Chapter 36

After a successful week in Florida, we continued our southern leg, on to Georgia and the Carolinas. Every concert was packed, sold out, and without incident. The storm had finally passed, and things were looking up.

Now we were excited about the heading to the West Coast. We flew out to LA first. Then San Francisco, then up to Washington and Oregon. It was home to some of our most ardent fans, and it was always a kick ass time.

And me and Faise?

To outsiders, maybe the change wasn’t noticeable. But to us? There was a freedom in embracing our feelings. And getting to know Faise as my boyfriend, my lover, blew everything, including my mind, away.

The only hitch came when we arrived in LA. Averell was already in town, working along with Jesse to book us in at all the right parties and places to be seen. The guy knew his shit and was probably going to market the hell out of us and make us richer. But I didn’t like the fact that he thought he had a chance with Faise.

Past tense.

I knew Faise didn’t want anyone but me, but still. I’d always been possessive of my boo, but lately, well, it was a whole other level. All I could see was how much attention he got from interested guys. Of course he did. He was smoking hot. Sexiest man I’d ever met. Watching him behind his kit, it was like I was seeing him play for the first time.

But if any guy so much as looked his way or tried to flirt, the death glare came out and I was not fucking around.

I surprised even myself with my reaction. But thankfully, Faise was turned on by my caveman antics.

Here’s how it went down: Faise got flirted with after our concerts, I growled at whoever the culprit was, my man pulled me aside, and we found a bathroom or any hidden nook to fuck each other’s brains out. Once I came, in him or on him, and he smelled like me, I was good.

And just thinking about meeting up with Averell made me want to do the same thing.

Only, we were disembarking our flight and there was no time to join the mile high club.

Maybe on the way back home.

Rae and Ciara were here for the California shows, then Rae was heading back to Rhode Island and my sister, to Nashville. She decided she wanted to stay near me, and Hardwick had offered her a temporary job working social media write ups for another band. She still had big city dreams, but she was now thinking international. Maybe London or Paris. If I knew my sister, it was going to happen. She’d been keeping up with her virtual therapy sessions and I could see her coming back to life, each day better than the last.

Rae was doing well too. He and Faise had regular talks with their sponsors, staying aware of any stressors that might trigger their addictions. And Faise finally opening to me, and to his brother, it made their relationship, and ours, closer than ever.

“Averell’s going to meet us at the hotel for dinner,” Jesse announced as he glanced at his phone. “Then he’s got a full schedule for the night. Press ops, private parties, you name it. The tour and your next album is all the entertainment news can talk about.”

But I didn’t think about that. I was worried about spending a whole night with a man who wants my man.

A hand on my back had me turning around.

“You ready for tonight?” Faise asked me.

This was a big one. Not just for our careers, but for us as a couple. We were going public with our relationship.

“Yes.” I leaned down and kissed him. “So ready. You?”

He smiled against my lips. “I’m so fucking excited. I hope the press are positive.”

“I’m sure Jesse’s got it under control.”

We walked out of the plane, and our security team got us inside the SUVs in record time.

When we traveled to LA, we always stayed at the same hotel. It was renowned for hosting musicians, actors, and other celebrities. Impromptu performances by some of the most legendary talents in show biz were not uncommon. And the staff at the hotel were discreet. A rarity in our world.

With just enough time for a nap, a shower, and a change of clothes, we found ourselves in the lobby of the hotel at just after nine, starving. The food here was also a high point, with great seafood and a wine list that was bigger than any book I’d ever read.

Lennie and Regan escorted us to a private room, where Averell was seated at a long table. He was busy typing away on his phone. He stood up when he spotted us. Dressed in another sharp suit, a practiced smile in place, he nodded and shook our hands in turn.

Until, suddenly, the smile on his face vanished. He was probably surprised that my sister and Faise’s brother were joining us. Then again, Wayward Lane was a family, and including our relatives in events was nothing new to us. And if Averell didn’t like it, too bad.

Rae sat between Averell and Jesse and started asking all kinds of questions about Hardwick’s marketing plans and what kind of stats we were driving. That was all white noise to me. If the fans loved us, the albums were selling, the concerts were sold out, I was happy. The business side, I left to the professionals.

Averell seemed surprised at Rae’s level of interest and his knowledge of business, but none too pleased when Rae began to ask more detailed questions. But at least Averell’s attention was not on Faise. In fact, he’d hardly made eye contact with my boyfriend since we’d arrived at the table.

Thank you, Rae.

