I’ve never had a best friend who was a woman before. I see now that’s what Paige is to Rhett, Baylee to Mav, and Honey to Beau. My brothers ended up with their best friends.
And mine looks at me like I stomped on her heart before I lit it on fire.
Thick, ominous clouds hang over the city as I stand on the curb with Layla and the guys. Shane nudges me. “How are things going? Any luck?”
He motions to Rory, who’s sitting inside by the large picture window. Our eyes meet through the glass, and she turns away.“Not yet.” I tug at my t-shirt because it’s hard to breathe. I’m not sure if it’s the high humidity or if it’s because I feel like I’m dying.
“You gonna be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” If I can get Rory to talk to me again.
“Rara!” Layla grins at me, and I try to reciprocate.
“That’s right, ladybug. Rara’s over there.” I have her wave to Rory, who looks as depressed as I feel. Our bus finally pulls up with the trailer in the back for our gear, and Edmond and Ozzie emerge to talk to Frank. We start loading our stuff under the bus, but I stop when I hear Frank yelling.
“You weren’t supposed to switch buses. Jace needs that…” I don’t catch the rest, but Frank looks like he’s about to stroke out.
Ozzie gets on the phone, and Layla and I head over to my manager. “What’s going on?”
Frank closes his eyes. “Tour bus got switched. This one only has bunks.”
Son of a bitch. “I thought we locked in the one with the master bedroom.”
“That’s what I was told.”
Ozzie gets off the phone. “Sorry, fellas. This is what we have, and if you want to make it to Oklahoma for tonight’s show, we’d better get going.” He glances at the horizon, which is gray. “The second half of that front is sweeping in soon.”
Fucking perfect.
Rory walks up to us with her arms crossed. On her arm is her tote bag with all of her books and journals. “Is everything okay?”
Not by a long shot. “This bus only has bunk beds.”
She pushes up her glasses and shrugs. “So we’ll take turns with Layla. I’ll work on a schedule.” She pats Frank on the shoulder. “You did your best. It’ll be okay.”
“Thanks, kid. Appreciate you understanding.”
That’s it? Isn’t she pissed? We’re gonna have to take care of a baby while we sleep in goddamn bunk beds. Or is she just running away from me?
I hand Layla to Rory and stalk after my manager. “Frank, hold up. I’m not okay with this. We’re paying a lot of money for this bus, and you said we’d get the same setup for the rest of the tour.” I might not have known I needed a master bedroom when we started, but I’ve been vocal about how much it’s helped with the baby.
“I’ll see what we can do about switching it out at some point. For now, this is it.”
At some point? When might that be? Next week? Or after Rory divorces my dumb ass?
I watch Frank walk away, completely blind to the fact he just drove the final nail into the coffin of my marriage. Rory and I will never survive this new setup. I already know she’s gonna hole up in her bunk bed for the rest of the summer, only coming out if absolutely necessary.
Grinning, Cooper holds out his arms. “Welcome to bunk bed life. Hope y’all know this doesn’t mean I’m curbing my nighttime activities.” He waggles his bushy brows at me.
“You’re not fucking groupies two at a time, feet away from my sleeping daughter.” His friends run up and down the bus naked after shows and do drugs. I’ve lived the party life too, so I understand where he’s coming from, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with that shit around my baby.
“Why not? You fuck Rory within spitting distance. Isn’t she just a groupie with a nicer title?”
I haul back and punch him in the goddamn mouth. “Don’t fucking talk about her like that.”
Shane and Derek yank me away as Cooper spits out blood. “Are you really picking that little mouse who barely talks to anyone over me?”
I lunge at him again, but my friends keep me from kicking his ass. “Shut the fuck up. You don’t know shit about her.”
