Wolf has every right to hate me, but he still loves me. I feel it in his touch. I see it in his eyes. He missed me as much as I missed him.
But he’s pissed. Hurt. And I don’t blame him. I need to find a way to make this better, except it’s not happening tonight. That’s for sure.
Terese is driving to the hotel with Derrick, so I walk to bus number two alone. My things have already been loaded, and a bottom bunk has been reserved for me, so I crawl into it and sigh. I don’t want to be antisocial with the crew, but I need to be alone right now. I need to calm down.
I expected a confrontation of some kind with Wolf, but I didn’t expect to find him straddling some girl on stage and serenading her with our song. He may not have fucked her, but the fact that he could have and probably even wanted to hurts like hell.
My alone time is over seconds later when Melanie rips my curtain open and beams. “Hey sexy.” She crawls onto my bed, sits beside me, and nudges my shoulder gently. My eyes fall to her high waisted plaid skirt first, and then her black and gold Wolf tank beneath a checkered leather jacket. That’s when I notice the strand of hair that’s resting over her shoulder. She’s dyed it in a red, pink, and purple ombre, and it’s fucking brilliant. On her. I’m not sure I could ever pull that off.
She eyes me, warily. “You okay?”
Before I know what’s happening, I feel a tear running down my cheek. I wipe it away and force the rest of my emotions back into my stomach. Melanie pouts but doesn’t say a word.
“I’ll be fine,” I say. “Things will be weird for a while, but I’ll deal.”
“Probably,” she agrees sympathetically. “That was quite the argument you two just had.”
I groan. Everyone must have seen that, or at the very least heard it. “He’s so mad. He’s already moving on.”
She nods slowly as if she’s deep in thought. “Between you and me,” she says quietly, “Wolf has been off his game since the moment you left. I don’t know what that was about back there, but he hasn’t touched another girl. Trust me. We’ve all been waiting, wondering when it was going to happen. Because he’s Wolf, and it will eventually happen.” She throws me a frown. “Sorry, Lyric. Just being honest.”
“It’s okay.”
“We weren’t sure if you were coming back, though, and he’s been a total wreck. The guys have been pushing girls on him like a candy factory.”
That feels like a low blow. When I was touring with the band, I spent so much time with Wolf that I didn’t make much time for rest of the guys. We didn’t exactly forge the strongest of bonds, so when I left, they probably didn’t care less. They were probably happy to have Wolf back to themselves.
“You must not have seen Suzie then,” I say, “because he was all about it.”
“Oh, I saw Suzie.” She snorts. “Wolf wasn’t going to touch her.”
I narrow my eyes. “He all but stuck his dick in her on stage, and they were on their way to his tour bus after the show.”
Melanie rolls her eyes. “I’m not convinced. We were out last night, and the hottest chick any of us had ever seen straddled him in the club. I swear, I even got a boner watching her.”
“I do not want to hear this, Mel.” The knots in my stomach twist and tighten.
She laughs gently. “Let me finish. He couldn’t get her off him fast enough. And then he left. Alone.”
“Really?” It’s been my worst fear, the fact that Wolf would move on so soon. I’ve been hoping I would make it back in time before anything did happen, but after seeing him with Suzie, my hopes definitely faltered.
“Really.” She says, her eyes wide to convince me. “The band is calling him Broke Dick.” She giggles. “Hedge tried to pick the chick up after Wolf dumped her off his lap, but she was so pissed.” There are tears from laughter in Melanie’s eyes, and I must admit it helps a little.
I smile. Not because of Wolf’s new nickname, but because I feel even more confident that we can fix what I broke if he hasn’t touched anyone else. We can get back to what we were. We have to. I just need to get him alone first.
“C’mon,” Melanie says. “Come hang out with us. We all missed you, and it’s the last night we can hang out before Florida.”
“Will you be in Florida too?” I ask, surprised. I thought it was a band-only thing.
Melanie’s eyes widen. “Oh my God. Wolf rented the biggest house. You know about it, right? We’re all going. You have to stay with us. We can be roomies!”
“In the house?” I ask, then shake my head. Perform Live called me before I got to the concert and told me they needed me in Miami with the band, so I’ll be in Florida against my wishes, but there’s no way I’m going near that house. “No. I’m staying in a hotel. I wasn’t going to go at all, but the tour company would rather me be close to the band while we prep for Europe.”
Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “We’ll see about that.”
I lean back to study her. “What do you mean?”
She shrugs. “Just that I highly doubt you and Wolf can be in the same city and not find your way to each other. Anyway, come hang out tonight. We always do an all-nighter on the last night of tour. It’s tradition, and you’re a part of our dysfunctional family now, whether you like it or not.”
I give her my best sideways glance, already giving in.
Melanie laughs knowingly. “We’ll be at the hotel in an hour, and then it’s party time. You’re coming, even if I have to tell everyone the party is at your place.”
“Jesus, fine,” I groan, burying my face in my hair to hide my smile. I like Melanie. I like this crew. And I’m part of this group now, whether Wolf forgives me or not. My time spent with them will be much more enjoyable if I step out of my Lyric and Wolf bubble to enjoy them.
