“Hey,” Shane said, grinning at my father’s scowl.
“I thought you had that gig tonight.”
“I did.” He squeezed past Dad and came right for me. Glancing over his shoulder, he thought better of a kiss and instead took my spoon and scooped out a blob of ice cream. “I left after our set.” He swallowed the entire mouthful before squeezing his temples in pain. “Shit… brain freeze.”
Ignoring Dad’s eye roll, I asked, “Why did you leave?” I knew the answer probably had to do with his friends hooking up.
“I need to tell you something.” Shane’s eyes cut to my father, forcing him to pull no punches. “Unk… can you… um…”
“What?” my ball-busting father asked. Shane widened his eyes, hoping he got the hint… of which he did with a huff. “Yeah… yeah. I’ll be in the den.” But while walking away, he pierced me with a long, hard, encouraging stare.
“What’s with him?”
“Nothing. So why didn’t you stay?”
“Aunt Lori and Cannon were there and—”
“They were?” I interrupted. “Were you nice to Cannon?”
“Yes,” he said with a smirk. “I don’t hate him. We actually had a nice talk.”
“Did you know they were going to be there?”
“Nope.” Shane took the seat my dad had vacated, looking serious. “I have so much to tell you.”
I had a sinking feeling that this no longer had anything to do with his friends acting like idiots. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Liv.” He twisted toward me, nervously fiddling with the spoon in his hand, seeming to gear himself up for something. “So… um… as me and the boys were setting up, Lori and Cannon came over and said they wanted to talk to me after our set was done.” Once he got started, he didn’t stop. “The entire time my imagination ran wild. The moment the last chord was played, I told the guys that Lori and Cannon needed to talk to me, and that I’d be hanging with them the rest of the night. They helped me pack up my equipment and then took me out for a burger. We went to that place my dad loves near their studio… the one with the amazing apple pie. Anyway, the entire time they made small talk, not giving me a clue what they needed to say, until I forced them to get to the point.”
Not knowing if he’d paused for effect, to take a breath, or to gather courage, I waved a hand in frustration. “You’re killing me, Shane. And…”
His lips quirked into a toothless smile before he spoke. “Apparently, Cannon’s bass guitarist’s wife is having a medical issue, and he can’t go on tour…” I swear the rest of his words came through in slow motion. “So… Cannon… wants… me… to… fill… in… for… him.” One by one his words felt like bullets piercing my chest. Shane’s eyes went wide while my heartbeat slowed from the trauma.
Autopilot caused me to grab his hand and jovially say, “Oh my God, Shane. That’s awesome. I told you it was inevitable for fame to find you.”
“Baby, I’m just filling in,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s not exactly a record deal. But the experience will be priceless.”
“Still, this is an amazing opportunity,” I said, plastering on as bright and clear of a smile as I could muster while inside all I felt was pain. He’d never know it, though. What the hell was my problem? This was exactly what I wanted for him. But now that fame was upon us, it scared me to death.
All I could hope for was that our love survived the inevitable.
Chapter Fifteen
Shane
She leaned over and kissed me long and hard. “I’m just so happy for you.”
“Thanks, baby.” I knew my girl would be happy for me. She’d been my biggest cheerleader since the first time she’d watched me play that tiny bass guitar her father had gifted me. Still, the first thing I felt when Cannon had asked me to fill in was dread. This opportunity would mean no NYU or living on campus with her. It would separate us for months. All our plans would change. And now knowing what she worried about regarding me, I worried about our separation.
As if she knew that, her next question came. “When do you leave, and how long is the tour?”
“Seventh of September… thirteen weeks. Rehearsals begin soon, though.”
“In LA?” Her eyes widened for a nanosecond before she plastered on a fresh smile.
“No. Cannon’s band will be using JLL’s studios to rehearse in… for my benefit. I’ll be really busy once we start, but I’ll still be in New York, at least.”
She gave me a jerky nod. “Well, in the scheme of things this tour would be just a tiny blip of time that could lead to limitless possibilities for you.”
“True,” I replied despite feeling her comment sounded rehearsed and more like she was convincing herself. “More importantly, this could open a door that you and I would walk through together.” Another robotic nod meant she was probably hung up on the length of time. I really couldn’t blame her, because damn, one week apart while she was away with Kim’s family had been hell. Still, I had to hold on to the positive. While kissing her hand, I gave a devious smirk. “Of course, you can come see me on weekends.”
Ignoring my last comment, she then asked, “Did you tell your parents?” Her concerned look was warranted. I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.
“No. You’re the first person I told,” I admitted. “Lori wants to be there when I tell them, mainly to defuse my mother’s concerns.”
“Just remember that they just want the best for you. If you’re honest and admit that NYU really wasn’t what you wanted—”
“It was what I wanted,” I spit out, angered she was going there again.
“Yes… because of me, Shane.” Seeming to get annoyed herself, she retracted her hand to fold her arms while drilling those blue eyes through mine. “It’s okay to admit that. I won’t get mad at you.”
I tossed the spoon, and it landed on the granite with a metallic clunk. It was time for me to stare at her long and hard. “This regret bullshit again, Liv?” Her silence confirmed it. “You need to knock that shit off. Did someone say something to you?”
“Someone who?”
“I don’t know… Kim maybe?” I gripped her thighs and twisted the stools, bringing our knees together. “You go away, come back, and suddenly there’s this thing between us.”
“No one said anything to me…” She slid off her stool to put the now-softened ice cream away. Not until she stood facing me did she then say, “I don’t want to ruin your night.” Reaching over the space between us, she took my hand in hers once again. “We’ll talk about this another time.”
But I wasn’t in the mood for her deflecting again. “You said that this morning, and then avoided the topic. So… no, let’s talk about it right now.” This time I pulled my hand from hers. “No matter how many times I say you could never be a regret, you won’t believe me.”