Sound of Heartache ("Sound of" Book 2) (20 page)

Slipping on her pajamas, she wondered if Brent was finding this entire situation as surreal as she was. Sliding in between her cool sheets, she figured she might as well ask him. She pulled out her phone knowing she was being ridiculous because he was in the next room, and shot him a quick text.

This all seem weird to you?
She asked. She bit her lip, hoping he would answer.

So weird. But not bad weird.
Came the quick reply. She smiled, glad he hadn’t yet fallen asleep.

She’s a clever girl so watch yourself tomorrow.
Aimee knew her girl could haggle a dime out of Scrooge if she had a mind to do so.

I don’t think I could tell her no anyway
. Brent’s reply wasn’t shocking at all, and Aimee chuckled quietly.

Practice makes perfect…

So glad we practiced a whole lot then because what we made is pretty damn perfect.
Aimee gaped at the phone. Was he flirting with her?

If I remember right, we liked to practice all the time. Especially after we knew about Brenna.
Was it possible to subtly flirt? She hoped so, because she would be really embarrassed if Brent wasn’t flirting with her.

U pregnant was the sexiest thing EVER. I couldn’t stop myself from practicing.
Okay, so he was definitely flirting. She smiled widely.

And I never wanted to say no. After last night, I’m pretty sure you’re still perfect.
She held her breath. Maybe bringing last night up was a mistake.

U r still the sexiest thing EVER. Now go to sleep so I don’t crash ur room.
Aimee knew she had a goofy smile on her face.

I like the sound of that. Night Brent.

Night Aims. Thank u for my beautiful Brenna.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Aimee had just gotten home from a really long day at the office when her phone buzzed in her purse. She didn’t want to go through the effort of digging it out but knew she probably should. After a day filled with irritable kids who were showing signs of the flu, her patience was pretty well shot and she wasn’t feeling very chatty. Late September and early October were always incredibly busy months for her.

When she finally managed to locate her phone, she saw Brent’s name across the screen. Her belly tightened. “Hello?” She said, managing to sound somewhat calm. They usually texted, so a call from him was unusual and slightly concerning.

“
Hey Aimee!” Brent’s voice was upbeat. He’d obviously not spent his day dealing with whiny sick kids and their helicopter parents who questioned every scrap of advice she handed out.

“
Hey Brent. What’s going on?” Aimee knew if Brent wanted to talk to Brenna he’d just call her.

“
I was talking to Brenna last night and she said you’ve been working longer hours than normal because it’s flu season.” Brent sounded concerned and it immediately put Aimee on the defensive.

“
I’m not leaving Brenna alone or anything. She’s always taken care of until I get home.” Although things had been very good between her and Brent, she was still scared he would decide to try to take Brenna away from her and didn’t want to give him even a sliver of excuse to do it. He hadn’t made any noises about that whatsoever, but Aimee couldn’t help herself from giving in to every single parent’s biggest fear.

“
Relax, please. I’m not questioning your parenting skills. You’re a wonderful mom.” Brent’s voice was warm and conciliatory. Aimee ran her free hand down her ponytail and tugged at the bottom. She was a mess.

“
Sorry. It’s been a rough day. Lots of sick kids.” She forced herself to calm down. She didn’t want to ruin the fragile relationship she and Brent had been building through silly, flirty texts.

“
You need to stop worrying that I’m going to make a play for Brenna,” he told her, honing in on her singular greatest fear. “I’d never do that to either of you.”

“
I guess it’s just hard for me to believe that,” Aimee confessed as she walked through her quiet house. “I feel like you’re watching everything I do and just waiting for me to make a mistake.” She hated feeling like she was under a constant microscope.

“
Aimee, I watch everything you do because you’ve had ten years to become a great parent to our daughter. I’ve had a few months. I need to take my cues from somewhere and you seem like a damn good place to start.” Aimee sat down on her couch and leaned her head back against the cushions. Brent’s admission surprised her. She had no idea he was looking to her as a way to become a good parent.

“
That’s very flattering,” she said softly, smiling a little. “But I’m sure you’d be just fine on your own without me. Brenna adores you. She talks about your conversations all the time.” Aimee was learning a lot about Brent’s life through her daughter. He faithfully called her every night, even on nights he was performing. He told Brenna he loved her all the time and Aimee knew their daughter reciprocated the feeling. His texts to Aimee also came almost nightly, and over the course of the last three months she felt like she had come to know him again.

“
So about the reason for my call…” Brent said. Aimee chuckled.

“
Sorry, we got a little off track there. Yes?” Her eyes were closed and her head was tipped back against the cushions of her couch. The sound of Brent’s voice was incredibly familiar and soothing and it wouldn’t take much at this point to fall asleep.

“
I’d like you both to come see me in San Francisco this weekend. We’re doing a small venue performance as a favor to an old friend and I’d like you to be there.” Aimee’s heart stuttered in her chest and she was filled with uncertainty. So far, their texts had been flirty and light with no plans or promises made between the two of them. A trip to San Francisco with him would definitely change things between them and that scared and excited her all at once. Unless she was reading too much into his request and he just wanted her there as a chaperone for Brenna.

“
Brent, I think Brenna’s a little too young to be going to your concerts. Especially in San Francisco. I’m sure there’ll be lots of pot there along with your normal crazy fans and I just don’t think it’ll be healthy for her.” Aimee hated turning down an opportunity to see Brent but she couldn’t, in good conscience, let Brenna go.

