“Isaac is staring at you,” Scarlett tells me, grinning.

I glance over at Isaac, who joined us today to work on some music. Scarlett likes him and said she wants him on the album too. I’ve heard him play, and he’s incredible, so I don’t blame her for that. I meet Isaac’s eyes, and he grins at me. I smile back and turn to Scarlett.

“He’s being friendly. Stop playing matchmaker.”

She pushes her bottom lip out, and I can see why the whole of America is in love with her. She’s beautiful, in a soft, country way. All that blond hair and those big brown eyes. She fits the part perfectly, and she has a personality to match.

“I’m not,” she says, throwing her hands up. “I was simply saying he was staring at you. He told me he finds you fascinating.”

I shake my head, and my cheeks flush.

“You should consider dating, Amalie. You’re so beautiful. Any man would fall to their knees to be able to take you out.”

I shake my head quickly. “No, I don’t want to.”

Her face drops, and a softness washes over it. I love that about her. She’s never too much. “Is it because of your hearing?”

I go to shake my head, but decide to let her think that it is. I nod. “Yeah, it’s embarrassing, and I just ... I don’t know ... I’m not ready.”

“Can it be fixed?” she asks, staring right into my eyes.

She’s like a human lie detector. I swear. She can read your soul with just one glance. Thank God, I’m a good liar. Except I won’t lie to her about this, because, well, even I have a threshold.

“There is a doctor that said he’s seen this kind of injury and can operate to try and correct it. There is no guarantee it can be fixed, but he said he could improve one ear enough that I can hear a little out of it, but he isn’t sure of the other. One is more badly damaged.”

Her eyes get wide. “How come you haven’t done it then?”

Because I don’t deserve to get fixed when Caiden can’t be.

Fear?

I don’t know. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t done it. Having just enough hearing in one ear would change everything for me. Especially now I’m working with Scarlett and may go on tour again, but the guilt that I feel when I think about going in and doing it makes me back away fairly quickly.

“I’m afraid, I guess,” I tell her.

Her eyes get soft again. “I could come with you, if you like?”

Why does she have to be so incredible?

“I don’t ... I don’t know,” I say, staring at my hands. “What if it ended up worse? Right now, I can hear a tiny, little bit. If I could hear nothing, nothing at all, my world would collapse and I’m afraid of that.”

She reaches over and takes my hand. “And what if you could hear a little more? Your world would shine.”

She’s right.

I know that.

But the idea of doing it terrifies me. Both out of guilt and fear. My doctor sends information letters often, because I know he doesn’t understand why I won’t do it. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the world that would jump at the chance, and I’m running from it.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll look into it again,” I tell her, and then look away so I can’t see any more of what she says.

My eyes fall on Isaac’s once more, and he smiles at me. I smile back. Yet again. He is an incredibly striking man, but so is Malakai and I won’t allow myself near him. Scarlett taps my shoulder, and I turn to her. “I have some lyrics in my head, want to see if you can add to them?”

I nod, and she starts writing down her lyrics. She’s incredibly talented like that. She can come up with a song and just write it down, better yet she can sing it as if she was born to do just that. I’m not so talented. I can play the music, I can feel the music, but I can’t write the music. Still, I read her song, and I’m impressed by the beauty she pushes out through her lyrics.

“This is amazing,” I tell her. “I’m beginning to think you really don’t need my help.”

She flushes and smiles. “Trust me, I do. Even if it’s just to make it sound exactly how I want, which I know you playing will do for me. You hear music in a way others don’t, and that’s because you feel it. You’re going to add something to this album that nobody else can. It’ll be incredible.”

I beam at her.

Two bikers fill my vision, and I turn my head to see Mal and Maverick coming into the recording studio, food in their hands. They’ve been backward and forward all day while we’ve been in here working, bringing us food and drink. I haven’t made eye contact with Mal after what happened in the instrument room, and even now, I don’t look into his eyes.

He made me feel things that terrify me.

I could fall in love with someone like him so incredibly easily, and that thought is enough to make me keep my eyes directed downward.

I can hear their faint voices, but I can’t make out what they’re talking about. Scarlett taps me again a few minutes in, and I look to her. “Do you want to go to the club with me tonight? They’re having a cookout and want us to go.”

I look over to Maverick, and he winks at me. I avoid Mal’s eyes. I turn back to Scarlett. “What time?”

She looks over, and Maverick says, “Six.”

I am going to visit Caiden at five, but that never goes long, so I can make it. I don’t know if I should go, but I also know it is the right thing to do. These bikers, and their club have kept us safe when nobody else could, we owe them, at the very least, to go and join in. I nod, and Maverick claps his big hands. “Need a ride?”

He glances at Mal, and I quickly look over to see Mal giving him a glaring expression. Oh, boy. “No, thanks,” I say softly. “I’ll drive over.”

“You’ll drive?” Mal asks, and my cheeks burn.

“Yeah, I can drive.”

“That safe?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll come and get you.”

I blink. Then blink again.

“No, it’s fine, honestly. I drive every day ...”

“Feel better if you’re not drivin’ at night. I’ll come and get you. What’s your address?”

He’s not budging, I can see it in the firm set of his jaw. When Malakai wants something, Malakai gets it, and nobody is going to argue their way out of it. My heart races and I swallow, then in a soft voice, I reluctantly give him my address.

“I’ll be by at six.”

I nod.

He holds my eyes for a split second longer, then turns, slapping Maverick on the back in an indication to leave, and the two of them disappear. I turn to Scarlett, cheeks bright red and hot. “How did that just happen?”

She smiles at me. “Stop fighting every good thing in your life, honey. He’s looking after you, let him.”

“It’s not his job to look after me.”

She grins. “And it’s not his job not to. He’s doing what he wants. Let him.”

This should be interesting.

I’m sure my mother will just love a biker picking me up.

I put my head in my hands.

I’m digging myself deeper into this hole, and yet I can’t seem to get myself out.

~*~*~*~