Aidan stared at the television set, shock like he’d never felt shooting through him. On his living room’s coffee table, his phone buzzed. The news anchor on TV switched to another story and his phone kept blowing up.

Aidan glanced at the phone. It was his brother Kyle. Probably calling to find out whether Aidan had lost his head or not. The top of the phone’s screen showed several other missed calls.

Not answering the phone, he picked it up and checked out the other missed calls. Mikey. Kyle. Rick.

He’d called Nicole several times already, but she still hadn’t answered. He’d tried to tell himself that she was probably on the road. It was eight on the west coast, which meant it was eleven in Florida.

She’d told him the night before that she planned on driving back to Haven Sound in the morning.

Aidan didn’t want to write her a text about the reality show, because what if she hadn’t heard the news yet? The whole thing was too messed up to explain via text. He needed to talk to her. Hear her voice.

Grabbing at the roots of his hair, Aidan started pacing across the floor. All the way to one line of windows. Turn around. Go back.

He was trying to calm himself down before he picked the phone up and called his dad. So far, it wasn’t working.

Rick stabbed him in the back. Apparently, the talk they’d had the day before meant nothing. His father was still bent on having things his way. Maybe more now than ever.

The sound of the doorbell made Aidan look up. Only two people had the code to get through the gate. Mikey and Rick.

Swallowing hard, Aidan went down the hall.

“Hear me out,” Rick said the instant Aidan opened the door. He pushed into the hallway and Aidan closed the door behind him. “I did this for you,” Rick continued.

Aidan crossed his arms, his anger growing. “Have you not heard anything I’ve been saying?”

“What about you, Aidan? Apparently, it wasn’t only your knee you damaged that day on the court. You must have hit your head as well.”

Aidan winced, the jab hurting much more than he would have expected. “There’s nothing I can say, is there?”

Rick’s face grew red. “And what about me? Huh?”

Aidan’s hands balled into fists. “This isn’t about you, Dad! It’s about my life. I get that this is your job, making money off of me, but you have two other clients. Get more!”

Rick’s jaw dropped. “After everything I’ve done for you, the sacrifices I’ve made, you think this is about money for me?”

“No, I—” Aidan pressed his knuckles against his closed eyes. Every inhale and exhale burned like fire.

There was no telling what all the repercussions of Rick’s actions would be, but Aidan had a sick feeling that Nicole was not going to take any of this well. His relationship with her was going so smoothly, and then his father had to go and pull this crazy act.

“I’m really going to do my best to forgive you for this,” Aidan said through gritted teeth. He dropped his hands and stared his dad down. “But it’s going to be hard.”

With that, he went into the living room, turned the TV off, grabbed his phone and backpack, and went back into the hall. Rick stood where Aidan had left him.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to Florida,” Aidan answered. “Bye.”

“I’m sorry.”

Aidan paused, hand on the doorknob.

“I am, Aidan,” Rick stressed, seeing the frustration on his son’s face.

Aidan turned to look at him. “Cancel it. Tell them there is no deal.”

Rick’s face pinched like he was in pain, but he nodded.

“I still have to go to Florida,” Aidan said.

“I don’t get it. What’s there?”

“Everything.”

Aidan made the call on the drive to the airport. He’d basically committed to flying commercial, but as it turned out, there was a time for taking private jets. And that time had arrived.

“Come on, Nicole,” he muttered into the phone as he climbed the stairs to the jet. “Answer.”

Biting his lips in frustration, he slipped the phone into his pocket and took his seat. Two hours had passed since he first called her. Was it crazy to think she was ignoring him? Definitely not.

During the first honest conversation they had, she told him how much she detested the celebrity world and reality shows in particular. He’d made it clear he wouldn’t do the show. Did she think he had lied to her?

He pulled his phone back out. Time to forget his feelings on texting.

I need to talk to you. My dad made a TV deal without my permission. I’m not doing it, though.

Hours later, with the jet pulling into the small Florida Keys airport, Aidan hadn’t received a response. Other friends still texted and e-mailed about the show, but everything was quiet on the Nicole front.

Something was wrong. The whole day had passed and he hadn’t heard from her. Usually, they texted and video chatted all day long. Her going to her dad’s hadn’t changed that, as he’d continued to hear from her after she got there.

Until that morning. Until Rick made the announcement.

Aidan took a taxi from the airport to Haven Sound. He leaned forward in his seat, his heart racing. So much had changed in his life in the last year. He’d lost a lot, but he’d gained so much more.

Among the things he’d gained, his relationship with Nicole was the best and the most important one. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t. He was going to fix this. He had to fix this.

Luckily, it was late in the afternoon, which meant Nicole had arrived in town and was either at her duplex or at work.

“It’s right there,” Aidan told the taxi driver. He pointed at the front of Nicole’s office.

Before the car even came to a full stop, Aidan was out, rushing across the sidewalk with his bag.

The secretary’s face lit up when she saw him.

“Oh, hello.” She beamed. “You’re Nicole’s friend. Aidan, right?”

“Boyfriend,” he answered. They actually hadn’t talked about their relationship status, but Aidan considered himself just that.

And one day, assuming he found her soon enough to fix things, he’d be more than that.

“Is Nicole here?” he asked.

“Oh.” The secretary frowned and rolled a pencil between her fingers. “She already left.”

“Left? What do you mean? For where?”

“You—” Suddenly, her face colored and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Where is she?” Aidan demanded.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry if things didn’t work out between you two.”

Aidan exhaled harshly. A few people were looking their way in interest. He knew he needed to get a hold of himself, but it was hard when it felt like his whole world was disintegrating in front of his eyes.

“Nicole quit this morning.”

Aidan felt the blood drain from his face. “Why? Wait. Never mind. I’ll just go to her place to talk to her.”

He spun around, but the second his hand touched the door, the secretary spoke again, making him freeze.

“She left Haven Sound. For good.”