by Cari Quinn
Hell, we were even writing nightly. New music was pouring out of us until the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes a few of the Warning Sign peeps even jammed with us.
Molly and Lindsey were cultivating a duet for the annual Christmas album Logan King put together for charity. Luc Moreau, the co-lead singer from Warning Sign, and Oz bonded over workouts when we convinced Noah to let us out of our cages. There seemed to be a gym every square mile for more than half of the United States. I used the opportunity to get some running in on the various tracks available at the fitness centers or on the treadmill.
Teagan wasn’t much for working out, but she and the girls did some yoga and Pilates. Us guys tried to give them space instead of perving on them. It was difficult because Teagan looked damn good in those stretchy pant things they wore to work out. I usually used the time to get some sleep or check in with my family.
We viewed our pods—my name, not theirs—as the place to crash or get some alone time when we needed it. Mine was devoid of life because Teagan’s room was my home, my base, my solace. She was all three and had been for a damn long time, but it was nice that I didn’t have to hide it anymore.
Greeting each day without sunshine took some getting used to, but it was a helluva lot better with a certain redhead curled in my arms.
Oh, there were a few skirmishes throughout the weeks. I was used to a much larger bed and not sharing one, to be truthful.
Teagan even launched me out of our bunk when I smashed her into the wall one too many times. Then again, I just dragged her down there with me and made her forget why she was mad at me.
She was coming into her own more every day. And with that, she pushed back when I made bonehead moves.
Fighting with her would always be a thing. We were both hotheaded about our points of view, but with that heat came explosive make-ups and a lot of laughter. Being in love with my best friend took that friendship to an even deeper level, that was for sure.
Now that we were heading into the Midwest, things were getting a little dicier. There were long stretches of road and the lack of windows made us all a little nuts. There weren’t as many places to stop and stretch or grab a bite to eat. We were eating on the bus more and more, thanks to our catering people.
The July temperatures didn’t affect us in our not-so-little box, but cabin fever had definitely been setting in. On one of our rare stretch of days off, we convinced Noah to stop at one of the reservoirs in Colorado. We flew in our significant others to make a family day of it. Even some of the crew had come to hang out for some barbecue and friendly, frequently rowdy games.
We spent the day kayaking and doing water sports with Warning Sign. My favorite task had been slathering Teagan’s freckled skin with sunblock about thirteen times.
I didn’t want her to burn. I was just that kind of guy.
Oh, and the little cove we’d found while exploring in a paddleboat had been a bonus too. Yoga had definitely made Teagan more bendy. She was probably going to kill me, but man, what a way to go.
Our adventure was a much-needed refresher to get us through the grueling next few weeks. Summer was the big concert time for outdoor venues, and we liked to maximize our dates during the season so we could have more time off at the end of the year.
We’d just finished up a bunch of dates around Colorado and were headed for my home state of Montana. We didn’t have a show tonight, and I’d been on the phone with my mother every night, trying to hatch something. I wanted her to finally meet Teagan. And while a surprise would have been fun, I knew my mother.
Surprises were the kind of thing that put me in the doghouse for years. Instead, I planted the idea that maybe we’d stop in before the show. She and Jenny had been planning for our arrival for the last week. We had an extra day because of all the trucks it took to get our equipment to the venues. And the Kettlehouse Amphitheater was a little harder to get to. The Blackfoot River roared behind it, and in the old days, it had been my favorite place to see shows. We’d played there a few times, thanks to me being in the band, and we usually had a damn good turnout.
Handily, my mom’s place was less than an hour away.
I checked my phone. Last night had been a late one, but I couldn’t settle. Even losing myself in Teagan in the middle of the night hadn’t helped for more than a handful of hours. I knew it was stupid to be nervous, but I really wanted my mom and Teagan to get along.
Melissa Dallas got along with everyone, but she was a force. She’d had to raise two kids alone when my old man died. I’d been fifteen and angry with it, while my sister had been a precocious preteen. Neither of us had made it easy on her. Add in running a ranch and it had been a lot.
She’d downsized the ranch in the last two years, focusing on just one animal. She and my sister were fiber freaks, and my mom’s alpacas had become the main source of income. When I saw how much she enjoyed them and harvesting the wool, I had dumped a bunch of money in her account and told her to finally do what she loved. I had more money than I could spend in one lifetime and letting her have her dream had eased some of the guilt I had for putting her through my stint in the Rangers.
They had a small seasonal shop space they shared with other crafters for the holidays in a nearby town, but they did most of their business online. But she didn’t want to get rid of the ranch land, which left a lot of open space for the little beasts. They looked cute as hell in pictures, but they could be mean.
I just hoped that surprising Teagan wasn’t like when I did it with my mother.
I rolled onto my side. She was curled toward the wall and had stolen all the covers as usual. The bit of strappy silk she wore to bed gave me a few ideas about how to spend the early hours, but I’d already taken enough of her sleep.
I kissed her shoulder and slid out of bed. I tugged on a pair of workout shorts and went downstairs to find something to eat. And maybe, if I was lucky, a moment alone with our head of security. Convincing him that my idea had merit would take some finagling.
