Page 100 of Fractured Rhythm

I turned and gave her a half-smile. “I’m ready.”

She counted us in, and we blew through it. Finally, it sounded perfect and Winston, our sound engineer, gave us a thumbs-up from behind the glass.

“Sounds great, guys,” Josh said from his seat next to Winston.

“Fuck yeah, it does,” Jax yelled back, and I grinned.

We spent the rest of the day recording another song before we headed back to my place.

“I wonder what’s on the menu today,” Jax said as we walked into my kitchen.

Elinor, my housekeeper, kept the place stocked whenever I was in town, and she loved cooking for us.

“Always leading with your stomach, Ellie,” Charlie said, and Jax grumbled as he filled his plate with stuffed shells that never failed to melt in your mouth.

With plates piled high with food, we moved into the living room to kick back and relax. I was still getting used to being home. It’d been so long, and while my house—a massive Spanish-style mansion—had everything I wanted, it didn’t have Cassie. I’d imagined her putting her touches on this space for years, even when we’d been apart.

If I was honest, I’d probably decorated with her tastes subconsciously in mind. The kitchen was state of the art, but I rarely used it. She would’ve loved it. She’d mentioned that more than once during our calls this week when I’d given her the virtual tour. I swear she’d salivated more over the deep farm sink and double ovens than she had over the fact that I’d practically given her the tour naked.

“We’re going toCameron’s tonight, right?” Tristan asked a few days later.

“Fuck yeah. He throws killer parties and we need it. Especially after today,” Jax said. He was a ball of skittish energy today, which had to do with what we were finally recording.

It was Jamie’s song.

It’d taken almost no convincing the guys to put it on the album. Cassie had been apprehensive about it but had agreed that her brother’s words needed to be out there. It was a bit of Jamie on our first album without him.

We’d all needed it.

“I’m in,” Charlie said.

The nervous energy had even spread to her as she bounced a drumstick on her thigh.

They’d been shocked when I showed them the song for the first time a few days ago. I’d sat on it for over a week. I’d hated watching the tears slip down Cassie’s face every time I’d played it for her over video chat, but she’d said to play it for the guys and see what they thought. They’d also had no idea that Jamie had written anything.

It still gutted me that he’d kept that from us, and part of me wondered if I should’ve kept it a secret—at least from the world. But we’d made a call as a group and “Fighting to Breathe” would be in the middle of our next album.

Later that night,I walked through Cameron’s house up in the hills, wishing I was anywhere but here. No. That was a lie. I didn’t want to be anywhere. I wanted to be in New York with Cassie. We hadn’t been able to connect today. Her shoot had run late, and then she’d had a dinner meeting with her boss. We’d had a few sporadic texts during the day, and she’d promised to talk to me tomorrow, but I’d needed to hear her voice today.

I’d arrived with the rest of the band, but they’d all scattered. Charlie had bumped into old friends and disappeared into the crowd with them shortly after they’d arrived. Jax and Tristan had also gone their separate ways, leaving me to wander around the oversized house.

“You need a drink,” Cameron said, slinging one arm around my shoulders and holding a glass of something in his other hand. No doubt it was whiskey, judging by the amber color. Did everyone know my vice of choice?

I took the glass from his hand and knocked back two fingers of smooth whiskey, feeling the familiar burn down my chest.

“Gave me the good shit, huh?” I asked.

“Of course, man. Nothing but the best for my friends. So how’s the album going?” he asked, guiding me toward the bar and another glass of whiskey, which I polished off with ease.

“Good. Almost done.”

“Heard it’s epic,” he said with a grin.

“Jax’s running his mouth again, isn’t he?”

“When’s he not?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “No shit, right? How’s it going with you guys?”

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