by Caisey Quinn
Damn. He’d had a feeling from how quickly she always rushed off the phone with him that she might be getting the full freshmen experience at college. “Okay, I’ll talk to her.”
Claire Ann bit her lip. “Yeah, that’s the thing. I don’t think either of us will make much difference because we’re just nagging older siblings. And Trace, you trying to tell her to take it easy on the partying is like—”
“The pot calling the kettle black. I get it.”
“Like it or not, she looks you up online every now and then. So, um, I was kind of wondering if you could ask Kylie to talk to her. Just maybe get her to say a few things about how much your drinking hurt her and how important it is to stay focused and reach your goals. That kind of thing.”
He sighed. “Sure, Claire Ann. I’ll interrupt her and her cheating piece of shit boyfriend’s next make-out session and ask if she wouldn’t mind giving my little sister a pep talk. No problem.”
“Her boyfriend cheats on her?” His sister’s eyes filled with surprise.
Trace lowered his. He hadn’t meant to blurt Kylie’s business out like that.
“If Kylie Ryans can’t even find a decent man, what hope is there for the rest of us?” she muttered under her breath. As soon as she realized what she’d said, her head snapped up and she reached across the table to touch his arm. “Crap. I didn’t mean it like that. You are a decent man. You’re more than a decent man. I just meant—”
“It’s fine. I know what you meant. I’m not going to start crying in my coffee over here. Even though it does taste like motor oil.”
She laughed and then glanced down at the contents of his cup. “Ugh, that’s because you don’t know how to doctor it up. Cream and sugar, little brother. It works wonders.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve always preferred everything straight up with.” Liquor, coffee, the pain of Kylie Ryans moving on. He managed to force his face into an expression of nonchalance for his sister’s benefit. “So what was the other thing? The one that makes you happy?”
Her eyes clouded over briefly and he wondered if she wasn’t going to tell him after all. But then the hint of a smile playing on her lips spread into a huge grin.
“I met someone, Trace. Someone I care about. A lot. And he cares about me, too.”
Trace arched a brow. In his entire life, his sister had never been one to date much. She’d been so busy with him and Rae while they were growing up that she’d never had much time for boyfriends. A small part of him wondered sometimes if she preferred women. Which he would’ve been fine with. He truly did want her to be happy. She deserved it more than anyone he knew.
“That so? Well, when do I get to meet him?”
He might have imagined it, but it looked like she’d cringed.
“Um, so I wanted to talk to you about that. He travels a lot for work and he’s kind of a little bit older than me. I’m really hoping you won’t be weird about it.”
“How much older?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Remind me. How old was Kylie when you two met?”
Trace snorted. “Touché, big sister. But I’ll have you know, she was a legal adult.”
“As am I, little brother. And try to keep in mind, I’m the one in this family who makes levelheaded decisions. And you know I’d never do anything to hurt—”
Whatever else she was about to add was interrupted by Trace’s phone vibrating on the table between them.
“It’s Pauly,” Trace said, glancing at the screen.
“What?” His sister’s voice rose a few octaves and her eyes were wide with what looked like panic.
“Calling me,” he answered slowly, eyeing her warily as he stood and grabbed his phone. “Probably to tell me to get my ass back to the park for rehearsal. Listen, tell your guy I want to meet him as soon as possible. Bring Rae to the show tonight and I’ll see if I can get Kylie to talk to her. It’ll all be fine.”
With a kiss on the top of her head, he walked out the door.
YOU DID that on purpose.
Claire Ann typed the text to her boyfriend while glaring at her screen.
His response was slow.
Did what on purpose?
She frowned as she texted back.
Trace just left because you called. We were still talking.
Pauly’s response took a full minute. He’d always preferred talking on the phone to texting. She could picture him squinting at the screen. Watching him text always made her giggle. And then she wanted to make him an optometrist appointment. He was far sighted and in denial about it. She tried not to tease him about his age, because then he got all sensitive and pulled them I’m too old for you card on her.
He was running late so I called to tell him to get a move on. I’m guessing you didn’t tell him yet.
She sighed. The couple at the table next to her made her want to hit something. They were leaning in close to one another and kissing every other minute. The young dark-haired woman smiled at the man like she knew a secret.
Claire Ann was sick of secrets. She’d told Pauly that and she reminded him once more.
It’s time he knew. I don’t want him to feel like we were hiding from him. We’re not doing anything wrong.
Her phone rang, startling her since she was waiting for a text.
“I’m not mad at you,” she began.
“Good, because I have a favor to ask.” Rae’s voice caught Claire Ann off guard. She’d been expecting her boyfriend.
She sighed. “What is it, Rae? If you tell me you’re not coming tonight, you can forget the whole me not being mad part. And you can call your brother and tell him yourself.”
“No! Of course I’m coming! I just wanted to know if I could bring a few friends. And if we can go backstage. I have exciting news and I’d really like to tell you and Trace together.”
