Page 14 of Tortured Tones

“Yes. I fucking would.”

He lowered his chin, nodded, and fidgeted with the leather bracelets around his wrist. “Um...yeah. I have to come clean. I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while.” He rubbed and rolled his hands together. “I’m seeing someone. It’s only casual, been on and off and up and down. But with the tour coming up, and with our new security detail, we can’t keep it under wraps any longer.”

I jerked my chin back. This was news. “Who?”

“Maddy.”

“Oh, fuck. Are you serious?” Shit. That didn’t come out right. “I mean, that’s awesome.” I loved Maddy. She was fun. An actress like Sutton. But concern slammed into my ribs. “Do Sutton and Flint know?”

The last time Slip had dated somebody’s best friend, it hadn’t ended well. But that had been Flint’s fault, not his. I prayed that Slip hooking up with Maddy, Sutton’s best friend, didn’t end in the same hot, fucked-up mess as Slip’s last serious relationship.

“Yeah. I told them on the way here. They seem cool about it. Lewis and Tia have known for months. Since your birthday.”

“Since April?” My voice pitched high. Shit. Why was I always the last person to know what was going on? I’d been the last to know Lewis was screwing my sister. The last to know my ex, Priah, had no intention of staying in America. The last to know how much love could fucking hurt you and make you do stupid things...and sometimes those stupid things left you with no choices.

Like taking on a kid.

Somehow I had to find the strength to face tomorrow. Be a father to a child I hadn’t known existed until ten days ago.

Ergh! I needed more vodka.

The waitress returned with our drinks and glasses and placed them on the table. Perfect timing.

But before I drank more alcohol, I threw my arm around Slip’s shoulders and gave him a big hug. He and Flint had been my best buddies since we were nine. Nothing would ever change that. I was happy for him, and I’d be there for him if hooking up with Maddy all turned to shit. “I’m stoked for you and Mads. She’s a great chick. But damn...have I lost my wingman?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Chuckling, he elbowed me in the ribs and pushed me aside. “You’ve never needed me to be your wingman.”

“Yes. Always. We have a lot of fun hooking up with women.”

“I’m just sticking with Maddy for now. You can have every other chick.”

“Good thing I don’t have a problem with that.” Wow. I was the only one single in our band. There was another change I hadn’t seen coming.

“I’ll still party with you like a crazy motherfucker.” He poured a round of shots and held one out to me. “Now get this into you, Daddy.”

“Fuck you.” Laughing, I play-punched him in the thigh. God, I loved these guys, but the word Daddy speared my chest. As I sucked in a deep breath, panic shuddered through my lungs in jagged waves. How many hours did I have left? I glanced at my watch. Fourteen. Shit. I wiped my hand down my face to erase my worries. After grabbing the shot from Slip, I downed it. The ice-cold vodka slid down my throat. The burn settled in my stomach, seeped through my veins, and soothed the tension in my temples. Just for a second. Then it was back. Fuck. I slammed the glass onto the table, swiped the bottle from Slip, and topped up my shot. I picked up my glass and waved it toward my friends. “Okay, assholes. Let’s drink.” I raised my vodka a touch higher. “To new directions. To one I didn’t see coming.”

“Cole, you’ll be a great father.” Tia gave me a reassuring smile as she held up her bourbon.

“I’m freaking out.” That was an understatement. “Did you see the crap I had to buy?” Two days ago, I’d gone shopping with our housekeeper, Mackenzie. She had two young kids. After burning a hole in my credit card, I’d come home with clothes, toys, bedding, sippy cups, booster seats, and a ton of other junk. Shit I’d never wanted to purchase.

“Yeah. But I bet you buy more booze in a week.” Lewis teased. I shot him a glare, then grinned. I did like my vodka.

“Here’s to changes.” Flint waved his glass at me. “We’ve all been through them—the good, the bad, and the fucking awesome.” He gave Sutton a quick kiss on the cheek. She giggled, blushed, and curled her hand around his leg. “But whatever life throws at us we’ll get through everything together. Even kids.”

“Thanks, man,” I held my shot forward. We chinked glasses. Flint had been too forgiving, but I’d hurt him. I’d never forgive myself for that. Every time he looked at me there was a new distance in his eyes. I was sure he wasn’t looking forward to having the constant reminder of his ex in the form of my kid in our lives either.

“Hey. We have so much to be grateful for.” Lewis entwined his fingers with Tia’s and kissed the back of her hand. “We have each other. We’re going on fucking tour. We’ll always be family.”

I had to remember that. I’d survive anything with this group of people. I had to.

We drained our glasses, drank more, and fell into conversation about the tour, cracked dirty jokes, talked about Sutton’s second season of filming Angels in LA and the show’s up and coming launch party, and had each other in fits of laughter. It was just what I needed to take my mind off tomorrow...even if the diversion only lasted for a few minutes at a time.

Needing more of a distraction, I stood and mingled with the other guests in the VIP section, mainly the girls I’d noticed when we first arrived. My friends were quick to join us. We swallowed more alcohol and had a few selfies with the ladies, but after talking to them about their college studies, I lost interest.

As I topped up my drink, a tall leggy Asian girl came up the stairs with two girlfriends. I swayed on my feet and did a double take. Was that? Yep. Min fucking Liang. What was she doing here? With her long, black hair cascading down her back and her short party dress barely covering her panties, she was the distraction I needed. One of the girls I’d hooked up with on more than one occasion.

I waved to her and her friends to join us.

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