A waiter offered us water and menus. We ordered champagne to start, and a non-alcoholic version for those that didn’t drink. Then we ordered dinner, and with drinks in hand, Jesse tapped on his glass and stood up.

“A toast. To a great band, a successful tour, and many more years to come!”

“I second that,” Averell stated.

Dinner was a three-course meal, and by the time we were done, it was time to hit the media circuit. Just before we got up to leave the restaurant, Jesse leaned forward.

“You guys ready to launch?”

“No question,” I answered, lifting Faise’s hand, kissing his knuckles.

“What he said,” Faise replied, staring back at me.

It was only me and him.

A throat cleared and we turned to look at Averell.

“Are you sure? Because once the news is out, there’s no going back. The press will be relentless. Forget any kind of privacy.”

“We’ve been living in the rock n’ roll fishbowl for a while now,” I countered, keeping my tone polite. “Pretty sure we know what to expect. And I’m not hiding. I’m in love with Faise, and he’s in love with me. If anyone has a problem with that, they can fuck right off.”

Hey, I said my tone was polite. Not every word.

Faise leaned over and kissed me, and Brodie and Holls whistled so loud, I’m sure the entire restaurant heard it.

“It’s a shame we can’t go right back up to our hotel room,” Faise whispered.

“Later. Promise.” I kissed him back. “First, I want to show you off. I want everyone to know that you’re mine.”

He licked his lips and I wanted to say, fuck the party. Let’s make our own.

“Okay, time to get going,” Jesse interrupted.

Faise wrapped an arm around my waist as we made our way out of the restaurant, Lennie, Petyr, and our entourage flanking us. Several people in the lobby stopped us and asked for autographs, which me and the guys gladly gave. Then it was out into the warm LA night and into a big ass limo.

Shit like this never got old.

Our first stop was a private party hosted by Montage Entertainment, a film production company. Jesse and Averell had pitched the idea of a rockumentary about Wayward Lane’s rise to stardom and having Montage’s film crew follow us on our next tour. Me and the guys had talked it over, but it still wasn’t a done deal. It was a lot to have someone filming you 24/7 for weeks on end. Still, the genre was popular, and it might give a boost to our sales.

There was a formal press line and I recognized familiar faces, musicians, actors and the like.

Faise’s grip grew as damp as mine the closer we got to the entry point.

“One last check,” Jesse murmured as he adjusted my jacket and fiddled with Faise’s hair. “You guys look great. Remember, any questions you’re not sure about, leave it, smile, and keep walking down the line.”

My heart was pounding so hard it was all I could hear.

Brodie, Van, and Holls were behind us, and gave us a reassuring pat on the back.

When the line finally moved, and just before it was our turn to step out, I glanced down at my boyfriend.

I was nervous for sure, but I wasn’t changing my mind. And the determined look in his eyes told me he was the same. With our hands interlocked, I pulled him as close to me as he could get. We didn’t need to utter a fucking word; our body language said it all.

“Let’s do this.”

Like Faise, I always found this part of our life overwhelming. When I didn’t have my bass guitar in hand, I needed distraction, so I played it off with jokes. My go to for any situation where I felt uncomfortable. But my humor vanished in the face of all the cameras and bright lights. This wasn’t any ordinary junket, and we weren’t on stage.

Flashes popped, so many, so fast, that it became difficult to see anything but spots in my eyes.

“What’s going on here?” one reporter yelled out.

“I’m holding my boyfriend’s hand. But thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

There was a smattering of laughter in response. Okay, maybe my sense of humor hadn’t completely shut down.

Faise leaned into me, and I let go of his hand, wrapping my arm around his waist, pulling him in tight. Then I turned my head and kissed his temple. There was a frenzy of call outs and more flashes.

Jesse motioned for us to walk closer to the press line. I swallowed hard, readying myself for the onslaught of questions.

“Faisel! Ronin! Over here!”

A familiar reporter smiled at us. “Janine Taylor, eNews Now. There have been rumors about your friendship being something more for years. Have you two been keeping it a secret all this time?”

Faise shook his head and leaned into the mic. “No, this is a recent development. But one that we’re very happy about.”

“What about the future of the band? Aren’t you worried about the repercussions if your romantic relationship doesn’t work out?”

“No, we’re not,” I replied with a smile. “We’ve been best friends for twenty years. This is just one more evolution of our relationship. Faise and I are a permanent deal. Forever.”

“That’s serious. Does this mean a proposal isn’t far off in the future?”

Both of us let out a nervous laugh. We were expecting those kinds of questions, but the shock of hearing them wasn’t lost.

“You’re going to have to stay tuned to find out.”