Page 27 of Rising Star

“Okay, let’s see. Where should I begin?”

The woman offered me a lopsided smile. “The beginning?”

“Well, my wife divorced me two years ago. She packed her bags and left one night. No explanations other than she hated being a mother to our daughters. So, the girls and I have been alone all this time. Until my best friend persuaded me to hire a nanny so I’d be able to go back to work and live again…”

And just like that, I told a stranger all about my relationship with Madison without giving her too many details, just the main facts.

A weight left my back as I spoke the words out. “I’m unable to not think about her. All the time. And we’re about to live in close quarters for six months on a bus because I have to go on the road for work, and I’m barely holding it together as it is.”

Her hand enveloped mine in a comforting gesture. “Sam, does she love you back?”

My head cocked in her direction. “I’m not—it’s not—no one said anything about love. It’s just a crush. But for some reason, it won’t go away. Even after all this time. Even after I told her she was too young for me. She doesn’t deserve to be tied down with two kids at her age. That would be incredibly selfish to ask that much of her.”

She shook her head. “Sam, did you ask her what she desires? You can’t make assumptions and decisions for her. She’s an adult. She deserves to make her own choices, to decide what’s good for her. Whether it’s you and your daughters or something else, that’s not your call to make. It’s hers. And I’m pretty certain, with everything you’ve told me, she’s strong enough to deal with whatever she chooses. But you gotta respect her voice. It would be a shame to deprive your daughters, and you, of this amazing woman because you can’t accept where her heart stands, don’t you think?”

I pressed my clammy hands on my thighs. “But what if…what if she misses out on her youth because she dates me? What if it all goes to shit and my girls lose the only woman who has ever truly loved them?”

“What if it’s the best thing for all of you? Aren’t you curious to find out? Are you willing to miss out on the opportunity just because you’re afraid of hypothetical situations that haven’t even occurred yet?”

I shook my head, my chin low. “Guess not.”

“So, what are you doing here then? Why are you here with me instead of there with her? Why aren’t you opening your heart to her and seeing what she thinks? Where it’ll take you?”

I fought my breathing to return to normal. And the words to stay put.

My gaze met Lucy’s and she nodded, waiting for me to speak the truth.

Time halted for endless minutes.

My heart drummed in my chest, unable to stay still.

“So?” she pushed.

“Because I’m scared. I’m fucking scared. Happy now? The last time I trusted someone with my heart, she walked away. She fucking left. And never explained anything to me. How can I be sure this time with Maddie won’t be a re-run of the same saga? How can I be sure I’m not putting my heart at risk again? That I’m not the problem? That my love isn’t defective?”

Lucy smiled. “You can’t be. You are not the problem. Love is like that. It is messy. And complicated. But it is also beautiful.”

Her words thrived in the space between us.

“It’s late. I should let you get some sleep,” I said.

I stood up, and she walked me to the door.

“Thank you,” I said, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “It doesn’t seem much right now, but you helped me figure things out. I’m sorry I couldn’t go through with whatever we were doing earlier.”

She rested her hand on mine. “I’m happy I could help. For what it’s worth, and I know we just met, I can tell you’re one of the good ones. The girl is lucky to have you at her side. And she’d be a fool to not trust you with her heart.”

I opened the door.

“Good night, Sam.”

“Night, Lucy.”

9

MADISON

I woke up to the chime of my phone. My eyes stung from the tears I cried earlier. In a short span of time, I had lost my best friend and fallen in love, hard, with my boss, a man with whom I had no chance of a future. The harsh truth hit me like a freight train. And stomped on my broken heart. A new notification came through. I patted the bed around me, looking for my device. With a deep inhale, I checked the screen, not sure I was ready in case it was Sam. Texting with him, even over silly subjects, would only magnify the reality I’d forever be his friend.