And why was that the most adorable thing I’d ever heard?
“And you think after this, we will be together?”
“I hope.” He reached over and took my hand in his. It was such a simple gesture, but the feel of his warm hand in mine brought me so much comfort.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” I gave his hand a little squeeze.
He smiled, that twinkle in his eyes shining before he turned serious once again. “I stayed away for my niece and nephew.”
I recoiled. “What? Grant and Maylee?”
“Yeah. I did what I did for them.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“After you left LA, I got a call from Violet. It was one of the hardest phone calls I’ve ever taken. She explained her last wishes and how she wanted me to take care of Grant and Maylee. She looked so sick, and it wasn’t looking good for her. I was afraid I was going to lose her. We canceled the rest of the tour, and I went home.”
I nodded. Jade and I never found out why they canceled the tour, but this made so much sense. He’d told me his sister was sick, but I had no idea it was that bad. A ball of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t like how this sounded, that was too simple a scenario for him to ghost me. “Why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“In those moments, my thoughts were all over the place. I hate to say that it just didn’t cross my mind, but it’s the truth. I had to make arrangements and rush home to Michigan. I knew once I got there, I’d face lawyers, doctors, and rambunctious kids.”
I set my coffee cup down and clasped his hand between both of mine. “That’s understandable. I can’t imagine what you were going through.”
“I never expected Elijah to show up, either.”
“Elijah?” His name tasted like ash on my tongue. The acid in my stomach churned. He should have no place in this conversation.
Damien nodded. “Came to my sister’s house demanding I never see you again. He told me that if I didn’t stay away from you, he would take my run-in with the law to the press and frame it as domestic abuse. And If I told you about it, he would make good on his promise.”
“But you did nothing wrong.”
“That’s what I explained to him. But he said it wouldn’t matter. Once the story blew up in the media, no one would pay attention when it was proven false. The damage to my reputation and the band would already be done. Not only that, he found women who agreed to testify against me, claiming I sexually harassed them. For a pretty penny, I’m sure.”
I ground my teeth, kicking off the blanket in my lap, unable to wrap my head around Damien’s words.“Why? Why would he do all this?”
“Why would he want to keep me away from you? Well, that part is obvious.”
I shook my head. “No. Why damage your reputation? Even if he did that, I wouldn’t care. That wouldn’t have been enough to keep me away from you. Your reputation doesn’t affect me at all.”
Damien’s thumb began rubbing soothing circles on the top of my hand, which was crazy because I wasn’t the one blackmailed. “Because that could keep me from getting custody of Grant and Maylee if Violet died.”
I scrunched my brow, still not understanding.
“Grant and May’s dad is a worthless piece of shit who doesn’t deserve the air he breathes. He suddenly showed up at my sister’s house asking for his parental rights back. Probably thanks to some persuasion from Elijah. If Violet had died, and I got custody, Thomas would have taken me to court. Elijah knew I’d never do anything to jeopardize those kids’ future, and having a black mark on my record could cost me custody. It would be a cold day in Hell when I gave those two to their father.”
Bile rose in my throat and nausea rolled over me.
There were so many things wrong in this whole situation. So many. The true character of Elijah was something out of one of my nightmares, and Damien had turned into an innocent bystander.
Collateral damage.
I’d brought this into his life.
But Grant and Maylee, what they could have endured because of Elijah—because of me—was too much for me to imagine.
I pulled my hands from Damien’s. He said nothing, but watched as I placed them in my lap.
“How is Violet?” I needed to know that there was a happy ending somewhere in this tragedy.
