Chapter 26

Jace

The drive home from Malibu after spending the evening with Emmie and her husband was quiet. Kin seemed distracted as she scrolled through her emails while I drove us back to LA.

“Want me to sit in on your auditions tomorrow?” I asked, wanting to help her as much as she would let me.

“If you can spare the time, that would be great,” she murmured as she typed a reply to a message she’d just gotten.

“Even if I couldn’t, I would make time for you, baby.”

Her fingers stopped typing, and I could only assume she’d sent her return message since I had to switch my gaze back to the road. “I would appreciate your input.”

“Did Emmie find you a drummer for the first few weeks? You’re still using the legends?”

“Yeah. Wroth Niall will be my guitarist. Shane, Zander, and Liam are going to alternate to fit their schedules, but I still don’t know who will be my drummer.” She dropped her phone in the cupholder, turning in her seat so she could face me better. “I really don’t want to bother Jesse or Devlin, but I’d feel more comfortable with either of them.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I promised her, reaching for her hand.

Her phone vibrated, and she quickly snatched it up before I could entwine our fingers. I shot her a glance and saw her brow pucker with a frown as she read the message.

“Something wrong?” I asked when she started typing furiously.

“Derrick asked me to meet up with him for drinks earlier, but I told him I was busy and would see him later in the week. But he’s insistent we meet tonight.”

My fingers clenched around the wheel. “You were going to meet him without telling me?”

“I would have told you.”

“Before or after you two went out?”

“Before, because I would have invited you to join us,” she snapped.

Appeased by that answer, I stopped for a red light and leaned over to kiss her. It was a quick, hard kiss, but she tried to make me linger. Grinning, I rubbed my thumb over her full bottom lip. “Let’s meet him now, then.”

“I’m not in the mood,” she grumbled.

“If he’s being insistent, then maybe he wants to discuss something important. Get it over with.”

“Fine. Let me text him, and we’ll meet at First Bass.”

When the light turned green, I changed lanes and turned us toward the club. As usual, there was a pack of paps outside the club, but Kin and I ignored them as I turned my car over to the valet attendant and we went inside.

Tiny greeted us with a nod, letting us pass up the stairs to the VIP floor without comment. I kept my hand on Kin’s hip as we walked over to the bar.

“You want a beer or something else?” I asked as we waited for Nate to come over to take our orders.

“Just ginger ale,” she told me, glancing around distractedly. “My stomach is bothering me.”

“You barely ate earlier,” I commented, worried about her. She’d been skipping meals all week and didn’t finish anything when she did finally eat.

“I’m just nervous about the tour,” she dismissed. “I’ll be fine.”

I cupped her face, making her focus her attention on me. “You’re going to do amazing,” I told her when she lifted her gaze to meet mine. “You’re the most talented person I’ve ever met. And no, I’m not saying that just because I love you. It’s true. Stop stressing over your stage fright, baby.”

She sighed but nodded. “Easier said than done, but I’m trying.”

I brushed a kiss over her lips, felt some of her tension leaving her, and hugged her against me. “I’ll be right there beside you the whole time,” I vowed. “Just keep your eyes on me.”

“What can I get you two?” Nate asked as he leaned on the bar top, his eyes shifting from Kin to me and back again. “You two sorted out now?”

I tightened my fingers on Kin’s waist. “Yeah. Sorry again about your ribs.”

He lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug. “Don’t sweat it, man. We’re cool. You want a beer?”

“And a ginger ale for Kin,” I told him, tossing a few bills on the bar.

He handed both over, and Kin sipped thirstily at her drink, going back to watching everyone around us.

“You nervous about seeing this guy?” I asked, studying her closer.

“No, why would I be?”

“You look nervous.” I leaned back against the bar, cradling her between my legs.

She blew out a sigh. “I haven’t told Derrick we’re back together yet.”

“So? It isn’t his business if we’re together or not. You don’t answer to him.” I didn’t know why her answer was pissing me off, but it was. “Does it matter what he thinks?”

“Why are you getting mad?” She set her glass down on the bar top before rubbing both hands over my chest.

“Why aren’t you answering my question?” I countered, locking my hands around her wrists to stop her from caressing me. It was distracting as hell.

“Because it’s a stupid question,” she snapped. “It doesn’t matter to me what he thinks about us being together, but he is my friend, and he is important to me.”

“Why?” I gritted out.

“Why, what?”

“Why is he so important to you?”

She pulled her wrists free and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Because he’s going to be part of my family. Please, let’s not argue about this, okay? You don’t need to be jealous.”

I swallowed a curse and hugged her, letting go of the anger that wanted to push through my sanity. Jealousy over the other guy was already eating at me, but I didn’t want to fight with Kin over it. The past few weeks had been great with us, even with the stress of Alicia’s illness and treatments, and Kin had been beside me the entire time. I didn’t want to fuck things up between us again over petty jealousy.

Over Kin’s head, I caught sight of Derrick. Spotting Kin, he started toward us. I dropped my head, kissing her possessively. Her fingers tightened in my shirt, kissing me back. I felt Derrick stop beside us, and I lifted my head, triumph in my eyes as I pressed my lips to Kin’s forehead.

