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I'veonlybeenawayfrom my place for a week, but it feels totally different now. I meant what I said to Amelia this morning; I didn't want to leave the three of them. I miss them already. This week was so unexpected, but somehow, it's everything I've been missing in my life. And it's already changed me. I'm not the same man who left here last week, so unsure of what he wanted from the future. I know what I want now.
From the commotion coming from the games room, I'd say the boys are already here for our meeting with Della this afternoon. My place is the usual hangout because it's central for everyone. I take my bags up to my room then make my way down to the games room to catch up with the boys before Della gets here.
"So, you guys just let yourselves in these days, do you?" I say, strolling through the door. The Brook brothers Teo and Devon are playing a game of pool, while Iwan sits with his feet up, phone in hand and cold drink at his side.
"Ha, that's what you get for being away when the new security gear was installed. Got my face ID on the system as well," says Devon, taking another shot and missing spectacularly.
"Why am I not surprised," I mutter, not really giving a fuck if his face is on the system or not. He's here often enough that it'll save me from having to let him in. I go to the drinks’ fridge, grabbing a beer and making myself comfortable on the recliner beside Iwan.
"Finally managed to drag yourself away from Ms. Amelia Harper to grace us with your presence. Hey, bro."
I glance at him; he's still typing away at his phone. "Like you can talk. When was the last time you saw Mandy?" Iwan married his girlfriend of two months on a weekend trip to Vegas last year. The guy had never so much as dated. He hooks up with this girl, then next thing you know, they’re hitched. It was all pretty crazy, but I guess when you know, you know.
"Left her back at the house about half an hour ago." He looks at me, puzzled as to why I'm asking.
"And you’re already texting her like a lovesick teen." I smirk. Maybe I do know. It's only been a couple of hours since I left Amelia and the kids, but I want to check in with her again already. I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing about me.
Last night was a sweet kind of torture, kissing her after all this time, knowing she feels the same as me. But also knowing she isn't in the emotional state for anything else. So instead of doing what I wanted—to fuck her brains out—I let her curl up with me on the couch, and before long, she was fast asleep. I held her until the movie ended, not because she needed it but because I did. I didn't want to let her go. It was too nice to be so close to her again. I didn't tell her the full truth this morning. I didn't have too many drinks to drive back to my mom's. I just didn't want to. I wanted to be there with them when they all woke up in the morning. I wanted to be a part of the family.
"What can I say, I'm in love." Iwan shrugs, still tapping away at his phone. "Is what Dev said true? Is her kid your son?"
"Dev has a big mouth," I say loud enough for him to hear me.
"I only told these guys, and Della. You know there's no secrets between us."
And he's right, we tell each other everything. It's how we’ve lasted working together for so long. There are no secrets here, it's the way it's always been. But I should have been the one to tell them, not him.
The doorbell rings, and it's some random chime type thing I haven't heard before. "What the hell is that?" I glare at him.
"It's the new security system, I thought you'd like that one." He smirks.
I give him an unimpressed look. "Better go get it, Dev," I tell him since he's already managed to piss me off and I have only been here five minutes.
He grumbles but does it anyway.
The click of Della's heels on the hardwood floor gives her away before she even makes it to the room. It might be the weekend, but she is dressed like she means business. I have never seen her any other way. Tight business dress in black with leather boots, her short raven-colored hair cut in a sharp sleek bob. She's sophisticated with an edge, in looks and personality, and we would be screwed without her.
She's been with us from the start. She was the one who saw us perform at the end-of-year concert just after we graduated. She met us on the side of the stage, said she knew talent when she heard it, and we needed to meet her in her LA office first thing Monday morning. The whole process moved quickly, with her taking us on as clients that day, and we were signed to our record label by the end of the week. Four excited teens not able to believe their luck. And while I don't always agree with her, she has our best interests at heart.
"Afternoon, boys. Nice to see you all manage to join us." She looks to me like I have been the one letting everyone down by being MIA all week. "Did you manage to sort out your little situation, Heath?"
My little situation? Could she be any more insulting? Maybe Dev isn't the only one who is going to piss me off today. Yeah, she might have been awesome to us in the past, but since finding out about Connor, she has been rubbing me the wrong way with her snippy attitude toward my family. "My son isn't a situation,” I tell her, my don't-fuck-with-me-today tone clear in my words.
"Don't be a fool, Heath, book the paternity test," she tells me like its non-negotiable. "If she put on the waterworks and is trying to act like you're the pig for not trusting her, you know for sure she's bullshitting you." I can't even believe how harsh she is acting about this.
Devon turns to her, obviously irritated on my behalf. "If Millie says the kid is Heath's, he is.” His tone is short and direct, telling her not to fuck around about this.
"Don't tell me you were in love with this chick when you were younger as well. What, has she got a magic pussy or something?" She laughs like it's all a joke.
"No, we were all friends. She's a cool chick, and if she says he's the dad, he is. Don't bring it up again." I'm surprised he's so vocal about this, but it's nice to know he has my back when I need him to. He was once close with her as well.
"Thanks, Dev. You’re right, he's mine, and that is the end of it. I need you to line up that interview you were talking about. And until it's done, I don't want anything about the whole situation to leave this room. You all know what can happen when stories like this get into the wrong hands. Millie and the kids have been through enough, they don't need paparazzi banging on their door looking for a story."
Teo wraps an arm around Della's shoulders. "We're all here to support you in whatever way you need, man, and Della will too. Right, gorgeous?"
"Right," she agrees reluctantly, smiling toward Teo with clenched teeth before moving away from his hold on her to get herself a drink from the fridge. She knows she can't win when it's the four of us against her. "Why don't we move on to what I came to talk to you all about?"
"Lets. I have somewhere to be," huffs Iwan like we’re boring him already. I get the feeling. He is halfway out the door already, not just with this meeting but with the band.
