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He grinned at me. "Yep."
Grayson turned and caught the next wave, and we spent the next couple of hours blowing off steam on the water. When I couldn't ignore the rumbling in my stomach anymore, I made my way to the shore and tied my board to my Jeep.
I waved to the guys and made my way home for a shower and some breakfast. I planned to spend the next couple of hours figuring out how to hide how fucked up I was from Zen so I wouldn't have to have an uncomfortable conversation about feelings this afternoon. I knew he'd make me face shit I wasn't ready to deal with.
* * *
My parentsstill lived in the house I grew up in, a split level on a corner lot in Huntington Beach. They'd lived there my whole life. When I started having success with Shadow Phoenix, I offered to buy them a new house, but all they'd let me do is fix up the house they'd always lived in. My brother, Hale, tried to do the same thing when he got drafted into the NFL.
They said it held too many memories to let it go. I couldn't say I was disappointed, the place still felt like coming home. My childhood bedroom was just like I'd left it eight years ago. I could only imagine how much the press would pay to get a glimpse of the mismatched furniture, swimsuit model posters, and pictures still covering the walls.
I pulled into the driveway, hopping out of my Jeep and walking into the house. I never knocked before walking in, this was home after all, and my mom made sure I knew I was always welcome.
"I'm home, mom!"
"In here," I heard her call from the kitchen.
I strolled into the room, leaning down to kiss her cheek. She smiled up at me from the veggies she was chopping. "How's my baby?"
Between my brother and me, I was the oldest, but my mom still treated me like I was six years old. I'd never admit it, but I loved that she still babied me. I was a mama's boy through and through. "I'm good."
"How were the waves this morning?" She knew me so well.
"Pretty solid. I was out there for a couple of hours. Where's dad?"
"Dad and Hale are out back, getting the grill heated up. Grab a beer and take one to your dad, please."
I reached into the fridge and walked outside to find my dad messing with the knobs on the huge gas grill. My brother stood next to him, arms crossed over his giant chest. It'd be more accurate to say Haletoweredover my dad. If he didn't look like the rest of us with his blonde hair and blue eyes, I'd question if we were even related because he was so goddamn huge compared to the rest of us. I was six-two, and he made me look like a child.
I tilted my chin up at my brother before turning to my dad. "Hey, dad. Beer?"
Dad looked like me, only twenty-five years older. His blonde hair was more white now, and he had lines around his eyes, but he still kept himself in good shape. He'd been the one who taught me to surf just after I'd learned to walk, and he still hit the beach almost as much as I did.
"Sure, thanks." He popped the top off and took a long swig.
"Need help?" I offered.
"Nah, I've got it. Your brother's been supervising." He gave Hale a sideways glance and I chuckled. "Everyone'll be here in a little while. How've you been? We haven't seen you very much lately."
He wasn't wrong. I was pretty tight with my parents, but it'd been hard to come down and see them the past couple of months. We'd just wrapped up a tour, and then Z and Kennedy got married. Lately, I'd been thinking about my solo career, and the guys had been talking about starting to record our seventh album. It was hard to find time to fit in much more than a morning trip to the beach and the occasional workout.
"Sorry. Life's gotten pretty damn crazy, but I should come down to see you and mom more often. I'll try to be better." Nothing like a parental guilt trip.
"I don't even live in the state, and I see them more than you do," Hale tossed out with a smirk. He took his role as annoying little brother very seriously.
"You could do better, too." My dad narrowed his eyes at Hale before tossing me a small smile that let me know he understood my brother and I both had insane lives. "No worries, son. We're here anytime you've got the time. You know your mom, she worries about you."
That wasn't news to me. I was twenty-eight years old, and my mom was always on my case about settling down. I knew she meant well, and it wasn't that I was against getting married someday and starting a family, but I didn't want to settle. I was here today to celebrate my parents' thirtieth wedding anniversary. They had the kind of love you read about, the kind that doesn't seem real.
My dad still looked at my mom like he only had eyes for her, like she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. When I found someone who I could look at like my dad looked at my mom, I'd settle down. Until then, I was just having fun.
Even as I thought it, I knew it was a lie. Ididwant to settle down, but the girl of my dreams didn't seem to want me. When I thought about the future, honey-colored eyes were all I could see.
"I know, dad. I'm good, promise."
He watched me for a minute before nodding and turning back to the grill. "And you, same goes." He pointed at Hale with the rim of his bottle.
Hale shifted on his feet, obviously uncomfortable. He was even worse than I was when it came to enjoying the perks of fame. "I'm good, too." He shot me a look, his eyes pleading with me to change the subject. I didn't need to, though. Dad wouldn't bother us again now that he'd said his piece.
