What We've Become (My Kind Of Country Book 2) by M. Lynne Cunning Page B

impossible to build anything on a crumbling foundation, and the strong and sturdy foundation on which she and Jay’s love for each other had once been constructed, was nothing more than dust now, eroded by broken promises and shattered hearts. There was nothing left between them, she could see that now. So, why was it so hard to admit it when Jay was in her presence? Why couldn’t she just tell him—or better yet, how could he not see it? Their days together since the fall had been filled with snippy comments, full out arguments, and tip toeing around the truth of their unhappiness. Only a few moments broke through that web of discontent and registered on Katie’s radar as happy moments. Yet, Jay still seemed to believe there was something left worth clinging on to.
    Was she the one being unreasonable, dooming them before really giving it one last chance? That was the problem: She didn’t want to be the one who would be unwilling to try. In the end, she feared being deemed the thoughtless one who refused to try to keep their family together. She worried too much about how it affected other people, perhaps, but it was the truth nonetheless. And despite the knowledge that Jay had already walked away from their impending marriage and family life once, he wanted to put it all back together again. It pained her to think that if it didn’t work this time, it could be blamed on her actions.
    Maybe I’m just as selfish as I think he is , she thought idly. Maybe we deserve each other…and the misery that being together brings.
    A string of familiar chords pulled Katie from her dark thoughts, and she stared at the radio suspiciously. As Chad Ashton’s brand new single played through the static, she stared up at the ceiling hopelessly, wondering if perhaps misery had a way of following her so as to always keep her company.
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
    CHAD
     
     
    Despite being filled with promotional events and endless hours in the recording studio, Chad found his days still managed to drag on, leaving him too much time to ruminate and not enough time to do anything about it.
    Not that he knew what he would do about any of it, anyway. The more he analyzed Katie and Jay from his vantage point, the more confused he got. There were conflicting signals from both sides: Katie seemed hell-bent on sticking by Jay, despite admitting she missed him . Jay seemed determined to keep Katie as his own, despite having already left her once—for Chad’s ex, no less—and lacking trust in her. Why could neither of them see how deranged their relationship was? Chad knew his own opinion was biased, caring little about how anything affected Jay and being more invested in Katie’s welfare than he probably should be. It’s funny how that happened after falling in love with someone.
    The whole messy cluster of emotions and uncertainty led him to the present moment, sprawled out across his black leather sofa staring mindlessly at the slip of paper he turned over repeatedly between his fingertips. If he thought about it hard enough, he could still picture Katie’s hand moving effortlessly as she scrawled her cell number onto it. Since then, it remained either tucked in his wallet, travelling with him from each radio interview and meeting, or placed beside the papers strewn about his coffee table he’d been scribbling down song ideas on, like a tangible muse he could consult when needed. He’d written two additional words on that scrap of paper, too, to match one of his song ideas.
    Friends , she’d said. He had been foolish to agree, but just as desperate to not lose her completely. Was he a despicable person for wanting to remain on the sidelines to be there for her? The cracks were beginning to show in the makeshift exterior of her relationship with Jay, and then what? When it all came crashing down, he needed to make certain he was there to show Katie she hadn’t lost everything just because she didn’t have Jay anymore. She would have him . And