Page 63 of I Need You Tonight
Chapter 22
Mason
Jared and I waited at the counter of our favorite New York City deli for our food. It had been his idea for Nicole and Callie to meet us in Central Park for lunch—even if the temperature was chilly. Although I wouldn’t have been too surprised if he had come up with the idea as an excuse to cuddle with his wife some more.
“Having a wife and kid has made you go soft,” I told him with a laugh. “Since when do you do picnics?”
“My family used to have them all the time when I was growing up. Still do, especially since Logan loves them.”
My parents used to love them too when I was a kid. Back before I was too cool to hang out with them. Back before my family disowned me.
“Anyway, you’re going to thank me for this,” he said.
“How so?”
“You need to make the most of the time you two aren’t on the bus with the rest of us, and this is the perfect way to do that.”
I chuckled, the sound a little forced, as were my next words. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Except I knew exactly what he meant. I’d been living under the delusion that no one, including Nicole and the band, had figured out that I’d been falling for her since day one, even before I realized it myself.
He leveled his gaze at me, as if the answer to my question was so obvious that only an idiot wouldn’t see it. “It means you’re in love with Nicole.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” My gaze darted around the crowded deli, searching for anyone who might have overheard him. I didn’t need to find myself suddenly engaged on the front page of whatever trash some asswipe paparazzi worked for.
“Right,” Jared said, his voice heavy on the skepticism. “When was the last time you hooked up with a groupie?”
I shrugged. “A few weeks.” More like two and a half months.
“My guess is you haven’t screwed around with anyone since before my wedding, with the exception of Nicole. And it’s not just that. Before she joined us, we always had to be on the lookout for you pranking us. You haven’t done anything since she joined us on tour.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m in love with her. It just means I’m tired from all the touring and haven’t had the chance to fuck a groupie.” And it meant I was too distracted by Nicole to even think about pranking the guys.
He raised his hands, palms out. “All right, you’re not in love with her…so why do you keep looking at her like you are?”
“I don’t…” The words faded away at Jared’s I-don’t-buy-it-and-neither-will-the-guys expression.
“So when are you going to tell her how you feel about her?” he asked, apparently not ready to drop the topic of my love life anytime soon.
“I’m not telling her,” I grunted, “because I’m not boyfriend material.”
A couple of teenage girls stepped into the deli, giggling. One glanced in our direction, and her mouth flopped open as she stared at Jared and me.
“How do you know you’re not boyfriend material?” Jared asked, oblivious to the girls. “It’s not like you’ve ever had a girlfriend.”
“Maybe I don’t want to be a boyfriend. I like being single. It’s simpler.” What was the point of having a girlfriend if you had to worry about her walking away because you were always on the road and were never there for her? My music was all I had left after everything else that had happened in the past. It was the only thing that had never turned its back on me.
Jared didn’t say anything for a moment, and I figured he had dropped the topic. But then he spoke again. “It has nothing to do with whether or not you think you’re good enough to be someone’s boyfriend. This has to do with what happened with your family.”
My gaze slid back to the girls still standing near the entrance. All three were now staring at us, prepared to let out a fangirl scream at any second…or maybe implode from seeing us here. Fortunately, they were too far away to hear our conversation.
“It has nothing to do with that,” I grumbled, already regretting that I’d let Jared talk me into this picnic.
“You’re not a gambling addict anymore, Mason,” he said, dropping his voice so that there was no chance of anyone overhearing him. “You haven’t gambled in years. Maybe it’s time you let go of the past and move on with your future. Tell Nicole how you feel about her.”
I snorted a laugh. “When did you develop a pair of ovaries?”
“When did you become such an idiot? Look, I know what I’m talking about. I screwed things up big-time with Callie, in case you’ve forgotten. Don’t make my mistake, and don’t make the same mistake Nolan made. We both nearly lost the women we love. At least learn from our mistakes.”
“Order for Jared,” the blonde at the counter called out, ending our conversation, for which I was thankful.
