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“Yeah.”
“I guess it could be worse. You could have been put on a reality show. Or, you know, been told to fake marry an up-and-coming singer, then get your heart broken.”
There was bitterness in his voice. It was impossible to deny. Aiden had been on the wrong side of a deal with the lead singer of a band that was just about to breakout. The tabloids had ruined them both. Though he’d come out looking like a peach, and of course, she…had not. It went so wrong. Her career ended before it could really begin. This was the kind of shit I wanted to avoid.
“Well, I’m not dating him.”
“All right, good. If you want my advice don’t. Steer clear of anything that would link you together. Aside from the writing.” He heaved a sigh before continuing. “I don’t think you should be living there. You two need to go somewhere secluded, where there’s no possibility of the press finding you. He’s a rich rancher; doesn’t he have like…some cabin in the mountains where no one will know what you two get up to?”
“We’re not getting up to anything.”
“Sure. Whatever. I really don’t care. What I do care about is you and him and your well-meaning manager not fucking up your entire lives. Hell, I’m still trying to pick myself back up, and it’s been years.”
“I thought you were doing just fine. Violet Hour is bigger than they’ve ever been.”
“Sure, the band’s doing great. But my personal life is a disaster.”
“You really fell for her, didn’t you?”
He groaned. “Don’t you dare tell anyone. I don’t want her to know. She’s happy, as she should be. I’ll figure my own shit out. Okay?”
“It’s our secret. Do you think the press is gonna start hounding us now?”
“I think if the Wildes don’t amp up their security, yes. They’ve already got that reality show one ranch over.”
“Ryker Ranch isn’t one ranch over, it’s miles away.”
“Doesn’t matter. Everything’s miles away in the middle of the country. I think you need to be cautious. Maybe go out on some dates with some other people, separate a little bit, or maybe I’m wrong, and the two of you are going to be the golden couple that everyone roots for and loves to see together. Maybe they’ll be shipping you before anything happens.”
I swallowed thickly. Something already had happened.
“Just be careful. That’s my main concern. As somebody who’s been down this road, it’s not pretty when it gets ugly.”
“’Course it isn’t, man. That goes without saying.”
The way he chuckled under his breath had me desperate to get off the phone. But he continued. “How’s the writing going?”
Aiden and I had talked more than once about the creative process and how tough it could be when the muse didn’t want to cooperate. If anyone was familiar with my struggles, he was.
“I think there’s something there.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. He might not agree, but it’s…there’s a spark, you know?”
“Yeah, I know that feeling. You’ve just got to feed that fire. Unless he doesn’t want to do this.”
“I think he does. He’s just not as willing as I am.”
“There’s always got to be one holdout.” A soft murmur trickled over the line, voices in the background distracting him. “Sorry, man, our plane’s about to take off. I gotta hang up.”
“Thanks for calling, Aiden.”
We hung up, and I heaved a sigh before raking a hand through my hair and sitting back on the couch.
“Was that Aiden Boyd?” Killian asked, his voice rough and a little shy, but all I could think of was how bloody glad I was to see him again.
“Yeah. He’s a friend.”
