Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(24)

I looked around the table at several familiar faces, including Landon’s twin brothers, Caleb and Carter, who I’d met at the youth center as well as their cousin, Morgan Greene, who’d been responsible for building the new Agape House and his fiancé, Akio. The two had apparently become engaged the night of the grand opening and as far as I could tell, they couldn’t keep their hands or eyes off each other.

The twins’ husbands, Giovanni and Ryan, came up to the table just then, carrying a stack of shot glasses which they spread out on the surface and began filling with the bottle of tequila they’d brought with them from the bar as they declared it was time for a toast.

Landon plopped down in the seat next to me and he handed me two shot glasses. I passed one to Isaac and held the other as I waited for the rest to get handed out. Without intending to, my eyes sought out Rylie. The drummer had worked very hard to overcome his addictions and continued to meet with me on a regular basis. I knew how far he’d come and how determined he was to never go back to the life he’d been living before, but I still felt the need to check in with him. He met my gaze with a self-assured smile and held his glass of ginger ale up to me in a salute then winked at me and gave me a cocky grin.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled back at him, glad that he seemed to be doing okay despite being surrounded by alcohol. Lachlan leaned over and whispered something in Rylie’s ear which made Rylie smile even wider. I should’ve known Lachlan would’ve made sure his husband was alright with being in that type of atmosphere before planning a party there. Realizing I wasn’t going to be needed as a therapist for the evening, I decided it was time to relax and have some fun.

I held my glass up along with everyone else as we toasted to safe travels, great adventures, and rock and roll. Isaac and I tapped our glasses together and then I tossed back the smooth liquid, enjoying the warm feeling it caused in the pit of my stomach. I’d just set my glass back on the table and was admiring the beautiful flush the alcohol brought to Isaac’s cheeks when I felt a delicious current run through my veins. Turning and searching the crowd, my heart began to thunder in my chest when my eyes landed on the man who had just walked through the door.





My heart was hammering in my chest as I stepped into the club. I knew that Carter’s Creed had a lot of fans, but I’d never expected the huge crowd of people that had been waiting when I’d pulled into the parking lot. I was tempted to forget the whole thing and just go home, but I’d told Caleb that I would come to the party and I’d promised myself that I was going to try to get out more. Besides, the thought of going back out and facing that crowd was enough to make my stomach turn.

I hadn’t been to a club in several years. The flashing lights, cheesy pickup lines from guys hoping to score for the night, and music thumping so loud you had to scream to be heard had always left me with a pounding headache and a feeling of why the hell did I come here? I would much rather spend my nights at home, curled up with a good book, but lately I’d started to wonder if I wasn’t using that as a way to hide.

“Matt! I’m so glad you’re here,” Caleb yelled as he ran towards me and threw his arms around me.

I felt myself stiffen at first, I wasn’t used to being touched and it startled me. I gave him an awkward pat on the back and he stepped back, smiling at me happily. His green eyes sparkled and I couldn’t help but smile back. Caleb was one of those people who was always happy and his exuberant attitude was infectious.

“Sorry I’m late. That crowd was crazy,” I told him, using my thumb to point over my shoulder towards the door.

“I know. It’s been getting worse lately with the new album coming out and the tour getting ready to kick off. Micah even had to assign a bodyguard for me because fans see me and think I’m Carter.” He rolled his eyes at that and I laughed. It had taken me a long time to tell the identical twins apart. Physically they were exactly alike, but once I got to know them better, I could see how different their personalities were. “Don’t worry though, none of the fans or paparazzi can get in here tonight. Between Lachlan and Micah, this place is more secure than Fort Knox. Only friends and family are allowed into the party.”

I took a second to look around for the first time and I began to relax when I realized he was right. The crowd was much smaller than it would normally be in a trendy nightclub on a Saturday night and I saw several people I knew, including Caleb’s parents and his cousin, Morgan, who had been responsible for the design and building of the new center. He was dancing with his fiancé, Akio, and I felt a pang in my chest at the intimate way they were looking at each other.

I felt the loneliness creeping in and it reassured me that I made the right decision in going to the party. I needed to be around people and not just the teens at the center, but people my own age that I could interact with.

“Come on over and sit with us,” Caleb said, grabbing my arm and pulling me along behind him before I could even ask who us was.

I found out soon enough as we walked up to a table with several of Caleb’s family members who I was friends with along with Lachlan and Rylie. I tried to smile as they greeted me, but I wasn’t sure I pulled it off as my eyes latched onto the other two men who were sitting there.

My pulse picked up speed when I saw Hudson and Isaac sitting next to each other and my eyes darted down to where their hands were joined. I waited to feel some sort of jealousy that the two men I wanted for myself were together, but that feeling never came. When I’d been with Sean, I would’ve wanted to kill anyone that dared to touch him. Sharing him would have never been an option, but for some reason, seeing Hudson and Isaac together seemed completely natural, like it was meant to be that way. There was only one thing missing as far as I was concerned.