Broken Fairytales Series Box Set (Broken Fairytales, Buried Castles, Shattered Crowns)

by Monica Alexander

  I’d never been hit on by a guy before, so I wasn’t sure Cole was right.

  “It’s a good thing we’re exclusive then,” I said, sitting down on a nearby bench. I’d been pacing, and it was making me feel antsy.

  “We can revisit that when you go on tour,” he offered.

  “Why?” I asked, suddenly panicking that he was going to opt out.

  I knew he was looking for something serious, something permanent in a relationship. We’d talked about it on the phone earlier in the week. And that excited me. I wanted those things too, but my life wasn’t exactly stable. I was constantly concerned that he’d decide I wasn’t worth all the hassle.

  “Temptation, sweetie,” he said softly. “I don’t want to hold you back from anything. We’re so new, and you’re just figuring out that you like men, so I figured you might want to be nonexclusive during your tour, you know, test the waters, see who else might be out there.”

  My heart started pounding as he said that. Did he really want to be nonexclusive and was he just giving me the opportunity to initiate it? I didn’t want that. I’d done that, and it wasn’t for me. I liked having someone in my life.

  “I’m only interested in one man, but if you want out, just say so,” I said, the coldness in my voice apparent. “What happened? Did you get propositioned at the pool or something?”

  I could imagine how many women and men would have found him appealing laying there, oil on his broad chest, blond hair falling sexily over his forehead, aviators covering his beautiful blue eyes. Maybe he’d found someone better. Maybe everything I thought we had was in my head, and we really weren’t falling for each other. And that pissed me off.

  “Yes, but that’s not the point,” he said, and it tugged at my heart. “I said no – to all three people. I don’t want out.”

  Why was I thinking I heard hesitation in his voice?

  “What do you want, Cole?” I asked, my tone curt.

  He sighed. “You. Okay! I want you,” he said, sounding like he was coming just a little bit unglued. “And that scares me because I’ve never wanted someone this bad before – ever. I’m afraid of losing you, so I figured if I let you go, it wouldn’t hurt so bad when you eventually left me.”

  Jesus. This was not what I expected when I’d called to check in.

  “You have me, Cole,” I said softly. “I haven’t gone anywhere.”

  “I know. Shit. I hate that I’m being insecure. I’m never insecure, but I started imagining the worst today when I heard you on the friggin’ radio, and I don’t know. Maybe I’ve gotten too much sun or something. Maybe I’m losing my mind.”

  I laughed lightly, because he was being really adorable. “You’re cute when you’re insecure.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  I laughed a little more. “Yeah, I am. All I really want to do right now is go back to the hotel, wrap you up in my arms and kiss you until you can’t see straight, because you should know that all I want is you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I like you a lot, but I can see it becoming more. And shit, that scares me, but I’m not going to run from it.”

  “I’m completely falling for you,” he said then.

  I think I’ve already fallen. I thought it. I didn’t say it, but my heart was about to burst open and shoot little sparkly rainbows all over the sidewalk. I wanted to do a happy dance right there. I was glad he couldn’t see the stupid, loopy grin that my mouth had spread into.

  “I’m being a little bitch, aren’t I?” he asked then, and I knew he’d taken my silence the wrong way. “I’ll stop. I don’t want to scare you. I know all of this is new to you.”

  “No, Cole. I’m actually – I’m actually right there with you,” I said, knowing I was opening myself wider than I ever thought I would. It was uncharted territory, and it terrified me to be that exposed.

  He let out a sigh. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. I can’t wait to see you tonight, even if you were being a little bitch a few minutes ago.”

  He laughed. “Damn, I’ll try not to do that anymore.”

  “Hey, I was being honest when I said I thought it was sort of cute.”

  He laughed again. “Okay, fine. On that note, I think I’m going to go drink some beer and eat a steak.”

  I laughed. “Going to get your masculinity back, are you?”

  “Yeah,” he said gruffly.

  “You do that. And I’ll be back later, and you can show me just how manly you are.”