Claire Ann’s stomach tightened into a hard ball of nerves. “Rae, if your exciting news is that you’re pregnant and running off with a biker named Bones that you met at a bar off campus—”
Her sister’s loud peal of laughter cut her off. “No, silly! I picked a major!”
“Celebrity couple gossip aficionado is a major at UGA?” Claire Ann joked, but how that freckle-faced kid with knobby knees that were constantly scraped from falling off her bike had become a grown woman with a college major was beyond her. And a little sad for some reason.
“Yep, you guessed it. I’m going to be the first one with that degree in the university’s history. Y’all are gonna be so proud.”
This time Claire Ann laughed. Rae was always able to cheer her up. “Well it looks like we’ll all be sharing news tonight then.”
“Really?” Rae practically squealed. “So you and PG are going to tell Trace? Finally?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Claire Ann said quietly, as if anyone in the coffee shop would leak the news of her dating her brother’s manager.
“’Bout time,” Rae quipped. “So, uh, how do you think he’ll take it?”
Claire Ann closed her eyes for a moment and tried to picture the multiple scenarios. Trace might hug them and wish them the best. Or he might punch Pauly in the face. She winced. “Not sure. Guess we’ll find out soon enough. Don’t be late tonight. Especially if you have a bunch of drunken college kids to sneak backstage.”
“Love you! See you tonight!”
“Love you, too,” Claire Ann said to dead air since her sister had already disconnected the call.
When she looked at her phone, she had another text.
It’s better to tell him together tonight anyways. That’s how we’ll be doing things from now on. Together.
She smiled.
She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so light. She’d always been the one to take care of everyone. But when Trace had gone into rehab, and the media hounds had descended upon them, Pauly had stepped in and taken care of things. He’d taken her to dinner or brought Chinese food over when she didn’t have the energy to deal with it all. He’d kept her up to
date on how Trace was doing. And when she’d lost her grip on everything and broke down in front of him, he’d done the one thing she’d needed more than anything.
He’d listened.
Men had never been creatures she could count on. Not her father, and though she loved him, even her brother was like a big kid sometimes. But Pauly Garrett was a different breed. He was a grown up with a real career, a big warm heart, and a sense of loyalty like she’d never known.
And the things he could do with his hands. No matter how stressed out she was he was always able to both calm her and make her pulse race with a simple touch.
She shivered at the simple idea of being able to hold hands in public, to invite him to family dinners, and maybe one day, start a family of their own.
KYLIE FINISHED her soundcheck and scanned the area backstage for Trace. She didn’t see him anywhere.
A few crewmembers were radioing on walkie-talkies and requesting his presence as well. She’d hoped they’d have a few minutes to talk so she could tell him the truth and apologize for the night before. The possibility that Steven being in her room the night before might have sent Trace straight to a bottle had her on edge.
She wanted to get a few things out in the open before either of them hurt the other any more than they already had.
It was time to stop hiding behind her pretend boyfriend.
“He’s here,” she heard one of the security guys say. She whirled around in the direction the voice had come from.
From across the open area backstage, she saw him getting out of an SUV. He was smiling broader than she could remember seeing lately. There was a determined set to his jaw. Memories of trailing kisses along that same perfect jawline had her slightly off balance.
Her heart began to race and she licked her lips as she walked to the front of the platform. She wondered if her knees were going weak because she’d hadn’t eaten much or if it was something else.
Something else grinned when he saw her watching him from up on the stage.
“Hey, pretty girl,” he greeted her. She didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on her bare legs when he pulled off his sunglasses.
“Hey yourself.” All thoughts of what she’d wanted to talk to him about flew right out of her head the instant he’d spoken. There was a familiar heat in his eyes that reminded her of the first time they’d made love. It was effectively scrambling her brain.
She took a deep breath in hopes of snapping out of whatever weird Trace trance she was in.
“Come on, Corbin. We’re wasting daylight here,” she heard Mike Brennen say.
Trace looked over his shoulder.
“Trace,” she called out as he walked towards where his band was setting up.
He turned with a confident smirk on his handsome face. “What can I do for you, Kylie Lou?”
Nothing I can say in polite company. She had no idea what had her suddenly so off-center. She wiped her sweaty palms on her cutoff shorts. “Um, can we talk? Later, maybe?”
“Sure thing. Meet me on the bus after?” He nodded at the stage, so she assumed he meant after his soundcheck.
“Okay.”
His gaze burned into hers and her entire body warmed from the inside out. When it became too hot for her to handle, she looked away.
She knew something was shifting between them. She couldn’t explain it if her life had depended on it. But she could feel it.
KYLIE HADN’T paid much attention to the outside of the buses before. Well, she’d sort of purposely avoided looking at them when she could help it. But as she got back on hers, the larger-than-life picture of her and Trace standing back to back next to the title of the song they’d written together what seemed like a million years ago, had emotions she’d held off for so long swirling inside of her.
She didn’t know how bad the storm that was Trace Corbin was going to be this time. All she knew was that it was coming. What terrified her the most was that she knew the precautions she should take, knew there were ways to avoid it. She just couldn’t seem to make herself hunker down and hide from it.
