Page 40 of When It Reins
“All right, let’s roll.” Jax waves his hand, and we grab our bags, Juniper and I grabbing our guitar cases and following the pack.
The elevator ride is full of Luella gabbing about being back in LA. I guess this was one of their stops on tour when she went with them last summer.
Juniper rolls her lips into her mouth, rubbing them back and forth over and over with nerves. I know this because I can’t stop staring at her damn lips.
I never claimed to be a saint.
We follow the others to their doors, and I set the bag I am carrying for Luella down inside her room for her, given that she is carrying the baby. I walk to my room, wondering where Juniper is going to be staying.
Turning to her, I see her standing unsure behind me, her eyes dancing from mine to Felicity.
“Oh!” Felicity says, pointing at me. “You’re bunking in the same room. Is that okay?”
My heart jumps in my chest. Sharing a room. Hell.
“Oh, yeah. That’s great. Thank you,” Juniper says, following me down the hall.
“We’ll meet you guys for dinner in a couple of hours. Sound good?”
We agree, and I place the card against the reader, hoping like hell I can get my hand to stop shaking long enough to get us in the room.
It clicks unlocked, and I push it open, holding the door for Juniper to enter behind me. She smiles at me, and I let the door fall shut. As we walk into the room, I notice one thing, and only one thing.
One. Fucking. Bed.
Now, I could pretend that my sister-in-law is not diabolical, but I know better.
“Oh,” Juniper says softly, staring at the bed in thought. She doesn’t look mad, just confused. “One bed. Do you want to see if we can get a different room?”
She looks at me innocently, and I stare back. This feels like a trap, like something I am supposed to say yes to even though I have no desire to do so.
I shrug and look at her. “Only if you want to.”
“Nope.” Her confident answer makes me chuckle, and I nod my head, settling my guitar down against one wall and my bag on a chair.
“Wanna go over a couple of songs?” She twists her hands nervously and looks at her stuff. She is acting a little off, but I’m sure this is all really big for her.
“Sure,” I answer, grabbing my guitar out of the case and walking to where she sits on the bed, boots discarded on the floor beside her. Settling on the edge of the bed, I start to strum a few chords, getting a rhythm for some of the songs we worked on.
We are doing three songs that are hers and a cover.
It isn’t anything she hasn’t done before. Her sets at the bar were far longer than this, with multiple moving parts.
This is just a bigger venue.
My only goal for this weekend is to be the person she can rely on for help, to soothe her nerves, and to keep her calm when she feels like she is out of control.
An hour later, after going through the set a couple of times and talking about cues and changes, she sets off to get ready for our night out. According to the text Jax sent me, we are having a fancy dinner at an upscale restaurant and then going out afterward.
It feels like Juniper and I are being set up, not that I care. This is what I want. I just haven’t been able to make that leap yet.
I’m adjusting the collar of my white button-down shirt in the mirror, my hair and beard combed and my cologne on, jeans clean and boots shiny when the bathroom door opens, and Juniper walks out.
Her long brown hair is made into big curls. Her makeup is more extensive than I’ve ever seen before, but she looks stunning. She’s got on a black dress that hugs her tight and necklaces drape over her. Her black cowboy boots nearly meet her knees, but it’s her eyes that hold me captive.
“Starling,” I start, my feet making their way to her of their own accord. I stop just inches from her, and she looks at me with a smile on her face. “You are beautiful.”
She blushes and looks me up and down. I suddenly hope that she likes what she sees when I usually don’t care what other people think. “You clean up nice, Hero.”
