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Chapter 25
Bash
It was a new year, and Ghost Parker was in a bit of a pause right now. No tours were scheduled. There was no deadline for our next album. We had nothing to promote, so there were no interviews or late-night show gigs to perform. A few one-off shows were booked, and we’d be appearing in about ten shows this summer with a big touring music festival. Beyond that, the calendar was blissfully empty.
Even Donovan hadn’t been breathing down our backs. He was busy with another project that was sucking up all his energy. He’d signed a new band that he was sure was the next best thing. We didn’t care because that meant he wasn’t pestering us daily or trying to book us gigs we didn’t need.
We owed BVR one more album on our current contract. They wanted to keep us, so for once in our careers, we were in the driver’s seat. They were giving us some space and, as a band with all our young families; it was needed. They knew if they kept pushing, we wouldn’t sign with them, so the parameters of our next album and tour were largely up to us. And, if BVR kept us happy, why wouldn’t we stay with them?
It was hard to know what would happen. Ghost was itching to break free and create a different type of music. Knox wanted to stay with BVR and milk Ghost Parker for everything it could give us. Ryder didn’t comment too much about it, so it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Sid and I would most likely go with the flow.
If Ghost went solo, we could continue without him. Ryder could front the band. Knox could too. I had no idea what our new music would sound like without Ghost’s creative input, but we’d always have a huge fan base, even if we just relied on old material.
For now, messing around and playing music with my friends under no pressure from the outside was pretty close to ideal. Sure, the spotlight drifted off us a bit, but that was okay. Our crew was all touring with other bands right now, but they’d come back to us when we were ready, as long as we were still a hot item.
Besides drumming in my free time, I was fooling around with music production behind the scenes. Ever since we’d produced Okay Babe with Vance Beaufort, I’d been interested in the production aspect. I had a great ear for music and working with Beaufort, a freaking legend, had confirmed that for me. Over the years, I’d bought some of my own equipment to play with and I was mulling over the idea of building a recording studio in my pool house.
Right now, Ghost Parker was practicing in our rehearsal space. We were mainly playing around with a new song Ghost was working on. I could tell that it’d never be material that our band would use, but we had the time and freedom to experiment, so I didn’t mind.
I changed up the beat a bit and Sid automatically followed me on bass. We were always in sync. Ryder added a flourish on guitar and then Knox followed up with his own wicked skills, trying to outdo Ryder.
Ghost stood up abruptly, looking at his phone. He signaled for us to stop. “I’ve got to take this. Gimme five.”
He left the room and then Ryder and Knox put down their guitars and grabbed a drink from the refrigerator. They were joking about something across the room.
I put down my sticks and wiped the sweat from my brow with my sleeve.
Sid put down his bass and then stepped around an amp to stand next to me. “Lacey back yet?”
Lacey had gone to her mother’s wedding in Barbados. She’d missed the New Year’s Eve party that should have been amazing but felt kind of empty without her there. Sid had decided to spend his night quietly at home with his family. It was the first time I’d spent a New Year’s without him. I’d had tons of friends there, including my other bandmates, so it wasn’t like I didn’t have a good time. But I’d been missing her.
“She’s back, but I haven’t seen her.”
I saw the pity in his eyes. “Are things okay with you two?”
I huffed out a breath. “Things are a little awkward after you and Kay barged in on us and saw her naked.”
Sid didn’t even have the decency to look even a little bit sorry. “What the hell is going on between you two? For real — not some bullshit. You said you were dating her.”
I groaned. I’d told him to drop it the last time he’d asked, but I knew he wouldn’t leave it alone forever. “I thought I was dating her, but apparently we were just hooking up on the regular.”
Sid crushed his lips together. “Friends-with-benefits, she called it. And you want more?”
I gave him a look to let him know he was treading on thin ice. “I don’t know what I want. She’s been hot and cold with me. Fucking impossible to figure out.”
“That’s women.” He nodded his head sagely like he was an expert. “Do you want me to get Kaylie to find out what’s going on?”
“What? No! This isn’t middle school.” I grabbed a hand towel from the top of the stool next to me and wiped my face. “I’m going to see her tonight. She’s got plans for us — detailed plans — for after Kody falls asleep. I don’t know, brother. Things are complicated.”
Sid crossed his arms and scowled. “So, she’s just using you for sex? Is she seeing anyone else?”
I looked over to make sure Knox and Ryder weren’t listening. “No. At least, I don’t think so.”
She did go to Barbados for a week. And I hardly ever got to see her. But we’d agreed to be exclusive. She was just busy with work and I had Kody.
Seeing her for half the weekend just wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted to see her every day. Jesus. She was in my every thought. Hell, she was in my every breath.
Sid was like a brother to me. He’d always had my back. I pushed out the words that felt bottled up inside me. “Something that always bothered me. You had sex with her after our threesome.”
