“We’re sorry. We didn’t find out until a few months ago what all happened, and Kaden’s been a mess. He’s asked all of us if we’d heard from you, and he canceled his tour, did you hear? That’s why we’re out here with Holland.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I know that Mrs. Jones had told you all we were breaking up before I knew. Bruce told me.” He was the roadie I had stayed with in Utah. “You could have warned me, but you didn’t. Both of you know I’m not a snitch. If it would have been one of you, I would’ve said something. Like I told you, Simone, when Mrs. Jones was whispering about firing you when you gained weight, remember? Didn’t I warn you?”
“But Kaden—” Simone started to say.
“I don’t care anymore, and that’s the truth. You don’t need to feel bad either. At least I can say thank you for not giving them my number… even though you didn’t say anything so you wouldn’t risk getting fired if Mrs. Jones thought you were lying about actually talking to me, huh?” I snorted. “You know what? Good luck on tour,” I said as calmly as possible before turning around and coming face to chest with Rhodes, who had snuck behind me.
Beside him was Am.
And they were both looking at me with guarded, huge eyes that instantly sent panic piercing through my chest. Not much, but enough. More than enough.
Shit.
I didn’t want them to find out like this. Well, I hadn’t wanted them to find out period, but I’d planned on eventually telling them anyway. Admitting the last piece of the Aurora’s ex puzzle.
And now these two “friends” that I’d used to have, who had stopped answering my calls and texts, had taken that away from me.
I opened my mouth to tell them I’d explain in the car, even as a dull ache of shame filled my chest, but Rhodes beat me to it.
“Your ex’s name is Kaden?” he asked slowly, way too slowly. “Kaden… Jones?”
And before I could answer that, Amos’s mouth pressed together so tight, his lips went white and his eyebrows dropped into a confused and either hurt or angry expression.
Fucking hell. This was my fault, and yes, I could blame Simone and Arthur, but at the end of the day, it was my fault for putting Rhodes and Am into this position. There was nothing to do but tell them the truth. “Yeah. That’s him,” I answered weakly, that same wave of shame flowing over me.
Just one of the biggest fucking country artists of the decade.
Thanks to me partly.
“Your ex is the country guy on the insurance commercials? The one with the song for Thursday Night Football?” Rhodes asked in that ultra-serious voice I hadn’t heard in forever.
“You said…” Am started to say before shaking his head, his throat and cheeks turning pink.
I had no idea if he was mad or hurt, maybe it was both, and I suddenly felt terrible. Worse, honestly, than a year and a half ago when life as I’d known it had gotten pulled out from under me. Fisting my hands, I tried to get my thoughts together. “Yes, that’s him. I didn’t want to tell you who he was because—”
“You said you were married,” Amos muttered. “I know he’s not because Jackie used to talk about him all the time.”
“We were, technically. Common-law marriage. I could’ve taken him for half his things, I have the proof. I went to a lawyer. I had a case, but…”
It was Rhodes who opened his mouth and shook his head, the tendon along his neck rising out of nowhere. “You lied to us?”
“I didn’t lie to you!” I whispered. “I just… didn’t tell you. What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, strangers, guess what? I wasted fourteen years of my life with one of the most famous people in the country? I wrote all of his music and let him take credit for it because I was dumb and na?ve? He dumped me because his mom didn’t think I was good enough? Because he didn’t love me enough?’” That familiar shame seemed to squeeze down on my chest.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Simone and Arthur begin inching away with an “I’m sorry” that I didn’t care enough about to acknowledge.
“You wrote his music too?” Am genuinely whispered, using that same voice I hadn’t heard since the first time we’d met and his dad had busted us and his plan. “And didn’t tell me?”
“Yeah, Am, I did. That’s why they paid me off. I told you both I got money from our split. I just never told either of you his name… I was embarrassed.”