Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I can’t believe you’re twenty-four years old,” he says. “I can still remember when you and Camden were twelve, singing karaoke to Nickelback. Now look at you guys.”
Camden chuckles and shrugs. “Eh, we’re still singing karaoke. Just our own songs and on a bigger stage.”
“I saw all your shows are completely sold out,” Dad says, pride in his tone. He’s always supported us and encouraged me to follow my dreams. While some parents would view their kid being in a rock band as a bad thing, I’m lucky that my dad never saw it like that. All he ever wanted was for me to put my dreams and goals and passions first.
“Yeah, we’re damn lucky,” Declan says with a smile. “I think a few dates even got added.”
My phone buzzes, and I glance at it even though I know it’s not Kaylee. She hasn’t contacted me in years, and I doubt she has my number. Pulling up my messages, I send a quick text to Jill, asking her to check on Kaylee. Losing her dad hit her hard, and she doesn’t have anyone on the tour she can lean on. Layla is back in New York, and her mom couldn’t give a shit about her dad—or how his death is affecting her daughter. She’s too busy living her perfect life and pretending he never existed.
“Everything okay?” Dad asks.
“Yeah, Kaylee’s dad passed away a couple of days ago. Just making sure she’s okay.”
I regret the words as soon as I say them, but it’s too late to take them back.
“Do not let her back in,” Dad warns. “The last thing you need is a woman coming between you and your future.”
“Some women are worth it,” Camden says, taking my dad’s comment personally.
“You’re still young,” Dad says. “Just make sure you think twice before you make any rash decisions. Your music should come first. Women come and go.”
“I beg to differ,” Camden replies, his jaw ticking in anger. “Layla is forever, and I’ll always put her first.”
“Ahead of your friends? Your band?” Dad shakes his head as if he can’t fathom such a thought.
“Luckily, I’ll never be put in the position of having to choose,” Camden remarks. “We have each other’s backs and make decisions as a group. Like our decision to move back to New York. The guys—”
“New York?” Dad barks, cutting Camden off. “I thought that was temporary.”
“It’s where Layla lives...”
“And Kaylee,” Dad points out, glaring at me.
I sigh, not bothering to argue because clearly, this isn’t about me. It’s about him and his fear of me ending up like him. Despite how he sounds, I know he means well and is coming from a good place. When I got on the plane to LA after everything went down, he told me countless times how proud he was of me for choosing my future. But what he didn’t get—or refused to understand—was that I didn’t choose it. I was left with no choice. Kaylee made the decision for me—for us—when she cheated on me.
“Look, Michael,” Declan says, jumping in. “Tonight is about Brax’s birthday, so how about we just focus on that.”
Dad nods, thankfully dropping it, and the rest of dinner goes smoothly. The guys are assholes and have people come out and sing “Happy Birthday.” After we’ve eaten the dessert and my dad’s paid the bill—he always insists on it when we meet up—the guys and I head to a club in the area to get a drink. I invited my dad, but he said he’d leave the partying to us “kids.” He has an early morning flight out and will never wake up on time if he isn’t in bed before midnight.
When we arrive at the club, we’re taken straight back to VIP, and Gage orders us a bottle. The women flock to us like they always do, and I try to get into it, but for some reason, I’m just not feeling it at all. So after we toast to my birthday, we go back to the hotel.
As we’re walking inside, I notice Kaylee coming out of the elevator. She’s dressed in gray sweats and a matching hoodie. She’s staring down at her phone, so she doesn’t see us. I should keep walking, but something pulls me toward her instead. I tell myself I just want to make sure she’s okay. Her dad only died a couple of days ago, and Jill never got back to me.
The guys tell me they’ll see me later and get on the elevator. If they saw her or know that I’m going to talk to her, they don’t say anything.
I’m about to call her name and go after her, but what I see stops me in my place, leaving me confused as fuck and speechless. My dad approaches Kaylee and guides her over to a secluded corner of the hotel. I walk around the outer perimeter, hiding behind the fake trees so I can get close enough to hear. My dad never cared for Kaylee while we were dating, and once she cheated, he made his feelings of disdain abundantly clear, so for them to be meeting up makes no sense at all.