Page 36 of Mic Drop (Passionate Beats #3)

“And when UC won the Grammy’s?”

“Sex.”

“How about when the band came up with a new song?”

“Sex.”

“Need I go on?”

“No.” I right my chair and retake my seat.

“Has it been the same with Jenna? ”

Shit. Have I been such a manwhore and didn’t even realize it?

Not with Jenna. Because of your groin injury, dumbass .

Perhaps that’s what drew me to her so hard?

I actually got to know her, as a person, a woman, before we even had our first kiss.

She intrigued me talking about The Godfather when I first met her before I knew she was dating Darren.

The last time we met I didn’t want anything to do with her and physical therapy.

But she pushed on. And helped me. When we finally kissed, it was electric.

Unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

“With her, things were very different. Ass backward even. I got to know her really well before our first kiss.”

“She broke your pattern.” He takes a triumphant last bite of his steak.

“I guess she did.” I stab a piece of steak and deposit it into my mouth.

All this isn’t to say I didn’t want to have sex with Jenna, because I did.

It was the best I’ve ever had, bar none, but not simply for the physical act.

It was our connection. She understood me and, I thought, I got her too. Clearly, I was wrong on that account.

“Which brings me back to my original question. How are you going to get your wife back?”

The steak lodges in my throat, but I manage to choke it down. “For one, I’m not letting her serve those divorce papers to me.”

“Good start.”

What can I do to actually get Jenna to change her mind?

For my whole adult life, I’ve never needed to chase a woman, but I need her to remember she loves me.

Buried beneath all of Jenna’s emotions about her mother, I know she does.

“I heard her, you know. In the hospital when her mother died. She blamed me for not forcing Faith to seek out more doctors who might have had some treatment options.”

“Did you?”

“What? No.” I reply. “Well, I did convince her this was Faith’s decision to make and she couldn’t control her mother. Jenna’s a real control freak, you know. ”

Luke smirks. “You don’t say.”

I take another bite of the potato salad. “She was so angry at me.”

“The first stage of grief.”

His statement rings true. “I need to help her through her grief over Faith.”

“Now we’re talking.”

I play with my potato salad, making cross marks across the mayo. How? “What else can I do to make her come around?”

“Good question. How’d you do it the first time?”

“She had to give me physical therapy.” I whack my thigh. “All good now.”

He tosses back his beer. “I don’t think she’d believe you had a relapse. What if you do something about Michelle and Lissa? Get them off her clinic’s back?”

I pick up my beer, only to find it empty.

Replacing it on the table, I say, “That’s not a bad idea.

UC’s PR team’s been doing a good job handling Michelle.

Jenna told me about Hayden’s idea and how well it worked.

” I grin. The bumper sticker with physical therapists adjusting all the spider legs was genius.

“Probably why Michelle felt the need to come up with something else,” Luke remarks. “We’ve shut her down pretty well on the Black Widow front.”

“Until her mother died and reignited the shitstorm.” I push away from the table and gather the empty beer bottles. “Want another?”

“Sure.”

All the way inside, I ponder Luke’s suggestion. How can I get them to back off Jenna? Tossing the empties into the recycle can, I bring a few more cold brews outside.

Clinking the necks, Luke says, “To Operation Jenna.”

“Here, here.”

For the first time since Jenna left, I enjoy the bubbles sliding down my throat. I even pick up my silverware and eat off my plate. I don’t clear it, but make more of a dent than over the past few days.

After we clean up, we return outside and Luke lights a fire pit. We stare into the flames and drink more beer, keeping all my marital problems at bay for the time being. Tomorrow, we’ll tackle them. Tonight’s for being with my...friend.

I wake to the sun streaming through my window and birds chirping outside.

If only my outlook was as positive as nature.

I shower, mindlessly watching water droplets wind their way through the dips between my muscles.

The same muscles Jenna used to lick. My cock bobs at the memories, but I tamp him down.

This time, though, instead of admonishing him he won’t get any ever again, I find myself switching up the mantra to “Don’t Stop Believin’ . ”

Bounding down the stairs, I find Luke in the kitchen and bacon wafting from the stove. “Smells mighty good in here.”

“Thanks, B. Sleep all right?”

