Roped In (Armed & Dangerous, #2)(42)

Leaning her head against the seat, she closed her eyes. “He was just so upset when I talked to him last night. It breaks my heart, Hadley.”

“Mine too, but I couldn’t pretend forever. I don’t love him, and I realize that now. Falling in love with Blake has opened my eyes. Nick will be happier in the end. You’ll see.”

“I sure hope so. When did Blake say he was coming to see you?”

Shrugging, I looked down at my phone. “I don’t know. He just said he was coming.” But I didn’t know if Blake knew how to find me, since I’d given back my untraceable cell. Every time I called him, it went straight to voicemail. I hadn’t actually talked to him since I left Wyoming.

The concert at Madison Square Garden was in a couple of hours, and Connor was driving us there for warm ups. I was nervous to get on stage. It’d only been a day since I’d told Nick about Blake, and the media couldn’t wait to slap a big, red A on my chest.





Hadley

“Thank you, everyone!” I shouted, waving at the crowd. It felt good to be on stage again. The adrenaline flowed through my veins and I soaked it all in. I blew a kiss to the fans and rushed off stage.

“Hot damn, you were on fire,” Felicity exclaimed, handing me a towel and a bottle of water.

Laughing, I wiped the sweat off my brow. “Thanks. I forgot how much fun it was to perform.”

“You definitely haven’t lost your touch. In fact, I think you’ve gotten better, bolder even.”

“Has Blake called?”

She passed me my phone. “No, but he texted and said he was getting on a plane for New York. He’ll be in late tonight. I replied and gave him the name of the hotel you’re staying at.”

Squealing, I jumped up and down. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

She gave me a sad smile as she stared at something over my shoulder. “There’s someone who wants to see you.” She squeezed my arm and I froze. I knew who was there, and I didn’t know if I was ready to see him so soon. “I’ll give you two some privacy. Because once you walk out those doors over there,” she said, pointing to the exit, “you’re going to be bombarded with reporters. They know he’s back here.”

As soon as she walked off, I could feel him come up behind me.

“You did great tonight.”

My chest tightened, but I held back the tears as I turned to face him. “Were you here the whole time?”

He ran a hand through his midnight colored hair and smiled. I could tell it was forced. “I didn’t want to miss your first time back. I knew you’d be nervous as hell.”

I snorted. “You got that right. I guess I didn’t think you’d want to see me after last night.”

Sighing, he pulled me into his arms. “I’m not gonna lie, I was pissed. But I also know you weren’t mine to begin with.” He tilted my chin up, his soft green gaze focusing on mine. “You’ve been nothing but honest with me along the way, and I was just too hardheaded to listen. Which is why I went to the press and told them we ended things amicably. I saw what they were posting about you and I didn’t like it. Your reputation didn’t need to be trashed because of me.”

“Nick, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did,” he murmured. “I guess now I can enjoy the single life for a while.”

We stepped away from each other and I could feel the distance between us. It would always be different from this point on. “Please tell me I haven’t lost you as a friend. I care about you, Nick. You mean a lot to me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Hadley. It might take some time for me to get adjusted, but we’ll get there. If you want, you can come out with me and the guys tonight. I think Felicity’s coming.”

I shook my head. “I think I’ll just go back to the hotel and crash. I’m heading back to California tomorrow.”

He nodded, then his gaze landed on the stage door. “Want me to go out there with you?”

The crowd of reporters could be heard through the door. “No, I got it. Thank you though. I’m sure Connor will get me through pretty fast. I’ll see you back in California, okay?”

He nodded. “Goodbye, Hadley.”

“Bye, Nick.” I kissed his cheek and started for the door, where Connor stood.

“You ready?” he asked.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “Yep. Let’s go.” He opened the door and I stepped out into the madness.

“Miss Rivers, are you and Nick going to work things out? We know he was backstage with you,” a female reporter shouted, shoving a microphone in my face.

“We’re friends, and we always will be,” I replied. Connor nudged me to keep moving.

“Are you seeing someone else? Who is he?” another reporter asked.

“I think that’s enough questions for tonight,” Connor announced.

“Mr. MacCabe, how do you feel knowing Miss Rivers’ last bodyguard was shot and killed on duty?”

Huffing, he turned around and blocked me from view. There were two security guards by the back door and they rushed up and blocked the reporters from going any further. Connor opened the back door and ushered me into the car. He watched me clasp the buckle and then pointed at something in the center console. “I was told you liked ginger ale. I got you a bottle and put it in there.”