Page 33 of Fractured Frets

“Yes. I’m too fast.”

Josh, Ava’s son, clambered down the stairs, charged across the glossy tiles, and climbed onto the stool beside Sutton. He leaned toward Ava standing on the other side of the counter. “Mom, is dinner ready? I’m so hungry I could eat a dinosaur.”

I’d only met Josh and Charlotte a couple of times. They were adorable kids. But I didn’t possess a maternal gene in my body. Babies weren’t on my agenda for a very long time—possibly not ever. That was another thing Slip and I agreed on. We were too young and had too much going on in our lives to even contemplate children.

“Dinner will be in five minutes.” Ava ruffled his hair, then headed over to the stovetop and stirred something steaming in a saucepan. She’d insisted on cooking for us. If that was what she wanted to do for her birthday, I was there. A relaxing night at home with friends rather than being out at some restaurant or club getting followed by the paparazzi was heaven.

But as I took a sip of my champagne, a shiver slithered down my spine. I glanced toward the stairs. I swallowed my mouthful of drink so hard it burned my throat. The hairs on my arms stood on end. A stunning blonde in a miniskirt and crop top headed toward us.

Fuck!

Harper.

Slip had told me she had dreads and dressed like a hippy—not that she looked like someone who could grace the pages of a fashion magazine. The Tanner gene pool wasn’t shy of human perfection. She was just as attractive as Tia and Cole.

With legs as long as Route 66, she crossed the room in floating strides and stopped beside Slip. He tightened his hold on my waist and tugged me closer. “Maddy, this is Harper.”

I held out my hand. Despite my twisting insides and for wishing I had a blade ready to knife her in the ribs if she so much as glanced at Slip, I wasn’t going to be intimidated by her. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” She dipped her chin, but the wary vibe coming off her was even more prickly than mine. “Congrats on getting married.”

“Thank you.” I wasn’t into childish games, but I cuddled in closer to Slip, claiming my territory. “It was a crazy, fun night.”

“I wish you all the best.” Harper’s lips twitched, then pulled into something that resembled an innocent smile. But I was no fool. Harper may have everyone else believing she was happy for us, but the shards of jealousy in her green eyes told a very different story. “I look forward to getting to know you. But please excuse me. I’ll get the kids ready for dinner.”

She stepped around to Cole, took Charlotte from him, and carried her over to the table.

Oh...Harper wanted nothing to do with me. I didn’t think we’d ever be friends. But Slip and this band had become my extended family too. I was part of their world—just not as often as I’d like. So somehow I had to get along with Harper...and trust she wouldn’t fuck my husband when I turned my back.

The timer on the oven beeped.

“Dinner’s ready.” Ava grabbed the potholders, opened the oven door, and pulled out a huge sizzling roast beef, followed by a chicken. “Let’s eat.”

While the boys carved the roasts, us girls set the table. Ava had prepared the most incredible home-cooked meal I’d ever seen. Platters and dishes were filled with tender juicy beef, chicken, grilled vegetables, and mashed potatoes. The air was loaded with the most delicious scent. My God. I wanted to marry Ava. Slip and I weren’t cooks. I lived on takeout, home-delivered ready-to-eat meals, and restaurant cuisine. I’d spent more time having sex in my kitchen than preparing food. And considering I only saw Slip every couple of weeks and our steamy catchups were rarely in the kitchen, it was clear how little I cooked.

Over dinner and drinks, we fell into fits of laughter as the guys told stories about their shows, fans trying to sneak into their hotels, meeting ticket-holders before they went onstage, and the fun they had hanging out together after performing. Sutton relayed tales of her fellow castmates and onset relationship dramas between two of the girls, and I delved into some shenanigans my crew and I got up to when filming on location near Cypress Mountain. Many of them involved drinking games, toboggan races, and snowboarding.

“Damn, I wish I’d been there.” Slip nudged his knee against mine. “Maybe not snowboarding at present...but there with you.”

“You’re welcome anytime.” I ran my hand over his thigh.

“Next winter, I will be. I promise.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“I’d like that.”

But a chill shot down my arms, prickling my skin. I stole a sideways glance across the table at Harper. Her avid gaze was set on Slip as she toyed with her tongue ring. What the...? If she’d stop staring at him like she’d lost the love of her life, everything would be fine.

But it wasn’t.

The knots in my stomach tightened. My head throbbed. I played with a small amount of vegetables on my plate, unable to eat much. Nausea had killed my appetite.

After everyone else had polished off almost every crumb on the table, we cleaned up, washed the dishes, and headed into the games room to play pool. The kids ran around, dancing and playing with their toys. As Slip and I waited for our turn at pool and sipped fresh drinks, he didn’t let go of my hand or stop stealing as many kisses from my lips as he could.

I didn’t know if he was sending Harper a clear message that he was mine, or if he was being an angel and staying true to his word about not leaving my side.

Didn’t matter—I liked it.

As the night wore on, music filled the air. Flint and Sutton made out on the sofa. They were just as inseparable as Slip and me. Lewis and Tia were whipping everybody’s butts at pool. Ava and Cole kept challenging them to new games. Just after ten-thirty, Harper took the kids to bed. The air was suddenly lighter and easier to breathe with her gone. Slip drew me into his embrace and swung me around to dance. The warmth of his arms around me, the love blazing in his eyes, and the taste of his lips were pure heaven. I wished it could be like this...just him and me...all the time.

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