When we arrive at the hotel, Doug’s already there waiting with our hotel room keycards. I linger behind, letting everyone else get theirs first so I can have some time alone with him. It’s nice to see a friendly face.
“Good to see you, darlin’,” Doug says as he scoops me up in his arms.
His hug is long, strong, and comforting, an embrace that almost brings me to tears. “Good to see you too,” I say into his shoulder.
He pulls away, smiles, and gestures for me to follow him to the elevator. He presses the button for our floor and waits for the door to close to speak. When he does, it’s with an upward curl of his lips and sideways glance. “Glad to see you and Wolf were able to speak civilly to one another.”
I cringe. “Don’t start.”
He chuckles. “I’m just giving you shit. It was pure entertainment on the bus with Crawley after that. Wolf kicked him off his bus days ago, but Crawley couldn’t wait to give Wolf a piece of his mind. Wish you could have been there to see it.”
Groaning, I lean against the wall and fold my arms. “I’m surprised Crawley’s still here after everything.”
“Well, rumor has it he won’t be around for long. But I’d stay clear of him if you can.”
“Ha. That won’t be a problem. I’m just a ride along now.” After everything that went down, I have no intention of getting anywhere near Crawley.
Doug looks like he’s bracing for impact, taking a deep breath and tensing up, like he’s about to drop a bombshell on me. “Looks like I’ll be headed out after tomorrow’s show. They need me on Tony’s tour. And Wright thought it would make you happy to have your job back.”
“What?” Why wouldn’t Wright call to tell me that? After the shouting match between us the other day, I was certain the last thing he’d ever do was give me what I wanted. And as grateful as I am to have my job back, I’m a little sad to know Doug won’t be around. I was looking forward to spending time with him again. He’s always been like a second father to me. Someone that had my back when I wouldn’t let my father help me. Someone who kept his eye on me when I was sixteen, working odd jobs around the tour company to experience everything I possibly could.
“Job’s all yours again,” Doug confirms. “There’s something I should tell you, though.” His warning tone hits my gut. I’m so over bad news.
“Out with it.”
He gives me a sympathetic look. “Your father will be in Miami.”
“No way.” My jaw drops and I shake my head. “Is this a coincidence?”
Doug shrugs. “Kind of.”
I narrow my eyes, pissed because I know Doug way too well to accept that answer. “Kind of?”
“He asked about you. I told him where you’re going to be, and he made arrangements. I just didn’t want you to be surprised. He wants to see you.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Doug. Seriously? I already have too much drama to deal with right now. I can’t spend this time mending my relationship with my father, too. That one goes way too deep. What’s up with everyone lately, anyway?” I uncross my arms and toss my hands in the air. “First Destiny and now Mitch. I just can’t deal with this.”
Doug tilts his head. “What about Destiny?”
With a half-sigh, half-groan, I bite my lip. “She basically harassed me until I agreed to meet her for lunch, so I saw her earlier today. She’s still a bitch.”
He throws his head back and laughs. Doug only has loyalty to my father. He dislikes Destiny just like everyone else who’s gotten close enough to see past her bullshit exterior. “Let me guess. She asked you for a favor.”
I smirk. “Turns out the label is relaunching her career. Rebranding or some shit. She’s looking for new material, and guess who she thought would make the perfect songwriting partner?”
“That woman has some steel balls, doesn’t she?”
“I told her no, of course. I don’t even know how she found out I was in town.”
We exit the elevator on the ninth floor, and Doug hands me the folder in his hands. Inside is all the room information for tonight’s hotel stay. It occurs to me that I could find Wolf’s room and go to him. But it might be less destructive if I happen to run into him at the party instead.
“All yours now,” Doug says with an encouraging nod.
I smile. “Thanks. So, Mitch will be in Miami. You sure?”
Doug walks me to my room and pauses outside my door. “He’ll be at the studio. But you know him, Lyric. He’s not going to push, but he will try to see you. Make time for him. He’s your father, and he misses you like crazy. Your silence is killing him. I get why you hate Destiny, but your father doesn’t deserve the silent treatment.”
“You don’t understand, Doug. It’s all just one big ball of pain. The only way I could cope with it over the years is by cutting off ties with them both. The moment I let my father in, I inadvertently let my mother in too. I need to stand on my own two feet right now, and I can’t do that with them hovering over me, constantly telling me what I’m doing wrong.”
“But your father would never tell you what to do. He’d never steal from you, Lyric. He’s only ever wanted the best for you, but he would never try to control what that meant to you. That’s all your mother.”
“No, he wouldn’t steal from me, but he’s the one who sent me off to live with the witch. He was too selfish to see how wrong it was.”
Doug nods. “Now that I’ll agree with. He was being selfish to an extent, but he also wanted what was best for you. And you touring with him while you should have been in a real school, making normal friends… It wasn’t the life for you. He knew that. He didn’t realize what would happen when he sent you to live with her.”
I push my door open, ending the conversation. “I know. Thanks for the warning. I’m going to get cleaned up and over to Melanie’s. You going to the party?”
He makes a face and shakes his head. “No, thank you. Those days are over for me. I’m all about the bathrobes and overpriced, late-night room service.”
I smile. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
He smiles one last time before turning to walk down the hall. “You’re the boss.”