Lyric turns to me. “I think there are other people here,” she whispers to me, her eyes turning downward like a sad puppy.
I know she wanted to spend time with her parents, and if they’ve turned this into a who’s who of rockers, then that’s not fair to their daughter.
She wanted some family time. Is that too much to ask?
We walk toward the back pool deck, passing through the giant sliding doors. The back deck is set out like a Caribbean cabana. Stylo is over by the bar, mixing drinks in his jeans, black shirt, and leather jacket. Not your typical pool wear, but it’s the two other people who catch our attention.
Lyric stands stock-still, letting out a small scream. Her hands fly into the air as she takes off from me, running. I stand, my eyes wide as she rushes toward a woman who has black dreadlocks with a purple ribbon running through them. She’s wearing a black bikini, and her body’s covered in tattoos that don’t seem to match. She races toward Lyric as well, and when they slam into each other, they embrace tightly, while I walk a little closer.
“Oh my God, what are you doing here?” Lyric practically yells.
“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?” A guy with shaggy blond hair, no shirt, and board shorts with muscles that could rival mine, rushes up to the duo, throwing his arms around them in a group hug.
“Holy shit, you’reallhere?” Lyric asks, then bursts into tears.
“Yep, we’re here. We heard you were having a tough time, and you were always there for us. It’s time we were all here for you, Lyric,” the goth girl announces.
It’s all starting to click into place.
“And besides, it’s not often I can use the excuse of a family emergency to get time off from tour,” the blond guy adds.
Lyric’s eyes widen. “No! You didn’t use me as an excuse to leave, did you?”
“Lyri, I needed a break. I’m thankful for a little R and R with the fam-bam.” His eyes shift to me. “Plus, I have to scope out the new lover boy. Make sure he’s good enough for my big sister.”
“You’re Clef?” I ask, suddenly feeling a little intimidated about meeting her entire family.
“None other.” He lets Lyric go and walks over, placing his hand out for me to shake. “Nice, firm grip… I like him, Lyri. Good choice.”
I stifle a laugh. “Well, that was easy.”
Her little sister, Aria, still attached to Lyric, narrows her eyes on me. “You hurt my sister, dude.”
I wince, my stomach flipping as a reminder. “I know. And I promise you I willneverdo it again.”
Aria detaches from Lyric, strides over, and meets my gaze square in the eyes. “You pinky promise?” She holds up her hand.
“Aria, don’t be silly,” Lyric calls out as Clef chuckles to himself.
Aria continues her death glare with lethal intensity, so I wrap my pinky around hers and grip tight. “I pinky promise I won’t hurt Lyric. Ever again. I promise only to love and do right by her.And, if I fuck up again,which I won’t, you have full permission to feed me to the wolves, or pull me up on stage and roast me for a solid hour in front of millions of your loyal fans. Fuck, you can even put out a hit on me if you want, because I would fully deserve it.”
Aria’s eyes widen like she’s impressed. “Well, all right, then. That was better than I was expecting. You’re okay by me, sir.” She lets my hand go, slaps my chest a couple of times, and then spins, walking back over to Lyric.
“All right, then,” I mutter, taking a centering breath.
Stylo steps over, handing me a small tumbler of whiskey. “Sorry about my spawn. They’re idiots. But protective idiots. They want Lyri with the best man possible, especially after the last fucking asshole.”
I dip my head. “Zane?”
They all grunt their disapproval, making Lyric snicker.
Stylo exhales dramatically. “You’re nothing like him, Chase.” He fixes me with a hard stare. “Keep it that way, yeah?” He slaps my back.Really fucking hard. So hard I almost drop my whiskey before he walks off toward his wife, who’s standing just inside the house, watching us all.
I roll my shoulders, clear my throat, then take a sip of what’s left of my whiskey. As far as first meetings with an entire family go, this wasn’tthatbad—a flirtatious mother, an overprotective sister, a blasé brother, and a stern father.
Yeah, this could have been much, much worse.
I stride over to Lyric, who’s chatting with her siblings, and invade their time.
