This One Moment (Pushing Limits, #1)(13)

We’d been friends for too long for me not to know what he was thinking. Maybe I was a little rusty now at figuring him out, and maybe he had perfected the skill of masking his emotions while he was away being a rock star. But I could tell he was thinking the same thing as me when it came to Brandon and the best-friend excuse. He knew I’d call bullshit if he tried that one.

“I know,” he said. “And I also figured you’d beat the info out of him if you wanted to know how I was doing.”

Somehow I managed not to laugh at that and at the memory of when I had been twelve years old and wanted to be part of Nolan and Brandon’s secret club. Only boys were allowed. That had been Brandon’s idea. Nolan was all for me joining, and he explained to Brandon how I could benefit the club, most notably because I could sneak in cookies. It was only when I started hitting Brandon on the head with a pillow that he finally changed his mind.

“And I didn’t exactly ignore you,” Nolan added. “Brandon attended all your games back when you were playing on the collegiate team, and he taped them for me.”

My eyes widened. “He did?” I knew Brandon had been at the games, and I’d always thought that was a little odd. Unlike me and Nolan, Brandon had never been a fan of soccer. Hockey and football were more his sports. And unlike me and Nolan, he’d never spent his childhood attending practices. He’d never stayed up late, practicing his footwork until he was doing it in his sleep. No, that had been all Nolan and me.

“You didn’t think I’d miss it, did you?” Nolan sounded almost horrified I would even believe that. “And by the way, congratulations on being voted MVP.”

I blinked. “You knew?”

His sexy grin became a full-out beam. “Of course I knew you were named most valuable player. I might not have kept in direct contact with you, but you were still very much part of my life.” He cleared his throat and shifted on my bed. “Now I sound like a creepy stalker.”

If that made him a creepy stalker, then I was one too. As much as I had claimed I wouldn’t go looking for info about him when his band first became popular, I hadn’t been able to stop myself. When I read the fan sites about how amazing he was between the sheets, I knew I should quit punishing myself that way, but I still kept reading them. Although from the sound of it, beds usually weren’t involved in the quick-and-dirty f*ck sessions. Some girls practically wrote erotic novels in their enthusiasm to share about their shameless trysts with him.

When it came down to it, I’d believed I had somehow failed Nolan, but I’d wanted to make sure he was okay, even if he was no longer talking to me.

Now that he was back in my life, though, I knew I wouldn’t survive once he left again—maybe this time forever.

All I could do was protect myself from falling even harder for him.

Only I didn’t know how.





Chapter 6


Nolan


Shortly after I’d admitted to semi-stalking Hailey, the physician came into the room and asked me to leave while he examined her. So while I waited, I paced the hallway, pretending not to notice the nurses at their station watching me.

I was used to my life being splashed around the tabloids and by the media. It was part of the job. Okay, it wasn’t exactly my real life that was talked about. Everything about it from before I met Jared was fiction. What little I chose to reveal, that is. I didn’t have a cheat sheet in my pocket I could refer to, helping me remember details about the life I’d fabricated. I was still pretty elusive about my life prior to forming the band. I gave just enough details to satisfy most people’s curiosity. But as lucky as I had been so far, I knew my secret wouldn’t last forever. I knew eventually the media would find out the truth about my father. I was surprised they hadn’t already.

Being pursued by fans and the media was commonplace for anyone in the spotlight. But admitting to Hailey that I had watched her soccer games from afar had felt awkward, and I was unsure if my actions had flattered or repulsed her. Shocked might have been a better word to describe her reaction. Brandon had done a good job keeping secret what I’d been up to when it came to Hailey.

I continued pacing the hallway, waiting to be allowed back in Hailey’s room, waiting to find out how she was doing physically, and waiting to find out when her memory would return.

Right now an attacker was out there, and I had no idea why he had hurt Hailey. Nor did I have any idea if he would return to finish off the job. It could’ve been a random attack—Hailey might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the attack also could have been planned. Maybe Hailey had found out something she shouldn’t have. Maybe the attacker would try tracking her down to ensure she couldn’t talk. Permanently.

I swallowed back the sour taste of irony. Both of us were dealing with amnesia. But while Hailey wanted to remember the past—I wanted her to remember her past—my memory was something that needed to stay buried in the three coffins where it belonged. Forgotten. By everyone.

Until Hailey remembered that night or recalled who might’ve wanted to hurt her, or until we knew if it had been a random attack or not, she wasn’t safe. I had two options. The first one was to bring her back to L.A. Then I could work on songs with Jared for the upcoming album. But after we finished recording the album, there would be the promo blitz in anticipation of the release of the first single. Following that would be the exhaustive touring. I couldn’t drag her along just to keep her safe. What was I even saying? No way would she agree to it. She had a life. She didn’t need to make it any more complicated than it already was by moving to L.A.