The Heir Affair (Las Vegas Nights 5)

“Where Hunter is concerned, I trust you completely.” What he didn’t trust was Hunter and his attempts to worm his way back into Melody’s life. “Next question. How do I support you in a meaningful way? How can I support you better?”

“You’ve always been behind me with my music. Even when it tore us apart, you encouraged me to pursue it. You know how hard it was for me growing up with my dad being so negative about my abilities as a singer and a songwriter. I can never thank you enough for not just letting me go but for welcoming me back.”

He nodded. Would he do the same thing again knowing how hard it would be to be apart from her for so many months? Probably. She was developing into such a talented performer that to clip her wings would be a crime. In the last year she’d blossomed, both as an artist and as a woman. No man who truly deserved her love would want anything less than the best for her.

“And how can I support you better?”

“Sometimes I think you’re a little too understanding.”

“What?” That was the last thing he expected to hear her say. Especially after the way he reacted every time Hunter’s name was mentioned. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“How happy were you when I went off on tour?”

“For you, very. For me, not at all.”

“I think your support of my music is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’re the understanding guy who encourages and believes in me when I don’t. That’s such an amazing gift. On the other hand, because of how my dad was about my music, you treat me like I’m fragile and don’t give me good boundaries.”

“What are you getting at?”

“The tour with Free Fall.” She wrinkled her nose. “Looking back, I wish you’d asked me to only do part of it.”

“You’d have been okay with that?” Kyle wished they’d talked more about the opportunity before she’d signed on.

“Maybe, maybe not. But if I hadn’t been gone so long, we wouldn’t have drifted apart.”

“So are you saying you’re willing to make our relationship as big a priority as your career?”

Her fingers fanned over her stomach, the gesture protective. “I think that’s something we need to discuss further.”

“Fair enough.” He was wise enough not to hoot in delight. With her album set for release after the first of the year, he’d been worried that she’d put too much pressure on herself to start touring and take their baby away with her.

“So how can I support you better?” she asked, turning the question back on him.

He’d come prepared with answers to all the questions except this one. He didn’t honestly know what he wanted from her in terms of support.

“It’s pretty hard for me to rely on anyone,” he said. “I’m not accustomed to asking for help.”

“And yet you have a therapist you see. What do you get out of seeing her?”

“I don’t have to be strong with her.”

“Strong? Like confident?”

“Confident and together. I went to see her when I was struggling with depression after I realized I wasn’t coming back from the Tommy John surgery. I didn’t have to put on a brave face for her. I could be angry and scared and she provided a safe place for me to work through all the emotions my father told me a real man could control. He always said, ‘Control your emotions, son, or they’ll control you.’”

“Is that something I could do for you?”

It was hard to tell her of his fears when his every instinct insisted h

e appear invincible. Capable of protecting her and providing everything she and their baby could ever need. Even though she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, he wanted to be her shelter and her strength.

“I don’t know.” Immediately he knew it was the wrong thing to say, yet he’d committed to being honest with her. “It goes against everything in me to let you see me as weak.”

“I could never do that,” she said with a startled little laugh. “You’re one of the strongest men I know.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You see me as strong, but sometimes I’m not.”

Her lips parted. She obviously intended to argue with him further, but something in his expression stopped her.