“People are going to forget about us.” Dallas pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am all for everyone having their own thing. I support Jax and Liv having their own thing, having a family. I support Luca doing... whatever it is Luca does, and I support Derek having a hobby, but we all agreed to make this band a priority.”
Cash pressed his lips together, appearing to choose his words carefully. “Dallas, don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?”
Dallas shook his head. “Not even a little.”
“It’s okay. Dallas is right. I made a commitment to the band. I’ll cancel my trip.” Derek gave a resigned shrug, quickly surrendering to Dallas. “Maybe I can go in the spring.”
“Sure,” Dallas said. “If the band isn’t doing shows by then, absolutely.”
Cash flashed Dallas a warning glance. “I’m sure we can find a time you can go, Derek.”
Derek opened his mouth to speak, but closed it just as Chloe’s whimpers turned into a full-blown cry that only amplified the tension in the room.
Katie cleared her throat. “I need to get going. I’ve got to be downtown in thirty minutes, and I always worry I won’t be able to find parking.”
Dallas frowned. “Where are you going?”
“I have a date,” Katie said as she rose from her seat. “We’re meeting at The Stillery.”
Dallas looked like he’d been slapped for the second time that evening.
“That’s great!” Liv beamed at Katie. “I can’t wait to hear all about him.”
“This is just our first date,” Katie said as she made her way around the room, passing out goodbye hugs.
“Where did you meet him?” Dallas’s tone had a bite to it.
“Bumble,” she answered as the screeches from the bathroom finally came to an end.
“I didn’t know you were on Bumble,” I said.
She arched an eyebrow at me as a reminder that she wasn’t the only one at this table with a secret. Fair enough.
“Um, I guess tell Luca and his girlfriend I said bye,” Katie mumbled. “Bye, Jonathan. I’ll see you soon.”
Chloe whined as Katie patted her on the back before waving at us and letting herself out.
Luca and Brandi reappeared, joining the table as though we hadn’t all heard them doing a live performance of the entire Kama Sutra. Liv shot eye-daggers at Luca from across the table.
Brandi combed her fingers through her platinum blonde hair and tugged at the hem of her dress. Meanwhile, Luca gave zero fucks that he looked like he’d just been, well, fucked.
Luca took a swig from the glass of water in front of him on the table as all eyes settled on him. “What?”
Cash shook his head disapprovingly. “Really, Luca?”
Luca rolled his eyes. “Don’t act all superior like you haven’t been taking Ella to Bonetown.”
All of the oxygen left my body, the room, the entire fucking planet.Luca has to die.
Dallas’s eyes brightened, and Jax broke into a big grin.
“What?” It was Liv’s turn to look like she’d been slapped. “Ella, is this true? Are you and Cash together?”
This was not how I wanted things to go down. I’d wanted to tell Grace and Liv privately before we told anyone else. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
Cash pressed his lips together and looked to me to answer, but the words were lodged in my throat like a damn chicken bone.
Finally, Liv turned her accusatory eyes on Cash. “Is this true?”
