Brooklyn & Beale (33 page)

“I’ve barfed so many unicorns I’m crying rainbow tears,” Inky sighed. “I actually miss Greer. This is an unsettling development.”

“You guys are all assholes,” Reid retorted, tapping Chloe’s thigh to stand. “We’re going to get our shit together for the hotel. Try to avoid all the piles of unicorn shit on the way to your bunks.”

Chloe covered her mouth with her hand and let Reid lead her to the back of the bus. “They’re just jealous,” Chloe joked as Reid pressed her against the closed door.

“You’re damn right, they are,” Reid whispered against her neck as he placed a soft kiss to her skin.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. “I can’t believe this is real.”

Reid lifted his head and leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re everything I never knew I wanted. I’m so lucky you saw something in me that made you feel the same way.”

Chloe threaded her fingers through his hair. “I didn’t just see
something
in you. It’s
all
of you. It’s everything about you. I never stood a chance.”

Reid smiled and sucked in a shaky breath. It was almost too much at times, how she made him feel, but he never wanted to lose it. He never wanted to lose her. “I know exactly how you feel,” he murmured. “I love you, Chloe.”

“I love you too.”

The bus slowed to a stop and Reid looked back at their mess strewn all over the room. “Let’s get our shit and check in to the hotel. We have a few hours before we need to get to the venue, and I plan on making good use of them.”

Chloe laughed and released her grip. “I’m so down with this plan.”

Later that afternoon, the smile still hadn’t left Chloe’s face as they warmed up for the show. She blamed Reid. Every time she looked in his direction, she’d catch him staring. It caused her stomach to flutter and her pulse to race. It was absurd, really, but she didn’t care. The same, however, could not be said for the others. When Reid called the rehearsal to an end, Greer groaned in relief.

“Thank God. I thought there would be
less
sexual tension once the two of you hooked up. It’s ten times worse now. Jesus.”

Chloe laughed and Reid shrugged. “You might want to stick with the other bus when we make our drive across the country.”

“Reid,” Chloe shushed with a smile. Before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. When she peeked at the screen, she laughed. “Uh-oh. I think I’m in trouble,” she said to Reid as he walked over and looked at her phone.

“I think so too,” he agreed. “Maybe you should give her a call.”

Chloe shook her head, taking one more look at the picture Josie had sent of her and Reid with the caption, “EXPLAIN.” She understood why. It was a picture of the two of them walking down the sidewalk with his arm draped over her shoulders and hers around his waist as they looked at each other smiling. The last time she’d talked to Josie, she was going to keep her distance. There was nothing distant about that picture.

“We’ve got to finish up here. I’ll call her later.”

Reid looked at Greer and Drew, a meaningful expression on his face. Well, meaningful to Drew and Greer since both nodded. “We’ll take care of this. Go ahead. I’ll come find you later.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes, her gaze drifting between their too casual faces. “On a scale of one to nonchalant, you guys are like negative one hundred.”

“What?” Reid asked with an amused smile.

“You guys are clearly up to something. I saw that silent bro-communication going on.”

Reid laughed. “It’s not like that. I’m working on something for the new album that I wanted to go over with them.”

Chloe managed to keep her flinch internal. Since Reid found his words, she knew a new album was inevitable. She just hadn’t expected to be excluded quite so fast. “Okay. Just come find me when you’re done.” She tried to keep her tone even, but apparently she was no better at nonchalance than the guys.

“What’s wrong?” Reid asked, his voice low as he moved closer.

Chloe smiled. “Nothing.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be in your dressing room.” Scraping her nails over his skin, she stepped back. “Come find me when you’re done.” The glint in her eye completely distracted Reid from his question, which was exactly what she wanted. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of anything, not when she knew she was being silly.

Turning away, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Josie’s number. It only rang twice before Josie’s voice came through the speaker.

“Chloe! I’m so glad you didn’t make me track you down. Maddie has been checking your mail, by the way. She’s hanging on to it for you. Now, spill.”

Chloe laughed, letting go of the lingering traces of hurt. “Well, hello to you too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Formalities, blah, blah, blah. God, now I understand why Maddie was always so eager to hear all the dirty details about me and Anders. Watching someone’s relationship unfold in front of you is really entertaining.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Chloe said, her voice flat, monotone. It took everything she had to keep from laughing when Josie huffed into the phone.

