Aileen's Song by Marianne Evans Read Free Book Online Page B

of me. I could feel His push. He’s moving in this. For the first time in a long time, I felt inspired.”
    “But my degree is in music education. I minored in performance only to satisfy my itch to be on stage and sing. It was never about recording an album or becoming a star.”
    “Another reason you’ll be a success. You’re unassuming. Pure. At the same time, music reaches into your soul. Performance fills your spirit like the breath of God. How can you refuse that truth? I believe you can lead this group. You can translate your openness and your passion into any venue. All four of you are engaging and possess an energy and rapport that works magic. What I watched tonight was a blueprint for success.”
    She studied him, overwhelmed, so Liam eased his eager intensity. He moved slightly away, but brushed the back of his fingertips against her cheek. Aileen didn’t speak a word, but leaned into his touch. Her gaze latched to his, the moment stretching.
    “You possess an onstage confidence that pours into the audience, but at the same time, you suffer from a distorted sense of self, and I wish you didn’t. Self-esteem shouldn’t come from what your parents think. It shouldn’t come from some warped cultural view of what is or isn’t appealing physically. Shore up your perspectives, Aileen. Move past negativity. For the sake of everything the future can bring, grab hold of what everyone around you knows without a second thought. You’re amazing. You’re beautiful and radiant. The sooner you realize it…and more importantly believe it…the better.”
     
     
     
     

5
     
    That night, Aileen floated into her apartment and tried to settle, still basking in the glow of all that had transpired. She was too excited to rest. Hours had passed, but her mind continued to swirl. The entire evening had been akin to a living dream. First was the concert frenzy—completely unexpected and thrilling—then the opportunity with Liam that played directly to her deepest passion.
    Hopes and dreams danced together each time she considered the ideas he had coaxed to life. Singing. Performance on stage. Proposals. Pitch meetings to record company executives. Plans to record a demo.
    Aileen’s stomach bounced all over again, and she knew precisely why. She was filled to overflowing. Overcome by joy and expectation. She dressed for bed then padded to the adjoining bathroom. She secured her hair in an elastic band and scrubbed her face. Warm water sloshed while she continued to think things over.
    Never had she considered something of the scale Liam proposed. Nonetheless, the surety of his faith, his belief in her—in the four of them—was absolute. Absolute to a degree that he was tying them in to a huge meeting at Zion’s Peak Records next week. This was insane, right? Impossible.
    She slid her aching feet into a perfectly broken-in pair of slippers, pausing in front of the vanity in her bedroom. She peered into the oval mirror.
    You’re beautiful and radiant.
    Liam Douglas had actually said those words.
    Aileen chewed her lower lip. Her hair was still pulled back so she worked the long waves free and then fluffed them. Sliding her fingertips along her cheeks, beneath her jaw, she stared long and hard at her reflection. For a moment, she honestly tried to find a way to believe Liam’s praise. She tilted her head left and right but came away with a sigh. She saw what she always saw. Ordinary. Nothing offensive, sure, but nothing as electric or wonderful as Liam had described.
    Liam.
    A shiver of want became a cascade of wishes she had held in her heart for so long when it came to the man. Tonight had been magic. She loved being able to perform and sass on stage with her best friends. The audience had responded to the music and their interplay—no dispute on that count. But Liam saw things so much more intensely than she did. So much deeper than she would have ever dreamed.
    The venture would be a risk. Should she buy into a