All Stars Fall (Seaside Pictures #3.5)(17)

“OMG!” Drew yelled mockingly as he shoved a fist into my shoulder. “Did she make a pot roast for you too? And put on a maid outfit after—holy shit!” He burst out laughing. “This is the best day of my life. Tell me it was actually pot roast.” He grabbed his phone and started texting. “This goes in the group text right the hell now.”

“Don’t!” I lunged for his phone, but he jumped out of the car and ran toward the studio, both fingers going at it.

My phone pinged.

Once, twice. Fucking perfect.

I was almost afraid to look.

Drew: RED ALERT 911 everyone drop their shit and listen up. Trevor has a hot nanny and she made him pot roast and wants to pot his roast.

Will: WHAT? Wait, hot nanny? Do we get to meet her? I’m in town for the BBQ and to record with you dumb asses.

Will was the core of our group. Next to Drew he sang the most on the tracks and was married to Linc’s sister Angelica Greene, beautiful actress. Hah, been down that road, never again, just never again.

Me: Hilarious.

Ty: We need pictures. And pot your roast doesn’t work bro, try again. I’ll see you losers tonight.

At least Ty admitted to being a total jackass and man whore. The guy said settling down was too domesticated for his blood as proven with the harem of women that followed him around on a daily basis. That’s what you get when you’re one of the best guitarists in the world.

Laid.

Zane: I’ve never been more happy to be part of a text group. What about you, Linc? Alec? Demetri? Jaymeson?

Fantastic.

Shit for brains just had to add in rock duo AD2, superstar Zane “Saint” Andrews, and Jamie Jaymeson.

They were all friends.

All in the industry.

All completely settled down.

Which meant they fed off other people’s drama like piranhas.

Demetri: We should make a home visit.

Alec: I’ll bring pie since she made roast.

Jaymeson: The kids like her? Like they haven’t burned the house down? Teach Alec your ways.

Alec: My kids make me tired. I’ve been tired for so long. Goodnight, Moon.

Linc: Terrifying also known as the day Alec Daniels says Goodnight Moon with tears in his eyes and actually means it.

Me: I’m leaving this group now, some guys have work to do.

Ty: See you tonight, bro!

Linc: I’m just going to say you’re welcome in advance…the nanny will be there.

Demetri: There is a God.

Zane: Wow, I mean, like….what are you going to wear, Trev?

Drew: He smells like beans.

Me: Shut the hell up! Why are you texting me you’re standing literal feet from me outside the studio!

Drew: And yet you’re still in the car getting redder by the second, also don’t wear that shirt, that shirt sucks.

Zane: No shirts. Clothing just takes too much time to take off anyways.

Demetri: Says the guy who never wears pants.

Jaymeson: And yet I send them to him every Christmas, he always follows with a nice picture of him burning them over a fire roasting marshmallows with a scarf around his naked body. Every year it’s the same—except for the pants.

Alec: And his tiny pee-pee.

Zane: F U

Me: As fun as this has been, I’ll see you guys tonight, be normal. Hell, what am I saying? Attempt not to scare other humans and for the love of God Zane, wear pants!

Zane: No promises.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket, got out of the Escalade, and glared at Drew. “Did you have to do that?”

“Oh, it was completely necessary.” Drew chuckled. “Now let’s go make some music and we can talk about this horrible T-shirt with its holes and how it’s not going to impress HN.”

“HN?” I repeated.

“Hot Nanny, keep up.” He shoved me, I shoved him. All in all a normal day, because when I’m with my kids I feel like an adult, but when I’m with my bandmates and friends? I literally lose maturity points and years off my life.

I would never admit how much I needed it.

Especially after the divorce.

And being alone.

I was suddenly even more thankful Linc and Dani got pregnant and came back here, forcing the whole crew to come back into town early.

It was just supposed to be Drew and Ty for a week.

But now it was the entire gang.

Yeah, if Penelope survived the kids and this, she could survive anything.

“What’s wrong with my shirt, though?” I lifted it and sniffed.

“If you have to sniff it to check, then you already know, bro.” Drew laughed, and all thoughts of Penelope were gone as we set up and started playing.

It soothed me in a way nothing could.

I let the music lock on.

Closed my eyes.

And sang.



Five hours of bliss went by, five hours where I felt like my soul had finally relaxed into my own body once again, making the pain a little less, making the loss of someone I’d always counted on—dissipate.

“Sounds good,” Drew said once we made it back to the house. His eyes weren’t even on me, but on the door, staring a hole through it like he was seconds away from barging in and getting down on one knee.

“Your car.” I jerked my head to the right. “See you at the barbecue, and try to stay away from my nanny, all right?”