From the early days, he’d lived in fear of his success being pulled away from him. The same way he’d been taken from the apartment he’d called home and made a ward of the state. Oh, he caused trouble and pulled stunts—probably too much—yet he rarely rocked the boat with R.J., his producers, or the record label over important stuff like tours, album content, or branding.
But now by trying to save his career, he’d lost Ivy. Something R.J. assured Nash wouldn’t happen.
He kicked a pebble. It flew across the sidewalk until landing on a patch of grass.
And how long have you been miserable?
Years. Until he’d found her in Quinn Valley.
Whose life is it? R.J.’s or yours?
Nash’s, but Ivy didn’t understand what loyalty meant to him. Only three people were loyal to Nash. Aimee and Sid Bennett. And R.J.
Nash might give R.J. a hard time, but that was part of their relationship. Nash couldn’t go against his manager’s advice let alone turn his back on him. R.J. was a surrogate father/uncle/friend rolled into one. He’d stood by when things got rough and would never lead Nash astray.
Or abandon him.
He entered the physical therapy office.
Travis sat at the receptionist’s desk. His eyes widened. “You don’t have an appointment today.”
“I’m leaving town.” The words left a bitter taste in Nash’s mouth.
The physical therapist grinned. “You finally talked sense into your manager.”
Nash nodded. Without Ivy, he had no reason to stay in Quinn Valley. R.J. agreed and booked Nash a flight home.
“When do you head out?” Travis asked.
“In a couple hours.”
“That soon?” Travis sounded surprised.
“Time is money.” Nash extended his arm and shook Travis’s hand. “Thanks for your hard-nosed workouts. I’ll miss them and you. I may even miss this town. Well, parts of it.”
Travis’s brows furrowed. “Aren’t you coming back?”
Nash rocked back on his heels. “I’m not planning on it.”
Travis stood. “What about Ivy?”
Nash sighed. “It’s over.”
Travis’s expression hardened. “What did you do?”
“Nothing.” Nash held up his hands.
“I know my cousin.” Travis ground out the words. “You had to have done something.”
“It’s the situation.” Maybe if Nash told Travis, the guy could make Ivy reconsider. Worth a try. “I’m going to fake date a singer who’ll be recording Ivy’s song with me. Ivy has a problem with dating me in secret.”
Travis’s mouth fell open. “Seriously?”
Great. Travis was on his side. Nash nodded.
“I get that you’re rich and famous, but most women would have a problem with that situation. But kudos to my cousin for standing up for herself. Ivy’s never been one to put herself first, so it’s about time she did.”
Unbelievable. Every Quinn was the same. They protected each other with a fierceness Nash envied. But Travis was dead wrong in this case. “The fake dating is a publicity stunt. Ivy is my real girlfriend.”
