“Whoa, babe, what’s wrong?” Kai asks, a desperation of concern hitting him.
“Sean’s still here,” I reply, soft and fearful.
Pulling over to the side of the road, the gravel of the shoulder kicking up as he does, he cuts the engine. Looking over at me, he shakes his head.
“No, Quinn. What you need to know about us is that we’re loyal as fuck. Miles would never do that to you or to any of us. Please get it out of your head that it’s Sean because it’s not.”
His hand takes mine, bringing it to his mouth. He kisses each knuckle, calming me.
“I’m sorry, that was really stupid?—”
He cuts me off, his words stern. “Not stupid at all. You’re afraid of him, and rightfully so, but we will always protect you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Grabbing his phone, he sends a text and then shows it to me.
* * *
Kai: Who are the guests?
Miles: Jonah and the bassist from Echo Forge. We met him when we did a festival a couple of weeks back. He’s here on vacation.
* * *
I breathe a sigh of relief, hating that I doubted them for a second. Past trauma really messes with your head.
“You good?” Kai asks, smiling at me, and I nod, giving his hand a squeeze. “Jonah is Lacey, the drummer’s, roommate, and obviously you know who Echo Forge is.”
“Yep, and I’m sorry I?—”
Again, cutting me off. “Nope, not going to apologize.”
I laugh, loving his assertiveness. “Got it.”
The bar is packed, which isn’t surprising. My brother’s band has always pulled in a crowd, even before they got famous. And now that they’re back together, people can’t get enough. I love this for him, though, for all of them, because they are really good, and they deserve it.
Lisa always saves us a table when they play. It’s over to the side of the bar, where we can hang out and watch them. I glance over there as we walk in and see my brother and Daze, along with the rest of the band. Jonah and Matt are there too, along with a guy I don’t recognize, who I assume is the bassist from Echo Forge.
I throw my arm around Quinn’s shoulders as we walk over and join them. Matt takes one look at us, a huge grin on his face, his brows raised in surprise before he turns and signs something to Jonah that makes him laugh as he shoots me a knowing look.
I flip them both off, which only makes Jonah laugh harder, before I introduce my girl. “Guys, this is Quinn,” I say, as Lacey now signs to Jonah, translating for me. “Babe, this is Jonah, Matt and Lacey.”
“Hi,” Quinn says, giving them a wave.
“Nice to meet you,” Matt says, giving her a smile. “Didn’t think we’d ever see someone tame this guy,” he adds, gesturing to me, even as he signs everything he’s saying for Jonah’s benefit.
“Oh, I’m not sure I’ve tamed him,” she replies, giving me a cheeky smile.
Laughing, I curl my arm tighter, bringing her in as I drop a kiss on her lips and murmur, “Nope.” I turn back to the others. “We’re gonna get some drinks. Want anything?”
They shake their heads, and Quinn and I head to the bar.
“So, Jonah is deaf?” she asks, glancing back at them.
“Yeah,” I reply. “Matt’s little sister is too, which is why he can sign. I’ve been trying to learn, but I still suck at it. Lacey always laughs at my attempts.”
“And you said she and Jonah live together?”
“Uh-huh,” I reply as Lisa makes her way down to serve us. “Hey,” I say, smiling at her. “Lisa, this is Quinn,” I say, feeling weirdly awkward all of a sudden, as I introduce my girlfriend to my former friend with benefits. I’ve never actually told Lisa this is the reason we’re not hooking up anymore, just like I’ve not actually told Quinn I used to sleep with the bartender. “So, not to make this whole thing awkward, but yeah, Quinn is my girlfriend, and Lisa is...” I trail off because yep, shit did just get awkward.