“Fine. Maddie has been wanting to take a road trip. Where are you heading next? Atlanta? I bet your bandmate Greer would totally be cool with us hitching a ride.”

Chloe laughed and moved into the dressing room. “Jesus, you win. As much as I’d love to see you both, Greer would drive all of us crazy. Not to mention the shitstorm when Anders and Holden eventually showed up.”

“Exactly,” Josie answered, her tone smug.

Deciding not to beat around the bush anymore, Chloe got right to the point. “He ended things with Jess. And then he told me he was in love with me.”

For several moments, the line was completely silent. Chloe pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected. When she realized it hadn’t, she cleared her throat. “Josie? Are you there?”

Chloe heard Josie pull in a deep breath before she spoke. “I’m going to grab a glass of wine, then I want to hear everything because, holy shit, Chloe.”

“I know. I still can’t believe it.” Chloe waited as Josie poured a glass of wine then gave her a blow-by-blow of everything that happened since they’d left LA. Saying it out loud caused Chloe’s chest to tighten and her eyes to burn with unshed tears. She couldn’t believe that somehow she’d ended up one of the lucky ones. That after everything she’d been through, being ripped away from her best friend, moving across the country, losing her father, disappointing her mother, and struggling to keep her dream alive that she’d somehow found her happily ever after.

“I’m so happy for you,” Josie sniffled, her words broken. “I have something I want to tell you as well, but not tonight. I do want to let you know that Anders got tickets to the final show here in LA for the two of us and Maddie and Holden. We can’t wait until you’re here for good. We have so much to catch up on.”

“Four more months,” Chloe said with a smile.

“Four more months,” Josie echoed. “You have a show soon. Go get ready. We’ll talk soon.”

As soon as they said their good-byes, Reid walked into the room and wrapped his arms around her. “You okay?”

Chloe smiled. “I’m perfect.” And this time, she was completely sincere.

Reid rested his hand on Chloe’s thigh as he drove down the familiar roads of his hometown. The houses lining the streets were decorated with ghosts, spider webs, and jack-o’-lanterns. Children dressed in Halloween costumes played in their front yards even though Reid was certain trick-or-treating wouldn’t begin for several hours.

He looked over at Chloe, who wore a soft smile as she took in the scenery. Despite the fact Memphis wasn’t home anymore, he wanted her to love it. He wanted to share this part of his life with her. They’d spent the night before on Beale Street. He’d shown her his favorite bars and where he used to play. He worried it might be awkward, but witnessing Chloe’s excitement and genuine happiness at seeing this part of his life wiped away his fears. As much as he hated the pain he caused Jess, they’d never had the kind of connection he shared with Chloe.

Chloe let out a heavy sigh and tugged on the piercing in her lip. Reid couldn’t help but smile. “Stop being nervous,” he said, squeezing her thigh in reassurance.

“You’d have better luck telling me to stop playing my violin,” she groaned, leaning across the seat to rest her head against his shoulder. “They’re going to hate me.”

Reid kissed the top of her head. “They are not going to hate you. They’re going to love you.”

“Your parents love Jess. They are going to hate me for existing.”

“Chloe,” Reid murmured. “Above all else, my parents want me to be happy. Sure, they love Jess, but they will love you too. They’ll love you because I love you. Just like your mother loves me.”

Reid grinned at the memory of the night he met Chloe’s mother. They’d had three shows in New York with two days off, and after a little shuffling, they managed to get together for dinner. She was every bit the ice queen Chloe made her out to be, but after about ten minutes of Reid singing Chloe’s praises, thus complimenting her mother, it was smooth sailing.

“Yes, well, you used the Jedi mind tricks I taught you on her. Plus, I was single when we met. She’s just happy she doesn’t have to be one of those hip parents who are cool with their daughter’s girlfriend.”

Reid laughed and hugged Chloe to his side as he turned down the driveway to his parents’ house. “You’re ridiculous. And they’re going to love you. You’ll see.”

Chloe sighed and pulled away before twisting to the back seat and grabbing her jacket. Reid looked at her and frowned. “What are you doing? It’s not cold enough for a jacket.”

