Page 116 of Before Now

“You never greet me like that,” Chase says.

Foster’s hand falls away, a sudden rigidness to him, and he turns to his friend. “Taste like her, and I’ll start.”

My cheeks heat at the grin spreading on Chase’s face, and I take a swig.

“So.” He crosses his arms but still points a finger between us. “You kiss her like that in front of me. Yet Colt called you Adams in front of her…” He lets out a surprised chuckle. “Little bro don’t know?”

“No.” Foster steps forward. “Keep it that way, asshole. It’s complicated.” He slaps Chase’s palm, telling him, “If I don’t catch your parents on the way out, tell them I’ll stop by the house this week.”

Chase nods. “See you in the morning for fishing.”

“Can’t wait to throw you off the boat.” Foster smacks him in the back of the head. He ducks in to kiss my cheek, a noticeable dip in his mood. His fingers skim over my hand, lips still on my skin. “I’ll see you later.”

A shiver flits down my spine, and I flash a small smile. My gaze trails after him as he walks away.

Chase sighs. “I’m suddenly remembering how disgusting you two were.”

I tilt my head at him and squint. “And I’m suddenly remembering you owe me a hundred bucks.”

He shrugs, pushing backward and spinning around to the pool table. “I’ll play you for it.”

While he racks the balls, Colton returns—blue ass lamp in hand. Fitting since Chase proceeds to hand me my ass in pool.

* * *

“You were right,”I tell Colton.

He spares a glance, pulling into the hotel’s parking garage. “I already know this is a setup, so go ahead.”

I shrug as he parks. “I didn’t like Chase more than you.” When he starts to smile, I open my door. “Valeria’s so superior, neither of you even rank anymore.”

The driver door shuts, and his eye roll is still going.

But I’m serious. Val rescued me from the bro-holes—her words, but they feel accurate. We went up to the rooftop patio, drank wine, and talked about all the things the guys never would. She’s already texted me a list of spas and demanded I pick one for us to visit before we go back on the road.

Spending time with her was easy, even when we dipped into heavier topics. Nothing too deep, which I appreciated, but enough to remind me how lonely it gets sometimes.

I’ve always avoided the deeper connections. The ones where you share the bad and dark places. My last close-close friend was Sage, and I still kept a lot from her.

Foster’s the only person who has it all.

Maybe telling him what happened back then is the next step forward I needed in reclaiming my life. Maybe it leads to pushing through the lingering fears. Maybe I’ll tell someone else. Right now the idea of either has my skin crawling, a ball of anxiety lodging in my chest.

But I’ve conquered a lot the last two years. So, I’ll take maybe one day as a win.

After wine, we caked. Several other people showed up to help Chase celebrate. I can’t help but wonder if Foster left earlier to avoid a group. If he thought he needed to because of who he is to most of them.

When I met Chase and Colton’s parents, they beamed over Adams. But the name didn’t sound nearly as familiar from them as it should, given the subject lived with them as a teenager, which makes sense. They probably see Foster in private far more often than in public and don’t use the stage name much.

Knowing him, he didn’t want them to stress over it with other people around. Or draw attention from Chase. I just wish I could shake the feeling of his unease before he left having to do with me.

As I lean back against the elevator wall, Colton scans his card and presses the button for the private lounge floor.

“You’re coming down, right?”

“I guess I am now.” I hesitate. “Are Dev and Felix still mad at me? You said Adams cleared it up.”

He rolls his head toward me. “We’re all on the same page. We were assholes, but I hope you can see it from the band’s point of view. Out of nowhere, they were told you felt sexually harassed. The label even made it sound like you were scared to be on the bus with us alone.”

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