“Kai?” she asks, her hand brushing across my cheek. “You okay?”
I blink, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’m great, babe,” I whisper.
She snuggles back against me, an easy smile on her face as she says, “Yeah, you really are.”
Now it’s me smiling as one of my arms drops to her waist, pulling her even closer. “Keep that up and I might have to drag you to the restrooms and have my untamed, wicked way with you,” I growl.
“Promise?” she asks as my brother steps up to the mic and says hello.
Whatever I’m about to say is lost in the noise from the crowd, which goes nuts. I press a hard kiss of promise to Quinn’s lips before I turn toward the stage.
It doesn’t matter how many times I see my little brother like this. I’m still blown away every single time. It’s like the second he steps onto a stage, his guitar slung around his body and the microphone in front of his mouth, he morphs into a different person.
A person who is loud and confident and so fucking extroverted. A person who loves the music he plays and the people who come to hear it.
I glance over at our friends and see Jonah smiling as he holds up his phone toward the stage. He turns it back to himself quickly, and I can see Lena, Lacey’s younger sister, on the screen as she gives him a quick thumbs up before he turns the camera back to the stage.
And then my brother and his band launch into their first song. It’s a song from their album, one that sat on the charts for months and is probably one of the best songs they’ve ever written.
As the crowd goes nuts, Quinn sways in my arms, a relaxed smile on her face as she watches them. I can’t resist leaning in to press another kiss to the side of her neck, inhaling her scent, which still lingers on my sheets.
We’re all clustered together at this little table, everyone singing along, smiling and enjoying the night. The place is packed, and there are even people outside, not just at the tables but also standing and sitting in the parking lot.
Eli, Kai’s roommate, comes over, setting several pitchers of beer down on the table and clapping Jonah on the shoulder. He looks over as Eli motions to the pitchers, Jonah nodding in response. But just as he’s about to pour himself a beer, the band starts another song, and the crowd erupts.
The girl he’s FaceTiming with begins screaming along with them, and the smirk on Jonah’s face says so much. This must be one of her favorite songs, not just for her but for the whole bar, too.
When the song ends, the girl on the screen blows Jonah a kiss before he hands the phone to Eli. Climbing up onto the stage, Jonah waves to the crowd.
The cheering gets louder. The locals know something I don’t, and Miles clues me in.
“We’re gonna give our girl, Lacey, a break here,” Miles starts, tossing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of where she sits at her drum kit. “And if you’ve never seen us perform this song, there’s a reason, but you’re in for a real fucking treat.”
Everyone watches as Jonah stops beside Miles, Lacey coming to stand next to him as he slings an arm around her shoulder.
Lacey leans over, her mouth close to the microphone as she announces, “Welcome, Jonah King.” The crowd begins to cheer, and Miles uses his hands to indicate they need to quiet down.
“Okay, okay, little backstory,” Miles starts, facing him so he can make sure Jonah can read his lips. “Jonah has played with us before, and we wanted to take him on tour with us for when Lacey had enough of our testosterone, but this guy said no because he has a real job like a fucking grown-up.”
The crowd laughs. Jonah smirks, flipping Miles off before he heads over to the drums, Lacey following him. He takes a seat, readying himself.
Moving closer to where Kai and I are sitting, Eli fills his cup from the pitcher as the girl on the screen tells him to flip the camera. Doing as she asks, he tells her goodbye and flips it around, and Lacey begins to count down for Jonah, holding up her hand and bringing down each finger until he starts playing.
The song is incredible, nothing I’ve ever heard them play before, and I look to Kai, my head tilted to the side a little in question.
“Yeah, they only play it with Jonah, kinda a secret thing for the local fans or whatever. They’re super into it,” Kai tells me.
“I can see that.”
The crowd is singing along, the place packed. It’s a totally different vibe than a world tour, and I’d be happy to see them play every weekend. Something I’d never want to do with Sean’s band.
As the song comes to a close, the crowd begins to fall strangely silent. Heads begin to turn, looking toward the entrance to the bar.
The band was once the focus, but something has drawn everyone’s attention away, and my heart begins to race. My immediate thought goes to Sean’s text telling me he’s still here.
There’s not a chance Sean doesn’t know about Miles’s band playing here tonight. It was basically everywhere. You couldn’t go into a local business without someone mentioning it or seeing a flyer.
It only takes a few seconds for Kai to realize what’s happening. Taking in my face, he weaves his hand through mine.
