Blessed Fate (26 page)

When I said I wanted to get to know Garrett, the thought of being in a one-on-one setting with him had never crossed my mind. It felt like that was common ground he and I shared as we both stared into the starless night. It was important to Rain that we get along, so we were both trying, but that didn't make it any easier for us to talk to one another.

"So, did you really think I was screwing your girl?" Garrett made no attempt to look at me as he asked the question.

"Screwing? No." It was the truth. In my drunken haze, I might have said shit to that effect, but I knew better than that. When I was sober, it was more seeing them share a closeness that she didn't show many people that upset me.

"But?" He asked, the expression on his face tightening as he waited for my answer.

My head fell back against the chair. I was fairly certain I would be explaining that particular incident when I was ninety and living in a nursing home. "Look, you know Rain. She doesn't open up to people. Our manager, who I will admit is a raging bitch and would love nothing more than to see Rain pushed out of the band, somehow got her hands on pictures of the two of you from the last time she was back here. She looked happy; it's pretty obvious you two are close. I guess I just got upset because in our world, I'm about the only person she feels comfortable enough with to look at the way she looked at you. And seeing as I've waited five years to be with her, it pissed me off."

Garrett nodded, seeming to understand where I was coming from. "Okay, and the thing with your drummer?" I should have known better than to think she had held anything back from this guy. She told me on more than one occasion that he was her go-to guy, her person, now that they were talking again.

"I plead the fifth of alcohol," I deadpanned. Bad joke, yes, but I had never been known for being appropriate. "Seriously, I was sloppy drunk by the time she got back from having a long-ass talk with Jon. It was the same day I got the pictures. I kinda lost it at that point."

It felt necessary to give this guy whatever answers he wanted. From watching him and Rain throughout the night, she was right; I had nothing to be worried about. I was the expert at knowing what her friend-zone looked like, and he was planted deeper in it than I'd ever been.

"You're going push her away if you keep that shit up. You know that, right?" I felt like I was in some alternate reality; the guy I had thought was moving in on my girl was now giving me advice on dealing with her.

"Think I already did that," I sighed. I felt my eyes closing, over a week of tossing and turning at night was catching up with me.

"Nah, she's pissed, sure, but you haven't pushed her away totally. Trust me, if you had you wouldn't be here right now." Garrett drained his beer and tossed the empty into the small bin along the rail. "I'm gonna head out. Do you have a problem with me riding out with her brothers to catch the show?"

After emptying my own beer, I stood and offered my hand to help him up from his chair. "No, I think she'd really like that. And now that I'm not being an asshat, you're actually an alright guy."

"Cool. I'm going to head up and say goodnight to Maddie if she's still awake." I followed him upstairs, hoping she would see that we were getting along now.

The room was dark when I opened Rain's door. I couldn't tell if she had already fallen asleep. I rapped my knuckles softly on the door. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice gravelly. I felt bad, knowing that we had woken her up. Her eyes flitted back and forth between Garrett and me, assessing the mood in the room.

Garrett and I both sat on the edge of her bed at the same time. We hadn't planned it that way, but it worked. "I just wanted to say goodnight and see if you still wanted me to come tomorrow," Garrett said as he pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen in Rain's face. I felt my stomach turn and silently scolded myself for the hint of jealousy.

"Yeah, as long as that asshole isn't going to do something that'll get him arrested if you're there." Through the sliver of light shining in from the hall, I could see her staring at me.

"We're cool. I'd like him to be there, he's obviously a good friend to put up with your shit as long as he has." I meant it. Garrett had been her friend most of her life and even if Maddie was a much sweeter girl than Rain, I couldn't imagine how much she had dealt out over the years. I reached beside me and started caressing her calf. She flinched but didn't pull away, so I allowed my hand to rest there.

"Okay, well I think we're leaving here by about seven. If you're riding with my brothers, be here then." It felt like Rain was testing me to see if I would show any signs of jealousy as she knelt on the bed next to Garrett wearing nothing but a tank top and panties. It took every bit of self-control I could call on, but I managed to allow her to say goodnight to him without losing it. "Thanks for setting him straight," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I waited until I heard the front door close before turning to face her. Lying next to her was the only place in the world I wanted to be, but that wasn't my decision to make, and I couldn't ask her to let me stay. So, I did what any man raised around women did; I skirted around the issue. "You want me to crash in the rec room?"

"Depends," she said sweetly. There it was again, that glimmer of hope she had dangled in front of me for two days.

"On?" I asked, wondering what her conditions were going to be.

"Can you keep your hands to yourself?" As she asked the question, she turned back the sheets and moved two of the pillows out from beneath her.

"I'll give you a ninety-two percent guarantee." No way in Hell was I going to flat-out guarantee I wouldn't touch her. I would do my best, but I wasn't going to be held accountable for what I did in my sleep.

I heard her holding back laughter at my randomness. "Not good enough. If I remind you that my dad is two doors down, what percentage do I get?"

"Three hundred and fifty percent. I like my balls too much." I didn't wait for her to answer; I flopped into the bed next to her. Feeling her silky hair on my skin as she laid her head on my chest made my body stir in ways that weren't good with her dad down the hall.

"I miss you," she whispered.

"I miss you, too." I leaned forward to kiss the crown of her head. "I miss you so much. I meant it when I said you're killing me."

