Page 44 of Once Upon a Boyband
I pull off my hat and set it on my knee, then run my fingers through my hair with a sigh. “True.”
Laney stands and tugs me to my feet, then steps closer, wrapping her arms around my waist and stepping into my embrace. I hook my hands together at the small of her back. She leans up on her toes and presses a quick kiss to my lips. “Sometimes the hardest conversations are the ones most worth having,” she says. “You’re going to do great.”
Sarah is on the porch a few seconds later, eyeing us with unconcealed glee, like she can’t quite believe we have our arms around each other. “I know you guys aren’t actually engaged,” she says, motioning between us, “but can I just say how happy this makes me?”
I roll my eyes at my sister’s enthusiasm and have to stifle a groan at the reminder of the lie I still need to fix.
It’ll be easy to clear up the engagement thing with Freddie. He’s here. I can just tell him, explain why I felt like I needed to lie in the first place. But if Kevin told Freddie, there’s no telling who else might already know. Or how he might use the information if he thinks it will serve apurpose. Especially if that purpose begins with a dollar sign and ends in a whole lot of zeros.
“That’s right,” Laney says. “Freddie thinks we’re engaged.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I say to Laney. “Explain what’s really going on.”
She nods. “Will I still see you tomorrow night?”
“I want to see you, but I have no idea how long Freddie will be here. Can I text you after I talk to him? Maybe you can come here instead? We could all hang out together?”
She reaches up and pats my chest. “Baby steps, Adam. I don’t know if I can handle hanging out with fifty percent of Midnight Rush at once.”
I’ll take baby steps. Because she didn’t run away. She didn’t get mad. She still kissed me after learning that I’m one fourth of Midnight Rush. She knows, and we’re still okay.
I walk Laney to her car, kissing her one more time before saying goodbye and watching her drive away.
I should feel overwhelmed by the looming conversation with Freddie. With the idea of disappointing him. After eight years of relative anonymity, I’m just not sure I can go on stage again.Singagain after I swore I never would.
But with Laney’s scent still lingering on my skin, lips tingling and warm from the pressure of her kiss, I just can’t bring myself to care about anything else.
And I smile all the way to my front door.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Adam
Sarah leavesto go home just after Laney, so by the time I make it inside to find Freddie sitting at the piano, it’s just the two of us and Goldie. He’s playing something I’ve never heard before, but I immediately like it. It’s catchy, a little wistful, with a nice melody. He looks up and smiles when he sees me, but he doesn’t stop, so I walk toward him, lowering myself into the nearest chair.
Beside the piano, a guitar rack holds three guitars—a classical Yamaha that I’ve had since I was a kid and two acoustic: a Martin D-28 Sarah found at an estate sale in Knoxville priced for half what it was worth, and my favorite, a 1962 vintage Gibson I splurged on when my latest royalty check from the record label was larger than I expected.
Freddie motions toward the guitars, his fingers still rolling across the keys. “Are you playing?”
“Some. I mostly just mess around.” I nod toward the piano. “What is that?”
“Just memessing around. I like the melody, but I can’t write a lyric worth anything.” His hands fall away, and he turns on the piano bench to face me. “It’s good to see you, Deke.”
“Adam,” I say quickly. “I know you knew me as Deke, but I haven’t gone by that name in a really long time.”
“No problem.” Freddie leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “You look good, Adam. Different. Had I just seen you on the street, I’m not sure I’d have recognized you.”
It’s still hard to believe Freddie’s here, after so many years apart. The record label loved to talk up our friendship to the press, but it wasn’t just talk. We were always as close as they claimed we were.
Until we weren’t anymore.
And that’s on me.
“Yeah. I’ve changed a lot, I guess.”
Goldie wanders over to Freddie and drops her head onto his knee. Freddie starts to pet her, and her tail wags before she looks over at me, like she’s giving me her approval.
“You’re huge, man,” Freddie says. “You have to be hitting the gym.”
