“I love you too.” I kissed her on the top of her head. “You little shit.”
Ella reached out to embrace me too, giving Jax one last inspection with her eyes. “Is your phone charged?”
“Yes, mom.” I snickered.
“Call me if you need me.” Ella kissed my cheek. “I love you, babe. I’ll text you soon to check on you, and if this fool pulls any funny business—”
“I’m not gon—” Jax started to defend himself, but Ella cut him off.
“And if this fool pulls any funny business,I’m fully prepared to take his life.” She pointed two fingers at her eyes and then back at him to indicate that she was watching him. “I said what I said.” Cash chuckled from where he stood beside her, clearly as amused by this entire situation as I was.
Jax held his hands up in surrender. “I promise.”
With one last wave, Cash led Grace and Ella through the exit to the outside, and I was left standing face to face with Jax. He raised his brow, looking at me like a kid at Christmas.
He stared at me thoughtfully for a moment, looking me over in a way that made me wonder what he was thinking. I was beginning to wonder if I’d made a horrible mistake when he offered his arm to me. “Are you ready?”
Taking his arm, I felt every nerve in my body stand to attention. “Ready.”
“I’ve got to grab my stuff and let the guys know I’m out of here.” He interrupted my thoughts as we reentered the dressing room we’d been in together only a couple of hours before. How was I standing here with Jaxon Slade about to embark on God knows what kind of adventure? Was this even real?
“Liv!” I was brought back to reality as Dallas stood, wrapping his tattooed arms around me in a hug. Jax stepped over to the long counter against the wall and rummaged through one of the gym bags strewn out on the counter, finally landing on a wallet and a set of keys. I watched with probably far too much interest as he shrugged his muscular shoulders into a distressed denim jacket. “You’re still here. What did you guys think of the show?”
“You guys were amazing,” I said. “Grace was over the moon.”
“She’s a cool kid.” Dallas grinned, glancing sideways at Jax who had returned to my side and placed his hand on the small of my back. “You sure you want to go off with this fool tonight?”
“Nope. Not when you put it like that.” I smiled nervously.
“I’m messing with you.” He laughed. “Jax is my best friend. You’re in good hands.”
“Liv’s here!” A ripped and shirtless Luca cheered as he entered the room. His alabaster skin and dark hair made his blue eyes appear as though they could pierce your soul. “Sorry, I’m all sweaty.” He leaned in to hug me, not seeming the least bit sorry.
“You seem to have lost your shirt,” I joked, unsure where to put my hands. “I believe I saw some out there on the merch table. You want me to go grab you one?”
“I like you, Liv,” he said with a low chuckle. “You’re a local, right? Where should I go tonight? Should I hit up Broadway?”
“Not if you don’t want to get accosted by a bunch of drunk tourists singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ on a pedal tavern,” I said flatly.
“Are there lots of pretty girls on these pedal taverns?” He winked at me, and I stifled a laugh.
“Bachelorette parties full of them, all waiting to make bad decisions. You should probably find your shirt before you head out,” I quipped. “I hear they’re pretty strict with those no shirt, no shoes, no service policies in case you were planning on losing those too.” I gestured at his shoes.
“Ireallylike her.” Luca raised his brow in Jax’s direction. He began digging through one of the gym bags on the counter as Jax moved his arm to my shoulders, pulling me closer. It felt like a protective move, but I had no idea why.
“Are you guys headed out?” Derek looked up from his phone as he entered the room. With his tan skin and messy blond hair, he looked like a California surfer boy. It was easy to see why Grace was so infatuated with him.
“We are,” Jax said.
“You sure you want to go off with this guy, Liv?” Luca smirked as he pulled a black My Chemical Romance T-shirt over his head. “All I’m saying is I think you’d have more fun with me and ‘Sweet Caroline’ on a pedal tavern.”
“How can I possibly turn down a drunken ride on a mobile bar that smells like sweaty feet and cheap beer?” I ribbed at Jax. “Maybe I agreed to hang out with the wrong band member.”
Dallas cackled. “I promise, you’re in good hands.”
“Beware if he’s driving, though. Look out for any mailboxes that happen to run out in the middle of the road,” Derek teased. “Better yet, call an Uber.” He and Dallas snickered.
My mouth twisted into a grin. “Oh?”
