“He’s right.” Benjy raises his head over the edge of the sofa. “We’ve always been second place behind Cherry.”
“Third,” Nick admits. “It’s Cherry, his guitar, and then us.” He sprays a mound of whipped cream onto the berries. “At least we know where we stand, Benjy.”
Benjy pumps his fist once and then disappears behind the sofa cushions. Cherry laughs. “It looks like you two had fun last night.” She gives me a mischievous look from under her eyelashes. “We did too.”
“No sex talk before breakfast,” Nick declares, making a cutting motion across his neck with the spoon.
“Yessir.” Cherry salutes him.
We all laugh because this is our family and it’s perfect.
Chapter Six
Cherry
I bite my lip, wondering if I should say something. I am pretty proud of myself for keeping this bit of information under wraps. It’s been hard. Especially when it came to Linc. I’m not even sure how I managed to pull it off. That boy knows me too well. I’m surprised he hasn’t called me out on it yet. But I keep my lips sealed because I don’t want to make anyone nervous. I know this is too important to mess up. I’m not sure how the guys would act if they knew fully what was going on. It might be best to just let them do their thing. They don’t need any added pressure.
“You all right?” Linc pulls on my ponytail. My head leans back and he steals a kiss.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re wiggling around a lot.” His hand slips down between my legs. He cups my sex. “I take you too hard?”
“I’m just excited. I love watching you play.” All true. I can feel it in the air. This is it. They are finally going to get their break. And if they don’t, I will be the only one that will be disappointed. It’s one of the main reasons I haven’t told any of them.
“Something you want to tell me?”
I shake my head no as I press my mouth back to his.
“Sound check!” Benjy calls, saving me from Linc trying to figure out what I’m hiding. He can read me too easily. Luckily I only have a few more hours to keep the secret. I should be able to hold out that long unless he finds a dark corner to try and work it out of me. If that happens, I don't stand a chance.
“Put this on.” He hands me a bottle before heading back toward the stage. I snort a laugh when I see it's sunscreen. He’s always looking out for me. I want to do the same for him. Linc would spend his last dollar on something he thought I needed. He doesn't care if he goes without. As long as I was taken care of. It’s all that matters to him. That’s why doing this for him is so important to me.
I watch them do their sound check wondering if this could be one of the last times I see it for a long time. If someone were to sign them to some crazy deal, I’m not sure how long I would have before they were gone. I wouldn't only miss Linc. I’d miss Nick and Benjy too. They are the little brothers I never had. They are my family. They have all been so good to me. I want to make sure I do the same by them.
I watch as Nick spins one of the drumsticks in his hand before bringing it down hard onto one of the cymbals to kick off the sound check. Benjy follows soon after, mixing in the bass. I can tell by the first few notes that this is something I’ve never heard before.
“Stop.” Linc cuts them off. “We’re not doing that one now,” he hisses at them both. I fight a smile pretending I don’t see what’s going on between them. I have a feeling he wrote a new song for me and wants me to see it live for the first time. I play with my phone. I guess I’m not the only one hiding stuff tonight.
I check my emails to make sure no one new has reached out to me about the boys or if anyone has more questions. A few more people confirm they’ll be here tonight. I knew they’d get some response, but this is way beyond what I expected. Not only that, it’s happening a lot faster than I thought it would. My stomach sinks a little bit when I begin to think about what that truly means for Linc and me. I push those thoughts aside, knowing that even though I want to be selfish, I can’t.
“You look flushed.” Linc picks me up, setting me on his lap. I love outdoor gigs this time of year. The breeze coming off the lake feels good.
“I feel fine.” He runs his hand up and down my bare arm.
“You put the sunscreen on?”
“Yes, Dad,” Nick answers for me, dropping down into one of the other chairs.
“She’s got fair skin and can burn.” He kisses my bare shoulder where my shirt slipped off. “And she didn't feel good this morning.”
“I promise I’m fine.” I look at him over my shoulder. “I think the pop tart I grabbed was bad or something.” I didn't feel great this morning. I know better than to trust anything in the pantry at my house. It was either that or me being worked up about tonight. It was hard to concentrate in class all day.
“Yeah, did you see the cheeseburger she ate in two bites? I think she’s fine.” Benjy drops down in another chair, joining us.
“She stole my fries,” Nick adds in.
“You left them in the bag. I thought you were done.”
“I swear you can eat more than me sometimes.” I roll my eyes. No one eats more than any of them.
“Are you still hungry?” Linc starts to get up.
“Sit down. You’re not going anywhere. You’re going on in a little,” I remind him. They will not be late to this show.
“I’ll be quick,” he protests, wanting to go get me something.
“I’m fine,” I say for the third time.
“Wait. I don’t think chicks are really fine when they say they’re fine.”
“Benjy!” I shout. “You’re not helping me here.”
He smirks, knowing what he’s doing, which makes me laugh more. God, I’m going to miss this. I love these times when we all just hang out. It will be hard, but I can do it for them.
“I’m not hungry. Plus we’re going to the diner after.”
“The diner? What are we celebrating?” Nick asks. We always go to the diner after we have a really good night.
“I just know it’s going to be a good night. I can feel it.”
Chapter Seven
Linc
The energy is so good tonight. Despite it being a Wednesday, the crowd is packed and even though they didn’t know the songs at first, by the end of each one, they were singing the choruses with us. All of us feel it--Nick, Benjy and me. We played an unreal set and even as we stumble off the stage drunk with the enthusiasm of the crowd, our bodies are still buzzing as if we’re still attached to our instruments.
“Fucking amazing,” Benjy crows. The crew backstage whistles and claps for us. Benjy makes the horn sign with his pinky and index fingers. Nick flies down the stairs and starts giving out high-fives.
There’s a set of towels Cherry placed for us at the bottom of the risers. I grab one and wipe off a gallon of sweat. The echoes of the crowd still ring in my ears so I don’t hear the guy the first time he says my name. In fact, I don’t even notice him until he grabs my shoulder.