Page 80 of After Midnight

A burning ember of anger flares to life inside me, and my fingers tighten around the cold beer in my hand.

Looking at Seb right now, with the ocean stretching out to either side of the stage, his eyes closed and his wrists rolling smoothly as he keeps beat on the drums, I can’t even begin to imagine how a father could hate that he plays music. Watching him, it’s . . .

It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful.

And without meaning to, without wanting to, I find myself starting to get misty eyed.

Quickly, I reach up and wipe the moisture away, trying to avoid smearing my mascara.

Jordan leans over, bringing her lips close to my ear, and asks, “You okay?”

I nod, giving her a smile. “Yeah. This is sweet.”

She smiles back, blue eyes catching the setting sun.

My gaze shifts to Seb, and he’s smiling to himself now, looking like there’s nowhere he’d rather be than on that stage. And I get the desire to capture this moment so I can look back at it later, when I’m alone at home in Vegas, when Seb is off performing somewhere and I can’t be with him.

So I pull my phone out of my back pocket and hold it up, taking photos of the entire stage and ocean in the distance, then zooming in on Seb and snapping a few of him. I send a couple photos to Riley, and she responds immediately.

I’m SO jealous. 1 Can’t believe you actually know them in person.

Briefly, my eyes flick across the stage to Dex, Lucas, and Michael. I don’t know them yet, not any more than anyone else in this crowd does, but I’m about to. Because after the show, we’re all going to Dex and Nora’s place for dinner.

But with these two women beside me, I already get the feeling that I’m going to be welcomed there, less like an outsider and more like . . . part of the group. Part of their family, even.

Slipping my cell back into my pocket, I take a sip of beer, and then I start to sing along, joining the hundreds of other voices rising into the evening air.

chapter 36

Sebastian

REMI AND I WERE SUPPOSED to drive to Dex and Nora’s place together, but after the show, when I was finally able to pull my cell out, she’d texted me to let me know she was catching a ride back with Jordan. And seeing that text immediately made me smile.

So, when I pull up and park the Raptor outside the house in the Hills, I’m alone. Jordan’s white Mercedes, Lucas’s E30, and Dex’s Rover are already here, and warm yellow light glows from the windows and the backyard of the house. As I step out of my truck and close the door, I take a moment to just pause and breathe it in. The air is warm and smells slightly of honeysuckle, the sun has already gone down, and Remi is waiting for me in this house, with my people. My family.

There’s a twinge of nervousness inside me as I push through the big gate that encircles the property, then walk to the front door, which is unlocked. But as soon as I step into the house, I realize my nervousness is totally unnecessary.

Because Remi is standing in the kitchen, laughing at something Michael just said, while Jordan shakes her head, arranging hunks of pita bread on a big platter. Dex and Nora are out on the patio playing with the dogs, and Lucas is . . .

I glance around but don’t immediately see him. And from the looks of it, Alisha isn’t here either. Again.

Fuck.

Remi looks over and notices me, and the look that crosses her face could probably carry me to the afterlife, and I wouldn’t have one single regret.

Her blue eyes crinkle in the corners, her lips pulling up into a smile. Immediately, she eases past Michael, and I feel my friends’ eyes on us as she crosses the kitchen, rises onto her toes, and presses a kiss to my mouth. She tastes like beer and sunlight, and my hands find her waist without me thinking about it, like they naturally belong there.

And I’m so fucking glad she’s here right now.

When she pulls away, she says, “You were amazing tonight.”

I still have my hands on her waist, thumbs circling her hip bones. “You think so?”

“Hell yes I think so,” she says with conviction. “That was incredible.”

Her words make my chest warm. It’s one thing to have fans support our music, but it’s something totally different to have someone I care about support what I’m doing.

“Thanks, Rem,” I say, voice low.