He cleared his throat, and Kin jerked, startled to find him right beside her.

Clearing her throat, she pushed away from me to greet him. “Hey.”

Derrick’s eyes drilled into me for a few more seconds before he looked at her. When his gaze floated over her face, his dark eyes softened. “You’ve lost weight.”

She hmphed at him. “I haven’t seen you in over a month, and that’s the first thing you say to me?” She rolled her eyes, leaning back against me and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I missed you too,” he assured her.

“That’s more like it.” Smiling, she gave him a hug then turned to me. “I think you two should be properly introduced this time. Jace, this is Derrick, my future uncle. Derrick, this is Jace, my boyfriend.”

The other guy held out his hand, and I knew if I wanted to make Kin happy, I needed to shake it. Clenching my jaw, I grasped his hand, squeezing. Derrick squeezed back, a smirk on his face. “So you won her back. Good.” The smirk disappeared. “Break her heart again, and I’ll break your neck. Clear?”

“I won’t break her heart again,” I growled. “She’s mine, and I’m not letting her go again.”

“Good. You keep her happy, and I’ll be happy.”

Kin reached around me for her glass, sipping it again as she watched our exchange. Nate came over, producing a beer for the newcomer before moving on to other customers.

“What was so important it couldn’t wait until later in the week?” Kin finally asked as she set down her now-empty glass.

“Jillian is trying to stall the divorce.”

“Of course she is,” Kin muttered. “I told you she’s an attention whore.”

“Shannon is upset,” Derrick told her, his face clouding with displeasure. “She thinks this is a sign she shouldn’t marry Scott, after all.”

“If she’s smart, she won’t. He’s only going to break her heart in the end.”

“She loves him, Kin. He makes her happy, and I think he’s happy with her too. Is there anything you can think of that can help them?”

I stood there, watching them quietly, waiting for the other guy to look at her with that hunger I’d seen in his eyes the first night I’d caught him watching Kin. But it didn’t happen. His eyes were clear of lust and want. He looked at her like Caleb did, with brotherly affection.

That made me relax a little, and I stepped into the conversation with them. “Maybe you could talk to Carolina,” I suggested. “Get her to talk Jillian into backing off.”

“Caro doesn’t talk to her mom,” Kin said with a regretful shake of her head. “Jillian cut her off when she didn’t give in and change her mind about going to Virginia Tech.”

“Maybe if you could have dinner with Shannon and Scott, show my sister you’re on board with their marriage, Shannon will relax a little.”

Kin went still, her eyes narrowing on the other guy, but her voice was full of hurt when she spoke. “Oh, I see now. You’re just trying to get me to see Scott.”

“No,” he said with a grunt. “This has nothing to do with you and Scott and everything to do with my sister’s future happiness. Please, Kin. One dinner, that’s all I’m asking. A single meal where you’re nice to Shannon and tell her everything will be okay. You don’t even have to look at Scott if you don’t want to.”

“You want me to lie to her, and I won’t do that.”

Frustrated, Derrick held out his hands pleadingly. “You wouldn’t be lying to her. I believe Scott really loves her. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t even bother trying to keep them together. I think those two are good for each other. My sister has never been as happy as she is with Scott.”

“My opinion wouldn’t matter to him,” Kin told him, her shoulders stiff.

“It’s not his opinion I’m concerned with.” Derrick glanced at me, imploring me to help him.

“Having dinner with your dad won’t kill you.” Kin glared up at me, but I didn’t backtrack. She needed to sit down with her dad and sort out their relationship. And if he did or said anything that upset her, I was going to knock his fucking ass out. “I’ll go with you.”

“Fine.” She gave in, her voice tight. “Friday night. If he doesn’t show, I’m done.”

“I’ll make sure he’s there,” Derrick promised, relief flashing across his face. “Thanks, sweetheart. I owe you big-time for this.”

“You’re damn right you do,” she grumbled. Pushing me out of the way, she waved at Nate for a refill, and he left the three NFL players in front of him to attend to her. The bartender’s eyes scanned over her face. “You okay?” he asked as he set her fresh glass in front of her.

“Peachy,” she told him, and I heard the catch in her voice seconds before her chin began to tremble.

Before I could say anything, she stepped back from the bar and walked away, not even touching her drink.

“Shit.” I caught her around the waist before she could get far, but she jerked away from me. “Kin—”

“Leave me alone,” she yelled over her shoulder. “Tell Derrick I’ll see him Friday night. I don’t want to see either one of you until then.”

“Baby, don’t do this.” I followed her down the stairs and past Tiny, who only lifted his brows at me. I shrugged as I passed him, hurrying after Kin.

She didn’t stop until she was outside, and only then to flag down one of the taxis lined up outside the club. I lifted her by the waist, keeping her locked against my side as I gave the valet attendant my ticket.

Kin’s hair hit me in the face in her effort to unlock my arm. “Let me go,” she growled.

“You’re stirring up the vultures across the street,” I warned.

“I don’t give a fuck. Let them take their pictures and print whatever shitty story they want to make up,” she seethed. “Let me go. I’m not going home with you.”