Her heart and her head were at war as she waited for Lulu to join her on the bus and help her get ready.
On one hand, she wanted to be honest with Trace, with Steven—with everyone.
On the other, she wanted to keep her already scarred heart locked away where it would stay safe.
But the way he’d looked at her moments ago, he was changing the game. They’d both had walls up. Or she had them up and he’d respected them. She’d thought it was for the best. But she hadn’t felt as alive as she did right that second since…since he walked away from her a year ago.
She closed her eyes. Remembering the pain helped keep her sane. It kept her from losing control and throwing herself into his arms. Besides, his arms belonged to someone else now. Or did they?
She wondered if Gretchen was at all concerned about them being on tour together. She’d heard Trace on the phone with her a few times. He always stepped away to take her calls. But it never sounded like they were professing their love or even arguing for that matter. Mostly, the few tidbits she’d overheard sounded like business talk. She could’ve sworn she’d heard him saying things about building permits.
Feeling overjoyed at the fact that she hadn’t yet overheard them making plans to meet up or for Gretchen to catch a show, she wanted to slap herself. It was dangerous and stupid to be this invested in his relationship. If Gretchen did join them at some point, Kylie knew damn well she’d be bunking in a roost on a different bus.
My, how the tables have turned, she thought to herself as she hopped up and sat on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t too awfully long ago that she was the girlfriend visiting him on his tour with Gretchen. And yet, in some ways, it felt like a lifetime ago.
She leaned back on the counter as she decided that no matter how painful the outcome might be, she was going to tell Trace there wasn’t anything going on with her and Steven. And she was going to ask him point blank, straight-faced with no tears or sobbing nonsense, what exactly was going on with him and Gretchen Gibson.
She wasn’t sure how long she spent lost in thought, but when the noise from Trace’s soundcheck went quiet, she snapped out of it.
Just before she could work herself into a full-blown panic attack over the fact that he would be back any minute so they could talk, Lulu burst onto the bus.
“I have a surprise!”
Kylie nearly jumped out of her skin. “You startled the piss out of me, Lu!”
“Sorry, but look who I found!”
Before Kylie could even begin to guess, Mia Montgomery and Lily Taite bounded onto the bus behind her.
Lily squealed and hugged her like they hadn’t seen each other in a hundred years.
“Hey, Lil. Lose anything lately?”
She pulled back and gave Kylie an apologetic grimace. “Kylie, I am sooo sorry about that. I heard you got tons of prank phone calls.”
Mia grinned at her. “Oklahoma probably liked all the attention.”
Kylie nodded. “Oh, I did. Lots of heavy breathers and dirty talkers. My favorites.”
“Speaking of heavy breathing and dirty talking, have you and Mr. Hotpants got it on yet?”
“Lily!”
Lulu and Mia cracked up laughing while Kylie gaped at them.
“I’m starting to think I might be on the wrong bus,” Trace said as he ascended the steps.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Kylie muttered. Mortification swept over her. She was pretty sure he knew they’d been talking about him.
“Well if it isn’t Mr. Hotpants himself,” Mia said, giving him a quick hug.
If he hadn’t known before, he did now.
Kylie couldn’t bring herself to look at him directly as the other girls chatted with him. When she did meet his eyes, they were dark and hooded. The warning in his look confused her. Until she realized she was still sitting on the countertop.
They’d had a few bouts of making out and more o
n a similar countertop. She felt her face heat with the realization, and she was pretty certain he noticed.
“Talk later then?” he finally asked her as he headed back to his room.
“Um, yeah. Sounds good.”
When he was out of sight, she returned her attention to her visitors. Who were all three looking at her suspiciously.
“No, they haven’t done it yet,” Mia said, side-eying her before turning to Lily. “But they’re getting there.”
“Shut up,” Kylie whisper-yelled at her.
Mia smirked at her. But then she suddenly looked aghast for a brief second.
“Ryans, you ready?” Steven poked his head onto the bus.
Kylie checked the time on her phone. It was barely an hour until showtime and she had a few changes to the set list she wanted to run through once more with the band.
“Crap. No. Just a sec. I’ll be right there.”
Once he was gone, Kylie glanced back at Mia. She seemed to be working awfully hard to keep her even expression in place.
“I didn’t know he was touring with you,” Mia said quietly.
Kylie’s chest tightened. She hadn’t mentioned it to Mia for a few reasons. Mainly because she hadn’t had time to, and also because she still secretly wondered if Mia knew Steven had feelings for her—whatever kind of feelings he was capable of. She was the main reason his band was taking a breather, after all. But he was her friend, too, and she didn’t want to go blabbing his secrets.
She did her best to shrug and appear nonchalant. “He’s filling in for my guitar player for a bit.”
Lily squealed. “Plot twist!”
“Come on, maneater,” Lulu said, tugging Kylie off the counter. “Let’s get you ready.”
OF COURSE Mia and Donovan Taite’s daughter would appear right when Trace was about to pour his feelings out all over the place.
Because that was the way the universe worked.