The hallway was in its narrow form since we were on the move. As I figured, Noah was the only one stirring. He was reading some sort of report or document on his clipboard—the iPad wasn’t his deal like Lila’s—and the scent of strong black coffee perked up my sluggish brain.
“Got some extra of that?”
Noah looked up from his paperwork. “I made a pot. Help yourself.”
“Old school all the way.” I gave him a wry smile and pulled a mug down from the cabinets. They were all on hooks in deference to our constant state of motion. I poured myself a full mug. There was no way I was going back to sleep today. My brain was too wired.
“I’m assuming you need something.”
“Normally, I’d take offense to your living, breathing dickishness, but I need a favor.”
“Shocker.”
“Look, man. I used my big head this time when I made my plans.”
“So, this is a foregone conclusion.” He peered up from his pages for a second before resuming his scan of whatever data he’d collected. Probably was a list of our steps from our iPhones so he knew who walked to what end of the bus.
“No. I’m here to talk to you about a slight variance in our itinerary.”
“At least you didn’t ask for forgiveness after the fact for a change.”
I took his clipboard and tossed it on the counter. “I get it, we’re never going to be pals, but if you could remove the truck parked up your ass so we could have a conversation, that would be great.”
Noah leaned his hip on the edge of the kitchen sink. “We were pals once upon a time.”
“No, we weren’t. I was in your unit. You weren’t friends with any of us. If there was a lone wolf in the Army Ranger handbook, it would have your picture taking up a full page.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t correct me.
“And we understood. You took part in covert missions we weren’t privy to. However, you were the one who kept everyone at arm’s length, not
me—and definitely not the guys.”
His jaw worked a little, but again, he didn’t speak.
I didn’t have time to deconstruct the psyche of a black ops soldier today. There was a reason I’d gotten out and the catalyst had been Benny, not only my disenchantment with the Army.
I’d moved on from that part of my life and I was fucking happy.
And I was almost certain Benny would be happy I was putting myself out there for someone. So much so that I was going to go for the ultimate prize.
Forever.
“My mom’s place is about an hour outside of the amphitheater. It’s a ranch in the middle of nowhere. There’s plenty of space for the bus, and there’s even a home-cooked meal in it for everyone.”
Noah’s eyebrow rose. “You want to stop in and see your mom?”
“Yeah.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Does she still make that Roadhouse-level steak dinner?”
My lips twitched, but I managed not to smile. “Yeah. That’s on the menu. Easiest way to feed all the testosterone on this bus. Including Jamie.”
Noah snorted. “True statement.” He straightened up and finished off his coffee. “Yeah, I’ll check in with Lila about it, but I don’t see a problem. The out of the way location is good for some downtime without getting into trouble.”
“You hope.”
“I don’t have hope anymore, Dallas.” He grabbed his clipboard, tucked his mug in the slim dishwasher, and headed to the back of the bus where the security bunks were.
I found the one apron in the skinny pantry then got out the fixings for breakfast. I cooked enough bacon for three battalions and a pile of simple scrambled eggs.
As if I’d put it under her nose, Jamie came down the steps. “Is that bacon?” she whispered.
I held out the plate.
She took a piece and folded it into her mouth like the gum she perpetually chewed. “Oh my God. If Teagan didn’t have your dick tied up, I’d kiss you.”
“Thanks? I think.”
She took the whole plate.
“Hey now. I’m sure the rest are coming.”
She shrugged. “Cook more.”
I held out my hand. “Jame.”
She took five pieces and handed it back with a grimace. “You suck.”
“More like the fridge only holds so much.”
She went to the round table and pretzeled herself into a chair. “So, why are you out of the knocking boots nest?”
I side-eyed her. “We don’t spend that much time up there.”
She gave me a shark-toothed smile. “Sure.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“That’s true. I haven’t been tuned up much since lockdown. Master Sergeant is a tight ass about after-hours activities. I tried to sneak into the bunker in the back, but he chased me out of there.” She shrugged. “Their loss.”
I shook my head and brought a plate of eggs over. “You’re lucky Noah didn’t shoot you.”
“Maybe his mood would improve if he shot something.”
“Not touching that one.” I watched her wrap a bit of bacon around her eggs. “Would you like a fork?”
“Yeah, okay.”
I laughed and shoved forks in a cup and set it on the table. One by one, people made an appearance. Lindsey was on a no meat kick, but she caved when she saw scrambled eggs with cheese. Zane and Teagan came down together, talking about a song they’d been working on the night before.
One of the last to arrive was Daisy—on Oz’s shoulders. “Do I smell bacon?”
“On the table.”
“Man, this is awesome. I thought I was going to have to beg Noah to hit a diner. Instead, we got chef Dallas.” Daisy hopped off Oz’s back and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.
Oz grunted and dumped her on his lap at the table.
Teagan came down wearing sleep shorts and another one of my T-shirts. I was quickly running low on them, but damn, it was still worth it. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey yourself. What’s with showing the band your morning after special?”
I curled my arm around her waist. “Sorry. I have very few skills in the kitchen.”
She tucked her chin between my pecs. “I’ll forgive you.” She frowned. “Does this have something to do with why you couldn’t sleep?”
