Chapter 55

Xander

We were about thirty minutes into our virtual meeting with Madi, and it was like being scolded by my mom. She was right; I shouldn’t have responded to anything on social media until after my temper was under control.

“At least, I wasn’t there when Mitch was bothering Cami. I might have punched the asshole.”

Harley mouthed, “What the fuck?” probably because she realized what Madi’s response would be.

“Are you asking me to praise you for not getting arrested?” Madi didn’t even sound surprised, just irritated.

“Right. No punching Mitch,” I assured her.

“No matter how much he deserves it,” Austin added.

“I don’t think we should completely rule that one out,” was Gage’s response.

Harley smacked Gage in the back of the head since he was closest. “You guys can act like idiots later.”

“Until we’re sure there won’t be future problems, you will have security with you wherever you go, Xander.”

I looked at the screen, sure I’d catch some clue that Madi was joking. She couldn’t be serious.

“Why?” I asked. “Mitch isn’t a danger to me.”

“I want credible witnesses if he starts anything,” she explained. “As of today, he’s already doing interviews and claiming to have evidence that he and Cami have been in communication over the last few weeks. After your comment about punching him, I’m worried about your self-control.”

“I was joking.” Mostly, I was joking.

“Xander.” Madi’s tone was patient and measured. “I don’t need to remind you that we have too much going on for you to add to any of that. While I’m not blaming you or Cami for the situation, we need to avoid having it escalate. Aside from my concerns that you will say or do something to make this worse, I also think your security detail will deter Mitch from approaching you. Security can also be useful if the media become a problem. Remember, this also impacts Cami’s business, so the sooner the media attention dies down, the better it will be for her.”

I let out a frustrated breath. “You’re right.” It still sucked balls since it meant I’d have even less privacy with Cami when we went out.

We spent another fifteen minutes going over the specifics for my new security detail before ending the call.

“I can’t believe neither of us considered how being involved with me might affect Cami’s practice,” I muttered.

“That’s probably because Cami thought you were just going to fool around for a little while and go back to being friends,” Gage pointed out.

“I hope this doesn’t screw things up with Cami.” That was my biggest fear.

“You’re a dumbass,” Harley stated.

“Hey!” I pointed a finger at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be offering me support?”

“Nope.” Her reply was matter-of-fact. “That’s not my job. Austin and Gage coddle you. I tell you to grow a pair and deal with it. You’re a rock star. There will be drama. Your little scandal isn’t even that big of a deal. We’ve already had one love-triangle, and Gage’s was much more scandalous since it involved his brother. Cami’s a tough cookie. She’ll be fine. You’ll both be fine.”

Austin and Gage nodded their agreement before Gage added, “Harley’s right. If this had happened with any of us, you’d be telling us the same thing. Stop doubting what you have with Cami. She loves you.”

“Yeah, she does,” I agreed with a grin. “We’ll get through this. It’s just too bad I can’t kick Mitch’s ass.”

Austin sighed. “Loathe as I am to say this, you should avoid kicking Mitch’s ass.”

Harley nodded. “He’s right. That asshole deserves it, but it will just make things worse.”

“Thanks for having my back on this,” I told my friends.

Harley waved off my words. “We always have your back.”

“What are your plans tonight?” Gage asked. “Bentley told me she talked Cami into going over to Mercy’s for drinks.”

I shrugged. “I’ve got a new recipe I want to try, and tonight seems like a good night for it.” My bandmates stared at me with wide eyes. “You already know Cami’s been teaching me how to cook.”

“We just never expected it to go this far,” Austin stated.

“So, are you going to invite us over for dinner?” Harley asked.

“Sure, but you have to bring the beer,” I replied.

“I think we can manage that,” Gage agreed.