“I just . . . I want them to like me. Maybe I should cover up my tattoos. I should have taken out my piercings,” Chloe muttered, pulling her lip into her mouth.

“Oh, fuck this,” Reid growled, pulling the car off the road. Before Chloe could say a word, he had her face in his hands, his eyes locked with hers. “I love you, Chloe. Don’t you dare hide who you are, not for anyone. I love everything about you and so will my parents. And if they don’t, then it doesn’t fucking matter. Don’t you see how perfect you are for me? Because I do, and so will they.”

Tears clouded Chloe’s eyes as she pressed her lips to his. “I’m sorry. I’ve never freaked out this much about meeting someone’s parents. I just want them to like me. I don’t want them to think badly of me, because that would make the next sixty or so years really miserable.”

Reid’s expression softened. “You plan on sticking around that long?”

Chloe let out a choked laugh. “I want to be with you until our skin sags so much our tattoos are unrecognizable.”

“That’s nasty.” Reid grimaced. “But I’m down with that plan. Now let’s go to my parents’.”

“Okay.”

Just as Reid said, his parents loved Chloe. By the time they left, his mother had Chloe in a hug, making her promise to come back soon. It was exactly how Reid expected. It was impossible not to love Chloe. He would know. After the show in Memphis on Halloween, the days began to blur. That was the thing about being on tour, the days were either the longest moments of your life, or they flashed by in the blink of an eye.

Whereas the first leg of the tour was filled with indecision, weakness, longing, and fear, this time was the opposite. It was like no other tour he’d been on. After the show in Omaha, Nebraska two days before Thanksgiving, no one left. That never happened. This time the band, along with the people closest to them, sat around a large table in a secluded restaurant sharing stories and reminiscing. When their loved ones flew back home and they took to the road once more, Reid knew it was time to tell Chloe what he wanted. What everyone in the band wanted.

“Hey, can we talk for a second?” Reid asked, threading his fingers through Chloe’s.

She looked up, her brows pinched. “Nothing good ever comes from ‘Can we talk?’ Are you going to try to overthrow me? If so, let me remind you again what happened to Vader.”

Reid laughed and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face against her neck. “I’m not trying to overthrow you,” he chuckled. “It’s the opposite, actually.”

Chloe raised her brow, her expression colored with confusion. “What are you talking about, crazy man?”

“I know that Tom has given you more than a dozen contracts from various places that want to book you, but—” Reid pulled in a deep breath and leaned forward until his eyes were locked with Chloe’s “—I want you to tell them no.”

“Why would I do that?” Chloe asked, her eyes wide.

“Because I want you to be a part of the band full time. I don’t want this to be just a tour thing. The songs we’ve written, the time we’ve spent together, I never want to lose that. You’ve made me better; you’ve made us better. I want to keep that. I want to keep you. Personally and professionally,” he added with a smirk as he tugged the end of her hair. The way Chloe’s face reddened and her eyes glistened caused Reid’s chest to tighten.

“Are you serious?” she choked.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. Be a part of my journey in every way. I want to share everything with you.”

Tears shimmered in Chloe’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t think of anything in the world I’d love more.”

Resting her head against the bus window, Chloe watched the snow slowly recede with each passing mile. Lifting the pendant hanging from her necklace, she turned it from side to side, smiling as the final rays of the setting sun reflected off the tiny diamonds. Reid had given it to her for Christmas. Unlike Thanksgiving, when the band took a week off for Christmas, everyone went home. Well, everyone except Reid and Chloe. Using the opportunity to have some time alone, they stayed in Denver and rented a cabin for the week. They even bought a tiny tree and decorated it together.

On Christmas morning, with little fanfare, Reid pulled the necklace from his pocket and slipped it over her head with a kiss. Hanging from the bottom was a silver Gemini and Leo unity pendant, the Gemini portion encrusted with diamonds. It was the most perfect gift he could have given her.

Now the tour was coming to an end and she couldn’t help feeling a little sad. So much had changed in her life since the morning she walked into that recording studio in Brooklyn nearly a year ago. If someone had told her that she’d move to the other side of the country, fall in love, and become a full-time member of Reid’s band, she would have laughed in their face. But somehow, that’s exactly what happened.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Greer asked, falling into the seat across from her.