Brent’s amused chuckle came through on the cell very clearly. “Aimee, I’m not that big of an idiot. I’ll fly you both out, of course, but we’ve arranged a very qualified nanny to watch both Brenna and Elliot. Jack wants Ellie to go to the concert too, and Ellie wants her best friend Regan to go, so we had to hire a nanny anyway. Having Brenna join would be a win-win all the way around.”

Once again Brent surprised Aimee with the level of his planning skills. He was stepping into the role of fatherhood almost effortlessly and it looked really good on him. Crushing on him but refusing to allow him to know, Aimee gave some thought to her own schedule.

“
When would we fly out?” She asked, tentatively giving the idea real consideration. The flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco was mercifully short and honestly, she could use a break. The thought of being back in her hometown was bittersweet and she was glad she wouldn’t be visiting alone.

“
I was thinking Friday night. The band will be in town by Friday afternoon to do a sound check while the club is closed and then the nanny comes on board Saturday morning. I checked, and there are a few good flight options that day that don’t put you in the city too late.”

Aimee sat forward on the couch. This would be an opportunity to see Brent and Brenna together out in the real world, to see if he was as good of a dad as he seemed to be. Brenna had given glowing reviews of the week she had spent with him in San Diego in August and the photobook Brent had sent home with her had been adorable. Unfortunately, that plus Brent’s quick visit for Brenna’s birthday in July, had really caused Aimee to lose her heart to him all over again. Maybe a family trip would put everything back into perspective because they could be stressful and harrowing. She needed something to help put her back into reality where Brent was concerned.

“
I think that sounds good.” She decided out loud. She heard Brent give a relieved sigh.

“
I thought I was going to have to really talk you into it!” He told her, laughing. “I’m glad you made it easy on me.”

“
I could use a little bit of a break and I love the city. You know that. But I’m curious. Why does the nanny start the next morning if your show isn’t until the nighttime?” It didn’t make any sense to Aimee but she had no idea what the rocker lifestyle entailed. Maybe it was a thing.

“
The nanny starts the next morning so I can take you out on a date.” Brent said. Aimee’s breath caught. So much for getting perspective.

“
Wh...what?” She stuttered. Oh God. Any minute she was going to embarrass herself by confessing something inappropriate about her feelings. She just knew it.

“
A date. You know, where people get together and see if they have anything in common.” Aimee could hear the laughter in Brent’s voice and she laughed back weakly.

“
I know what a date is. I’m just surprised that you want to go on one. With me, that is.” Great, now she sounded vulnerable and insecure. She was a physician, for Christ’s sake! She had half a brain and this man was turning her into a gelatinous mess.

“
I’ve built up a good enough relationship with Brenna on my own where I don’t feel like I need you to mediate. And because of that, I feel like I’m finally in a place where I can maybe focus on answering the question you asked me back in June. About if there was any hope for us. I’ve really enjoyed texting you the last couple of months. I feel like I know you again, and that maybe there is something to hope for.” Aimee’s breath was wheezing out of her chest. Although she had dreamed something like this would happen between them, she hadn’t really dared to hope that it could.

“
I don’t know what to say,” she finally said. “Other than I’d be really pleased to go out with you and I’m happy you’re still interested in me.”

“
Oh, babe.” Brent’s voice was deep and raspy. “I’ve always been interested where you’re concerned.” Aimee felt a shot of arousal hit her core and her pulse picked up speed. Brent’s texts were always the right side of proper, but they were always undeniably filled with innuendo and Aimee had been riding the edge of arousal for months now.

“
I guess I’ll see you Friday night then?” Aimee asked breathlessly.

“
I’ll send the tickets to your e-mail address tonight and I’ll pick you up just outside your concourse. I’ll probably be in a Mercedes SUV, but I’ll text you as soon as I pick up the rental so you know what to look for, okay?” Aimee nodded and then realized Brent couldn’t see her.

She cleared her throat, her tummy fluttering wildly with excitement. “That sounds really good Brent. Brenna and I will see you Friday night.”

“
It’s a date.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Brent was able to schedule a mid-afternoon flight for them from Las Vegas to San Francisco. Aimee took half the day off as personal leave and pulled Brenna from school for the afternoon. She and Brenna rarely did anything adventurous so, in her mind, missing school wasn’t too big of a deal. Brenna had only flown twice before, so she was thrilled. Her first trip had been a couple years earlier, when Aimee decided a trip to Disney World in Orlando would be a great way to celebrate finishing medical school. Her second trip had only been the month before when she’d flown to San Diego to see Brent.

As soon as they were settled on the plane, Brenna asked, “So what’re you guys doing tomorrow, mom?”

“
I really have no idea,” Aimee confessed. Her cheeks burned a little because she knew what she’d like to do and it didn’t involve any sight-seeing. She grew up in San Francisco so there wasn’t much she hadn’t seen or done there. Aimee was sure kinky bedroom activities weren’t on the agenda, though.

“
I can’t wait to meet baby Elliott. I’ve seen pictures of him. I mean, they did a whole photo shoot for People just after he was born and he was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I love babies.” Brenna’s voice sounded dreamy and Aimee felt bad that she hadn’t produced any siblings for Brenna to love on. Aimee hugged her daughter close even though it was awkward in the plane seats. She pressed a kiss to Brenna’s temple.

“
Is there anything you don’t love?” She asked, laughing a little. She refused to be sad or dwell on things she couldn’t change.

“
Pretty sure I don’t love slugs. And I really don’t love brussel sprouts. I mean, those things are so gross. They stink and they’re weird looking.” Aimee made a sound of affirmation and Brenna kept chattering. One thing she’d learned over the years was that her daughter could talk without pause for a very long time.

“
Did your dad tell you what kind of car he’d be picking us up in?” Aimee asked.