“She wasn’t invited. The girls don’t know her yet. She’ll be meeting pretty much everyone for the first time at the wedding tomorrow.”
Dylan grinned. “Nervous?”
“Why would I be?”
“I dunno. Girl talk? Skeletons unleashed from closets… dick comparison charts…”
Jesse snickered, but I just shrugged. “My dick’s got nothing to hide.”
Dylan laughed at my cockiness.
Honestly, I just hoped the girls would be welcoming to Danica. She was my girlfriend, and I hoped like hell she wasn’t going anywhere. And since Brody was now managing my band, they were all pretty much stuck with the both of us.
“I just hope they all hit it off,” I said. “I mean, if you guys were here, I’d hope Katie and Amber would hang with Danica.”
“Of course,” Jesse said, and I could feel his sympathy for me. They all felt kinda bad I wasn’t on this tour with them.
They all wanted me to find success with my new band.
And my new relationship.
“They will,” Dylan said. “And hey, we’ll be back before you know it—”
“LISTEN UP, YEAH?!” Brody suddenly shouted over the noise of music and a dozen different conversations and video games playing all at once. “I’ve got some shit to say to you all.”
Someone turned down the AC/DC that was rocking through the house, as Brody made his way into the games room and everyone listened up. He threw his arm around Jesse’s shoulders and leaned on him, which seemed to be out of necessity, for balance, as much as it was out of love.
“Before I get too drunk—”
“Before…?” Zane challenged and everyone laughed, including Brody.
“Before I get more drunk,” Brody tried again, “and forget to say it, I need to thank you all for being here for me, when I know you’re all busy. I’m grateful we can all get together like this, even in the middle of a tour.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Jude said, and all the guys clapped their agreement.
“Yeah, Brody!” someone shouted from across the room. Pretty sure it was drunk Haz. Most of the security guys were off-duty and drunk, and my bodyguard had been pounding beers for hours.
They didn’t always get a chance to let loose with the rest of us like this, so it was a good thing.
“I need to thank Jesse for putting up with this mess in his house,” Brody went on. “As many of you know, my friend here doesn’t often host parties because he can’t handle anyone using his favorite whiskey glass or touching his shit.” Jesse grinned and Brody patted him on the back. “So I’m really honored that he’s opened his home to us tonight.”
A bunch of cheers went up for Jesse.
“I need to thank Jesse and Jude and Zane for taking me on a wicked trip up the coast this week, and for being my oldest friends and my brothers,” Brody went on, getting a little emotional, his voice all gritty. “I don’t know where I’d be without you guys, but it sure as fuck wouldn’t be here.”
More cheers and a few whistles went up.
“I’m also fucking stoked that in less than twenty-four hours this guy right here—” he jabbed Jesse in the ribs, “—is gonna be my brother, for real.”
“Love you, Bro,” Jesse said, and they gave each other a big bear hug.
There were more claps and a couple of jealous-macho groans when the hug lingered.
“Get a room!” Con called.
“I love you, brother,” Brody told Jesse as they pulled apart.
“I’m just glad my sister picked you and not Zane,” Jesse said with a big-ass grin, and Zane swaggered over to punch him in the stomach, lightly.
“Jessa and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow, at our wedding,” Brody told us all, “so please have a good time tonight, take a cab home, and make sure you stop drinking by noon tomorrow so that you can at least show up at the wedding semi-sober before you start drinking again.”
Guys laughed and cheered some more, and someone passed forward a shot that Flynn handed over to Brody.
“Flynn,” Brody said, clapping a hand on Elle’s bodyguard’s shoulder. He was off-duty tonight, too, but he didn’t look drunk, just stiff, as usual. “This is a good man. Trust this man with my life, with Elle’s life. Trust a lot of you guys with our lives, the safety of our families. That’s not a small fucking thing.”
“Hear, hear,” Jesse said and lifted his drink.