  “And on that note, I’ve got wood,” he said, and I laughed.

  “You’re all man. Bye babe,” I said, my stomach swimming with excitement about my new relationship. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Hurry back,” he said, and I knew I was a goner. I just hoped he’d continue to fall along with me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Zack

  “Okay, let’s get down to it,” I said to the guys.

  We were all sitting around the table on my dad’s patio to get some privacy. My dad and Sierra were going out to dinner, but they hadn’t left yet, and I had a feeling there might be some yelling once we got started.

  “Why are we here? And where’s the beer?” Derrick asked impatiently.

  “Beer comes later,” I said.

  We were still going to grill out even if Andrew wasn’t staying. Kristin, Leo’s fiancée was in town. She and Emily were upstairs with Lily, but they were going to join us later.

  “Dude, this sucks. Why do we have to have a band meeting?” Derrick whined.

  “Because you’re a dick, and you’re about to get your ass kicked out of the band if you don’t get your shit straight,” Andrew snapped, and all three of us looked at him in surprise.

  He hadn’t said much since he’d arrived, and he looked impatient, like he just wanted to leave.

  “Shut up, fag,” Derrick snapped at him, and Andrew about came across the table at him. Thankfully Leo grabbed him and held him back before he could get to Derrick.

  “That is the last time you call Drew that,” Leo said authoritatively. “He’s my friend, and I’m not comfortable with you using words like that to describe him, got it?”

  I noticed that Leo didn’t say Andrew was Derrick’s friend since I wasn’t sure that was the case anymore.

  Derrick sat back in his chair in a huff. “Whatever.”

  “D, what Drew said is true,” I told him.

  “What? That he sucks cock?”

  “STOP!” I roared at him. “You are about five seconds away from getting replaced if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

  “You wouldn’t replace me,” Derrick scoffed, trying to remain cocky, but I could see him faltering.

  “Try me,” I threatened.

  “Under what grounds?” he demanded.

  “Damaging the reputation of Liar’s Edge. You’ve done nothing to benefit us since we started touring. You’ve screwed everything in sight, gotten arrested twice, embarrassed us in interviews, insulted our guitarist multiple times, and we’re all sick of it.”

  “So you want me to quit?!” he roared.

  “No, Derrick, we don’t want you to quit,” Leo said, putting his hand on Derrick’s forearm. Derrick shrugged him off. “We just want you on our team, and it seems like you jumped ship a few months ago.”

  “Fuck you guys,” Derrick said, folding his arms over his chest. “I don’t need this shit.”

  “You don’t need what shit?” Andrew asked. “Us? The band? A record deal? Please. I know you need all of that more than you think you do, but if you think you can do something better with your life than this, by all means, go for it. Don’t let us hold you back.”

  “Drew, don’t,” Leo said, trying to pacify him since he was on the verge of going off, and we all knew it. The last thing I wanted was for him to push Derrick so far over the edge that he did quit, since then we’d all be fucked, and I knew it wasn’t truly what Derrick wanted.

  Derrick glared at Andrew. “I don’t need to be
told what to do. I’m not a child. I’m a goddamn adult, and I can make my own decisions.”

  Shit. This was not going the way I’d expected it to.

  “Not when they negatively affect the rest of us, you can’t,” I told him.

  “Why not?” he countered. “Andrew did it, and the two of you are all, oh congratulations for being gay. It’s so great, blah, blah, blah. Well, fuck that. You’re not even considering the fact that this could hurt the band, that we might lose fans.”

  “I’ve thought about it,” Andrew said softly, and I knew he had. We all had.

  “We are not going to lose fans,” I assured them. “No one will care that he’s gay, and if they do, we don’t need them as fans, but it’s also not the same as you being reckless, doing coke, getting your ass in trouble and in general making us look bad.”

  Derrick glared at me. “I only did coke that one time,” he said, looking away. He was lying, and he couldn’t look me in the eye when he said that.

