since that night when you were arrested. But what if you have and your father just kept such tight control over you it was hard to tell?”
“I’d think I could tell. When I drove my friend’s car into the pool, I was drunk and high, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I just didn’t care. I was running on adrenaline and drugs and whatever else was happening, and while I couldn’t seem to stop myself, I was aware that I was out of control. That’s not what I feel now. And it kind of hurts that you don’t trust me to know myself.”
“I do trust you.” I sighed and rested my chin on her shoulder. “I brought you here with me, didn’t I? Do you think I’d have brought you to the palace if I didn’t trust you?”
She didn’t respond but sagged against me, continuing to stare straight ahead.
“I really didn’t mean for this to upset you. I want us to be able to talk about these things.”
“It’s okay. I might be a little sensitive after so many years of my dad making me feel bad about myself.”
“I never want you to feel bad about yourself. I want us to be able to talk, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
“Let’s just go back to bed.” She slid her hand into mine, and we padded back to bed without another word. Either everything was okay, or I was in big trouble.
The next couple of days were quiet. Ariel was much more subdued than usual, and I felt like an ass. She had a lot on her mind and while I understood why, it felt like she’d pulled away a little, as if she didn’t trust me anymore. I wanted to talk to her about it, but the last time I’d tried it hadn’t gone well, so I was hoping to show her everything was okay with us, instead of saying the words. I wanted to take her out for a romantic date, wine and dine her, maybe buy her flowers again, but she’d been noncommittal when I’d mentioned going out.
She was off with Casey and Elen today. They’d gone to a spa for the day, so I was on my own for the first time in weeks, and it was kind of odd. I’d gotten so used to having her around, the silence was strange. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Marcus was working, Casey was obviously busy, and though I hadn’t picked up my bass since we’d played on Friday night, I didn’t feel like playing.
I was about to go to the gym when my phone rang, and Bash’s name flashed on the screen.
“Hey, man.” I was happy to hear his voice since we hadn’t talked much lately.
“Hey.”
Uh oh. He sounded a little too subdued for my liking.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard from Darren Randall today.”
My heart sank. This couldn’t be good.
“What did he say?”
“They’re going to pass on the album. They want something more marketable. Metal doesn’t sell.”
“That’s bullshit!” I exploded.
“I know.”
“How did the others take it?” I asked.
He sighed. “Stu and Ford were understandably upset. Lexi was pissed but not necessarily about the album, just the situation in general.”
“This is my fault,” I said, sinking onto the bed.
“Technically, I’d say this is Ariel’s fault.”
“Did Darren say anything specifically about me or her?”
“Kind of. He told me to tell you to tell Ariel that she can’t hide forever.”
“Sonofabitch.”
“This isn’t good, Ty.”
“I know.”
“This deal was important to us and now we have to start shopping for a new one.”
“Or we produce ourselves,” I said, deflecting.
But he wasn’t letting me off the hook. “Is she worth it, Ty? Do you love her?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. I was crazy about her, but I’d barely known her a month. I’d known something like this could happen, but I hadn’t expected it to. I’d truly thought my reputation and star power were enough to carry this project, but this wasn’t good at all.
“Ty?”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“Look, I know Ariel has it rough, but now she’s dragged us into it, and I don’t know what we’re supposed to do about it.”
“This wasn’t her,” I said after a minute. “I was the one who asked her to run away with me. She warned me what might happen and I said I could handle it. I probably shouldn’t have spoken for all of you, but at this point, I don’t know what to do. I care about her. She’s important to me.”
“Important enough to