Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(44)

Evan started tapping out a melody on the top of the piano, and Matt was nodding to a beat only he could hear. Kellan tilted his head, absorbing how the two styles would blend together. I could almost hear the D-Bags accompanying Sienna in my head, and the imaginary sound was incredible. The real sound would be unbelievable.

When the song was finished, Matt and Evan looked sold. Kellan still seemed unsure. Lana put a hand on his back and he twisted to her. “This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that we talked about, Kellan. I would say yes, if I were you.”

Kellan smiled and nodded at Lana, appreciating her advice. Being in this room, with people who knew Kellan in ways I didn’t, made me suddenly feel very small and insignificant. Pushing back the feeling, I reminded myself that I wasn’t. I had a voice, and it was an important one. To Kellan, at least. Looping my arm around his waist, I asked, “What do you think?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

Not sure if I was telling him the right thing or not, I gave him my honest, impartial opinion of the song. “I think it’s incredible. I think it would be a waste of your talent to say no.” And I’m afraid I’ll lose you if you say yes.

I didn’t tell him that last part, though.

Kellan smiled at me, then looked over at Nick. “I guess we’ll get to work on it first thing.”

Nick smiled, clearly expecting that end result. Sienna squealed with delight and started playing another song on the piano. Surprisingly enough, she was playing a D-Bags song—she really was a fan. Even before she started singing, I recognized it as one of my favorites. It was the one that had first made me notice Kellan; it held a special place in my heart.

Halfway through the first verse, she told us, “This is my favorite of yours. I may have to cover it someday, with your permission, of course.” She winked at Kellan. His corresponding grin was massive.

Holding me tight, he told Sienna, “That’s Kiera’s favorite too.”

Sienna turned her radiance to me. “Well, don’t we have a lot in common?” As her eyes drifted back to Kellan, I thought the two of us had more in common than I cared for.

Fifteen minutes later, we were back on the second floor. Matt, Evan, and Anna were all flipping out over the upcoming collaboration. Griffin was pissy, scowling as he sat by himself in the corner. Anna eventually cheered him up by sitting on his lap and nibbling on his ear. I guess meeting her “idol” had obliterated her irritation with Griffin. Of course, she never stayed mad at him for very long. Kellan was deep in thought as he sat beside me on the couch, stroking my hand with his thumb. I wasn’t sure where his mind was, but I was pretty sure he was thinking about Sienna. I wanted to disrupt his train of thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.

In the end, I decided to get out my notebook and work on my story. I would let Kellan keep thinking about . . . whatever he was thinking about. I wanted to be the supportive and encouraging type of person that he often was. Kellan would sort out whatever he was sorting out, and we’d be fine, because we trusted each other. Even though my head was spinning with a multitude of horrible scenarios, I wouldn’t give them power over me by dwelling on them.

Sienna stayed at the house the entire holiday weekend. A group surrounded her wherever she went; I don’t think I ever saw her by herself. It didn’t take my sister long to become a member of her entourage. When Sienna came down to the main pool Saturday afternoon, my sister tossed on a bikini and joined her. And I swear, only my statuesque sister could pull off pairing a pregnant belly with polka dots.

Sienna continually struck up conversations with Kellan. Whenever he went out back to lay in the sun or take a dip in the pool, she was right there, telling him how great their single was going to be. I tried to ignore the light in her dark eyes when she talked to him. I tried not to notice how casually he carried on a conversation with her. And I really tried not to think about how much they had in common. Kellan and Sienna seemed cut from the same cloth, and I had to imagine that if I had never come into Kellan’s life, he would have dated the superstar in a heartbeat.

But he never said or did anything inappropriate when he was around her. In fact, he was usually touching me in some way when he was talking to her—a hand on my thigh, his knee glued to mine, our bare arms brushing together. Some tiny bit of contact was almost always between us, like he was subconsciously letting me know that I had nothing to worry about.

On my sister’s last day in California, Kellan and I were enjoying some sunshine by the pool. Most of the houseguests had gone home last night after the fireworks, and for once, Kellan and I were completely alone. He was relaxing in a lounge chair, wearing black swim shorts and nothing else. I was in the chair next to him, my left hand entwined with his right. Eyes closed, he played with my wedding ring while I gazed at the tattoo above his heart. I was in a near trance as I mentally traced the scripted letters of my name when my sister’s irritated voice broke through my peaceful fog. So much for being alone.

“No, it’s not a good thing. I wanted a girl!”

Anna passed through my field of vision and I followed her with my eyes. She stormed over to a table and set her juice down so hard she spilled some. Griffin followed her. Like Kellan, he was only wearing swim shorts. While Griffin was fit and could definitely pull off the look, he wasn’t quite as well defined as Kellan.

“Well, I’m cool with a boy. I think it’s awesome. Instead of Myrtle, we can call him Myrt or Mort . . . Mortimus.” He paused for a minute while my sister made a face. I did too. Mortimus? I could not call a baby that. Suddenly, Griffin raised a finger into the air. “Maximus!” he exclaimed.