  “Bullshit. You’re high right now. Trust me, I lived with you for four years. I know what you look like when you’re high on coke.”

  “Who are you, my mother?” he countered nastily. “This is a fucking rock band! Besides, I seem to remember you right there next to me with a rolled dollar bill in your hand more times than I can count, Zack. You don’t have a lot of room to talk.”

  “That was years ago, Derrick. Then I fucking grew up and realized I couldn’t party my way through life. There is so much competition out there that if we fuck up, even once, that could be it. Do you want that?”

  “No,” he said as he glared at me. “But once again, having a fag in the band could majorly screw things up too. You guys need to seriously think about that.”

  “Andrew’s staying,” I said clearly. There was no question in my mind. “And you need to figure out if you’re with us or against us, and if you’re with us, then you’ll accept him for who he is and let this shit go.”

  “I don’t know how to do that,” he grumbled, arms still crossed over his chest defiantly.

  “D, just lay off the coke, get your shit together and stop calling me a fag,” Andrew said as if his energy had been zapped. Then he got up from the table.

  “Where are you going?” I asked him as he started to walk away.

  He turned around and looked at me. “I’m out of here. I can’t listen to this shit. I’ll be back on Monday to wrap up the album, but I don’t really feel like being around people who hate me.”

  “I thought Cole was visiting?” I questioned.

  “He is. He came all this way to see me, and I’m here trying to help someone who doesn’t want my help and probably can’t be salvaged. So I’m going back to the hotel to be with someone who actually gives a shit about me. If it comes to a vote, you have mine. Derrick’s out.”

  “What the fuck, dude?” Derrick yelled at him.

  Andrew glared at him. “I can’t even count the number of times you’ve degraded me because of my sexual orientation in the past week. At this point, I don’t want anything to do with you.”

  Shit. This situation had gone from bad to worse.

  Andrew left us in a huff, but I didn’t go after him. I understood why he was pissed, but I knew he’d be fine. He just needed to get back to Cole.

  “Dude, you can’t kick me out of the band,” Derrick insisted, tugging on the sleeve of my long sleeved t-shirt.

  I turned to him. “Then give me a reason not to,” I said, “because right now if we had to decide, you wouldn’t get my vote either. Change my mind, Derrick.”

  I got up and went inside then, knowing I needed to cool off. Derrick had been my friend for a long time, but I was done dealing with his shit. I heard him follow me into the kitchen where my dad was drinking a glass of wine. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and twisted the top off, taking a long drink.

  “Zack, man, come on,” Derrick said, coming into the kitchen. “Oh, hi Mr. Easton.”

  Tough, badass Derrick was gone. Suddenly he was my eighteen year-old roommate coming home with me for the weekend. I sincerely wished he was that guy again. I liked him a lot better before his ego took over.

  “Hey Derrick. How are you?” my dad asked.

  “Fine, sir. How are you?”

  I rolled my eyes as I turned to my dad. “Don’t answer that. Can you give us a minute?”

  “Sure. I’ll just go see if Sierra is ready.”

  “Thanks Dad.” I turned back to Derrick, knowing that as soon as my dad was gone, Derrick would unfortunately start acting like himself again.

  “Zack, you can’t kick me out of the band,” he whined.

  “Why not?” I challenged, taking another long swig of my beer.

  “Because you can’t. I don’t have anything else to fall back on. Andrew was right. This is my life – this band, you guys. Dude, seriously. What do I have to do to fix this?”

  He was panicking. I could tell. Derrick hadn’t finished his degree like the rest of us. He’d dropped out in the middle of our junior year, and if he didn’t make a living through music, his options would be seriously limited.

  “Why are you being an asshole to Andrew?” I asked, because I had to know what was bugging him about that whole situation.

  He hesitated before saying, “Because it freaks me out.”

  “Why?”

  “Dude, he’s gay. He likes guys. It’s weird.”

  “D, it’s not like I want to watch him make out with his boyfriend or anything, but if it makes him happy, who gives a shit. You’re making him feel like he’s wrong for what he’s doing, and he’d never admit it to you, but it’s really hurting him.”

