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Jesus. “What did the doctor say?”
Logan sighed. “The doctor wants to run tests, but”—he lifted his head—“I won’t risk her life for a baby.”
If anything happened to Emily, it would destroy him, and I suspected he’d never come back from that. Not after what they’d fought in order to be together.
There was silence for a few seconds, just the sound of Tear as he rose and walked to the pool and lapped at the water.
I pushed my beer aside. “Family first. No tour next year. We’ll write songs. Record. A few local charity concerts.”
Crisis nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Yep,” Ream said.
“Thanks, guys,” Logan said. “We can talk to Matt and do a few shows at Avalanche through the year. And at Molson Amphitheatre.”
Molson Amphitheatre was downtown Toronto. It was an outside venue with the cheap seats on a massive grass hill. When we were in our late teens and a struggling band, we’d been there countless times to see concerts.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll tell Richard the news. Tomorrow. I don’t feel like dealing with his bullshit today.”
Crisis slapped his palm on the table. “So, are we going to see this concert crashing chick around?”
I stiffened, not liking him calling Savvy a chick. Fuck, she wasn’t some chick.
She’d never been some chick.
“No.”
“Why not?” Ream asked.
“Because I don’t want her around.” But it was the opposite. I did want her around, and that was fucking with my head.
“She been to your dungeon?” Crisis asked, smirking.
“No. And she won’t.” He was referring to my warehouse. When I moved out of the penthouse I’d shared with Crisis and Haven, I’d bought a warehouse down by the docks. Large empty space with a punching bag, set of drums, and a few essentials. It was disposable. So was everything in it, which wasn’t much. It could burn down tomorrow, and nothing would change because I had nothing to lose.
Private. Simple. Uncluttered.
There’d been so much clutter in my head growing up that it constantly felt as if it would explode, and it had. It had exploded into fighting other kids. The bullies. The kids who’d tormented others. But it was more than that. Every time I’d fought, I’d been hitting my father.
It was his blood I’d spilled.
My fuckin’ dad’s comments. The pictures of my brother being shoved in my face as he’d shouted at me.
The hatred blazing in his eyes.
I’d wanted to hurt. To fight and feel the pain. Because in some ways, it had been my fault.
I always watched out for him. Until I didn’t.
“You seeing her again?” Logan asked.
I lifted my head. “No.”
Crisis jumped on that. “Why not? You’ve never given a crap about a chick. What’s with her? And why do you care if she dances at Compass?”
“Drop it, asshole.”
He held up his hands, but his eyes were filled with mischief. “Hey, it’s my turn, buddy. You were on my case about Haven.”
“That’s because you were texting her behind Ream’s back.” And payback was a bitch. “Weren’t you in bed with Haven when her brother came in the room before you were together?” I turned to Ream. “He told me you sat on the bed while he was between her legs under the covers, and you never knew.”
Ream’s temples throbbed. “What the fuck?” He glared at Crisis who wisely pushed back his chair ready to bolt. “You were doing that shit to my fuckin’ sister when I was in the room?”
“Shit, no. It wasn’t like that,” Crisis blurted. “You’re a dick,” he said to me.
“Should’ve left the Savvy conversation alone,” I said.
“Yeah, well, game on,” he said.
These guys had helped save me. The band. I sat, laughing and dicking around with them because this is what it was about. They gave me a family when I’d lost mine. When I’d been so fuckin’ angry at the world, including at myself, yet they hadn’t judged or questioned. Instead, they’d let me deal with whatever was fucking with me until I’d got my shit together.
Ream suddenly dove for Crisis, and beers and chairs toppled over as Crisis leaped out of his away.
The dog jumped up at the commotion, barking at Ream and Crisis.
It took two seconds before Ream tackled Crisis, mostly because Crisis was laughing so hard he couldn’t run, and they both fell into the pool.
This was a regular event between them. They weren’t blood brothers, but they were brothers in every other way.
They dunked one another under while the dog stood on the edge of the pool, wagging his tail watching. Then apparently having had enough of watching, it did a belly flop into the pool and tried to get in on the fun.
“She’s important to you. Saw it then. See it now,” Logan said.
“Yeah.”
“You going to do something about it?”
“Nope. Wouldn’t be good for her or me.”
“You sure about that, Kite?”
I remained quiet. No, I wasn’t sure. I was back then, but now….
