Hung Out: A Needles and Pins Rock Romance (83 page)

Flashbulbs became strobe lights.

A dull roar became a yell fest.

“Are you and Gage Remington dating?”

“At what point did the video happen in your relationship?”

“How long was Gage Remington your stepbrother?”

And there it was.

She only smiled as they continued to move down the line.

“Holy shit!” Colt grinned
. “That
is
hysterical.” He’d played the video twice, and now he raised his voice in imitation of her. “Gage
isn’t
my brother.”

“It is funny,” Caroline picked her head up from Colt’s shoulder to agree. “The look on your face is priceless. Like the gal is an idiot!”

“Just a crafty cunt looking for a story angle,” Ivy interjected. It took a discerning eye to see Caroline bristle a bit at the other woman’s presence. Ivy seemed unbothered and hugged closer to her man of the hour who was an independent film writer and director. The press had been merciless during her very public final breakup with Bradley, and that was the reason for the tone she took when speaking of press. Her next words however were breezy. “We’ve got to get going. Scarlette and Gage, love the new digs!”

“Thanks for coming.” Scarlette jumped up and hugged her friend.

She and Gage had hosted a Scarlette Rose tour kickoff party at their new house—built on the lot where they’d had their first grownup kiss and lost the vape pen. Really, it was more of a barbecue with their closest friends and her hired band. Her band and their families had left within a few hours, but she and Gage, Colt and Caroline had been talking around the pool for half the night. Ivy and her date had dropped in and out quickly. Seth and a few of his friends—some of them girls—were playing video games just across the patio under his parents’ keen eye.

The upcoming tour leg was to be short. Just over a dozen dates. Gage was traveling with her, with the exception of the last few dates when he’d be returning to L.A. ahead of her to begin recording his own album.

They’d lain awake many a night, limbs tangled, staring into the dark as they resolved to not be one of those celebrity couples who rarely saw one another. They would keep their tour dates minimized, and that way they’d be able to travel with one another. Their united focus was getting their music ‘out there,’ and there were plenty of mediums for doing so without a heavy tour schedule.

She knew Gage loved the stage and the spotlight, and she’d become a teeny bit addicted to the adrenaline rush of performing in front of thousands. The short tours would be enough to suffice that craving. Hence, session musicians and tour musicians.

She would have liked the cohesive experience of a permanent band, but she realized the expectations would be different. It wouldn’t be right to deny them the touring that she didn’t want or financially need and they might. Gage had talked himself out of a permanent band for the same reasons. Besides, he said Fire Flight would always be his band.

Caroline giggled and when everyone looked her way, she passed Colt’s phone to Scarlette.

A picture of Scarlette and Gage that Scarlette had posted to Instagram during a recent session break titled ‘Making Music With My Man’ was now edited and reposted to twitter.

Scar + Gage #SHIP #Goals

The homage to them as a couple had over a thousand retweets.

Some of the press might be having a field day with former step-siblings turned lovers—one outlet had even dug up a shot of her and Gage as young teens with their parents, running it next to a passionate still frame from the video, entitling it ‘How Do You Get From Here to Here?’ But the fans of their music didn’t give a shit, and there was more evidence of their absolute devotion every day, taking forms like this post.

“Scarlette, dear, do you want me to put this food up before I go to bed?” Henni stepped out onto the patio and called across.

“I’ll get it, Mom. Thanks for your help. See you in the morning.” She kicked Gage’s shoe, and was impressed when he added a very sincere sounding “Yeah. Thanks. Rest well.”

Scarlette rewarded him with a scalp rub, and enjoyed the silky strands of his hair slipping through her fingers. Henni’s silhouette was soon out of sight, and Scarlette spoke quietly. “Only a couple more days, and she’s into her new place across town.”

“It’s been a long week.” He grumbled, jabbing his thumb down on the vape pen button.

“Oh, really?” She snuck a look to be sure they weren’t boring Colt and Caroline, but those two were conversing just as closely in their own little world. She snatched his prescription weed to dose herself.
Damn rude rock stars
. For a second, she’d gotten all warm and fuzzy, but he’d ruined it by countering his gesture. “So sorry for your long week.”

He jacked the vaporizer back into his possession. “Yeah. A week of not being able to walk naked through the house. Not being able to fuck in the kitchen if we wanna. Not being―”

She giggled, completely forgiving him. “You freak. What will you do when there are Gage juniors running around?”

“Shit myself.” His answer was immediate, and although it was accompanied with a silly smirk, she knew Gage was terrified of babies. His babies.

In fact, his fear of family might be why they weren’t married yet. She wasn’t critical. They’d both been warped by their own sperm/egg donors in one way or another. She was just as terrified of being a parent. But one thing she did know. At some point in the future, she yearned for at least one mini Gage doppelganger.

He would have dark shaggy hair and eyes like his dad. And of course, the engaging smile.

“I love you, Gage.”

“Not as much as I love you, Scar Dar’.  

“What did you do?” She eyed the plastic on the inside of his forearm.

“Come see.” He led the way to the brighter lights of the bathroom.

With his free hand, he pulled at the temporary protection his tattoo artist had sent him home with until the swollen skin was visible.

“You had the broken string fixed?”

Letting the trash fall into the bin, he nodded. “The broken string was the something out of whack in my life.” Something in her face made him rush to add, “It was one of my first tattoos. And I’ve never even thought of fixing it. Because I’ve never been truly at peace until now.”

He watched as she took it in. The vine visible now, instead of a broken string. The rose on top of the perfect straight strings—holding them in place.

One day, after he had a ring on her finger, he’d add into the petals the names of each of their children…

THE END

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Thanks for reading RockStarReads.

Rock On!

Scarlette and Gage know they can’t hide their relationship from public eyes forever, but it should be easy enough to fly under the radar while they are separated by Gage’s rehab stay.

Or not…

When a viral sex video outs them as lovers, their very new and now long distance relationship is tested.

Finding her best friend and getting the hell out of California is top priority. Especially as the relationship with her rock star stepbrother becomes more complicated with each passing day...

The Gages in my life.

Corinna Reilly for all of your help and input with this book.

Debbie Williams for your editing expertise.

Lisa Gillis for lending out Jack Storm

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