Page 35 of Reverb
It was. Ray interacted with music in a way Mish didn’t, but they all sank into their songs when they played. In those moments, only the music, the stage, and the fans existed. She needed that more than anything right now. “When do we get there?”
“Couple hours,” Zavier said. He flipped the cover of his tablet closed. “Though I believe we’ll be hitting a rest stop soon.”
Over by the berths, Dom finally rolled out, blinking into the light of the day. “Please tell me there’s coffee.”
“Babe, it’s me. Of course there’s coffee.” Adrian rose to pour a cup.
“I fucking love you,” Dom said. Adrian handed over the mug and stole a kiss, which led to Dom leaning against his fiancé.
They were adorable together, which both warmed and broke Mish’s heart. Hard not to be happy for Dom and Adrian—or for Ray and Zav, for that matter. But it was a reminder that though this was her family, she was alone in that regard. Sure, Ray was a shoulder and a brother, and the others were as supportive, but there were different connections she missed. Physical ones. Emotional ones, like the way Dom relaxed as Adrian steered him to his usual spot on the couch.
Dom sat and bumped her shoulder. “Hey. You feeling better?”
“Yeah,” she said, because it was true. “Your man makes a mean cup of coffee.”
His grin was still edged with sleep, and he drank deeply before turning those eyes back onto Adrian. “Second best part of the morning.” The heat in that look probably could have fried an egg.
Adrian laughed and booped Dom’s nose with his finger. “Shush, you.”
Zavier rolled his eyes, but was smiling. “Ray doesn’t want to know.”
“Damn straight,” Ray said. “Some things can stay private.” He took a sip. “I’m gonna need to talk with David when we stop. Didn’t last night because we were all too tired.”
“I thought you did talk to him.” Mish had watched Ray bound off the bus when she’d gotten up to get ready to sleep.
He looked up at the roof of the bus for a moment, obviously thinking of how to word what he wanted to say. Finally, he met her gaze. “I did, but that was to make sure he wasn’t going to quit on us, or shoulder all the blame.”
Shock zinged through Mish and she sat up straight. “Why the fuck would he blame himself?”
“’Cause he didn’t see that asshole coming,” Adrian said. “Thinks he should have.”
She shook her head. “Men.”
Zavier chuckled. “More like ‘protectors.’ Pretty sure you’d have done the same thing, had your roles been reversed.”
She grunted. Zavier had a point. “Touché.”
Ray scrunched up his face. “Marcella’s also gonna ask you if you want to press charges against the guy who stole your ring.”
“Ugh. No.” The thought of having to deal with that incident for much longer made her skin crawl. “I love that ring, but it’s not worth the press on my ass or dealing with lawyers.”
“Yeah, she figured. But she’s gotta ask,” Ray said.
Mish grabbed her phone and texted Marcella, then grabbed some fresh clothes. “Gonna go catch a shower.”
Didn’t take her long to get washed and dressed. The guys all got themselves together, too, and soon they slowed down onto an exit ramp. Mish nudged Ray with her foot. “I want to talk to David, too.”
“Figured you might.” Ray’s grin made sense. She hadn’t exactly been subtle about her interest in David. His smile slipped away. “I’ll let him know.”
Only then did it occur to Mish that maybe David wouldn’t want to talk to her. She was the job, after all.Shit. “Did he really try to quit?”
Ray shook his head. “I think he knows he’s in this for the long run. But he was angry and upset. It gutted him, not being able to return your ring, even though he caught the shit who took it.”
Because David took his job seriously. She knew what would come next: the professional face. No morerock queenordarlingdesigned to make her laugh. “Well, it gutted me, so at least we have that in common.”
“You have a lot of things in common,” Ray said.
She wanted to ask him what he meant, but the bus swung into a rest stop with a lurch, and Ray was out the door as soon as the bus was parked. She and the rest of the band were slower, but Mish spotted David almost immediately. Ray was already talking to him. Even so, she met David’s stare and tried to smile. Probably failed, since he looked down before saying something to Ray.
