ACE

R occo, Gage and I were sitting at our favourite diner, catching up. After I’d left rehab like a crazy man to find Harley, Jax had reached out to the guys. He told them where we had really been and how his recovery was going. I was thrilled when I found out. We were a family, and they needed to be in on it, too.

None of us were used to spending too much time apart, but since the tour had ended, a lot had gone down. First was Jax and Aria and the music video that brought them together, then me and Harley and now rehab and all that came with it. The past couple of months had brought me the highest highs and lowest lows I’d felt in quite some time. Sitting with my friends as we talked through it all, felt like the connection we all needed. Especially when they both realized what Harley meant to me.

“Don’t be surprised, Roc,” Gage piped up. “We all know that lover boy here is an emotional basket case. He thinks he’s in love yet again.” He continued, rolling his eyes.

“Hang on, hang on…” I interrupted. “What I have with Harley is completely different.”

Sarcasm blanketed Gage’s words. “So, she didn’t freak out when you said you’d be her last boyfriend?”

“Actually…” I paused. “She kind of challenged me back.”

That clearly caught Rocco by surprise as his eyebrows shot up. “Really? What did she say?”

Leaning back in the chair, I rested my head against my hands. “She smiled and said she’d be the judge of that.”

The boys hollered loudly and slapped me on the back. “Fuck man… okay, I like her.”

“That’s a good answer.” Roc chuckled to himself.

“Okay, big shot.” Gage concluded. “We’ll leave it in your hands and pull back a bit on giving you heck, but the second things go south, you know we’ll be back full force, singing that we told you so.” He laughed.

“Yeah, yeah.” I joked. “Same shit different day.”

***

After hanging with the guys, I headed back to Safe Haven. Although I’d told them a lot, I had still protected my girl. Her personal story was not mine to tell, but to keep. Plus, she’d need more help than I could provide, but that would come later. I made a mental note to not just ask for a recommendation, but to find her the best therapist in the country. Nothing was too much for my girl.

Harley had kept a lot of secrets in her life. And although I still felt like shit for hurting her with my trust issues, the whole situation had actually helped to move us forward and solidify our relationship. Now there were no more secrets between us.

The next part would be telling Aria. But that was Harley’s job. I’d promised to keep everything to myself and let her decide when and how she would tell Aria.

Warm wind flowed through the open sides and top of the Jeep as I headed down the highway towards Safe Haven. It was a great opportunity to soak in the California sun and the stunning coastline. With majestic mountains to the right and beaches on my left, it was truly a magnificent sight.

My car phone rang loudly, jolting me out of my pleasant daydream.

“Hey boyfriend!” Came Harley’s sweet voice through the receiver.

“Ah, my baby! I miss you already!” I told her. “Just on the highway now, so it’s a bit loud.” I called out.

“Yeah, I can hear!” She yelled a little louder.

“I’m heading back to see Jax.” I called out into the speaker. “Will call you when I get there.” The connection was filled with static and the wind was only making it worse. These new car phones were impressive, but to be honest, they really didn’t work very well. Bulky and box shaped, it was just another gadget that would probably end up at the dump sooner than later.

***

Jax was waiting on the porch of the main building when I pulled up. Sitting in an oversize red Adirondack chair, wearing a plaid jacket, sweats, dark sunglasses and holding a steaming cup of coffee with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He looked exactly like every other jacked up rocker that had ever graced this place with their recovery.

It had only been a few days since I’d left in absolute chaos, but damn if it didn’t feel like a month. So much had happened between Harley and I, and my head was still spinning. But at least we had worked it out, and now I could really focus on Jax and on myself.

There were only six weeks left before Aria would finish up touring with JaylaT and what was coming next was going to be the hottest celebrity gossip of the year. Desolation Sound and, in particular, my boy Jax, were about to get our faces plastered all over every tabloid in the country. If, of course, Harley could pull off his secret project. Of course, I wasn’t supposed to know about it, but she’d sworn me to secrecy. After all, if she could trust me with the darkness that had plagued her all her life, she knew that I’d be good for this, too.

Everything was finally working out the way it was supposed to. Jax and I were getting clean and back to work once and for all. Harley and I were solid in both our communication and our relationship, and soon the band would all be back together. Hanging out, shooting the shit and making music, like we always had.