Page 86 of Broken Promises

I give Gideon a questioning look. He holds up his hands and shakes his head.

“Who?” I ask Ben.

“Can’t tell you,” he says with a grin.

We watch the rest of the set in relative silence. We’re all singing along, obviously, but there’s no conversation happening. Maggie keeps clapping after every song while Gideon holds heragainst him, smiling at how happy his wife is. Ben is smiling too, but it’s almost sad. Or maybe wistful. I’m not as good at reading people as Harlow, but she’s home with a sick Cora tonight.

“You good, Benny boy?” I ask him.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he says and sighs. “You know that guy I’ve talked to you about?”

“Of course.”

“He’d love this.”

“I gave you two passes,” I point out.

Ben nods. “You did, but we’re not exactly on speaking terms right now.”

“If you love him like I love Willa, you’ll work it out.”

He laughs. “Is that the scale?”

I shrug. “I love her epically. Like the entire reason my heart beats is for her.”

“You’re practically a poet,” he jokes.

“What do you love most about your man?”

Ben’s smile is so sad I want to hug him, but he’s not really a physical affection type of guy.

“He hears me when I’m quiet.”

“Fuck, dude.”

“Yeah.”

“I hope you work it out,” I tell him honestly.

“Me too.”

I turn my attention back to my wife. Her eyes are shut as she beats her drums and just feels the music. It’s fucking erotic. I could watch her do anything and find it erotic, but when she’s like this, in her element, it does something to me. It’s a particular mixture of pride and lust that gives me a high for her like no other.

“Fuck,” Ben mutters next to me. He answers his phone quickly. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but the call ends quickly.

“What?” I ask. He’s looking down at his phone with a scowl.

“The alarm on my house went off. The company is sending the police out, but I have to go meet them.”

“Shit, man. I hope everything is alright. Do you want me to go with you?”

He hesitates, looking out at the stage briefly before turning back to me. “No. Thanks for offering, though.”

“It’s not an issue. I can go if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I’ll call you if I need you. Does that work?”

“Only if you mean that,” I say.

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