“Paint and carpet and a lot of demolition.” Linx shook his head. “That place is a money pit.”
Bax grinned. Knox got that house because Bax had already offered on the sleek modern villa across the road. The other neighbors on the street weren’t ready to sell this week, and Knox had no patience to wait.
“I want to see these houses.” Courtney pulled herself up to stand.
Bax stood too, moving behind her just in case she needed a hand or anything. “I’m thinking we hit up Knox’s house first because then my place will look even better.”
“Let’s go.” Knox stood and jingle-jangled a set of keys in his hand.
“If you haven’t bought the house, how do you have keys?” Courtney asked, adjusting her shirt over the belly he’d really grown to dig.
“I asked.” Knox lifted a shoulder.
“It’s not like he can make the carpet smell more like piss,” Bax said under his breath.
Knox’s house came from the estate of an older couple who decorated it in the 1960s and never looked back. Pink tile, pink appliances, pink carpet in the bathroom that smelled like it’d been pissed on for the last sixty years, and pastel purple curtains everywhere else.
Epic shit that could be on one of those HGTV lifestyle demolition shows.
Not to say that Bax hadn’t sent photos of the place to TMZ. Bax had totally sent photos of Knox’s new digs to TMZ. He should probably mention that to Courtney, since she’d probably want to play defense on that one.
“You are all buying houses before we go on tour?” Courtney used her not-a-good-idea tone. “Now you have to get house sitters.”
“Just one because they’re so close to each other,” Linx said.
Courtney shifted, rubbing her stomach like it hurt. Which made Bax stand at attention like a guard dog.
“Where have I been while you went house shopping?” she asked, still rubbing the little bump.
“Working.” Bax pursed his lips. He didn’t love the hours Courtney was putting in for tour prep. Between that and catnaps, she hadn’t asked for a repeat of their bedroom groping session. He’d seriously reconsidered his abstinence declaration until she was ready to try for more than just a bedroom fling. Not because he needed to get off—he had a working hand. But because he wanted to be with her. Have the ability to hang out while she slept and not feel like a total creeper.
But the argument that had started all the fights between them nagged at his conscience. He needed to address it, apologize for it.
He’d not been the best guy when she caught him with a groupie behind the stage. Cleo—he still remembered her name because he wasn’t a total asshole—had been all in for bagging a rocker, so it wasn’t like he’d taken advantage. They’d both taken advantage of each other for different reasons.
The way Courtney dressed him down though? The clear disappointment in who she thought he was had pissed him right the hell off. Made him rethink his decision. He didn’t want to rethink that decision and resented that she’d called him out. Brennan may have gotten called out, but no one called out Bax for being Bax.
The part of him that was Brennan didn’t resent Courtney because she was wrong, but because he was terrified she was right. They’d never had that kind of a fight before, and he’d never been so wrong. Therefore, being doesn’t-give-two-fucks Bax was easier. He went that route.
Growing up, they’d always gotten along about most everything. They argued about little things, but the friendship wasn’t like that. They’d coexisted just fine.
He tired of that groupie gig and realized Courtney was right about things. Their friendship was over—and he wasn’t willing to admit she’d been right to anyone but himself. So he found Em. He thought he was ready for a life of not being that guy anymore. And then shit went down, and things got fucked.
Courtney yawned and stretched.
“Do you need to lie down? Maybe you should get some rest.” He wanted to touch her hair. Kiss her temple. Pick her up and tuck her into bed.
Courtney clearly had other ideas, what with the way she rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Thanks though. I’ve got houses to see.”
He wanted to argue his point, but he didn’t. He only lifted his chin in response.
“We’re looking for a permanent place,” Linda, Courtney’s mom, said. “Anyone want to buy us a mansion?”
“Sure.” Linx nodded. “Pick it out, and it’s on me.”
“We wouldn’t say no either!” Cherie yelled through the screen.
“You don’t have to yell, we have the volume turned up,” Linda yelled back.
