Crash Ride (10 page)

Humor was my go-to in my bag of tricks, that and sarcasm. I employed them both in equal measures. My dad, in the past, accused me of using them as diversionary tactics; he wasn’t wrong. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything, but your perpetual happiness is kind of annoying. You think you can kick it down a notch?”

Ashlyn laughed, thankfully not pressing the issue any further. “I promise to be less happy if you come. I might even manage a frown.”

“Now who is sounding like they hit their head?”

“Well, Dr. Winters, I didn’t want to have to pull out the big guns but you’ve left me no choice. I need you to be there. I love Dan, but being in his world still feels kind of awkward. Pretending that those guys weren’t a big deal was a hell of a lot easier when I didn’t have to see them up close. I’m a realist and it’s tough being in love with someone that comes with all of
that
. I know it’s my hang up and whatever weirdness I feel is worth it, but I need you in my corner. I also need for you to know just because I’m with him it doesn’t mean I’m no longer with you. I’m not going to join the rock-star-wives-club the minute I marry Dan and forget who I am.”

“I knew there had to be a club. It’s probably for the best you aren’t joining though; organized groups were never your thing.”

“So are you going to quit being a dumbass, and help me even out the ratio of people featured on
MTV
verses people not featured on
MTV
?”

The magic words “
I need you”
was all Ashlyn had to say. All jokes aside, there wasn’t a lot I wouldn’t do for her, even if it meant making myself uncomfortable. She was like the sister I’d never had, balancing out my crazy as I pushed her out of her comfort zone.

“Sweetie, if it’s that important to you, of course I will come. Although, I will say it’s rather hurtful you think I’m not going to be on
MTV
. I can play the
hell
out of the recorder and that shit is poised to be the next big thing.”

“You know you’re leaving yourself wide open here for jokes about oral skills.”

“Wow, Ash, I think you’ve spent too much time with Dan and he has burrowed inside your brain. If you start calling me a douchebag, I’m telling you right now, I’m going to stage an intervention.”

“Deal.” Ash’s tone did little to hide how delighted she was. “We can come and pick you up around seven.”

While I was prepared to sit across from Troy Harris and not sleep with and/or pretend I hadn’t slept with him, I also needed the means for a quick escape. Sure, in a perfect world things wouldn’t get weird but if they did, at least I could say my goodbyes and privately berate myself for my stupidity.

“Actually, it might be easier if I borrowed my mom’s car. It’s just sitting in the garage since Dad whisked my mom to Providence for some romantic mid-week getaway. I cringe at the thought of them having sex, so I have convinced myself all they will be doing is antiquing and exploring lighthouses.”
Thank you parents for having a healthy relationship, which has taken you out of state
.

Not that it would have been a problem to use either of their vehicles; it was just easier without the third degree. My father still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that I didn’t own one myself. I lived in Manhattan. Enough said.

“Blissful ignorance, huh?” Ash laughed. Having been around my parents, she knew they were more likely to be holed in a charming Bed and Breakfast enjoying adult time, rather than scaling a narrow, winding staircase of a decrepit lighthouse. “Okay, I’ll text you the address.”

“Awesome.” It was so
not
awesome. “I’ll see you there.”

We ended the call and I closed my eyes. The soft leather of my office chair cushioned my head as I leaned back against it. It was time to get over myself and do what I said I was capable of doing. Remain calm, unaffected and enjoy my evening regardless of Troy being there or not. It was ridiculous. I was ridiculous. I was not going to let a moment—okay, several moments— of weakness ruin my night. I would pull up my big girl panties, put my money where my mouth was, practice what I preached, and any other cheesy analogies I could use to tell myself that I would be okay.

The breath I had unconsciously been holding slowly spilled from my lips and I felt my body slowly relax. It would be okay; I repeated it in my head. It had to be, because the only thing worse than seeing Troy Harris and it being weird would be to never see him again. That would crush me more than I cared to admit.

Megs hadn’t called, sent
a message or shown up naked on my doorstep in days. All of that —especially the last part—really fucking sucked. Yeah, we both knew we had to cool it and get back to
friend zone,
but it agitated me.

Why? Who the fuck knew. What I did know was the past few days while we were on radio silence, I was pissed off, worked up and so fucking edgy I was wondering if I should just sit down with whatever Oprah’s latest book club recommendation was and feed my face with Ho-Ho’s.

The more I tried, the less I was able to get her off my mind. Thinking about what a cool chick she was and wondering what she was doing. Yeah, all the bullshit what-ifs weren’t helping; instead it was giving me an even bigger head fuck.

We’d had sex. Big deal. True, it had been monumental sex, but we agreed that’s all it was. It’s not like I was never going to have that again. Well obviously not with
her
, but my dick hadn’t fallen off and I hadn’t suddenly turned into a fugly mutant.

I could get laid any time I wanted. As much as I wanted. With anyone that I wanted. I was living the fucking dream, and I needed to remind myself of how good my life was. There were men who would kill to be in my place. I couldn’t even begin to describe how awesome things were.

