“And?”
“He’s pissed.”
“About what?” Silly question because there could be only one thing that would bother Angel Fire’s manager.
Ash took another draw of coffee. “He’s on damage control.”
“Damage control?” She sucked in a breath, knowing well enough to be worried by that expression. “We’ll be back at the airport to get your Jeep later tonight, and if we drive through the night, we can get to DC by morning. There’s not much you can do about it now.”
Ash tugged in a deep breath. “That’s just it. He wants to take immediate action.”
“Immediate action?” She waved at the sky. “Unless he can descend from the heavens, he’s going to have to wait.”
Ash pulled her close. “You’re forgetting who I am.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s on his way.”
“On his way?”
“He took the jet…and we’re meeting him at the next town.”
She wasn’t sure what to think about meeting Angel Fire’s pissed off manager.
“And I should probably warn you, the whole band’s tagging along. They want to know what the fuck I was thinking, getting married to a girl I’d just met.”
She shrugged. “It was a silly mistake.” And still not confirmed. “Tell them not to get their panties in a wad.”
“Oh, that’s priceless.” He laughed. “I can’t wait to see Spike’s expression when I tell him that.” Ash sobered. “The guys are cool, but they’re protective. They believe I’m back on drugs or drinking again, and they think you tricked me. I’m afraid they’re planning an intervention.”
“An intervention?”
He nodded. “Just don’t judge them. They can come off a little heavy-handed. Don’t worry; I’ll run interference.”
“Oh.” She didn’t like the sound of him running interference. The last thing she wanted was to come between him and his band.
He fisted his free hand, turning his knuckles white. “What we have is meant to be. You get that, right?” He grabbed her, holding her tight against his chest, as if he were afraid to let her go.
“We’ll just explain.” She buried her head, enjoying the comfort of his arms. His rich smell enveloped her in a fog of everything right.
He kissed the top of her head. “Good. It took a lot for the guys to trust me after rehab. I’ve been clean and sober for too many years, and I don’t want them thinking the wrong thing. It’s not like I didn’t…”
She returned his hug, trying to be supportive. Knowing how Forest struggled with his addiction, she understood how important it was to have his friends trust him.
“We’ll get it annulled or something.” She pulled back and searched his expression for a clue as to his thoughts.
His lips pressed into a thin line.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No, babe.” He finished filling the rental. “It’d be kind of a funny though, wouldn’t it?” His eyes rounded with a hopeful expression.
“What would?”
“If we stayed married.”
She got into the car and buckled in. “Who gets married after three days? That’s insane.”
