Opening Strains

   Rehab and Restraints: A Bad Boy’s Reckoning

One  stupid jump onstage at Untamed Coaster’s rockumentary premiere, and I'm  out of commission. Pulled groin? More like a damn disaster. And the  only person who can fix me is Jenna Westfield. Jenna. The ex of our late keyboardist, who added her to the Do Not F*^% list that survives even though he’s no longer here. And the only woman who made me question my no-strings rule from the moment I met her.

Two  weeks in the Hamptons at her clinic, and I'm a goner. Falling not only  for her, but also her warm, welcoming mom, a whole damn life I never  knew I wanted. But she's holding back, those haunted eyes telling a  story I can't quite read. Professional ethics, ghosts of the past, and  my own mother's constant nagging keep us apart. Then, one stolen kiss  changes everything.

Suddenly, I believe we could have an actual  relationship. Almost buy into her ideal that UC is my “found family.”  However, the paparazzi are vultures, branding her a “Black Widow”—and  she splits.

Now, I'm alone on tour, wondering if I blew my only chance at something real.