“Don’t make Flynn cry,” Zane’s bodyguard, Shady, said, and the guys laughed.
Brody threw back his shot and the rest of us drank.
“So,” Brody continued, “Zane and Maggie are hosting the wedding at grandma Dolly’s place, because they’re fucking fantastic people. So please try not to destroy Doll’s flowerbeds. And make sure you piss in the toilet. Con, I’m looking at you.”
More laughter, and Jude gave Con a shove. “What?!” Con balked. “That was one time. I couldn’t find the light switch and it was pitch black in your bathroom.”
“You were in my office,” Brody said dryly.
Con rolled his eyes. “I thought it was the bathroom, obviously.”
“How drunk were you?” Matt asked as he threw back another shot.
“I feel like that’s one of those rhetorical questions that bears no answering,” I put in.
“Oh. And BIG NEWS,” Brody shouted over the rising laughter and back-and-forth digs. He clapped me on the shoulder. “For those of you who don’t know yet. I’m managing the new band Ash and Summer are putting together, and Matt’s just joined the lineup.” He pointed at Matt now, and everyone turned to stare.
Of course, the members of Dirty already knew, but this was news to some people in the room. There were smiles and shouts of approval. A bunch of guys came over to give me and Matt hugs and back slaps and stuff.
“So, who else is gonna be in this band?” Zane asked.
“We don’t know for sure yet,” I said. “We’re in talks with a few people, you know how it goes.”
When I figured I could get away with it, I glanced across the room at Xander. In response, he shook his head and sipped his drink. But at least it wasn’t a No chance in hell, asshole head shake; more of a You really are a persistent bastard, aren’t you? head shake.
“Ash is being modest,” Brody said, slurring just a little. I’d seriously never seen him this drunk. But apparently, even drunk, Brody could talk business. “We’ve been putting out a lot of feelers. Did a photo shoot with Ash and Summer last week, and we’ll be doing a PR push to generate a little buzz and let Ash’s fans know he’s not going anywhere. The way I see it, it’s pretty much up to Ash and Summer and Matt to pick who they want to work with.”
“I’d love it if that turns out to be the case,” I said.
“And what’s the new band called?” Seth asked.
“It’s gotta be called the Players,” Dylan spoke up, “obviously.”
I threw him a look. “Have you been talking to Summer?”
“Yes,” he said. “And it’s a great name. Use it before someone else does.”
“I second that,” Brody said, “exuberantly. You may not like it, but you’re the face of this band, Ashley Player.” He grabbed my face roughly in his hand, digging his fingers into my cheeks, and the guys around me laughed. “And just look at that fucking face!”
“Jesus,” I muttered, “you are drunk.”
“Me, too,” Matt said, raising his glass. “Thirds. I third that.” And then everyone was cheering, and toasting our new band with a round of shots that were passed around.
Someone put a shot in my hand.
“To the Players,” Brody said, and I reluctantly drank.
When I caught Dylan’s eye again, I shook my head as he grinned.
* * *
Later, I got Xander more-or-less alone, off to the side of the games room.
“So, how’re things going with your band?” I asked him. I knew the Steel Trap tour was all wrapped up, that he’d been back from the r
oad for a while now. And while he kept avoiding talking shop with me whenever I saw him, I didn’t see any good reason I couldn’t snap him up.
I’d held back on pushing it lately, while we focused our efforts on Matt. But now that that seemed pretty locked down, it was time to look Xander Rush in the eye—and get a straight fucking answer.
“Not great,” he admitted.
“Perfect time to join a new band,” I pointed out. “No point starting work on some new album with a band you’re just gonna leave.”
“Unless I don’t leave,” he said, sipping his drink.
“You’re totally gonna leave,” I said. Because by now, I’d personally asked everyone in Dirty about Xander’s camaraderie, or lack thereof, with his band on the Dirty tour.
Everyone, across the board, said they got the feeling he was unhappy with Steel Trap.
