AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His grandmother lived in the bigger one, though she was in New Jersey for the next few months, visiting family. The smaller one was basically a studio apartment, with a kitchenette, a full bath, and one big room for sleeping and living. It would give her privacy along with enough independence to not feel like a burden, which was something I knew she wouldn’t like. On the other hand, she was only a few steps away from the main house, so she would never be completely alone.
Zeke had it professionally cleaned, and I’d been slowly putting Aunt Meg’s things away so it would feel like home once she arrived. Since we planned to be here for an extended period of time, we’d shipped things we hadn’t been able to bring on the plane, like some of our craft supplies and favorite kitchen gadgets. Those hadn’t arrived yet, so I’d take care of them when they did.
In the meantime, I was starting to feel settled. It was odd, because I’d only lived in two places my entire life. The apartment I shared with my mother until her death, and Aunt Meg’s house. Yet Zeke’s house was already home. There were moments of discomfiture, like when his mother was busy in the kitchen and I wanted to scramble myself a couple of eggs. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t let me, but I wasn’t used to someone doing things like that for me. And she seemed determined to mother me.
Today I was heading up to the studio to listen to some of the new music and do my interview with Carter. I’d spent several hours this week researching everything I could find about him ahead of time, and his life was both fascinating and sad. He’d been born to a drug addict mother and a deadbeat dad who’d left when he was a baby. He had no siblings, had never been married, and had been on his own since his mother’s death when he was sixteen.
He’d been to rehab half a dozen times, arrested twice for minor infractions like disturbing the peace, and owned over forty cars. I didn’t know what to make of that last piece of information but planned to ask him about it. Honestly, I felt bad for him. He had to be one of the loneliest, most messed up celebrities in the world.
Zeke’s father dropped me off at the studio since Zeke would bring me home, and I took a moment to steady my nerves. I was comfortable around Zeke, but the rest of the band was something else. I’d been a fan since high school and knew the words to every one of their songs. When Zeke and I were together, he was someone else to me. The father of my son. My boyfriend? We hadn’t given our relationship a label yet, but that seemed to fit. He was many things, but not the world-famous lead guitarist for Onyx Knight. He was just Zeke.
In this setting, however, he was Big Z, and that was someone I didn’t know. Not really.
“Hey, babe.” Zeke was waiting for me and immediately came over to kiss me.
“Hi.” My heart seemed to skip a beat every time he touched me, and this was no exception.
“How’s J?” He’d begun calling Jeremy by the first initial of his name, and it was starting to stick.
“Completely spoiled by his grandma,” I said dryly. “She went shopping.”
Zeke rolled his eyes. “Good grief. There goes my credit card bill.”
“You must be Presley.” Carter came over to us and to my surprise, pulled me into a big hug. “I’m Carter. Z talks about you all the time. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but a tall, lanky platinum-blond with a playful grin and long-lashed dark eyes wasn’t it. I’d seen pictures, of course, but he was larger than life in person. He didn’t seem high or drunk or anything, and his voice was warm and friendly, immediately making me feel comfortable. I had a feeling he was an old pro at interviews, so he knew exactly what to do.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said. “I’ve been a fan for a long time.”
“Favorite song?” he asked, squinting a little as if my answer was important to him.
“Judgement Call,” I replied automatically.
“Oh, fuck yeah!” He immediately held up his hand for a high five. “She’s old school, Z!”
“Well, yeah.” Zeke put his arm around my waist.
“Okay, stop hogging Z’s new girlfriend,” Kellan said, coming over to us. “I’m Kellan. Nice to meet you.”
I met Kingston and Tommy next, and they were all friendly and laid-back. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting in general, but this was almost as casual as when I’d met Zeke’s parents. They seemed down-to-earth and, for lack of a better word, normal. They all wore jeans or shorts and T-shirts. Though Kingston was known for wearing eye liner and mascara, and dying his hair a different color every tour, his face was clean today and his hair was a dirty blond color that appeared natural to me, since I didn’t see any roots growing out. Other than an overabundance of tattoos and earrings, they could have been anyone, instead of world-class musicians who’d sold nearly forty million albums to date.
“Ready to hear some new music?” Zeke asked me after we’d all talked for a few minutes.
“Sure.” I nodded.
“Let’s do ‘Not Goin’ Away’ for her,” Carter said.
Zeke looked hesitant for a moment, but then nodded. “Sure. You can stay in here,” he said to me. “It’s too loud if you come inside the room.”
“Okay.” I nodded, excited about hearing music that no one else beyond the band’s team had heard.
The song started with a soft, haunting melody played by Zeke. Maybe four seconds of his beautiful finger work before the rest of the band came in, adding layers of depth and harmony. But while the tune was catchy, it was the lyrics that hit me right between the eyes.
Innocent heart
Damaging touch
I need to hold you