“Then we’ll go back to your place,” I assured her, keeping my voice calm.

“There is no we,” she yelled at me, her nails raking over my forearm. “I’m going home, and you can rot for all I care.”

Gut twisting in apprehension, I released her so I could turn her to face me. “What does that mean?” I demanded, paralyzed with dread.

She tossed her hair out of her face, her eyes full of tears. “It means maybe we shouldn’t be together, after all.”

“Don’t say that,” I begged.

“You’re still not putting me first. Everyone else in the world comes before me, including my dad.” Two fat tears fell from her eyes, and I wanted to hit rewind, redo the last ten minutes.

“Baby, I am putting you first,” I tried to explain, but from the tilt of her chin, I could tell she wasn’t really listening. I still had to try, though. “I want you to see Scott for you, not for him. Fuck him. He doesn’t deserve shit. But I know how much it matters to you. If you don’t sit down and at least talk to him, you’re going to regret it, Kin.”

“I have no regrets where he’s concerned,” she said, turning her face away. “I gave him months of my life to try to repair our relationship after Mom died. He blew it, and he doesn’t get another chance. I’m done giving anyone more chances to hurt me.”

“Kin, baby, just listen—” I was cut off as her face suddenly turned green and she bent, her stomach heaving as she puked at our feet. I jumped back out of the splash zone and reached for her hair, pulling it away so she didn’t get vomit in it. “Fuck, are you okay?” I rubbed her back, and she only groaned as she puked again.

I pulled off my shirt and used it to wipe her face. When the valet attendant pulled up beside us, I lifted her and placed her in the passenger seat. I buckled her in before going around to the driver’s side where the attendant was waiting patiently. I barely remembered to tip him before climbing behind the wheel.

“Where are we going?” I asked her as I pulled out into traffic.

“I don’t care,” she said weakly, pressing the side of her face against the window.

I grasped her hand, bringing it to my lips. “Is it okay if I take you back to my place? You probably have a stomach virus. It will be easier to take care of you there.”

“I don’t care,” she repeated, closing her eyes.

Glad she wasn’t fighting me any longer, I drove back to my apartment as quickly as I could. Pulling into my usual parking spot, I turned off the car. Kin didn’t even move, her eyes still shut. Figuring she must have fallen asleep, I walked around to the passenger side and lifted her into my arms, carrying her to the elevators.

A few people were already waiting, but they took one look at me with no shirt and Kin asleep in my arms with the shirt clutched in her hands, and they kept their mouths shut. She didn’t even stir as I unlocked my apartment door and carried her into my bedroom. But as I placed her on the bed, she moaned and jerked upright, her hand covering her mouth.

I lifted her back into my arms and ran with her to the bathroom. There was barely enough time to get her to the toilet before she was puking again. I carefully placed her on her knees, holding her hair back from her face. As she vomited, I found one of her hair ties in one of the sink drawers and used it to make a semi-decent ponytail.

With my hands now free, I grabbed a washcloth and dampened it with cold water. Placing it on the back of her neck, I grabbed another to wipe her face with.

“Ugh,” she moaned. “Make it stop.”

“Wish I could, baby,” I told her as I filled the glass on the sink with water and offered it to her so she could rinse her mouth. But no sooner had she spat it out than she was heaving again.

Pulling a towel from the cabinet, I lifted her legs and positioned it under her so her knees weren’t digging into the cold, tiled floor. She was going to be there a while from the looks of it.

When she was done for the moment, I helped her take off her clothes and then dressed her in one of my T-shirts and a pair of my boxers, wanting her to be as comfortable as possible. She leaned weakly against me as I pulled the shirt down over her hips.

“Want to try lying down again?” She nodded, and I carried her into the bedroom and laid her down. Covering her up, I went in search of a bucket. Kassa had one in her and Gray’s bathroom, thankfully.

Only when everything was taken care of did I pull off my own clothes and get ready for bed. Climbing in behind her, I rearranged the cool, damp cloth on her forehead and cuddled her close.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” I told her, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought I was helping.”

She sighed tiredly. “No, I overreacted. You were right. I do need to see him.”

“Not if it’s going to upset you. I only want you to be happy, Kin. I’ll support whatever you want to do.” My arms contracted around her for a moment, my eyes clenching shut as I fought back the emotions that had been choking me when she’d started throwing up earlier. “Just don’t leave me again.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean it. I was just hurting.”

“I know, but you scared the hell out of me,” I confessed. “You had me sweating bullets, baby.”

“You and Derrick seemed more worried about Scott and Shannon than what it would do to me,” she choked out.

“No, baby, no,” I kissed the back of her head again, stroking one hand down her side soothingly. “I don’t give a fuck about them. I just want what’s best for you. If you never want to see Scott, I’ll make it happen, I promise.”

She turned slowly, as if afraid moving too quickly would disrupt her stomach again. Her arms curved around my waist, and she looked up at me. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was pale. She looked miserable. “I’ll have dinner with them Friday. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’ll see him.”

“Whatever you want, Kin, I’ll support you. I’m not going anywhere.”