Blessed Fate (31 page)

"Bullshit," Jared chimed in from the lounge chair he had claimed as his own from the day he moved in. "You're acting like my sister did the day she found out she was on the homecoming court."

Jon and Travis about fell out of their seats laughing at the normally quiet man's observation. I glared at him, silently vowing to kill him while he slept.

"Look, we're going to talk about our shit. But this time, our shit needs to be just that. Ours." I looked at each of them pointedly, making sure they understood. "Everything with her is thin ice right now, the band and us personally. You guys worry about the band shit; I'll worry about getting her back."

I excused myself shortly after, needing to find a suitable outfit to wear to court. I wound up pulling out the outfit I had worn to Rain's mom's funeral: a maroon button down shirt with black pants and a modest tie.

I fought the urge to run my fingers through my hair while I stood along the side of the courthouse waiting for Rain to get there. Since chopping off over a foot and donating it to Locks of Love, it was barely long enough to pull back into a ponytail. Yes, I felt like a complete girl sitting there worrying about how my hair looked, but it was important to me that I look respectable if I was there to support Rain while she went in front of the judge.

Seeing Rain walk up the stairs, the dark brown curls bouncing against her back, every curve of her body highlighted in a conservative shift dress nearly took my breath away. I suspected I would have a lot of those moments now that I knew what it was like to live without her and never wanting to have that feeling again.

"Morning, Sunshine," I called out when she got close to me. I kicked off from the wall and walked over to her, extending my hand to escort her inside. I turned around and mouthed "thanks" to Mark for helping me get her back. I needed to remember to do something nice for him and Dale as soon as possible.

After Rain's case was postponed, as we figured it would be, I asked her to join me for lunch before we met with the band. I knew there was no way I could eat as much as my stomach was already turning, but I also couldn't take her back to the hotel room. If I did, it would be too easy to push things too far and wind up naked in bed with her. As much as I wanted that, it wasn't what either one of us needed.

We sat across from one another in companionable silence as we enjoyed our coffee. Apparently, she wasn't in the mood to eat either. I wanted to know what was going to happen when we got to the hotel and the guys got there, but every time I tried to ask her, I thought better of it.

I settled our tab and returned to the table. "Time to get this over with." I hated the way she was walking behind me, slowing down every time I slowed my pace. "So, you going to keep me waiting, too?" I stopped until she caught up to me and draped my arm over her shoulder.

"Only as much as I keep myself waiting."

Her answer confused the hell out of me. I hated when she did her little talking around the subject thing. "Meaning?"

"Meaning I have no clue yet what I'm going to do. I know what I should do. I know what I want to do. But we need to sit and talk before I decide which way to go."

I texted the guys while Rain changed, wishing I had thought to bring something more comfortable. Now, I was going to be over-dressed, looking like a punk-ass preppie in a room filled with rockers.

Rain looked beat when she sat next to me on the couch. We had almost an hour before the guys got to the hotel, so I pulled her close to me so we could both rest. She nestled into my side and was asleep almost instantly. Instead of sleeping next to her, I sat there watching her sleep, thanking my lucky stars to have this opportunity.

I carefully lifted her off my body when my phone rang. The guys were running late, and I knew that would piss off Rain. Then again, as long as they got to the hotel before she woke up, there wouldn't be an issue.

"Where the fuck are you?" I whispered, seeing that it was Jon calling.

"I had a visit this morning. A detective stopped by about Tanya. I think they have enough to nail her." I breathed a sigh of relief when he said that. Until she was arrested, I was going to worry about Rain's safety, especially now that it seemed we would all be working out our problems. "So, is our girl coming back to my place to lay some tracks today?"

"I'm not sure man; she's still pretty hot." I was optimistic that she would rescind her resignation, but I doubted she was going to jump right back in with both feet. On the other hand, I knew we needed that so we could send out some demos to get a better contract.

"There's not a lot of time, Colt. We need to get her on board or figure out what the fuck we're gonna do." Jon's mood towards Rain was thawing now that we knew the truth about the drugs. It hadn't been long ago when he was adamant that she had two choices: get help or get the fuck out.

"We'll talk when you get here, but she made it clear to me last night that all isn't just going to be forgiven."

"Fuuuuck, dude. So, she forgives you but the band's gotta prove shit? I guess I get it, but that's fucked up. That's not how she's operated in the past."

"No, not just with the band—"

Jon cut me off, obviously no longer in the mood to talk. "Look, just convince her that we need her, because we do."

"I'm trying," I sighed. I wasn't sure how many more ways I could try to convince her.

"We'll be there in about thirty. Don't piss her off before we get there."

I laughed, figuring I was pretty safe since she was sleeping. "Okay, see you soon." As I hung up the phone, I turned to see Rain standing in the doorway. She was cute as hell when she woke up, as long as no one pissed her off, and I could tell by the look on her face that the lack of band members in the hotel room pissed her off.

