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Sometimes being the papa bear is fucking exhausting. Besides watching over Miles, Kasen, and Tristan, I also work with Robbie on the band management side. He doesn’t really need my help, but I like knowing what’s going on, and Robbie doesn’t mind. He’s as dedicated to the band as the rest of us, and I’m endlessly thankful that Tristan brought him into our life.
I glance over at my brother again to see him discreetly watching Jolie who’s now in the kitchen wrapping a Band-Aid around Robbie’s finger. That guy is the most accident-prone person I’ve ever met, but he’s also one of the happiest and nicest guys in the world. He never has a bad thing to say about anyone and can defuse a bad situation in sixty seconds flat. He’s also as loyal as they come and has been like a second brother to me since he and Tris were in kindergarten.
I wish my brother was just watching Robbie as he gets fixed up from slicing his finger with a knife while he was trying to cook something, but I know his gaze is solely focused on the redhead laughing as she stands between Robbie’s legs.
I glance at Miles, who’s now surfing through the hundreds of channels on my TV, and then lean over and whisper to Tristan, “You need to move on.”
He doesn’t even bother to deny it. “I will.”
He won’t. He's been in love with Jolie since the very moment he laid eyes on her. But his best friend got to her first. When he saw how happy she was with Robbie, he stepped back. That’s why he’s never had a serious relationship, or any relationship that wasn’t just sex. That’s the reason he’s embraced his life as a bachelor playboy even though he’s only twenty-four.
I’m pretty sure my baby brother will love her until the day he dies, which breaks my heart because no one knows my brother like I do.
He’s got so much love inside of him, even after all the shit we went through as kids. And I know for a fact, if he could just let Jolie go, he’d be able to find someone who he can finally share all of that love with instead of living an unfulfilled life with just one-night stands. That might be the dream for some guys, but I know it’s not enough for Tristan. It’s just what he settles for.
“I gotta pee,” Kasen says, standing up dramatically.
“Thanks for sharing,” I reply as he walks away.
Settling onThe Big Lebowski, Miles sets the remote on my coffee table, glances down the hall toward where Kasen disappeared, and then pierces me with his brown gaze. “I’m worried about Kase.”
That catches my attention. “Why? Did something happen?”
He rubs his short beard. “I thought I saw Charli at that party we went to in Malibu the other night.”
My blood runs cold. “Charli? I thought she moved to Miami.”
Two years ago, Kasen almost overdosed on drugs supplied by Charli, the girl he’d been seeing at the time. She’s a party girl who’s become famous—or infamous—for supplying the highest quality goods. She’s connected to all the best hot spots and hooked Kasen the first time we partied with her back in the day. He thought he loved her, but I knew he didn’t. He was too consumed with the drugs, the rush and high she provided him. But that’s literally the only thing he knows about her. Charli is a chameleon. She becomes whatever you want her to be. She’s anything but real, but Kasen’s always been too high to realize that he’s enamored with a woman who’s put him on a one-way path to destruction. After his almost overdose, he promised us he’d stop seeing her.
Out of everyone in our band family, Kasen is the one I’m the most worried about.
“So did I, but I swore it was her. Her hair’s blonde now and she’s thinner than I remember, but drugs will do that to you.”
“Did Kase see her?”
Miles lifts his hands in a who knows gesture. “I didn’t see them together, but if I saw her, he could have.”
“And you’re sure it was her?”
“Not one hundred percent, but I’m pretty sure.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’re leaving for tour soon. He can’t hang out with her if we aren’t here, but I definitely want to keep an eye on him. I don’t know that there’s anything we can do until we confirm there’s a problem. I haven’t noticed him acting like he did when he was partying with her before.” I look over at my brother. “How’s he been with you?”
“His usual self. He hasn’t mentioned Charli at all.”
“That’s what worries me,” Miles says. “He knows we don’t like her or how she gave him bad shit and then left him in that seedy motel.” He looks at me. “I don’t think he’ll say anything if he’s seeing her again. I think we need to just be extra observant and look for the signs. If he’s using again, I want to catch him early and get him the help he needs.”
Miles takes a puff from his vape pen that he uses to smoke weed—all the high, but none of the smell. I look over to Tristan to see him taking a sip of his beer. He never drinks more than two—neither of us do—but we aren’t exactly saints either.
“Maybe we need to have a clean tour.”
“What do you mean?” Miles asks.
“I mean no drugs, no alcohol. We all know it’s a slippery slope. Maybe Kasen has a few beers and then smokes a little weed, but how long before that’s not enough for him anymore and he goes back to pills or cocaine? Or worse? But if we stay clean and sober maybe that’ll help him.”
“He’s still gonna go to parties,” Tristan points out.
“Probably. We can’t stop him, but we can go with him and keep an eye on him. Look out for him,” I say.
