Sound of Heartache ("Sound of" Book 2) (21 page)

Brenna gave her an annoyed look. “You totally just interrupted me, mom.”

“
Sorry baby,” Aimee muttered. She was starting to second-guess her decision to take this trip. She was nervous about seeing the entire band again and didn’t have any clue how to act on a trip with a famous rock star. When she dated Brent before, he’d been a college student living a life very similar to her own. Now his life was light-years different and she wasn’t sure how much they had in common aside from Brenna. She worried her lip between her teeth. Brent had said he’d text her when he picked up the car but nothing had come through from him. Maybe he was regretting his decision to ask her to come.

“
He texted this morning and said he got the Mercedes SUV. But I told him he didn’t need to because you drive a small car so it’s not like we need a big honking car just because there’s one more person, you know? But you know what he said?”

“
What’s that?” Aimee responded, amazingly following her daughter’s convoluted line of conversation.

“
He said he wanted to be extra safe because he’d have the two most important people in the world with him.” Brenna sat back in her seat and smiled at her mom. Aimee felt her heart flutter stupidly in her chest. Okay, so maybe her self-doubt was stupid. She had never been an insecure person and needed to just get over herself and enjoy the trip.

“
He said that?” She echoed, hating how hopeful she sounded. Maybe Brenna wouldn’t pick up on it. She was only ten after all.

“
He did. Does that make you like him more?” Aimee shook her head ruefully at how perceptive a child Brenna was.

“
I like him the same either way, baby. It just makes me feel nice to know he cares about making sure we’re safe.” Aimee figured that was the safest reply she could give her daughter without revealing the fact that she was completely gone over the man.

Aimee knew Brenna’s greatest desire was for her and Brent to get back together. Apparently Brent had told her quite a few stories from their college days and had even taken Brenna around to some of their old haunts while she visited him in San Diego. Aimee was concerned that Brent was setting Brenna up for disappointment. Aimee had carefully shared some things with Brenna but had always tried to make sure she didn’t give her daughter false hope for the possibility of reconciliation.

When Aimee had brought it up with Brent, he’d expressed a need for Brenna to understand how their romance evolved. Invariably Brenna came to her after conversations with her dad and asked more questions about this or that. Some stories made Aimee smile through the retelling. Some just made her sad. Either way, Aimee was continuously surprised at the level of detail about their life Brent was able to retell to Brenna. His version of events was so close to her own that he unintentionally gave her hope they’d be able to mend their differences because it was clear he’d loved her as much as he’d said. In her gut, Aimee knew a love like that didn’t die.

“
I think dad feels bad he wasn’t a better person after you left,” Brenna told Aimee.

“
Baby, I know you really want me and your dad to work things out.” Brenna nodded and Aimee sighed. “I don’t want to tell you it’s not possible, but so much time has passed that I just don’t know if it’ll ever happen. We’ve both changed a lot.”

Brenna looked at her earnestly. “But mom, he remembers everything about you. I mean, everything. Even stuff you wore. He’d only be that way if you were really, really important to him.”

Aimee grabbed Brenna’s hand and squeezed it tightly. She wanted so badly to offer her baby reassurances but knew she couldn’t. She had no idea what Brent’s end goal was but it seemed clear he was really determined to be a great dad to Brenna and that was all she could really hope for. Anything else would just be icing on the cake.

“
Let’s not worry about it for now, okay? We’ll have a great weekend and take it from there. Besides, I think your dad has a surprise planned for you tonight for dinner.”

“
Really!” Brenna squealed. “Do you know what it is?” She bounced in her seat and seemed like a normal ten year old instead of a mini-adult. Aimee had to smile at her excitement.

“
I do, but I’m not telling. You’ll have to wait and see.”

With Brenna successfully distracted from the topic of her and Brent, Aimee was able to close her eyes as her daughter posed question after question to Aimee about the upcoming evening. She’d been thinking about the best way to move forward with Brent for weeks now and was still at a loss. On the one hand she was relieved Brent had made the first move by asking her on a date. On the other hand, she was very afraid that Brenna would feel the repercussions if she and Brent tried dating and it didn’t work out. The very last thing she wanted to do was hurt her daughter.

Aimee also had to factor in Brent’s notoriety. She’d seen some of the less-than-flattering articles printed about Ellie, Jack’s wife. Some of the tabloids were critical of Ellie’s weight, others poked fun at her normal, everyday life. Aimee had a healthy enough self-esteem to know that stuff wouldn’t bother her, but what if it spilled over to Brenna? Kids at school could be terribly unkind and Aimee had no interest in subjecting her little girl to any of that. She knew she couldn’t have Brent without all the trappings of his fame but trying to work it all out in her head was exhausting. She was really looking forward to being able to stop wondering and start trying.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Brent made it to the airport early, which he was thankful for. Highway 101 could be gnarly on Friday afternoons and the flight his two girls were on landed right in the middle of rush hour. Unfortunately, getting there early meant he had to keep circling the airport parking structure which was a nightmare. Between drivers who were unused to the city and crazy cab drivers who had no regard for other cars, Brent was almost certain the Mercedes was going to be returned to the rental agency with at least one ding.

As he circled, he thought about his plans for the evening. He’d made dinner reservations for the three of them at Benihana’s, a Japanese restaurant that specialized in doing tricks while they cooked dinner at your table. He’d invited Eric to come along because he knew seeing Eric would make Aimee happy. She’d loved Eric as much as anyone could love an actual sibling, and in their conversations over the past few months, she’d asked about him more than once.