“Maybe.”
“So what is it?” I pressed. “You’ve got better options than what we’re offering? Axl Rose call you up?”
He stared at me with those unblinking eyes of his. “Tell me the truth. Am I your first choice on this?”
“Actually, yeah. We haven’t made an offer to any other drummers.”
Xander seemed to weigh that in his head. “Pepper not an option, then?”
“No, Pepper’s not an option.”
“How do I know that’s true?”
I sighed. “Look. If we’re gonna be in a band, we’ve gotta be straight with each other—”
“Okay. Straight up. You fucked me over once. Dropped me for Pepper.”
“Yeah, well, Janner and Coop made you a promise they shouldn’t have.”
“You know I was a better drummer than Pepper.”
Christ, was that all he needed to hear from me, all this time?
“Yeah,” I told him, honestly, “you were a better drummer than him back then, and you’re a better drummer than him now. But he was one of my best friends, and that was the choice that was made, back then. Nowadays, you’ve got your shit together in a way that he unfortunately doesn’t, and I can’t play with him anymore. That’s the truth. Summer and I are serious about this, and so is Matt. We’re moving forward with or without you. We’re offering you something you can have a piece of from the beginning, and we’ll all make it ours, together. Equal footing. Offer’s on the table. But this is the last time I’m making it.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll join your band.”
I blinked at him. For real?
“Our band,” I corrected him.
“But I’m not fucking auditioning,” he said. “You hire me right here and now, or deal’s off.”
“Consider yourself hired.”
But he shook his head at me. “Equal footing, huh?”
“Huh?”
“You’re hiring me without talking to Summer and Matt? What happened to ‘we’ll all make it ours, together’?”
Nice try.
“Summer’s good with you,” I informed him. “We’ve already talked about it. Matt!” I called over to my new bassist. “Wanna hire Xander to play drums in our band?”
“Yeah, man,” Matt said, heading over.
“You’re hired,” I told Xander. When he just stood there, I shook his hand. Then I pulled him in and hugged him.
And finally, he fucking smiled.
Then Matt hugged him, and the dudes all around us started applauding.
Apparently we’d gathered a bit of an audience.
“Shit,” Zane muttered. “Hot lineup.”
“Can I join this band now?” Jesse asked, looking the three of us over.
“Fuck, yeah,” I said.
“Nope.” Zane hooked Jesse around the neck and yanked him close. “Not happening,” he told me. “Get your own damn guitarist.”
Jesse grinned.
I glanced over at Seth and raised an eyebrow. He laughed.
“Don’t even think about it,” Zane growled.
I patted Zane on the back as I went to get another beer. When I saw Brody by the bar, I told him, “Just hired ourselves a drummer.”
“I saw that,” he said.
“Good choice?”
“Fantastic choice.”
And yeah, he was drunk, but I was pretty sure he meant it.
* * *
Maybe around three in the morning, most of what was left of the bachelor party migrated over to Zane’s place, where the girls were apparently meeting up with the guys.
Dylan and Amber were spending the night there; they’d boat back to their house on the island in the morning.
But Dylan and I didn’t go to Zane’s. Instead, we headed down to Coal Harbour and walked around for a while on the seawall, talking. Mostly we talked about the Dirty tour, and about my new band, the direction I wanted it to take, and what the future looked like, musically.
Eventually, we ended up back at my place. And the moment we walked through the door, Dylan noticed the transformation.
Anyone who’d ever been here before really couldn’t miss it.
As he walked into the living room, he eyed the candles on the coffee table. The table I’d never had before.
“Danica,” he said. “This is her work, I take it?”
“She’s an interior decorator,” I said, handing him a beer. I’d held back on telling him even that, until now. “But you knew that, right? Heard you helped her out with the photos she chose for my walls.”
“I may have,” he said, then looked at me as he sipped his beer. “You haven’t told me much about her.”
“You haven’t asked, either,” I pointed out.
