Growing up, Keith and Jake had always been the nice brothers, with Quinn and I being the pricklier sort. Whether it was playing music together or riding Grace on the front of his skateboard, Jake had always carved out time for her. When he’d disappeared, Grace had been too young to really understand what was happening. During that time, when she’d ask for Jake, the answer was always, ‘He’ll be home soon,’ so it was possible she’d thought he was away on vacation or something. The day he arrived home, after spending nearly a month in the hospital, Grace still had not seen him, nor did she have any clue as to where he’d been or the extent of his injuries. She was just excited to have him home. In retrospect, we should have prepared her better. Obviously she’d been expecting Jake back and not the battered, broken boy Dad pushed through the door in the wheelchair. Grace took one look at him and started screaming. We never really figured out what terrified her so much, but she refused to be alone with him in the same room for a very long time. Needless to say, Jake was not pleased by her reaction, and he made it a point to stay as far away from her as possible. Their relationship had only in the past few years morphed into what it was today.
“Did you know Jake had a girlfriend before you left?” Mom asked me.
“No. I mean, I knew he really liked her after they met at the wedding, but I had no idea she went on tour with him or that they were together.”
“I guess it was a good thing you were gone, or it would have been real crowded on that bus,” Mom teased.
“Yeah, that would have been awkward, especially with my bunk right up against the bedroom wall.”
“Ew… Like I want to hear that,” Grace complained.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you already knew, being best friends with him and all.”
“Shut up.”
“Grace,” Mom admonished, shaking her head. “Anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem now. Casey is back home for school. Did you know she moved to LA?”
“I talked to Jake yesterday and he filled me in.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. When Jake comes home, he said he’d bring her by.”
I nodded. Little did my mother know I’d been planning to bring my own girl home to meet her… until that girl crapped all over me.
“Wait… I thought you met Casey at the wedding,” I said.
“Well, I guess I did, but I don’t remember her. I just thought she was another groupie. I don’t think I even looked at her,” Mom laughed.
It wasn’t a joke. She was not subtle when it came to her dislike of the women who hung all over Jake. She took on that judgmental face that screamed, ‘You’re not good enough for my boy.’
Mom grabbed my arm. “Enough about your brother. I want to hear everything about your adventures.”
“Did you shame the family name?” Grace eyed me mischievously.
“Probably,” I said pulling her into a hug and then attacking her side with my fingers. “Would you expect any less?”
“From you?” She giggled, squirming away from me. “No way.”
* * *
Istayedhome for a few days, hanging out with the family, but I wasn’t planning on staying long. I was itching to get back to the tour and Jake. Returning to a normal routine was what I needed to get my mind off the show. It was all I could think about. I missed the island and Dale and Carl and hell, even Marsha, but most of all, I missed Kenzie. And that pissed me off. It was easier to hate her than to miss her. I just needed to get away. The fast pace and excitement of touring would take my mind off everything.
The plan was for me to join the tour in Amsterdam, and then the busses would roll into Denmark to begin the Scandinavia portion of the tour. Because Jake had a concert the night I arrived, I was picked up by one of our security guys, Dominic, who’d worked for Jake for years and had become a good friend.
“You’re all they could part with?” I insulted, as I walked up lugging my bags.
Dom smiled and opened his arms as if to say,Yeah, I’m it.
“I’m hurt. I’m not even worth getting an escort from Vadim?”
“Nope. You’re lucky they didn’t send Beau to pick your sorry ass up.”
“Beau?” I laughed. “Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
“Exactly. So aren’t you happy to see me now?”
“I guess. And on the bright side, at least I got the pretty boy of the group,” I complimented, although we both knew he was anything but. With body-covering tattoos that climbed up his neck, his shiny bald top, and his near-continuous, badass grimace, Dom was as far from a pretty boy as you could get.
“Yep, I’m trying something new with my hair. You like?”
