“If one of you doesn’t move this second, I’m going to pee the bed.”
Thatworked. Ward rolled over so fast and so far he fell off the edge. Eric pulled his arm from around River’s midsection like he was on fire.
“Thank you,” River said, and slunk off to the bathroom to pee and try to rinse the grogginess from the inside of his skull.
God only knew how he still had any liquid in his body. He was sure he’d cried and sweated it all out the night before.
After he’d stood in the shower for twenty minutes, slurping the water coming from the head like a psycho, he brushed his teeth and stumbled back out to the room.
Eric and Ward were upright when he returned, Ward in the armchair by the window and Eric propped against the headboard, scrolling on his phone.
“Well, that was fun,” Eric said. “Let’s never do it again.”
River pointed at him. “Great idea.” He flung himself onto the couch. “We should make plans for the LA show. So that we don’t end up doing this.” He gestured to encompass the room.
Ward made a noise. “I think Ted booked out a restaurant for us for the after-party. Families, friends, industry people, whatever. Don’t you remember?”
“No,” River said honestly. “Can we put the label people in their own room?” Otherwise they were going to spend all night begging them to reconsider. Again.
“We’ll just kick them out if they’re assholes.”
That would work.
Eric grunted. “Hey. You see TMZ this morning?”
The fuck. River peered around the top of the couch to look at him. “Yeah, I’ve got the live feed beaming straight into my head.”
Eric flipped him off and gestured toward the room at large. Somewhere, River’s cell phone pinged. It took a minute to find it hiding amid the wreckage of last night’s room service.
He had a handful of texts from Jem, as well as a voice note, which he wanted to open first, but he also wanted to listen while he was alone, so he tapped the link Eric sent instead.
TMZ was also showing Jem’s face, apparently. And the long lean line of his body as he danced at what was obviously someone’s wedding, given the décor and the tux. River was having feelings about that jacket. Only things River had bought should fit Jem like that.
There were a handful of shots. Jem standing with a happy couple River presumed were the bride and groom and a tallwoman with a flower pinned to her lapel, all laughing, Jem’s bow tie hanging loose and unwrinkled like he hadn’t even tried to do it up. He had his arms around the other man on one side and the tall woman on the other, and was holding a pilfered pair of River’s sunglasses in one hand.
God, he looked good. River wanted to bite him.
Jem and just the groom, arms around each other, mugging for the camera; there was something similar about the set of their eyes and noses.
That had to be the half brother. But how could it be? Jem was supposed to be in bed in California, recovering from the end of the school year.
River flicked open his email. There—the delivery confirmation for the gift he’d sent.No answer at apartment. Left package at front desk.
Numbly, he went back to the photos.
Jem dancing with the bride, unselfconsciously getting down.
Jem sitting at a small table with the tall woman, his head thrown back in laughter as she looked at him with fond speculation.
River had no right to the stab of jealousy that went through him. He knew that. He was the one who had to go on tour; he couldn’t expect Jem to sit at home for two months while was gone. Actually, he’d have felt terrible if Jem sat at home.
But Jem hadn’t even mentioned he was going to a wedding, never mind that it was his brother’s. He certainly hadn’t told River he was leaving California for the weekend. In fact, he’d specifically said he was home doing nothing.
Why lie? It didn’t make any sense. And it hurt too, because a family wedding was the kind of thing you told your boyfriend about, surely? Especially if you were going aroundlooking that beautiful. Where was River’s bathroom mirror selfie?
He shoved down on the spike of jealousy. Just because the woman in those photos was exactly Jem’s type—
And then he scrolled back up and read the headline.
