Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(21)

When Griffin smacked his empty glass on the table, Matt continued with his toast like nothing had happened. “To good friends and good music. May we always have both.”

“Here, here.” We all clinked glasses, Denny and I stretching across the table to reach Anna and Rachel, then we downed our potent drinks. It burned, but Matt’s well-wishes made the sting worth it.

We all talked, reminisced, and enjoyed each other’s company until a sullen Troy walked up to the table. Eyes on Kellan, he told the group, “Your cab is here.” My heart sank a little, and I fortified my stomach. Goodbyes were just a way of life with Kellan, and I had to get used to them.

Matt glanced at a clock on the wall and smiled; being the pseudo-manager of the group, he had made all of the travel arrangements. Keeping his motley crew on task and on time made him happy. Kellan helped me stand up, and we all headed out to the parking lot. Sure enough, the taxi Matt had arranged for them was there.

The band began their goodbyes. Kellan gave me a quick kiss before turning to say goodbye to the people he wasn’t sure when he’d see again. He hugged my mom, shook hands with my dad, and rubbed Anna’s belly. He gave Rachel a friendly hug, lifted Jenny a foot in the air while she giggled, and clapped Troy on the shoulder. Troy’s grin was glorious after that. While Kellan was busy, I said my goodbyes to Evan and Matt. Evan gave me a huge, lung-crushing bear hug, Matt a gentle, reserved squeeze. I kept my distance from Griffin, waving at him from the other side of the group. Then Kellan was standing by my side again.

Lacing my fingers with his, he looked over at Denny and extended a hand. “Watch over my girl for me?” Denny’s expression blanked as he glanced between Kellan and me. Kellan smirked and added, “But not too well, okay?”

Denny let out an amused grunt. “Wouldn’t want that . . .” He grabbed Kellan’s hand, shaking it firmly. “Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on her. She’ll be apples.” I giggled at Denny’s saying and he gave me my favorite goofy grin. But when he released Kellan’s hand, his face turned serious. “I hope things work out for you, mate.”

Kellan grinned and looked down on me. “Yeah, me too.” By the look in Kellan’s eyes, I couldn’t tell whether he meant hitting it big, or not hitting it big. I got the feeling that, as long as we were together, either scenario was fine. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I laid my head on his shoulder.

Kellan gave me one final squeeze and whispered, “See you soon.” I nodded as I watched him sprint over to his car to get his only piece of luggage—the black case holding his prized guitar. Slinging it over his shoulder, he sauntered back to the taxi. The driver packed it in the trunk for him while Kellan slipped into the backseat. I had to bite my lip to stop the sadness from building. I would join him shortly . . . I could wait.

After every band member was tucked into the taxi, it pulled away. Kellan was by the window, and he stuck his hand out of it to wave at me, his wedding ring gleaming in the afternoon sun. Grinning like an idiot, I waved until the taxi turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

Denny looked over at me when I let my hand fall to my side. “So, how’s married life treating you, Kiera?” His accent wrapped around my name in a wonderful way. Despite how our relationship had changed, the sound of his voice was still fascinating to my ears.

I studied his dark eyes, looking for any sign of pain. There didn’t seem to be any as he casually stood beside me. As I considered everything that had happened in the very short span of time since my impromptu wedding, I shrugged. “Good . . .” Remembering Joey’s unexpected visit, my voice gave out on me.

Denny caught the uncertainty. “You don’t seem so sure about that.”

A part of me really didn’t want to talk about my marital problems to Denny. After everything that had happened while we were a couple, it felt wrong to confess my hardships. Didn’t I deserve them? But Denny was an exceptional human being, and once he’d forgiven someone, he let go of the pain and resentment and moved on. Well, he tried to anyway. I’d seen him struggle with being around me. I’d heard the pain of betrayal in his voice. But he hadn’t fled. He was still in my life. He was still my friend. And I owed him an honest response.

“There was an incident at the house,” I muttered, looking back at my parents, who were talking with Anna, Jenny, and Rachel.

“Kellan’s jaw?” I returned my eyes to Denny. “You do that?” he asked.

I smirked at him. “No. His ex-roommate came by . . .”

Denny, his mind a steel trap at times, remembered who she was. “Joey? The girl who took off after she slept with him?”

A twinge of something awful stirred in my stomach, but I pushed it down. “Yeah, Joey. Anyway, she came back for her stuff, but I sort of tossed it a while ago. Kellan had to pay her for it.”

“Well, that seems reasonable, considering it was hers.” He paused, then added, “I’m guessing there’s more to the story. What else happened?”

I really didn’t want to tell Denny about this, but I had to tell someone, and aside from Jenny, Denny was my best friend. “She gave him back their . . . sex tape . . . then made him pay her for it.”

Denny didn’t answer me for a long time. I could tell his mind was spinning, and he wasn’t sure how to answer. As a gust of warm air swirled my hair around me, I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to say. Maybe nothing was best. I stared at my feet and kicked a pebble on the cement while I waited for some sort of response.