Looking At Forever (The Rock Gods Book 4) (39 page)

Wheland stayed in Rooster’s old bedroom at this parent’s home. It was weird being in the house without Sophie’s larger than life presence, but Wheland knew there was also some comfort in being in a place familiar to Rooster.

By the time they fell into bed, Wheland was beyond exhausted. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had time to sleep. They undressed in silence and slipped beneath the sheets of the double bed and Wheland pulled Rooster against him.

“You all right, babe?” Wheland asked, and kissed the top of Rooster’s head.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be okay,” Rooster said. “I can’t believe she’s really gone.”

“It’s weird being here and not hearing her voice,” Wheland said.

“Tomorrow I have to plan her funeral,” Rooster said. “I’m not looking forward to that, but my dad is too wrecked to handle it.”

“I’ll go with you,” Wheland said.

“Thank you, that’d be great if you could,” Rooster said. “Angela said she’d stay home with my dad and make phone calls to the relatives while I go to the funeral home.”

Five days later on a sunny afternoon, Wheland played pallbearer for Sophie’s casket along with Rooster and four of his cousins. They carried the coffin from the hearse and up the stone steps into the foyer of the large, brick Catholic Church and set it on a rolling platform. They paused to wait for a few more guests to be seated for the ceremony.

Wheland glanced toward the door and nearly fell over when he recognized the five men walking single file into the church together, wearing custom fit dark suits. Alex, Cooper, Jayson, Tony, and Jared, stepped in to the foyer and nodded at Wheland and Rooster, then allowed the church attendant to escort them into the sanctuary. Fizzbo, their ever present bodyguard, lagged behind them but followed them to their seats.

Seeing his band brothers here to show their support for him and Rooster stole his breath. Wheland was sure his mouth was gaping open, when they passed by them, and then emotion constricted his throat and filled his eyes. This time it was Rooster who offered his strength with a tight hug and the press of his lips to his damp cheek. Wheland vaguely noticed the other four pallbearers watching their embrace, but gave no thought or care to it. He needed Rooster’s touch at that moment and he wasn’t wasting energy feeling bad about it.

A moment later the organ began playing the introduction to
Ave Maria
and the pallbearers took their places beside the casket again. The doors at the back of the sanctuary opened and Rooster and Wheland led the processional down the aisle to the base of the altar.

After the hour long church service, they buried Sophie in the family plot at the cemetery and everyone gathered back at their home. Sophie’s sisters and several other relatives supplied the food. Rooster mingled as best he could, then worked his way out to the pool in the backyard to say hello to his band-mates. All four members of Rooster’s band showed up and Wheland was happy about that. He watched the emotional interaction between Rooster and his band from the other side of the patio with his own band standing beside him.

“How’s Danni and the baby?” Wheland asked Alex, dragging his attention away from Rooster.

“She’s better,” Alex said. “No more bleeding, but she’s still on bed rest until the doctor says otherwise.”

“It’ll all be worth it when she has a healthy baby,” Wheland said.

A pause fell between them and Alex shifted on his feet.

“You were right,” Alex finally said to Wheland.

“About what?” Wheland asked.

“Family should
always
come before the band,” Alex said. “Rooster is your family. I get that now. This is where you needed to be, and the rest is inconsequential.”

Wheland’s eyes met Alex’s and held. Again, tears began to sting at the corners. He swallowed hard and pulled Alex into a tight hug.

“Thank you, man,” Wheland said beside Alex’s ear. “What you said means a lot and Rooster truly is my family, but you guys are, too. I can’t thank you enough for coming today.”

Alex loosened their embrace and smiled at Wheland. “No worries,” Alex said. “The tour is on hiatus until you’re ready to come back, and there is no hurry. Okay? The time off is allowing me to spend some time with
my
family: Danni and Chase.”

“Is Chase staying with her today?” Wheland asked Alex.

“Yeah, neither of us wanted her to be alone, but they both send their sympathies,” Alex said.

