Beaumont pushes off of him and takes a step back, he lifts his hand, running his fingers through his hair.
“I don’t give a fuck anymore, Austin. Do what you want. This is your last tour with me though,” he sighs.
Slowly, I gather myself and stand to my feet, trying really hard not to flash the bus. Laurie hasn’t moved, her mouth is dropped in awe and her eyes are moving between everyone. Brian is just leaning against the counter as if he’d been expecting this and Jesse looks torn.
“I plan on it, Beaumont. Try playing tomorrow night without drums,” he spits.
We all watch silently as he storms out of the bus. Beaumont lifts his hand, running his fingers through his hair. He lets out a long exhale, then shifts his gaze over to me.
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he breathes.
I shake my head, opening my mouth to speak when Jesse stands and clears his throat. I snap my lips closed and turn to him.
“He’ll play tomorrow. I’ll talk to him,” he offers. “Beau,” he calls out. Beaumont turns to him, lifting his chin. “He’s just having a hard time seeing you become different. I see now it ain’t a bad thing. Seeing you with Hutton, it fits. You were never the party animal, even when you were drinkin’. Not like him, not like me.” He smirks.
Beaumont dips his chin. “I can’t have him self-destructing and trying to bring me down with him at every turn. I have to think about myself, my health, and Hutton,” he says.
Jesse jerks his chin. “I get it,” he mutters. “I’ll talk to him when he’s sober.”
“Why don’t we call it a night?” Brian suggests.
“Yeah. You stay here, I’ll take the girls to the hotel,” Beaumont murmurs.
“I’ll go with you,” Jesse offers.
Beaumont snaps his head over to look back at Jesse. “I’m not coming back here tonight,” he points out.
I watch as Jesse’s hand slides around Laurie’s waist. “Me either.”
“Fuck,” Beaumont hisses.
Laurie grins. “I came for a good time, Beau,” she reminds him. He only grunts and together, the four of us leave the bus.
“Don’t worry about me here all alone. I’m going to be just fine,” Brian calls out with a laugh.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BEAUMONT
Rolling over onto my back, I try not to wake Hutton up. Sitting up, I scrub my hand down my face. Glancing at the clock, I frown. Two hours straight. It’s got to be a record. I should sleep longer. I wish that I could.
My mind immediately fills with thoughts of Austin. Fuck. I did not want that shit to go down earlier. Granted, I’m not really sorry about the outcome. It’s been coming since we started this tour.
He is starting to get out of control and obviously not happy with the changes that I want to implement in my life. He’s so fucking angry though. I’m not sure why, I just know that I can’t have it around me that way anymore.
Slipping out of bed, I walk toward the small balcony, glad that this room has one. I need some fresh air. Before I walk outside, I grab my pack of smokes from the coffee table, and my pad of paper and pencil that is never far away.
I need to write, but without my guitar, I don’t know that the lyrics will fit the music. Right now, it doesn’t matter though. I just need to do something and I can’t fuck Hutton again, she’s exhausted.
After leaving the mess of a bus, we separated from Laurie and Jesse and made our way into our own room. We spent two hours wrapped in one another and I know I wore her completely out. Now that I’ve had a couple hours rest, it’s safe to say I could go again.
Slipping my cigarette between my lips, I light it and close my eyes as I take my first drag. Outside, naked on the balcony, I let the warm air wash over me. I think about everything that’s been going on the last couple of weeks and it’s safe to say that my life is completely changing.
Not only did I meet someone that I want to spend a hell of a lot of time with. I’m not drinking, I’m writing again, and I’m changing my entire lifestyle. Which means I’m possibly losing connections that I never thought I would.
My phone dances on the table and I’m surprised to see who is calling. “Everything okay?” I demand as I answer the call.
The voice grunts. “Having a rough night, figured you’d be up too,” Rylan murmurs.
“You know it,” I chuckle. “What’s up?”
“Channing is pregnant again,” he blurts.
I freeze, my lips parting slightly in surprise. “What?” I breathe.
“I had about the same reaction.”
“I guess I should be worried and shit, but honest to fuck, you guys are good parents and there’s nothin’ wrong with adding another baby to your lives,” I offer.
He clears his throat. “I don’t know if I can handle another. We’re good. Financially, we’re okay, every raise, every bit of overtime, every storm, it gets better. I don’t know if we can afford another though and I’m feeling really fucking anxious.”
“Look at it this way,” I offer. “You have all the baby shit already. The startup cost is going to be way less than when you had Reese,” I explain.
He lets out a laugh. “Startup cost,” he says between his laughs. “You’re fucking ridiculous, Beau.”
“I know.” I shrug. “Happy for you, Rylan,” I offer.
“Me and Wyatt are gonna be havin’ babies together. Swear to Christ, I’m not sure if the world is ready for the next generation of us runnin’ around.”
“World may not be ready, but Gallup is, and your women will wrangle those feral fuckin’ kids in, I’m sure.”
He snorts. “No shit. Saints is what we got, Beau. Goddamn saints.”
“Me too,” I agree.
“Hutton’s sweet. I remember her vaguely in school, way fuckin’ hotter now.”
“Stop checking out my woman,” I rib.
“Happy for you, Beaumont. She compliments you well. Channing fucking loves her.”
“Yeah.”
He ends the call without saying goodbye and I’m perfectly fine with that, I’m just glad he called when he needed to talk. I hope that one day, I’m in the same place as he is. Able to pick up the phone and call my friend when I just need a listening ear, even if it’s only for five minutes.
“I seem to always find you smoking, naked, and outside,” Hutton’s sweet voice murmurs from behind me.
Turning my head, I look over my shoulder to the woman of my dreams. She’s standing in nothing but my t-shirt from earlier. Her hair is a fucking mess because my hands made it that way. She’s never looked better, except when she’s taking me inside of her body.
“Come cover me up then.” I grin as I stub out my smoke in the small ashtray on the table.
She smiles, her feet beginning to move as she walks over toward me. “I seem to always ride you when we’re outside alone,” she informs.
I think back to the times she’s found me outside, in my studio, or wherever else she’s stumbled across me in the middle of the night and she’s not wrong. I guess it’s my turn to do some of the work.