  Derrick’s shoulders sunk. “I don’t want to hurt him. I love him, but I don’t know how to act around him.”

  “Act normal. He’s the same guy we’ve all known for years – quiet, shy, a hell of a guitar player. You don’t have to do anything different. Just don’t be mean to him. Jesus, that’s the worst thing you can do.”

  “I know,” Derrick mumbled, sinking back against the counter. “I just panicked. I feel like he’s different.”

  “He’s not. Trust me. And don’t make under the breath comments anymore. If you can’t be supportive, don’t say anything at all. I’m serious when I say that you’re treading on a thin line, and your place in this band isn’t all that secure. If you want to be a part of Liar’s Edge, you have a place here, but just know that Jonathan wants you out, and if you screw up again, you will be out.”

  “I won’t screw up again,” he muttered.

  “And you’ll be nice Andrew?”

  “Yes,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Good,” I said, handing him a beer from the fridge. “And seriously, lay off the coke while we’re on tour. You play for shit when you’re on that stuff, and we don’t need that right now.”

  It wasn’t exactly true since his playing had been stellar all week, but I wasn’t telling him that.

  “I never play for shit,” he defended, taking a long swig of his beer.

  I raised an eyebrow at him. “Trust me. You do. Just stay sober for two more months. Please.”

  “Fine,” he grumbled.

  “Unca Derwick!” Lily said then, and we both looked up in surprise to see her standing in the kitchen.

  I really hoped she hadn’t heard any piece of our conversation.

  “Lily!” Derrick said, crouching down and opening his arms so she could run into them. “What’s up, my favorite niece?”

  “Pway dwums! Pwease!” she begged as she hugged him. “And Daddy pway guitaw.”

  I laughed. “You want us to play, baby girl?”

  “Yes!” she cheered, beaming up at me. “Pwease!”

  My daughter was so spoiled. She got an impromptu concert whenever she wanted. But she’d be disappointed that Andrew wasn’t there. I knew I was.

  “We’ll play for you,” I told her. “What do you want us to play?”

  She grinned, and I begged her not to sa
y Justin Bieber. She’d only done that once before, but none of us knew any of his songs. She started to think for a minute, and then she looked at me.

  “Pway Taywor Swif!”

  “Aww Lily, no!” Derrick groaned, clutching his heart in mock disappointment. “I thought you grew out of that phase.”

  “No,” she said seriously, as she looked at Derrick with wide eyes and shook her head.

  “Tell you what,” I said to my daughter. “Go bring Emily and Kristin outside, and we’ll play some Taylor Swift. How about that?”

  “Yay!” Lily said, clapping her hands.

  I looked at Derrick when she was out of room. “This is what I need from you, because I want you in this band. I don’t want to be Liar’s Edge without you, D. Seriously, but you’ve got to make some changes.”

  “I know,” he said, standing upright. “And I will. I promise.”

  After he walked outside, I shot a quick text to Andrew.

  You okay?

  After a few minutes he responded. Not really.

  Can I do anything?

  No, I just want to be alone, but call me tomorrow. I’ll probably need to talk to someone then.

  Will do.

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket, wondering if I should have gone after him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Andrew

  “We need to get out of here,” I said when I stormed into the hotel room where Cole was sitting on the bed watching a baseball game.

  Then I stopped in mid-stride, my gaze fixed on the TV. I looked at him and then back at the TV.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking probably as perplexed as I did since I’d barged in the room making demands after having been gone all day.

  “Are you a Rays fan?” I asked, not believing I hadn’t asked before.

  “Yes,” he said slowly, eyeing me like you would an insane person.

  “No, seriously? You can’t be.”

  “I am,” he said, still not getting it. “Is that a problem?”

  I hung my head dramatically. “This day can’t possibly get any worse,” I said, shaking my head back and forth. That only made me dizzier, the alcohol swimming in my brain making me see double.