I consider his question. “You know, for the first time since, well, I did. Still haven’t decided on a course of action to get Jenna back, but it feels like I will. I’m going to win my wife back.”

He slaps me on the back. “Glad to hear it.”

An idea forms. “Starting right now.” I pick up my phone and dial the florist I used when I sent daily flowers to her at her mother’s house. Was that only a few weeks ago? When the clerk answers, I put in my order.

“I’d like to send daily flowers to Jenna Westfield, er, Hardy. I want to cycle through your more exotic collection, anything but roses.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Hardy. How would you like the cards signed?”

Shit. When I sent them before, I always included a special message. I need to do even better now. “I’d like to have song lyrics from Untamed Coaster songs on all the cards. I have your email address and will send you at least thirty cards’ worth when we hang up.”

“Sounds good. One final question, where should we send them?”

My mind halts its rolodex of UC’s songs at the question. Where should I send the flowers? I go with my gut. “To her house.” Not mine. Yet .

“You got it. I’ll be on the lookout for your email.”

After we hang up, I open a blank email and start tapping out UC lyrics. To our first song. To our first number one. To our most recent number one. To our wedding song.

Luke brings over two plates piled high with breakfast. “Looks like someone’s been busy.” He sits next to me at the island.

“Yeah. I’m going to start my campaign with flowers, but they’re the easy part.” I shovel scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon into my mouth without thought. What else can I do?

“Sounds like a good start.” He chows down on his own breakfast.

“I need to get to Lissa and Michelle. I can’t believe they’re accusing Jenna of harboring a prostitution ring at her clinics. It’s grotesque.”

“They sure are. You know how to pick ‘em.”

I pause mid-forkful. “I only met Michelle because of Jenna. As for Lissa, well, I was in high school, what can I say? She was different back then.” I place the food-laden fork into my mouth. “Besides, my hormones were in charge.”

He chuckles around a piece of bacon. “We both know that no one should try to get between you and your hormones.”

I whack him in the gut. “Back then, I wasn’t getting any—other than from my right hand.”

He rubs his stomach. “Must’ve been getting quite the workout.”

Squinting at my friend, I finish the food on my plate.

“Not as much as yours, I’d wager.” I’ve seen Luke hook up with plenty of women on tour, but never the plasticky ones like Lissa is today.

Usually he chooses the more low key, down-home-type chicks.

For the first time, I wonder about his love life.

“Do you have a special lady you keep hidden from us?”

“Me?”

He looks surprised I asked about his love life and I give myself a swat on the ass. Have I, and the rest of UC, been oblivious to his needs?

When I motion for him to continue, he chews his food then places his fork down on the plate. “I’m not dating anyone at the moment. It’s too hard with all the touring UC does.”

“But,” I prompt.

“I hope to meet her someday. Finding a partner who loves this life as much as I do, though, is a tall ask. We’ll see. Besides, we’re here to talk about you.” He cracks his knuckles.

“Yeah, well, I think I need to shut Lissa down. Michelle seems like the hanger-on type. I’d bet Lissa concocted this whole story about Jenna’s physical therapy clinics as a way to hurt me, and Michelle went along for the ride.”

“Sounds about right.” He clears the scraps off our plates into the garbage, then rinses them. “Have you heard any more from Curtiss?”

Curtiss. My former best friend who got Lissa pregnant.

“We’ve been keeping in touch, but he hasn’t had any luck finding what he’s looking for yet.

” I sigh. If he can’t find the proof, it’ll be another he said, she said situation.

“He did say he was going to his parents’ house this weekend, though. Proof has to be there.”

“Want me to call Hayden?”

“Desperately. But Jenna probably already hit her up. After all, she was the driving force with the Black Widow shit before.”

“You’re likely right, B.”

I place the dishes into the dishwasher. “Mother Hilliard’s comments in the article didn’t help matters either. I so want to set that woman straight.”

Luke closes the dishwasher’s door and cracks his knuckles again. “You know what? How about we hit her up? Obviously, our visit to her house before didn’t do the trick.”

My head tilts. “Think we could change her mind?”

Luke rubs his hands together. “Jet’s still here. Let’s pay her a visit.”