Her petite fingers brushed up and down my ribs, causing my breathing to shallow as I focused on keeping my body mindful of the fact nothing could happen beyond cuddling. "We might be okay. Someday."

"I'll take someday. I'll take whatever I can get with you." I brushed my lips against her and rolled her body so her back pressed into my chest.

If it wouldn't have made me dump my bike, I would have pulled out my phone to take a picture of Jon and Travis as Rain and I pulled up next to the bus at Comstock the next morning.

"So, I'm assuming you kissed and made up?" Jon asked as soon as I cut the engine on the bike. I mouthed "thanks" to him before responding out loud. I wasn't ready for Rain to know I had followed her because everyone who knew anything about the situation told me I was a fool if I didn't.

"Well, she's not threatening to castrate me, so I guess that's a start," I laughed.

"Good. I think we'll all breathe a little easier now that your balls are safe." Travis sounded a little annoyed. I needed to find time to talk to him, because even though Rain and I wound up being the closer friends, I knew he would always feel a sense of responsibility for her since he is the one who brought her into the group.

"Well, looks like you really can have your cake and eat it too." My head snapped in Rain's direction as Garrett and I walked off the bus. I had just finished showing him our home on the road. Tanya was standing next to Rain looking directly at us.

"What in the hell is
that
supposed to mean, Tanya?" Rain stood a bit taller as she challenged the woman I hoped was very soon to be our former manager.

"Not many people are slick enough to get the boyfriends to be best friends. Kudos." I moved to intervene at Tanya's accusation, but Rain subtly shook her head. It seemed Rain wanted a piece of Tanya for the problems she had caused. I would be lying if I said it didn't make me a bit proud to see her ready to pounce the bitch. "Look at them; it's almost like they're not competing for a place in your pants."

"You know what, Tanya, screw you." I looked around to see if anyone was recording the altercation. I knew it was too much to hope no one heard it since both women were screeching now, but this really didn't need to go on YouTube. "Garrett is one of my oldest, dearest friends, and Colton is head over heels in love with me. I'm sorry you're a pretentious, bitter bitch who can't find anyone to love you, but that doesn't give you the right to rip me to shreds. You don't know shit about me; you don't know shit about my life. If you value your job, I highly suggest you back the fuck up and think about what you're doing. You have
zero
say in what I do in my personal life."

"Sweetheart, you're delusional if you think anything you have is real. You're nothing more than eye candy out there, and I know for a fact that Colton isn't nearly as smitten as he claims to be. Just you watch, soon enough you'll understand what I'm saying, and you'll be the one on your ass wondering what all went wrong."

Right as I lunged towards Tanya, ready to knock her on her ass, woman or not, I felt strong hands on both of my shoulders. I looked behind me to see that not one, but both of Rain's brothers that were here were hanging on for dear life, not willing to let me do something stupid.

"Enough!" Jon roared. "Rain, go spend some time with the fam. Be back in an hour."

"Look at her, Colton. I can't believe you're stupid enough to believe she's not sleeping with him. Just look at the two of them walking away from you," Tanya goaded. Garrett had quick enough reflexes to grab Rain's arm as she turned to take a swing at Tanya. While part of me wished he hadn't stopped her, I knew I needed to thank him for that later. Knowing Tanya, she would have filed assault charges, even though she had it coming.

I firmly gripped Tanya's bicep and pulled her towards the bus. The look on Jon's face told me we were on the same page. This time, Tanya had gone too far. While it would suck, Jon and I were more than capable of keeping the band going until we could find a replacement.

Jared and Travis sat on the couch trying to act as if they weren't listening to every word. I had a feeling that was more because Jared still felt like the outsider and the little punk was growing on Travis, so he stuck close so Jared wasn't left as odd man out. Also, Travis had never been great with confrontation, and this was bound to be an epic blow-up.

"You're done," Jon growled, not giving Tanya the opportunity to say anything. "You've done nothing but cause problems for months now, and it's gotten to the point where your drama negates the good you've done for the group."

"Jon, you know you don't mean that," Tanya purred. The bitch was delusional enough to think she could flirt her way off the unemployment line. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Colton will have a different opinion, won't you, sweetie?" Bile rose in my throat as she tried to rest her hand on my arm.

I jerked my arm from her grasp and leaned over so I was inches away from her face. "You were a mistake. I've made a lot of them in my life, but I'm pretty sure you're right up there at the top."

She gasped, and the crocodile tears started flowing. "You don't mean that," she pleaded, burying her face in her hands, no doubt to mask the fact that it's hard to keep the tears streaming when they're forced.

"Yes, I do," I assured her. "You were a warm body when I thought I wanted to forget Rain. Nothing more. I tried to tell you that time and again, but your psychotic mind couldn't grasp that. If it had been my decision, you would have been gone the first time you caused the woman I love pain, but Jon kept you around, hoping you'd remember that you were hired to do a job."

I walked away, the gravity of what I had done heavy on my chest. Now, more than ever, I feared Tanya would do something to retaliate against me and destroy the pieces Rain and I were attempting to glue back together.

When Jon had Tanya escorted from the bus and off the grounds by security, I texted Rain to let her know everything was taken care of. We had wasted too much time with Tanya's bullshit, and we had a show to get ready for.