Right, just keep telling yourself that buddy and you might actually believe that shit.

Megs. Yep, and we were back to that. Should I have called her? I’m not the kind of asshole who fucks a girl and then doesn’t call. That had been Dan’s M.O., pre-Ashlyn days of course. We were in some lame ass limbo of being friends but not talking to each other. It made zero sense to me.

Fuck. This call-or-don’t-call bullshit was giving me a headache. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, wishing I had a magic eight ball or something.

“Yeah.” My phone had been blowing up all morning and I’d finally decided to give it reprieve.

“Hey, man.” It was James, not Megs, and fuck if I was disappointed. Wanting to hear from her more than I cared to admit. “Hannah has decided we need to have a dinner to celebrate Dan finally putting a ring on it. My place, tonight.”

“Funny, I didn’t hear that as a question.”

“Probably because it wasn’t.”

“Dude, I still remember the last time your wife was pregnant. That Jekyll and Hide thing fucking scares the crap out of me.”

“Good, we’ll expect you then. Seven o’clock and Hannah said don’t be late.”

Not even going to pretend to know how a chick can turn from happy to murderous on a dime, but one thing was for sure—you do not mess with it, ever. No, seriously. That’s some prehistoric survival shit. It was easier to agree than have my balls ripped off.

“Yep, I’ll be there at seven.” Guess my evening was set.

****

My new Lambo slid in beside Stone’s Escalade and Jase’s Mustang. Sure, it got like five miles to the gallon and probably elevated me to douchebag status, but driving it got my mind off all things blonde and beautiful. I’d take the win when I could.

Dan’s Benz was parked on the other side of the driveway along side a flash, high-end red Lexus sedan. Huh? Who the hell drove a Lexus? Fuck it. The owner of the corporate coffin didn’t rate high on my give-a-shit meter. Snagging the large white box that had been sitting on my passenger seat, I climbed out of my car and strolled to the front door.

“You’re late.” Hannah stood in the open doorway. The hands on her hips clueing me in she was less than pleased.

“Sorry, Han, traffic was a bitch until I got out of Manhattan.” My head dipped and I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I brought dessert. Dan’s favorite.” I grinned, tapping the box in my hand.

The peace offering seemed to thaw the chill Hannah was throwing at me. “Aw, Troy. That is so sweet. Come in, everyone is waiting.” See what I mean? Mood swings.

I followed her through the hallway and into the back end of the house. From the back, you’d never know she was in the family way, the only clue the small basketball-sized belly you got an eyeful of when she turned around. The baby was due just before we went out on the road, which was cool.

Noah, James and Hannah’s first, had been on the road with us in the past, and I was almost certain Grace, Alex and Lexi’s little girl, was tour bound as well. Long gone were the days of wild parties and drinking till dawn. It was a different kind of backstage party these days, one that involved juice boxes and
Nick Jr.

Thinking of the tour gave me something to smile about, even if it was going to be dominated by kids. The sooner we got on the road, the sooner I could stop acting like a moody asshole. Put some distance between the Megs situation and me. Who knows, maybe find someone out there that would happily be my distraction. It certainly was worth a try.

“Sweetheart, I’m just trying to get Noah off to bed.” James met us in the hallway; trying to wrangle Noah, who wasn’t convinced it should be bedtime. “Oh, hey man. You made it.” James tipped his chin hello given his hands were tied up with a defiant two-year-old.

“No. No Bed.” Noah pushed against the arms of his dad, his face red from the effort. Poor little guy was giving it a shot but was no match for James’s strength.

“Hey, buddy.” I tickled the back of Noah’s neck. “You giving your old man a hard time? That’s Uncle Troy’s job. You wouldn’t want me to lose my job would you?” Hoping it didn’t turn on the waterworks, I gave the kid my best puppy dog eyes.

Noah looked over me, giving it some serious thought. “Nu-uh Uncle Troy.”

“Okay, so why don’t you let your dad get you off to bed.” I planted a kiss on his forehead and rubbed his back. “And I promise I’ll make sure your dad gets a hard enough time for the both of us.”

“Okay, Uncle Troy, night-night.” Noah waved his little hand then curled his arm around his old man’s neck. James mouthed me a silent thank-you as he carried Noah to his bedroom.

Hannah’s hand went to her belly and gave it a little Buddha action. “You boys are so sweet with him. He’s been impossible lately. He refuses to do anything I say, and everything is
no
.” Thinking I dodged the waterworks bullet might have been premature as Hannah’s eyes started to water.

“He’s just pushing your buttons. I would’ve thought that after all the practice you had with us, this would be a walk in the park.” I put my arm around her and gave her a hug. “Han, you are an amazing mom.”

“Thanks.” Her fingertips mopped the tears that were pooling in the corner of her eyes and gave me a smile. “Hormones are a bitch.”

“Preach, sister.” I shot her a grin. “Just the other day I was telling Dan about this fucking water retention I had going on. You should see the size of my feet.”

