“He’s been awesome,” Jesse adds, joining us.
“The band is so relieved he’s been able to step in,” Harley says. “Now Kingston can take the time he needs to properly heal his voice.”
“I have to tell you guys, I’ll be pretty excited if he starts performing as Ross Rockit solo,” Presley says. “My aunt is a huge fan. She’s going to lose her mind.”
We all chuckle.
“What do you think about all that?” Harley asks me.
“He has to follow his heart,” I say. “Am I excited about women all over the world throwing themselves at him? No. But if he’s happy, then so am I.”
“It’s all about trust,” Jesse says thoughtfully. “I know Kellan isn’t going to cheat on me. I just do. He loves me. I love him. We have a bond. Could it happen? Of course. I’m not stupid. But we put in the work to make sure it doesn’t.”
“But you’re here,” I say quietly. “You’re on tour with him. I can’t be. It’s going to be exponentially harder for us.”
The ladies are all quiet for a beat, as if mulling it over.
“You could be here too,” Harley says.
“You know how I feel about taking money from you,” I say firmly.
“What about taking money from him?” Presley asks gently. “I mean, if you’re going to be together?—”
“It’s been a week,” I interrupt. “Six months from now, yes, we might need to have this conversation. But right now? I just want to fall in love without thinking about all the other stuff.”
My sister looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. Instead, she smiles and takes my arm. “Well, then let’s just think about falling in love.”
“I love you,” I whisper gratefully.
“Love you more.”
We wander closer to the stage, pausing to put in earplugs. It’s so loud this close but she’s always loved watching from as close as possible and now I feel the same pull. To be as close to the magic as we possibly can.
“Is it weird?” I ask her.
“What?” she asks curiously.
“The need to be this close to them. Even when they’re performing. Like, shouldn’t we be bored with this part of it and just be thinking about the men they are outside of music?”
She shakes her head. “But music is who they are. I can’t speak for you, but the man I love is a musician. That’s his identity. Not all of it, obviously, but without music, he wouldn’t be Tommy Bane. I don’t know who he’d be, and maybe I would love him anyway, but the man I love is this larger-than-life, enigmatic, talented rock and roll drummer. That’s who he is, so yes, I want to be near him when he plays because it’s part of him.”
“Would it be the same if he was a surgeon? Like, would you want to be in the operating room?”
“I think it’s different because it’s music, and I love the music too. This is why celebrities have such rabid fans—we’re drawn to specific kinds of talent. I imagine there’s some of that in every industry. This one is just more fun.”
I gaze over at Ross, who’s doing something with a microphone, and it occurs to me that music is part of him, just like it is Tommy.
That’s why I was so insistent about it when we first met. Almost as if I knew how much he missed it before he did.
So, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me, I have to let him be who he is.
And figure out who I am in the process.
Chapter Eighteen
Ross
Having Wynter back is great, but we have less than forty-eight hours together.
