Page 90 of 4-Ever

While Brodie and Holls were busy testing out their guitars, seeing to last-minute details for our performance tonight, I went in search of my boyfriend.

Fucking hell, even after a week of calling Faise that, it still rocked me to my core.

In the very best way.

He’d moved in a week ago and he was never moving out.

Faise’s brother was headed down here for tonight’s concert and would be joining us on tour for a month, along with my sister. Bibi had arranged to close my sister’s lease in New York and got all her items shipped down here to Nashville. With Elias on site and security in tow, Dallas hadn’t dared question anything.

Faise and I had done a few interviews as per Zoe’s plan, but we kept our comments on the incident with Dallas to a minimum. Except to say that he was the aggressor, we were filing charges, and our lawyers were taking it from here.

We didn’t comment on our relationship yet. Part of me didn’t think we had to. The press knew how close we were, along with everyone else. But I knew that for Faise, it was important to make that public declaration. There were still times when I saw the worry in his eyes, the fear that I was somehow going to disappear tomorrow or change my mind.

I reassured him every day, with every touch, that I was here to stay. But he needed more than sex to understand. He needed the words. So did I. But like everything in my life, I always found it easier to show rather than tell people how I felt.

And Faise was holding back too. Like he was afraid if he said the words, it would break the spell, the magic that had been the past week.

I walked downstairs to our dressing room, and found him sitting in one of the chairs, twirling his sticks in one hand and reading his phone with the other.

“Baby,” I whispered and stood behind him.

He met my smile in the mirror, placed his phone and sticks aside, and stood up. Walking around the chair, he slid into my arms, holding onto my waist. I leaned down and kissed him and fuck, I’d never get used to doing that. My heart pounded out a heavy beat, fast and strong.

“Showtime in an hour,” I murmured and kissed him again. “You ready?”

“Like you need to ask.”

“Where’s Rae?” I nodded, looking around for his brother.

“He’s in the VIP room with Ciara, Dawson, and Van.”

“He looks so much better. I think he’s finding his way back.”

Faise nodded. “It hasn’t been easy, but he’s worked his ass off. I just hope, you know, being on the road with us is okay. I mean, none of us are into drugs anymore, but still. We can’t escape it in our business. Half the people we know get high all the time.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to support him. And the same holds true even if he were at home. You know that. Getting drugs is as easy as ordering food from an app.”

“You’re right,” Faise nodded and bit his lower lip. “And hey, just like me, you can’t hide forever. At some point, you have to face temptation head on.”

I was so proud of him, and I wanted him to know how much. I cupped his face, leaned down and kissed him again, savoring the fact that I could do this without pause. That he kissed me back with the same intensity. It was a passion I’d only ever felt with him. Maybe it was finally time to tell him exactly how I was feeling. How much I wanted us.

“Baby, I?—”

My comment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt,” Bibi announced in her booming southern accent. “But you’re needed on stage ASAP.”

With a frustrated sigh, I took Faise’s hand, and guided him out of the room and back upstairs.

Brodie and Holls were pacing back and forth, while Jesse and Elias were deep in conversation beside them. The fact that our lawyer was here was not a good sign. And then I noticed that every member of our security team, including our lead, Regan, was here. Something big was going down.

“What’s going on?” I asked, letting go of Faise’s hand.

“Our show’s been cancelled,” Brodie hissed.

“What? Why?”

“A threat was called in,” Holloway added. “They had to shut us down.”

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