“Yeah. Figured maybe it wasn’t my business anymore.”
“She’s my girlfriend now,” I told him. “Just wanted to keep it that way for a while. Get to know her, see what came of it.”
“And?”
“And… it’s good.”
Dylan searched my face, and I knew he could read me on this. I’d already been told, by many people, that I got a certain dumbass glow whenever I talked about her.
Love.
You couldn’t really suppress it, even when you tried.
“You’re pretty serious about her,” he observed.
“Be happy for me, okay?”
“Yeah, I’m happy for you,” he said, like he was offended I’d suggest otherwise. “If you’re happy, and she cares about you…”
He went over by my music nook, but instead of sitting on any of my new furniture, he sat down on the floor with his back to the windows, and looked at me.
“You know I never liked Elle for you,” he said. “Or Summer, in the end. Neither of them loved you enough.” He shrugged. “I love you more than either of them do. But it probably makes me a real asshole to say that now.”
I went and sat down next to him. “Just tell me we’ll always be tight.”
“Of course we will be,” he said. I looked into his green-gold eyes. “We are. How could you even question that?”
“Don’t know,” I admitted. “Wondered if maybe I’d lost you along the way.”
“Nope,” he said. “Still stuck with me.”
“Good.”
He held my gaze. “I’m really happy for you, Ash,” he said, and it felt really fucking good.
“Thanks.”
“So when do I get to meet this girl?”
I thought about that. It was almost dawn. Between the two of us actually getting some sleep today, and the wedding tonight, there wasn’t much other time to be had.
“At the wedding,” I said. “It’s for the best, really. You’ll be all cleaned up, make a good impression on her.”
Dylan grinned. “Sounds great. I’ll be on my best behavior. Promise.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you,” he said. He was still studying me, and I couldn’t have lied to him if I tried.
He wouldn’t have believed me anyway.
I fucking sighed. “Don’t tell anyone,” I said, and drank my beer.
/> Chapter Thirty-Nine
Danica
Ashley and I arrived at Brody and Jessa’s wedding at exactly three o’clock, like we’d been invited to. For a rock star, I’d come to learn that my boyfriend was generally quite punctual. He respected other people’s time—especially when they were doing important things like getting married.
He wasn’t even all that hungover, considering he’d been out all night.
He’d finally finished restoring his gorgeous black ’68 Camaro a few weeks back—apparently, it had been a several-year project—and had brought it out of Dylan’s garage on the island and over to the city. So we cruised to the wedding in it. It was a gorgeous August afternoon, and we found a nice spot to park on one of the beautiful old tree-lined streets of the Dunbar neighborhood.
Ashley took my hand as we walked up to the house where the wedding was taking place.
I’d wondered what Ash would wear to a wedding, and while he’d assured me he’d force himself into a suit if it was necessary, he’d said that this event was “rock-star-wedding casual.” I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, until he picked me up looking yummy in slim-fitting black pants and a short-sleeved button-up shirt, also black and body-hugging, and yes, Vans. Which were black-and-white and looked new.
He looked perfectly rock-star-delicious.
My sister had helped me choose what I hoped would be the perfect dress for the occasion. It was a pale-blue bandage dress. Figure-hugging, very sexy, yet classy. I’d wanted to tread the line between something that would make Ashley so hot to fuck me that he’d rip it right off me at the end of the night… and something that would still be appropriate to wear in front of our hostess—Zane’s elderly grandma.
The wedding was in her backyard, and though I was told the event would be “small,” it didn’t feel that way as we walked up the drive.
The house was anything but small, and it was gorgeous. It had to be at least a century old, though well-maintained. It sat on a large, tree-lined lot, back from the street on a wide green lawn. The long driveway had only a few cars parked in it, but there were several valets both parking cars and directing people where to park on the residential streets surrounding the house.
Hot Mess: A Players Rockstar Romance (Players #1) Page 49