She sucked in laugh. “You are an ass, but I still adore you.”

“Back at ya, Han. Now let’s go celebrate my best friend being off the market.” We walked in to dining room, my box of goodness still in my hand.

“Hey, Troy Harris.” Megs walked slowly toward me with a big ass smile on her face. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Fuck.

So there goes my quiet evening not thinking about the sexy blonde who can get my dick hard just by walking into the room. It felt like I’d been sucker punched as she moved toward me in slow motion. She looked fucking amazing too; the short green dress she was wearing was showing most of her tanned legs. Her long hair hung loose. She was stunning.

“Hey, Megs.” I quickly recovered, thanking my mouth for getting with the program. “Yeah, big surprise. It’s good to see you.” Not a lie. It was really, really good to see her.

“Do you need a hand with that?” she asked, her eyes dipping down to the box that I had completely forgotten I was carrying.

Yeah, your hand around my cock would be nice, thank you very much.

“Nah, I got it. You look… good.” Good didn’t even come close to covering it. Mouthwatering was more accurate.

“Why thank you, Troy Harris.” She gave it a little
Scarlett O’Hara
, her voice taking a stroll below the Mason-Dixon line. “You look mighty fine yourself.”

What’s mighty is this hard-on I’m packing, let’s talk about that.

Shit. I was a fucking pervert. Thank God she couldn’t read minds.

“Whatcha got there?” Dan moseyed over, all kinds of interested in the box. The dude had perfect timing, pulling my ass from the fire. “Fuck, yeah! This is why you are my best man.” The dozen frosted cupcakes inside the reason he was grinning like an idiot.

“I don’t get it?” Alex shook his head, walking over to join the party. “What’s so special about cupcakes?”

“Hi, Troy.” Ashlyn waved, rolling her eyes before playfully nudging Dan’s shoulder. “Alex, don’t even get him started.”

“Heathens, the lot of you.” Dan waved them off dismissively taking the box into the kitchen.

The exchange in front of me did little to change my view. The one that had my eyes glued to the knockout blonde in front of me. Megs stayed and watched it played out; her interest in it seemed on par with mine. Non-existent.

“Here.” Jase handed me a long neck, ignoring Dan and the staring competition I obviously had going on with Megs.

“Thanks.” Nod. Swallow. Just what I needed to put these flames out.

“Megs, want a beer?” He offered her the other.

Don’t take it. Not sure I’d be good with sitting on the sidelines watching you swallow.

Her eyes dropped to the frosty bottle before they came back to me. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

Yes, you are.

Pin. Drop.

Neither of us able to tear our eyes from each other but our mouths staying clamped shut.

Well, that wasn’t awkward. Not one little bit.

“Okay then. Good times, guys.” Jase slapped me on the shoulder. The asshole decided to bail. “Going over to chat to Alex, can’t get a word in edgewise over here.” He walked. Didn’t even look back.

“I might go see if I can help Hannah or Ashlyn.” Megs followed Jason’s lead and hightailed it to the other side of the room.

Awesome. This was going well.

“Hey, Troy.” Lexi gave me her usual warm smile, her eyes a little more tired than I was used to seeing.

“Lexi.” I welcomed the distraction and noticed we were one Power Station rug rat short. “You leave the little lady home alone? Hope you gave her enough vodka and cigarettes to get her through.”

“Ha, very funny. Grace is having a sleep over with Alex’s mom.” She gave me a smug smile that meant trouble. “So… you and Megs.”

“Don’t start.” My sideways glance was also a warning. “There’s nothing there. We’re just friends.”

“Oh, really?” She clearly wasn’t letting it go. “Huh, because I could have sworn that when you walked in and saw her your eyes almost bulged out of your head. Followed by your tongue hitting the floor. That’s the way I always react when I see my
friends
.” The sarcasm on the word friend wasn’t missed.

While shit might have slid past Dan and Ash, Lexi didn’t miss a thing. The clearing of my throat didn’t help either. “I thought the matchmaker bullshit was Hannah’s deal; don’t tell me having a baby has made you soft.” I deflected hoping she would let it go, the situation not needing the heat or the attention it was getting.

“Not soft, just more invested in what’s important.”

Megs was on the other side of the room, laughing with Hannah and Ashlyn. No less beautiful than the last time I’d looked. “Yeah, well regardless of any of it. It ain’t happening. That’s a whole lot of fucking complication no one needs.”

“I’m not really the person you should be talking to about avoiding a complicated relationship.” She glanced to where Stone was deep in conversation with James and Jason. “I think Alex and I covered about every aspect. Long distance, crazy exes, miscommunication, misunderstandings and more baggage than the Parisian flagship store of
Louis Vuitton
.” She laughed. “But when the right person comes along, complications… they just make it more worthwhile.”

“Thanks, Lex.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. “Hey, if this gig with us doesn’t work out, you know can always go write cards for Hallmark.”

“Whatever, Troy.” She smiled, her arms wrapping around me. “You guys would fall apart without me.”