huge, she just knew it. He’d be opening up for Last Star this upcoming tour and Mia couldn’t wait until their fans saw him perform. When he finished his song, Mia stepped up and asked if he wanted some company.
“Sure,” he said, his eyes filled with awe. She walked onto the stage and looked for one of her guitars while he pulled up a stool for her.
“What do you want to play?” she asked as she sat down.
“Ladies’ choice.”
With a huff of breath, she strummed her guitar while she thought of a song. “What about ‘Everlong?’” she asked, beginning to play the first chord. “You know it?”
“Yeah,” he smiled and began to play with her.
Mia enjoyed playing like this—feeding off another artist, singing along with them. They played for about twenty minutes and six songs before Mia asked for another drink. At that point, the guys wanted to jam too. They covered so many songs that they used to play at the beginning of their career. One of her favorite covers was “Bad Medicine” by Bon Jovi. It was fun but not as fun as it could have been.
Mia was working on her sixth drink when she started to feel light-headed. Finding an empty seat, she plopped down and almost fell right off the chair. Righting herself, she stared at her drink and fucking tears threatened to fall again because she wanted her husband here with her. Stubbornly, she swiped at her eyes. The damn tears needed to stay put, she thought as she gulped down the rest of her drink.
The thing was she couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan. Mia wanted him by her side tonight—a team united against the pain this day signified.
“Hey, Mia, what are you doing all the way out here?” Todd asked, standing with his hands on the chair.
“Todd … I’m a mess.”
“Yeah, you are,” he said, sitting next to her at the table.
“I’m so fucking drunk.”
“Why, Mia?”
“Why do you think?” she asked.
“Ethan?”
With the mention of her husband’s name, the tears finally fell.
“Why the tears, baby girl?” he asked, rubbing his hand along her back.
“Today’s the anniversary of my miscarriage, my utter failure to carry Ethan’s children, and tonight, my husband didn’t even want to be in my presence.”
“Mia …”
“I can’t even get pregnant now, Todd! We’ve been trying relentlessly, but month after month—nothing. I can’t … it hurts so much. And now, with the way he was tonight … I don’t think he wants me anymore. I think he’s had enough.”
“No … that man is crazy about you, Mia. Don’t jump to conclusions. Talk to him.”
“I can’t talk to him … not like this. He can’t see me drunk off my ass,” she said, getting up from the table.
“Then what?”
“I was thinking about staying in my office for the night,” she said, doing her best to keep herself standing before walking out of the rehearsal space and down the hallway towards the offices. The sound of footsteps alerted her that Todd had followed her.
“Mia, I’m not comfortable with you staying here by yourself.”
“I’m not going home, Todd,” she spoke, her tone belligerent. Mia didn’t want to face Ethan and hear him tell her how much he blamed her for the miscarriage, how she’d ruined his dream.
“Okay. Just come home with me. You’re not safe here by yourself.”
“Todd.”
“Mia.”
“Fine,” she said, turning towards the exit. She’d never get any sleep with Todd bothering her all night. Might as well just shut him up.
The moment Mia stepped outside, the cold December air shocked her. “Fuck! It’s freezing out here.”
“Well, a coat would have helped,” Todd pointed out.
“Whatever. Let’s just hurry to your place.”
Todd lived just minutes away so Mia wasn’t cold for too long, but when they entered the loft, chills raced through her body. After he led her to the bedroom, he settled her on the bed. “Dude, I can’t sleep with you.”
With a laugh, he mimicked her. “Dude, I’m being a good host and letting you have the bed. Take off your shoes and go to sleep.”
Sleep … that sounded so good. Maybe if she put her head down, the spinning would stop.
“Mia … shoes.”
And that’s the last thing she heard before the lights went out in her mind.
Mia woke to the sound of cabinets opening and closing and to the smell of coffee in the air. Disentangling herself from the blankets, her bare feet hit the warm wood floor.
Where the hell was she?
Leaving the bedroom and venturing out, Mia regarded the familiar space of Todd’s