Sweet Strings

© 2023 Aly Beck All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author. So, if you’re reading this from your handy-dandy illegal website, you’re not reading this legally. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. If you’ve received this version of Sweet Strings anywhere else other than Amazon, then you’re pirating this book. You’re risking this book being taken down and stealing from me. And that’s just not cool man. Like really not cool. So yo-ho-ho, no more stealing assholes. Also, does anyone read these anymore? •Cover Design: Pretty in Ink Creations •Editing by Jenni Gauntt •Developmental Editing provided by RawlsReads Created with Vellum Contents Welcomes and Warnings One - River Two - Asher Three - Asher Four - Kieran Five - River Six - River Seven - Rad Eight - Rad Nine - Callum Ten - Asher Eleven - Asher Twelve - Asher Thirteen - River Fourteen - River Fifteen - Rad Sixteen - Rad Seventeen - Kieran Eighteen - Kieran Nineteen - River Twenty - Kieran Twenty-One - Kieran Twenty-Two - Asher Twenty-Three - River Twenty-Four - Callum Twenty-Five - Callum Twenty-Six - Rad Twenty-Seven - River Twenty-Eight - River Twenty-Nine - River Thirty - River Thirty-One - River Thirty-Two - Kieran Thirty-Three - Kieran Thirty-Four - Kieran Thirty-Five - River Thirty-Six - River Thirty-Seven - Asher Thirty-Eight - River Thirty-Nine - River Forty - River Forty-One - River Forty-Two - River Forty-Three - River Forty-Four - River Forty-Five - Callum Forty-Six - Kieran Forty-Seven - Kieran Forty-Eight - Kieran Forty-Nine - River Fifty - River Fifty-One - River Fifty-Two - Asher Fifty-Three - River The Fucking End Epilogue Afterword Acknowledgments Also by Aly Beck More Why-Choose TBA Connect with Aly Dedication For Kaleb: 22 years was just not enough time with you… You’re gone. But you’re never forgotten. Your legacy lives on in our hearts. We all love you and miss you. Always. Welcomes and Warnings Hello! And welcome to the second book in the Second Sets duet! Thank you so much for continuing River and her guy’s story. Please read these warnings carefully… I always take these warnings very seriously. So, please read these, so you know what you’re about to walk into. All characters depicted in this book ARE 18+ and consenting adults. This is a why-choose romance with some scenes you need to be aware of. •This story does involve a four-year-old child and parenting. Sometimes chapters revolve around her. •Flashbacks of childhood abuse and discussions about it in detail. (The same as Bitter Notes). •Drug mention and flashbacks of drug usage. •Mentions of parental deaths and graveside visits. •Flashbacks and discussion of previous SA and physical assault, that happened in the past. If you come across another trigger, you’ve found that isn’t listed, please don’t hesitate to email me, and I’ll add it to the list. I try to do my best as an author to give adequate warnings to everyone; sometimes, I miss them. Thank you for understanding. •If you find ANY mistakes within this book, please email me a screenshot: [email protected] “Hello, boys, my name is River West, and I’m your new band manager. Congratulations,” I say, cocking my head. My heart pounds against my ribs. Pain encases my chest, tightening like rubber bands and constricting my air. Every ounce of oxygen stalls in my lungs until I blow out a calming breath, forcing myself to stay in the present—with them—the boys who broke my heart five years ago. Who knew staring into the eyes of the four exes who screwed you over five years ago after they ran away would be so fucking nerve-wracking. I should despise them. Hate their fucking existence. I should want to see their careers spiral down a dark hole and hit rock bottom as I laugh maniacally at their demise. Instead, with as much confidence as I can muster, I utter the fourteen words that will forever change our lives and throw us down a wicked path of devastating revelations and wreckage we may not come back from. Varying degrees of emotions cross their pale faces, sending victorious goosebumps down my spine. Their utter fear empowers me to sweep my gaze around the room. Callum blinks rapidly like a flickering mirage stands confidently in front of him. And he has yet to believe I’m actually here in person. My eyes move with ease to Rad, who stares at me with those big, brown puppy dog eyes I used to get lost in for hours and hours on end. Quickly, though, he turns away to study the conference table, avoiding any more eye contact. Kieran’s face twitches in disbelief, and his jaw pops open. A reddish tint takes over his flesh, starting on his neck, and slowly seeps color onto his cheeks. Sooner rather than later, I see an outburst in our future. And Asher. My breath catches in my chest, stopping me cold. Never in my life did I think I’d see the day Asher Montgomery would freeze in place with horror lining his face. An array of feelings slams through me. Fear. Sadness. Utter betrayal. Wide, unblinking eyes look up at me in horror, and disbelief pulls their muscles rigid in their chairs. One by one, the realization of what’s happening slams into their chests, and they’re nothing but frozen men with gazes glued to me—the star of the damn show. Something deep inside me bubbles with excitement, yet the fear and utter devastation they left behind reside there, too. Reminding me of what happened when I ran to their doorstep with pregnancy tests in my back pocket, begging to see them. I vividly remember Gloria, Kieran’s sadistic mother, answering