Page 13 of Sweet Music (Sugarville Grove #7)

BELLA

B ella’s heart ached as she watched Cody and Cash embracing.

Tonight had gone so well. Every time things had been about to get awkward, something had happened, for better or for worse, to get them back on track.

And while they hadn’t quite seemed like father and son while they were chatting on the sofa, the minute the musical instruments were out it felt like they had been a family forever.

It was nicer than she’d expected. But hearing Cody introduce Cash as his father, and seeing him give him a hug at the end of the night scared her a little.

It’s good that he’s not afraid to open his heart, she reminded herself. It means that he feels safe, even after losing his mom and moving out here.

The trouble was that the person he was opening his heart to was Cash Law .

“Good night, Aunt Bella,” Cody said on his way down the little hall to the bathroom.

“Night, Cody,” she told him fondly.

“Is it okay for me to stick around for a little bit just to catch up?” Cash asked softly.

She froze for a second, and then she realized that of course he was just talking about catching up with how tonight went and whatever other plans he wanted to make.

“Sure,” she said.

He gestured to the couch. Once she was seated, he lowered himself down beside her.

“I think it went well tonight,” he said. “How about you?”

“I think so too,” she agreed softly. “Just so you know, the apartment is small and the walls are paper thin, so you should just assume he can hear us. And he’s probably going to be listening until you go.”

“It’s okay for him to hear this,” Cash said, nodding with a serious expression.

“And I’ll tell him myself when we see each other again, but I want to apologize to both of you for not being here until now.

I wish I could apologize to his mother too.

I’m sad about everything I’ve missed, and I want to be around from now on. ”

Bella nodded, praying that Cody wasn’t actually listening.

What Cash meant by I want to be around from now on was anyone’s guess.

From what little she had kept up with over the years, it seemed like the man probably lived on tour buses and airplanes.

Being around probably looked a lot different for Cash Law than it did for most people .

“Needless to say, that starts with having your back financially,” Cash went on, pulling out his phone and tapping on the screen a few times.

“I just sent you the contact for my finance guy. He’s ready to help you.

The idea is that I want you to pick out a house, a car, whatever the two of you need to be comfortable?—”

“No,” Bella heard herself say firmly.

Cash just blinked at her, looking shocked.

Honestly, maybe he was right to be shocked.

There had been medical bills eating up Harper’s savings while she was alive, and her insurance money hadn’t gone far afterward.

Bella’s salary from the library was fine for a single woman to live on, but she did put a certain amount of time into figuring out how to provide Cody with school clothes, pay for guitar lessons, and keep his bottomless belly full.

And she really worried about how she would swing his college when the time came.

One look at the apartment probably told anyone that the two of them weren’t exactly on easy street.

But something about Cash Law prancing into town and thinking he could fix everything just by dumping money on them was insulting.

“We’re fine,” she told him lightly. “We don’t need your money.”

“Oh,” he said, realization on his face right away. “I didn’t mean you weren’t doing fine. You are , of course. You’re providing so much for him. I just… I want to contribute, in whatever way you feel comfortable. And I’ve missed so much, I feel like I owe it to you both.”

“I appreciate that,” she said, softening a little. “Let’s see how things go.”

“Absolutely,” he said, nodding.

“The main thing that Cody has been lacking is a father figure,” Bella told him. “His mom was amazing, and I do my best. But every kid wants a family, and Cody hasn’t had much of one.”

Cash nodded, and the pain in his eyes tugged at her heart.

“Things have also been up in the air for him a lot this last year or so,” she went on. “He needs consistent adults in his life, and he needs to know what he can expect.”

“I understand,” Cash said, nodding again. “You don’t just want me showing up, flashing around some cash, and then disappearing again.”

She knew the polite thing to do would be to deny that she suspected that he was planning to do exactly that. But there was no point being polite, because her job was to look out for Cody.

“Tonight,” she said gently, “this time you spent with him, that’s what he craves. That’s the kind of thing that could make a real difference in his life.”

“That’s great,” Cash said, looking excited again. “So, what other kinds of things does he like to do? I’d love to spend as much time with him as possible.”

“Sugarville Grove has that annual snowball fight these days,” she said.

“That’s really a thing?” he asked, a delighted smile tugging at his lips. “I kind of thought you were just messing with me.”

“Yes,” she told him. “It’s Saturday, and I think Cody would love for you to be there.”

“I can’t wait,” Cash said immediately .

“Oh, and there’s going to be a Battle of the Bands competition in the springtime. He’s been talking about maybe entering. I’ll bet he’d love for you to cheer him on.”

“I’ll be there,” Cash said instantly.

And for some reason, she believed him. Not about him not knowing about Cody this whole time, of course. That was nonsense. She knew Harper had reached out multiple times.

But it made sense that the information hadn’t meant anything to him then—not then when he hadn’t met Cody, or understood how much the boy would need his dad.

We all grow and change, she reminded herself. If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t be so scared, and I wouldn’t have made Harper go backstage all by herself.

But then there would be no Cody.

“Maybe you’re coming into his life at the time when he needs you most,” Bella heard herself say.

“Thank you for letting me,” Cash said, putting his hand on hers again.

The warmth of his hand went through her, and suddenly her heart was fluttering like it was filled with a thousand butterflies.

Cash drew in a breath and his eyes flashed to hers. She was sure she saw longing in them, though that made no sense at all.

A guy like him wouldn’t fall for a girl like me, she reminded herself, pulling her hand back like she had been touching a hot stove.

Instantly, the spell was broken.

“I… I guess I should let you get some sleep,” Cash said, standing. “Is it really okay for me to do the snowball fight with him this weekend?”

“That would be great,” she told him, heading for the door and hoping he would take the hint and leave right away.

“Okay, well, thanks again,” he said.

But he didn’t go anywhere. He just stood there, looking at her awkwardly, like he wanted to hug her or something.

“See you later,” she said, giving a half-hearted little wave.

“See you,” he said, waving back and letting himself out.

She glanced down the hallway, but saw that the bathroom light was out. Cody must have gotten ready for bed and headed back to his room while she and Cash were still chatting.

She lowered herself to the sofa, and tried to force herself to think hard about everything that had happened today, and what would happen next.

Instead, her mind took her back to where it so often went when she was stressed and worried…