She looked up and smiled. Kicking out her leg, she tapped her foot against his shin. “Nothing. Everything. I can’t believe the tour is over. I can’t believe everything that’s happened.”

Greer nodded and sighed. “Just remember when you do a VH1 special in about thirty years reminiscing sadly about missing your chance to hook up with the supertalented, handsome, and Hall of Fame inductee Greer Lawson that all you need to do is call. I’ll still be willing to rectify that tragic mistake.”

Chloe choked out a laugh just as Reid moved to her side, his face split with a wide smile. “Still hitting on my girl, I see.”

Greer shrugged and winked at Chloe. “I said I’d try to behave. I never claimed I’d be any good at it.”

Chloe grinned as Reid took a seat next to her. “I can’t wait to start recording new stuff with you guys. This is going to be the best time of my life.”

Greer laughed. “Maybe for you. Me and Drew still haven’t figured out how to make Reid fall for us. I can’t imagine why. I’m a fucking catch.”

“There’s a lot of drinking,” Reid chuckled. “As you can see, it’s completely necessary.”

Drew walked behind Greer and grabbed his shoulders. “Is Greer hitting on Chloe again?”

Chloe smirked. “No, right now he’s trying to figure out how to make Reid fall in love with him.”

Drew’s face twisted with confusion, his nose wrinkled like he smelled something foul. “I haven’t had enough to drink for this conversation.”

Reid cocked his brow and threw his arm over Chloe’s shoulders. “See?”

“Point taken,” Chloe replied with a smile. She was more than fine dealing with the insanity that came with the three of them. She couldn’t imagine anything better.

They arrived in LA when the first traces of dawn touched the sky. Sleepy and exhausted, Chloe was relieved when Reid insisted on taking her home. Even more so when he grabbed his bag and followed her inside. With only enough time for a few hours of sleep before they needed to get back together, it only made sense for him to stay. After months of seeing each other every day and sharing a bed, she wasn’t sure how easy of an adjustment it was going to be waking up without him next to her.

It was midafternoon when Chloe began to stir. Disoriented, she blinked several times until the room came into focus. She looked to her side and smiled. Reid lay on his stomach, one arm curved under his head and the other draped across her waist.

“What time is it?” he asked, his face still pressed into the pillow.

“A little after two. We should probably get up.” Chloe sighed and slipped out from under his arm, laughing softly at his muffled protests. Moving into the kitchen, she put on a pot of coffee and grabbed her phone. Her brows pulled together when she saw a text from Holden.

Look on the front porch. Glad you’re back.

Walking into the living room, she opened the front door and grinned. On the mat was a large plastic container that Chloe was certain held some sort of amazing food.

You’re the best
, she typed out before grabbing the container and taking it into the kitchen. Popping off the lid, the smell of cinnamon hit her immediately. Four huge cinnamon rolls lined the bottom, icing blanketing the tops.

“What is that?” Reid asked, moving beside her.

“Breakfast. Or lunch. Whatever we should call it. Holden left it on the porch.”

“Josie’s brother, right?”

“Yup,” Chloe answered, putting a roll on a plate and handing it to him.

“He’s married, right?”

Chloe laughed. “Happily.”

Reid took a huge bite of the roll and moaned. “Thank God. I’d hate to enjoy something this much if it was from some guy who had the hots for you. As it is, I need to send him tickets to the show.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Anders got tickets for him, Josie, Maddie, and Holden. They’ll all be there tonight.”

Reid smiled and wrapped his arm around her. “That’s awesome. They get good seats?”

Chloe gave him a blank stare. “He’s Anders Ellis, what do you think?”

“He got good seats,” Reid surmised. “Well, they’ll enjoy the show tonight. They’re going to see something new.”

Chloe’s brow furrowed. “New? What are you talking about?”

Reid ate his last bite of cinnamon roll and winked, his lips curved into a mischievous smile. “You’ll see,” he said, giving her a peck on the cheek before darting down the hall and into the bathroom.

Chloe stood with her eyes wide and her mouth open. “What the hell . . .?” she mumbled as she heard Reid turn on the shower. She remembered all the times the guys shooed her away from rehearsals, even after Reid asked her to become a permanent member of the band. She was pretty sure this new thing for the show and those rehearsals were connected. What she couldn’t figure out was why she wasn’t involved.