Page 44 of Pretty Little Rocker

“For…?”

“You and the rest of the band to come into the office for a chat about the social media plans I want to get your approval for,” she said a little impatiently. How long had I not been paying attention? Shit. “Then you can go straight to the studio for a meeting with Shane since his afternoon is free. It’s either tomorrow or Wednesday. I have another new band coming in for the same meetings this week with both Shane and me, but since I love you so much, you get first dibs. What works better for you and the guys?”

“Hold on,” I told her, putting her on mute. “We need to go into Aunt Emmie’s office to talk to Uncle Shane about the single he wants us to record. Also, we have to meet with Maddie. She’s going to take over the social media accounts for Autumn’s Slumber. Does tomorrow work? If not, we can go Wednesday. What’s a better time for everyone’s schedule?”

I looked at Ky first, trying to decipher his reaction to meeting with Maddie. But he just shrugged. “Tomorrow works the best for me. I’m excited to see what Shane Stevenson has planned for our first single. Jamie, Sparks?”

“I’ll take sooner over later,” Jamie agreed. “Besides, I’m gonna drool all over Shane Stevenson. Babe, do you think he’d give me some pointers? He’s, like, the best bass player in the world. And then there’s Zander Brockman. Ah, fuck. You know so many incredible rockers. Tomorrow, I’m going to have a geek-out for a moment or two. You all have to stop me from embarrassing myself. Hellion, you gotta have my back.”

“Uncle Shane is going to adore you just as much as I do,” I assured him.

I pressed my lips together to keep from grinning. Jamie was so endearing at times, it was hard to imagine he was the same guy who bent me over a bathroom sink and spanked me the day before. I loved both sides of him.

“Tomorrow is fine,” Sparks agreed, shoving Jamie aside so he could place his head on my chest instead. Jamie rolled over with a grumble, but not before stealing a kiss. “I might have to meet with Miguel and Sancho, along with Vitucci and his sister, later in the week.”

His answer made my stomach queasy. I didn’t want to think about him having to see his father and brother again. I trusted Sammy—a little—but not enough for her to keep my guy safe if things turned ugly during their meeting. Maybe he would let me go with him.

But even as the idea formed, I knew Sparks’s head would explode if I so much as voiced that option.

Unmuting the call, I put the phone back to my ear. “Mads? Tomorrow works for us. Text me the time, and we will be there.”

“Perfect,” she said, sounding distracted again. “Once I have the time figured out, I’ll send you the details. I gotta go. Love ya.”

“Love you,” I repeated, disconnecting. Dropping the phone on the bed beside me, I looked at Ky again. “Is this going to be a problem?”

His brows pulled together at my question. “What?”

“You and Maddie. Are you going to go to the meeting in your band gear, or should we go ahead and rip the bandage off, confess to her who you really are, and see how that works out?” I grimaced. “She’s come a long way with therapy and other treatment. I’m just… I don’t know. Triggering her is something I’ve been worried about. We nearly lost her after what Holden put her through. And while some of that can be explained by the postpartum psychosis that she was suffering from, on top of the guilt of giving Avalyn up for adoption, your brother had a lot to do with her mental state back then.”

Crossing to the bed, he crawled up the mattress until he was leaning over me. Jamie and Sparks both shifted out of the way so he could have my full attention. “The last thing I want to do is unsettle Maddie. But she and I are actually on good terms.”

I jerked in surprise. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really. There are no hard feelings between us or anyone in Maddie’s family, including her dad. They even send the occasional picture of my niece from certain milestones. Birthdays. Christmas. It’s nice seeing how happy Avalyn is with her adoptive parents.”

“Then what was with the subterfuge at the audition?” I grumbled. “After I realized who you were, I thought your connection to the Renchfords was the reason you didn’t say anything about being Kyrie.”

Lowering his head, Ky kissed me tenderly for a moment. I melted, kissing him back. When he lifted his head, he gave a casual shrug. “I wanted to earn the spot at First Bass on talent, not who I am. If we wanted to, we could start our own record label. It wouldn’t be nearly as big as ASM, but the three of us have enough cash to grow the business into something successful. But we want the world to see us first and foremost for how good our music is. Wasn’t that why you hid behind the Havoc persona for so long?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “Havoc was just a talented drummer playing great music. If they knew I was Hayat Cutter, they would have only been talking about how I expected the world to praise me because of who my family is. They would have seen my name and not my abilities.”

“Well, that’s exactly what we want to do—and why we will continue with the masks and paint. It’s your choice if you want to do the same. We won’t push you to wear the mask or makeup if you’d rather just be Hayat.”

“Fuck that shit,” Jamie cut him off. “She’s Hellion. Mask and paint or not. In Autumn’s Slumber, she’s Hellion Carver.”

“I second that,” Sparks said, lifting his head to look down at me and wink.

Ky grinned. “There, it’s settled. Hellion Carver will do as she pleases.” Kissing me quick and hard, he stood. “I’m going to go grab us some breakfast. Unless you want to eat out?”

I considered it for a moment, then sat up. “I’d like that.”

“Our first date,” Sparks murmured, kissing my bare shoulder before he sat up. “I like it.”

“Brunch?” Jamie asked hopefully, rolling out of bed. “I love brunch. I’m going to shower. Don’t leave without me, douchebags.”

“Can I borrow some sweats and a top?” I asked them. “I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

“Your closet is fully stocked,” Ky informed me. “Jamie thought of everything.”

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