.” My voice broke. “He was depressed like Brennan was. That’s what brought him here to Nashville. He’s getting help. We understand each other in a way other people don’t.”
She opened her mouth as though she was going to say something but then closed it again.
“What?” I asked.
She hesitated a moment. “Honey, I can tell he means a lot to you, but…”
“But?”
“It seems like he might be dealing with a lot right now,” she answered, her voice gentle. “And I worry that could bring up a lot of difficult memories for you. I also know how much responsibility you felt for what happened with Brennan. I just don’t want you to get in a situation where you take on the weight of things you have no control over.”
