That brings me up short. Has it been a year already since he’d first claimed me as his girlfriend? My birthday is still a few weeks away, so it must be. I make a mental note to go shopping for a little something for each of them. No way in hell am I not celebrating getting another year of loving these men.
“You want a tour?” Creed asks, rounding on us to gauge our reactions.
The rest of the crew is loading up the other buses, Fletcher’s included. We’re supposed to go over the schedule with him in about an hour before we take off. The energy surrounding the boys this morning felt different. I have a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that we didn’t have anybody grating on their nerves from the moment they arrived.
Riley looks at me, his throat bobbing a little. I’m pretty sure we’ve got the same nerves running through our bodies at the last memory we have associated with a bus like this.
“Hey,” Creed says softly, pulling our attention again. “If you don’t want to, we can find another way. It’ll be okay. Promise.”
His smile tells me that he means every word. Creed would absolutely find a new way to travel if neither Riley nor I could step foot onto the bus.
Ri laces his fingers through mine and gives me a gentle squeeze.
You okay?
I squeeze him back.
Yep. You?
One last squeeze before he says, “Lead the way.”
The bus is fucking incredible.It’s roughly the size of a small, yet spacious house on the inside. The bedroom in the back is actually large enough to fit the three of us comfortably, and the hallway has a built-in mini walk-in closet. Across from it is a shockingly spacious bathroom, and the kitchen is definitely larger than the old one.
I’d be lying if I said I was completely okay. I can’t ignore the nagging unease that comes with every glance I make at the couch along one wall of the bus. The memory of the strange man sittingthere waiting for me sneaks into the forefront of my mind, slowly taking over.
“Come back, Stardust.”
A soft kiss touches my cheek. “Come on, Snow. See me.”
“Feel me.”
It takes me a moment to register their words, but I blink my eyes, sucking in deep breaths as the world comes back into view.
“There she is,” Creed whispers, his hands stroking over my hair. “What set you off?”
Riley hands me a water bottle and a bag of M&M’s. My eyes dart to the couch, and they follow my line of sight. Creed pulls out his phone and fires off a text.
Minutes later, a handful of roadies knock on the door, and Creed has them fucking unbolt the leather couch from the floor, and a new, cream colored velveteen couch is brought in its place.
I turn on Creed. “Where the hell did you find another couch?” he laughs, and I huff, ripping open the bag of candy. Popping a few into my mouth, I say, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did, actually,” he states, plopping down on it the moment the crew leaves. “I want you to feel comfortable and safe while moving around in this space. It’ll be our home for the next few months, so yes, I did.”
Riley leans into my space and steals the M&M from between my fingers. “I’d just go with it. You know he’s gonna do what he wants anyway.”
“Bring your bratty ass over here and say it again, Riley Benjamin.”
“Is that a threat, or an offer,Credence?”
“You fucking—” Creed launches himself off the couch and bounds directly for Riley’s hips, tackling him to the ground.
They go down, and I laugh as they grapple for dominance. Riley never quit working out after therapy stopped, and he’s now easily Creed’s size in muscle mass. I settle on the couch to watchthe show when a knock comes at the door. A second later, Bear, Blair, Asher, Ayla, and Fletcher file onto the bus. They all pause when they see Creed and Riley tangled up on the floor.
The boys pay our new audience no mind, since this game of submission is now fueled by stubbornness and principle.
“Do they do this often?”
“Yes,” Bear and Asher answer at the same time.
