Wicked Innocence (Wicked Innocence 1)

Wow. This guy continues to shock me.

“I never would have pegged you for this.”

“Why?” he teased. “Just because I’m a washed up rock star I can’t care?”

“Not what I meant,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And you decided you were washed up, nobody else. You could’ve kept singing if you wanted to.”

“I know.” He stopped, his expression turning serious. “I don’t know what you read about my departure from the world of music, but I avoided a prison sentence by agreeing to community service. This was my punishment—only it ended over a year ago. Seeing these kids, and the feeling of actually being able to do something good? I can’t even explain how amazing that is.”

We walked inside, and right away, I felt myself relax. Kids of all ages were everywhere. I laughed as a little girl of about four ran up to me and threw her arms around my legs.

Sax laughed. “That’s Emilie.” He knelt down and smiled at her. “Hey, Emilie. How’s my favorite girl?” He glanced up at me and grinned. “Second favorite girl now, I guess.”

I giggled as little Emilie moved away from me, throwing herself into Sax’s arms.

“Saxth!” she squealed as he picked her up. I laughed as he kissed her on the cheek. He set her down on the floor, laughing as she ran off over to the other side of the room.

“Are they the same kids each week?” I asked.

“Mostly. You get a few that might only show up once a month. And then there are some who you’ll only see once or twice. Some think they are beyond help, others are grateful that places like this exist.”

I wished there had been something like this for me.

“Do all the kids learn music?”

“No. There are heaps of different activities. Some just like sitting down for a few hours and watching cartoons. Simple things like that can change their whole day.”

“This is amazing,” I mumbled. This place was really affecting me. I could really feel how much it meant to him, and knowing that he cared so much about these kids made me like him even more.

“Come over here,” he said, taking my hand. He led me over to the back of the room where three young girls were sitting. They looked about thirteen. All three of them smiled shyly at Sax.

“Hey girls, how’s it going?” he asked easily. He crouched down next to them and nodded at me. “This is my friend, Micah. She sings in a band. Micah, this is Lisa, Jem, and Renee.”

“Which band?” Renee asked me.

“Resurrection,” I replied, sitting down on the floor. I crossed my legs and smiled at her. “You like music?” I asked her.

She nodded.

“Who’s your favorite singer?”

“I like Adele.”

I grinned and began to sing “Rolling in the Deep.”

“Come on,” I encouraged them. Slowly, they began to sing along with me while Sax just sat there, his eyes on me. We sang a few more songs, and chatted about movies and music until they had to leave.

I really liked singing with you. Will you come visit us here again?” Renee asked softly. The other two girls nodded in agreement. I watched as they wandered off, a funny feeling in my stomach. They weren’t much younger than I was when I’d left home.

“What’s their story?” I said, turning back to Sax.

“Lisa and Renee are living in a group home. Jem has been in and out of foster care all her life. The kids here have had a hard life. I find coming here puts my own trivial problems into perspective.”

“It makes me realize how lucky I am,” I mumbled.

“I know. Some of the boys I work with have been in and out of care and juvie most of their lives. They’ve made some bad decisions, but they still have time to make things right, you know? And if I can be a part of that, then that’s great.”

I smiled. This guy couldn’t get any more perfect.