“Busy, but good. And thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
“Glad you liked them.”
He wouldn’t want flowers, but he knew many people, including his mom, loved to receive them. In fact, even though they’d been married for close to forty years, his dad either sent his mom an arrangement or brought home a bouquet once a month.
“What do you feel like doing tonight?”
“You told me to bring my pool cue, so I was looking forward to kicking your butt again tonight. But if you’ve changed your mind and want more time to practice, I won’t complain.”
“I don’t want you to be disappointed, so we can start with that.”
After a quick pit stop in the kitchen for snacks, he led her down to the entertainment room.
“How was your weekend in Providence?”
While he knew she liked Eclipse’s music, he wasn’t sure what else she enjoyed, so he selected a playlist from his phone that contained a mix of genres. “Nice. The last time I saw Trent and his wife was when Eclipse did a show in Providence last year, and I’d never met their second child. Trent’s brother and sister-in-law live in the same building, so they stopped by Saturday night.”
“I tried to get tickets to that show, but it sold out too fast. I saw you two years ago in Boston. Do you know when you might go on tour again?”
“We’ve got nothing planned, and it’s possible we won’t do another tour or album.”
He’d shared that information with only a handful of people. He didn’t know about the others, but since nothing had appeared in the media, he assumed they hadn’t shared the news with many either.
Liv froze, half her pool cue in each hand. “Seriously? You’re not going to release another album? I haven’t read anything about you guys breaking up.”
Matt almost laughed because she made it sound like they were in some weird multi-person romantic relationship. “Officially, nothing has been announced. But Travis and I are done with the group right now.”
“Why?” Before he answered, Liv shook her head and went back to putting her pool cue together. “Never mind. That’s none of my business.”
He appreciated the fact that she was willing to let the matter go, especially since many people wouldn’t, but he trusted that whatever he told her would stay between them. “For the lack of a better description, Carter’s always been the wild child of the group, and we’ve all tolerated his behavior.”
It was no secret that Carter lived the stereotypical rock star lifestyle. And even if she weren’t a fan of the band, Liv would’ve seen stories about his behavior in the media.
“But after his most recent incident, Travis and I decided we’ve had enough, and until he gets his crap together, we’re done.”
“Are you talking about the rumor that he was found passed out in a hotel room with a naked woman?”
How their publicist and manager had managed to keep all the details from coming out was a mystery to him.
“It wasn’t a rumor, and the woman he was found with had turned eighteen the day before. She’d gone to the concert to celebrate her birthday and then came backstage, which is how she met Carter. And he brought her back to his room, where they spent their time having sex, getting high, and drinking.” Matt clenched his teeth as he remembered the scene he’d walked in on that morning. It hadn’t been the first time he’d found his band member in a similar situation. “Cheating on his wife was bad enough, but he had no business being with someone that young.”
“I agree.”
“Eric and Jordan want to act like it never happened. But Travis and I can’t do that, and Carter refuses to admit he has a problem, so the band is in limbo.”
Which also meant his music career was in limbo unless he took his agent’s advice and started a solo career.
Matt removed the rack from the table. “Ladies first.”
“Are Carter and his wife still together? I remember reading about them getting married, but I haven’t seen anything about them since,” Liv asked before hitting the cue ball and sending it across the table.
He watched the balls scatter in different directions, but none reached a pocket. “Yeah, she forgave him. Why, I don’t know.”
Matt could understand McKenna forgiving Carter if he’d forgotten her birthday or if he’d promised to call every day while they were on the road and hadn’t. But he couldn’t wrap his head around her forgiving him after what he’d done.
“I wouldn’t be able to.” Liv gestured toward the table. “Your turn.”
“You didn’t leave me many options.” He considered his possible shots before settling on the solid blue two ball.