“Noticed that, did you?”
“I notice everything about you.”
“Took a few years, actually.”
She wrinkled her nose at me. “Don’t start.”
I glanced at the table. Everyone was busy talking, so I let my hand wander lower on her ass. “I’ll explain in a second.”
“It’s not bad, is it?”
“No.” I dropped a kiss on her mouth. “Not bad at all.”
“Okay.” She peered around me. “Any bacon left for me?”
“You know I held some for my girl.” Was supposed to be ours, but she took all of it and I couldn’t deny her anything. Even bacon.
She grinned. “That’s right, I’m your girl.” Her freckles seemed extra bright with the little pigtails she’d pulled her hair into. “I like the apron. We’ll have to play shirtless chef again.”
“Count on it.”
“All right, love birds. So, now that the Avengers are all assembled, are you going to tell us what’s got you pulling out the domestic card?”
Lindsey threw a piece of bacon at Jamie. “Can’t you just enjoy a band breakfast?”
She caught it against her chest and popped it in her mouth. “I can enjoy and also question said band breakfast. Especially since we were up until after three writing ‘Offering’.”
I brought over another carafe of coffee, and then sat down with the last of the scrambled eggs. I stole the tabasco sauce from Oz and soaked them liberally before digging in. “I wanted to ask Noah before letting you guys in on it.”
“And Master Sergeant said yes?” Jamie refilled her coffee. “I’m in shock.”
Teagan stood up and grabbed a water, and then came to stand by me. “Gonna spit it out?”
“So impatient.”
She teased her fingers through my hair. “So…”
I stole her last piece of bacon.
“Hey.”
“Too slow.” I chewed then hooked my arm around Teagan’s waist and hauled her closer. “The venue is actually about an hour away from my mom’s place. We’re going to head over there instead of taking up one of Noah’s black zone parking spots.”
Teagan froze against me.
“No way. I totally forgot. I can see Boots!” Jamie jumped up and filched a strip of bacon off Oz’s plate then came around to hug me and Teagan.
“That girl deserves a boot off this bus,” Oz grumbled. He leaned forward. “Who the fuck is Boots?”
“Oof.” Teagan giggled as we got Jamie’s stranglehold hugs.
“I’m so freaking excited.” She ran to the back of the bus and came back with an iPad. “This is Boots.” She handed the device to Oz. “It’s the alpaca mascot for his mom’s place.”
Oz tipped his head and stared at Jamie. “And you know this, why?”
“I sleep for shit. She has these webcams on all the time. You know like that crazy giraffe baby from a few years ago?”
“Oh, right.” Daisy took the iPad. “It’s so cute.” She enlarged the video. “There are so many of them.”
“So, we’re headed to alpaca shit country? Exciting.” Oz kicked his feet out under the table. “However, your mom is fairly hot and can cook.”
Daisy elbowed him in the gut. “Excuse you?”
“Not as hot as you, sprite, just you know—”
“Stop while you’re ahead, dude.” Teagan sat on my lap. “We’re going to see your mom?”
“If you’re cool with that. I’ve hung out with your folks a few times, figured it was time for you to meet mine.”
She played with the strap on my apron. “Yeah. You talk about her a lot, so I feel like I know her.” She lifted her gaze. “Things are a bi
t different now though.”
“Exactly why I want you meet her.”
“Oh.” She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Will she like me?”
“She’s gonna love you.”
“Okay, I’ve had enough of the hearts. I’m off to enjoy my food coma.” Jamie took her iPad and went upstairs.
We all had the same idea. Now that the plans were in place, I texted my mom that everything was a go and dragged Teagan back upstairs to have a nap.
Naked.
Twenty-Four
I tried to imagine what my mom was going to think when a big rig made its way up her winding driveway. I’d texted her with a heads up when we were ten minutes out. It ended up being more like twenty since the mountain roads were a little windy for this massive truck.
When we parked and the magic door opened, I found my sister waiting for me.
“Drooper!”
“Drooper?” Jamie’s laughter pealed behind me. “I’m stealing that forever.”
“I hate you.” I came down the stairs and hauled her in for a hug before swinging her around. “Had to drop the nickname right off the bat, huh?”
“Of course.” She dropped to the gravel drive. “Hey guys, it’s been ages.”
“Drooper,” Jamie cackled and hopped down. “Love it. How’s it hanging, Jen?” She gave her a one-armed hug and slapped her ass. “Looking fine, as always.”
“Uh, thanks…” Jenny gave me a helpless look.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t switched teams. Just sick of looking at the same faces is all.” She leaned down to Jenny’s height. “Can I see Boots?”
Jenny grinned. “Absolutely.” She pointed to the barn. “You’re in luck. She’s having herself a cool-down. She’d love the company.”
“Yes!” Jamie’s long gate covered the ground fast.
She was halfway to the barn before I blinked. “She’s not going to be alone down there, is she?”
“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Teagan said and clutched my hand.
“Don’t worry, Aggie is in there. She’ll rein her in.”
“You sure?” Teagan glanced up at me. “Does she know how much trouble Jamie can get into?”