Page 75 of After Midnight

Remi’s eyes widen just a bit. “Do they want to meet me?”

My smile is easy and immediate. “Of course they do. They’ve been bugging me about you for weeks. And Dex and Nora invited us over to their place for dinner tomorrow, after the show. No pressure though. We don’t have to go if you’d rather—”

“That sounds great.” She gets a small smile and shakes her head, and it makes me wonder what she’s thinking. Then she adds, “Riley’s going to lose her mind when I tell her I got to meet LGC. She’s already so jealous I’m here for a show.”

“I can get the guys to sign something for her,” I offer.

Remi bumps her elbow lightly against mine. “She’d love that. Thanks, Seb.”

“Anything for you, baby.”

She rolls her eyes at the little nickname, then turns away from the ocean view and says, “Okay, show me the rest of this monstrosity.” With one hand, she gestures back at my house. “How many bedrooms does it have, anyway?”

“Five,” I say. “I use one as my bedroom, then two as a music room and a weight room.”

“And what about the last two? What are those for?”

My shoulders rise with a shrug, and I find that I can’t hold her gaze as I say, “They’re empty. I was thinking maybe, if I have a family someday, they could . . . be my kids’ rooms.”

A pause settles between us. The hedges and palm trees lining the property rustle in the cool breeze coming off the ocean, and when I glance at Remi, I find that she’s still staring up at my house, her long black hair shifting in the air.

Then, softly, she says, “Those would be some lucky kids.”

My lips curve up. “I hope so.”

She shoots me a playful smirk. “You’d spoil the shit out of them, wouldn’t you?”

Now I’m laughing, the weird weight I felt lifting from my shoulders. “Hell yeah I would. They’d be little shits for sure.”

She laughs, then starts back toward the house. “Well, come on. Let’s finish our tour. I don’t want to get lost.”

I let my gaze drift across the house one last time, thinking of those empty rooms, picturing Remi moving through them, her smile catching the sunlight, her figure silhouetted in golden sun. And I think of that little desire I’ve always had to fill this space with a family.

I push that thought down, then follow Remi back into the living room to give her the rest of the tour.

chapter 33

Remi

COMPARED TO VEGAS, THE HEAT in LA is balmy and comfortable, nothing like being under the scorching desert sun. It’s late Saturday morning, and we just finished eating breakfast on the oceanside patio at Malibu Farm, a beautiful restaurant right on the pier, a quick fifteen-minute drive from Seb’s house. We ate acai bowls and pumpkin pancakes, and now we’re sipping juice through paper straws as Seb walks me through LA, pointing out some of his favorite spots: a beat-up taco truck, the skatepark he and the guys used to go to, venues in the Arts District where they first started playing music before LGC got big. In a way, it feels like he’s giving me a scrapbook of his life, and I find myself enjoying every page, lingering on these places that have helped make him who he is.

“Where’s the show tonight?” I ask as we walk, hand in hand, my fingers twined through his. He runs his thumb across my knuckles, and I can feel the calluses left behind by his drumsticks. Every pass of his skin over mine makes tiny butterflies twirl in my stomach.

“In Santa Monica. The fundraiser’s being held at Palisades Park.”

I flick a surprised look up at him. “It’s for a fundraiser?”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t mention it?”

I sip my juice—mango pineapple—and shake my head.

“Yeah, it’s to raise money for Jordan’s dog rescue, Wag. We try to do this every year. It really helps out. Plus, there’re gonna be adoptable dogs there, so we’ll get to play with them. It’s the best.” He grins around his paper straw, brown eyes crinkling in the summer sun, and my heart skips.

I’m still struggling to believe that Seb is real.

We keep walking through the Arts District, our sneakers slapping the pavement as cars cruise by, and we’re about to cross the street when a flash of sunlight on windows catches my eye, making me turn my head. My feet hesitate on the sidewalk.

“What is it?” Seb asks, turning to look back at me and follow my gaze.