Within moments, we were in the back of the SUV and roaring off to the hotel. Hex had left us to get the guys, so it was just Ani and me.
“I-I can’t breathe,” I choked out. “Ani… I-I can’t. I can’t…”
“Shh, shh, baby,” he coaxed, reaching into his pocket. He pushed a sour candy against my lips, and I accepted it, the blast of sour forcing me to focus on it inside the madness happening around me.
We’d only just overcome the heart being delivered and the news on that. Now this? We’d made a huge donation to the family to help cover funeral costs, and Anson was quick to set up a music scholarship fund in Casey’s name.
“I-I thought this was over. I thought it was over,” I sobbed.
“Come here.” Anson hugged me fiercely as he pulled his phone out. “Klaus, get Evan.”
He was calling home.
This was quickly becoming my new nightmare.
20
ETHAN
Istared down at my phone, my heart in my throat, the magazine with Rosalie on the cover, kissing Anson, beside me. Another with the headline about a severed head being found in her dressing room after a show was under it. No leads, and the head belonged to someone who attended a local college near the venue and was a fan of Bishop.
Enzo had sent out a few men to look into things, but nothing turned up. And Cole had taken to pouring himself into his remodel at our old house and had been sleeping there all week.
I felt like it was time to reach out to her. It didn’t matter if she was married or if I was going to take Cole’s place in the contract with the underground.
Married.
My sweetheart had gotten married.
FUCK.
I’d be lying if I said my heart wasn’t a pile of ash in my chest at the news. Sure, I knew it would eventually happen, but I guess I was holding out hope for a miracle of some sort.
I breathed out and thumbed out a message to her—the first in over four years. I’d been fighting with myself all evening oversending it, but I knew I had to do it. I wasn’t the same pathetic mess I was half a decade ago, and I was sure Enzo was closer than ever to reaching out to Church about the contract since Cole had gone silent on us.
Ethan: I heard the news about your marriage. Congratulations, Rosalie.
It took me a moment before I closed my eyes and hit send on the message, my guts twisted in nausea. I figured it was a decent enough gateway to a conversation.
I’d been holding out, waiting to get her back. Four years of turmoil. Of wondering how I could even approach her after everything.
And this was how.
Damnit.
It was stupid of me to think she’d wait. I was a father now, for fuck’s sake. The entire reason for making her go was to keep her from finding out my sins.
But hell, I wouldn’t give my son up for a damn thing. While it hurt to experience and be robbed, he brought so much joy and purpose into my life that I wouldn’t change that for a damn thing.
I didn’t expect a message back. I’d resigned to being a bachelor forever with the memory of us to hold me over until I died and got to see her again. In fact, I assumed she’d changed her number after becoming famous and had deleted my number long ago, but my phone pinged a moment later.
Rosalie: Ethan… thank you. How are you?
I swallowed hard as I stared down at that message. She hadn’t deleted me. I didn’t know how to answer, but I was damn desperate to.
Ethan: I’m well. How are you?
I waited, feeling like an idiot for asking her how she was. Obviously, not good since she had a stalker who was beheading her fans, but her answer was almost immediate.