Glancing at the dashboard clock, Brent realized the plane had landed a few minutes ago. Accelerating through the traffic, he made his way to the United passenger pick-up area. He knew Aimee and Brenna didn’t have any suitcases to pick up because Aimee’d mentioned they were only bringing carry-ons. Pulling up, he saw them both waiting at the curb and he was able to park right in front of them. Aimee’s wide smile caused a return one to stretch across his face. He had been irrationally worried about his reception with her. The texting they’d done had been flirtatious, giving him the sense she was still very interested in him. He instinctively knew she was the same open, caring person she’d always been, so he wasn’t sure why he’d been ready for the cold shoulder today.

Hopping out of the car, he jogged around the front. He drew Brenna into his arms first and gave her a tight hug. “Hey bug,” he said, kissing her temple. She pressed into him tightly.

“
I missed you dad,” she said. Her voice was muffled into his jacket, but he heard it nonetheless. His heart turned over in his chest. In his wildest dreams he never imagined life could be so good to him.

“
I missed you too, but I have a great night planned!” Brent cleared his throat over the thick lump of emotion and tried to sound upbeat and not like a sappy schmuck.

“
Mom says you have a surprise planned for tonight. What is it?” Brenna demanded, albeit sweetly. Brent shot a smiling glance at Aimee, who stood patiently off to the side. Her acceptance of his budding relationship with Brenna, and her refusal to get in the middle, was one of the things he’d come to appreciate most about her over the last couple of months. She was truly an amazing woman.

“
Mom says, huh?” Brent teased his daughter. She nodded. “Mom wasn’t supposed to let the cat out of the bag!”

“
Oh she didn’t. She wouldn’t tell me. So what’re we doing?” She was bouncing on her feet. Brent smiled at his girl.

“
You’re just gonna have to wait, bug,” he told her.

Turning to Aimee, he didn’t allow himself to overthink things. He went with his instinct and pulled her into a tight hug. She immediately hugged him back and he breathed in the unique smell of her. He could tell she still used the same shampoo and she fit into his arms as perfectly as she always had.

“
Did you just sniff me?” She asked, laughing. He laughed, too, as he released her. He had sniffed and wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

“
Guilty. Your hair smells the same as I remember.” He told her, feeling very nostalgic.

“
As if I’d ever give up my Biolage!” The look she gave him said she was pleased he remembered small details from their shared past.

“
As if!” He teased back, doing his best falsetto impression of a valley girl. Brenna and Aimee laughed at him. He grabbed their rolling cases in his hands and headed to the back of the SUV. He popped the cases into the rear of the vehicle and turned to see his girls getting in. Stupidly, he felt momentarily let down. He’d wanted to open the doors for them like a gentleman would but with a rueful shake of his head, he realized he needed to get over himself.

Certain he was more emotional right now than a fourteen-year old over a first crush, he got in the driver’s seat. He glanced over at Aimee and couldn’t help but feel the whole situation was surreal. She was looking at him just as intently. Hopefully she couldn’t tell that his brain was a jumbled mess of emotions.

“
So this must be one of your disguises,” she said finally. He nodded, relieved they weren’t talking about anything personal. “It’s a good one,” she told him.

“
It’s my most favorite,” he admitted to her, pulling into traffic and tried to concentrate on driving without killing them all.

Aimee sounded surprised when she replied, “It is?”

He could understand her surprise. He knew he looked very different from his stage persona, but then again, that was the whole point. He was dressed in a dove grey Burberry suit with a lilac Armani button-up dress shirt. To round out his disguise, his normal pompadour was tamed down into a respectable style and he wore Prada eyeglasses, fitted with clear lenses. He liked the occasional pretense of being a regular businessman.

“
Suits are simple. I make sure I get them comfortable and easy to wear. Nobody looks twice at me, especially in a city like San Francisco. Guys in suits are a dime a dozen.”

Aimee snorted inelegantly. “I find it hard to believe that nobody looks twice.”

“
Well, okay, maybe the gay guys look twice,” he conceded. Aimee laughed, and he joined in. He didn’t mind the looks from other men. Hell, Brent was just about as secure in his sexuality as a person could get so he certainly wasn’t threatened by the same sex finding him appealing. He found it flattering.

“
You do look really handsome, dad.” Brenna interjected from the back. “But I really like your other look too. It looks more like who you really are or something like that.”

“
Thanks, bug,” he told her fondly. He was glad she understood the necessity of changing up his appearance so they could go out in public with ease. The need to be on guard at all times wore at him sometimes and was one of two things he hated about his life in the rock industry. The other was the constant need to travel. The band had definitely dialed back the travel just a little since baby Elliott had arrived so it wasn’t as bad as it used to be. Still, he couldn’t help but wish his life was just a little more normal so he could spend more time with the two women who were suddenly the center of his world.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Parking the Mercedes looked like an adventure ride at an amusement park filled with obstacles to dodge and curves to navigate. Aimee was glad Brent was driving and not her. The parking garages in San Francisco were cramped, the ceilings low and the spots narrow. Plus they were crammed between high rise buildings so if you didn’t know where to look for the garages, you’d easily drive right by them. She and Brenna walked down the street hand in hand with Brent bringing up the rear. Aimee wasn’t a panicky mom, but she held Brenna’s hand in a tight grip. There were some interesting folks that roamed the streets in San Francisco and Aimee intended her daughter to stay right next to her. Brenna’s head was swiveling this way and that, trying to take in all the sights at once.

“
Momma, are all these people homeless?” She asked, curiously. They had just passed by an abandoned store front where several people sat with their belongings.

“
Yes baby. The weather in San Francisco doesn’t change too much throughout the year so there are a lot of homeless people here. They count on tourists feeling bad for them and giving them money and food. It’s a hard, hard life,” Aimee told her softly. The plight of the homeless that lined the streets of her hometown had always saddened her terribly.