"They're late." She looked down at her phone, making a show of checking the time.

"Yeah, Jon had a visit this morning about Tanya. I figured you'd understand." More like I hoped to hell she would understand since it meant her nightmare was coming to an end.

"Are they on their way? I'm not sure when Mark and Dale are coming back, and I really don't need them butting in." I pulled out my phone to send Mark a quick message. If she only knew how hard he was working to help us get things right... no, she would be pissed as hell at him if she knew, but I had no doubt he would stay away as long as we needed.

"Yeah, they'll be here soon. I'm going to get something to eat; you hungry?" My stomach was still a ball of nerves, but I hadn't eaten in over thirty hours and could feel my blood sugar dropping to a cranky level. After ordering two burgers and beers, I returned to Rain's side, grabbing her hips. "You're too damn skinny. Need to start eating again."

The five of us sat around the dining table once the guys got there. It was probably the most official looking gathering we had ever had, Jon sitting at the head of the table, Rain and I on one side with Travis and Jared across from us. For a while, it seemed like everything was going well.

Then Jon brought us back to the original issue. "Look, I stand by my statement that you need to get healthy," Jon said, leaning in towards Rain. "You've been through a world of shit this year, and you've been trying to get through it alone from the word go. That shit stops. Now."

This was the wrong thing to say, and I knew it. I went to interrupt him to explain what he was failing to get across, but he clamped his hand together, motioning for me to keep my mouth shut. "I don't care what it takes. I want you back. We
need
you back, but we need you healthy, physically and emotionally. If that means we stay in town a few months, I'm willing to do it."

I saw Travis sit up straighter in his chair, and I knew what he was thinking. We had already signed contracts for shows through Thanksgiving. Staying in town wasn't really an option, but we would have to cross that bridge when we got to it. "Jon, we already committed to dates this fall," Travis pointed out. Seriously, I wished the guys
had
left talking to her to me, but that wasn't what Rain wanted. Maybe I should have brought duct tape for them so she could talk, and they could do nothing but listen.

"No. We'll deal with it. I don't want to do this without her, and I'm not going to go back on the road wondering how much more she can take before she cracks," Jon shot back. It was evident that his focus had shifted to Rain. I hoped she saw that and appreciated it since he had once said no one in a band was irreplaceable. "She needs this, we stay home."

"Jon, I can't—"

Rain flinched when Jon cut her off. We had all listened to her telling us why she couldn't do this or that for far too long. It was time for her to be an adult, and even more, to understand that all four of us cared about her and wouldn't let her go through anything alone ever again.

"Dammit, woman! What's it going to take for you to hear me? I know we all fucked up, and you're pissed. But now, it's time to pick up and get things right." The two of them got into a staring contest that frightened me just a bit. I seriously thought the laser focus in their eyes could cut a sheet of steel if placed between them.

"Okay, I hear you. But I can't ask you to cancel dates when I'm still not sure what's going to happen." She looked at me, and I nodded for her to continue. I wanted to hear what she had to say since it sounded like she was finally receptive to talking to a therapist. "I'm going to find someone. I'm going to, as you say, get myself healthy emotionally. But what happens if I still can't go on the road after all that? There's a whole lot of poison that's been dumped into our little group over the past few months. I can't guarantee an outcome."

"Well, I guess that's a chance we have to take," Jon stated. "Plain and simple, I want you to do what you need to do. I'm hoping like hell that at the end of whatever happens, you getting your ass in the studio is part of what you decide is best. It's what you were made to do, and I don't think you'll be truly happy until you're living your dreams again. Without the bullshit this time."

I thought about ushering Travis and Jared out of the room since Jon and Rain were the ones doing the talking, and they obviously weren't seeking input from any of us. When I started to stand, Rain grabbed my arm, pulling me back into my chair.

"Okay, here's my compromise. I won't make a decision before the end of the year.
If
I decide I'm ready to play, you let me play. But I won't make any rash decisions one way or the other. In the meantime, the show goes on. Jared doesn't have many vocals right now, shift shit around. Give him a few leads. Colton can handle the rest with some rearranging. I'm not going to let my fucked up head take money out of the pockets of the crew going into the holidays. Deal?"

Watching Rain sit there and go head to head with Jon, not backing down and coming up with a very good compromise was hot as hell. If the band ever did break up for good, I could see her staying in the business, managing other bands with as good as she was at fighting when she wanted to. I gently squeezed her thigh and winked when she looked at me.

"Deal." Jon went to Rain's side, pulling her out of her chair into his arms. "Now, give me a fucking hug." He whispered something into her ear and then looked at the rest of us. "We all are. Now, can you try to give that pussy another chance? I think he's trying to take your spot as the biggest girl in the group."

I punched Jon in the shoulder, slightly irritated but knowing that we all felt like we could breathe again.