“Decker. The better-looking brother, some might say.”
“Some might be delusional.” Brynn winked.
“Ouch.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “And here I thought lawyers were supposed to be diplomatic.”
“Only in court. Outside court, I’m a menace.”
“I like menaces.”
They stared at each other, the air between them crackling with something I couldn’t quite name.
Faith appeared from the front of the bus. “Autumn! You made it.” She pulled me into a quick hug that surprised me. “This must be the famous Brynn. I’ve heard so much about you. Mostly about how you keep Autumn sane.”
Faith grabbed water bottles from the mini-fridge and passed them around. “Fair warning—the bathroom’s temperamental, Decker snores like a chainsaw, and we’re stopping for gas station snacks in about an hour because Cole refuses to eat actual meals on tour days.”
“I eat meals!” Cole protested.
“Beef jerky and Red Bull don’t count as meals.”
“They do if you believe hard enough.”
The bus lurched into motion. Cole grabbed my hand, steadied me, and pulled me down onto the couch beside him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just… this is surreal.”
“Good or bad surreal?”
“I don’t know yet.”
He kissed my temple. “Fair enough.”
The drive to Charlotte took almost three hours. Cole spent most of it with his arm around me, pointing out landmarks, telling stories about previous tours—the time their bus broke down in Tennessee and they had to hitchhike to a gig, the show in Georgia where someone threw a bra at Decker and it landed on his drums mid-song.
“It was lacy.” Decker had claimed the seat across from Brynn. “Red. Very tasteful.”
“There’s nothing tasteful about throwing underwear at performers.” Brynn tucked her legs under her, looking more relaxed than I’d seen her in months.
“I disagree. The color coordination alone showed real thought.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You like it.”
Brynn’s cheeks flushed. “I absolutely do not.”
“Liar.” His grin was wicked. “Your face is doing this thing where you’re trying not to smile. It’s cute.”
“I’m a criminal defense attorney. I don’t do cute.”
“You’re doing it right now.”
“I hate you.”
“Give it time. That’ll change.”
Faith settled into the seat next to me, lowering her voice. “How are you handling all this? The touring life, I mean. It’s a lot to take in.”