Wheland nodded at Alex, then noticed Rooster waving him over to where he was standing. He excused himself from Alex and walked over to stand beside Rooster. He flinched when Rooster reached for his hand and began introductions of Wheland to the guys in his band. One by one, Diego, Scott, Aaron, and Mason shook hands with Wheland. Hearing himself being referred to as Rooster’s
partner
made him lightheaded, but that feeling was quickly overshadowed by a woman crossing the stone patio toward Rooster.

“Shit,” Rooster said under his breath.

“Is that the ex?” Wheland asked. He studied the pretty blonde’s approach; delicate features, slender figure, she was downright gorgeous, and Wheland couldn’t stop the rush of jealousy pumping through him.

“I’m afraid so,” Rooster said.

“I’ll let you talk to her,” Wheland said. He started to step away from Rooster, but a firm hand on his forearm stopped his retreat.

The blonde threw her arms around Rooster’s neck and squeezed him tight. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said and pressed a kiss to Rooster’s cheek.

“Thank you for coming,” Rooster said, unwrapping her arms from him. Rooster saw her eyes shift to Wheland and the question in her gaze. He dropped her wrists and reached for Wheland’s hand instead. “Priscilla, this is my partner, Wheland.”

Wheland watched Priscilla blink, as if in shock. Her gaze bounced from Rooster to Wheland, then down to their clasped hands and Wheland’s heart kicked in to high gear.

“So, I was right about you,” she said.

Rooster nodded to her statement. “You were, and I’m sorry it took me so long to figure that out, but I’ve never been happier than I am with Wheland.”

Wheland took a chance and extended his hand to Priscilla. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said. Priscilla smiled politely and shook Wheland’s hand, but her eyes lacked the sincerity of the expression on her face.

Wheland’s gaze bounced back to Rooster. His head was spinning from all the revelations Rooster was laying on his family, friends, and now his ex-wife about their relationship. It seemed there were no limits to how far Rooster wanted to go coming out and Rooster seemed oddly at ease in doing it. Wheland felt a bit shocked and also exposed, but mostly he was proud Rooster had claimed him in front of so many. He’d never felt more wanted or loved in his life and that meant the world to him.

Several hours later, Wheland watched as the last guest left the driveway of Rooster’s family home. The caterers were busy cleaning up and Marcos was already lying down in his bed to rest. Angela had also disappeared and that left Rooster and Wheland gliding together on the patio swing. An indigo ink colored sky hung above them with thousands of twinkling stars and a sliver of a new moon peeking at them just above the tree line.

“Long day,” Rooster said.

“It was, but it was also a beautiful day of tribute to an amazing lady,” Wheland said.

Rooster lifted Wheland’s hand and kissed the palm. “Have I adequately thanked you?” Rooster asked.

“More than enough, babe, and it’s all unnecessary,” Wheland said.

“Is Alex okay with you taking time off from the tour to be with me?”

Wheland nodded yes. “Our tour is officially on break until I’m ready to return,” Wheland said.

“When will that be?” Rooster asked.

“Whenever you feel you’re ready to go with me,” Wheland said.

“Mick, I don’t know when that will be,” Rooster said. “I’ve got to make sure my dad is okay and get things settled with my mom’s stuff. It could be awhile before I can take off again, and I don’t want to come between you and your band.”

“Then, I’ll wait until you’re ready,” Wheland said. “I’m in no hurry, and I won’t return to the tour without you.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

It was almost a month before Wheland could give his band management a confirmed return date for him to return to the tour. They all agreed the best course of action was to resume the tour with the dates still to come on their schedule and make up the shows they had to cancel later on. It would extend the duration of the tour, but even still, Wheland wouldn’t have done it any differently. It was far more important for him to be with Rooster and help him through his grief.

Wheland’s first show back with the tour was in Denver, Colorado. The guys in both bands surprised him and Rooster with a party in the rehearsal room. There was a full buffet dinner catered by a waitstaff of muscled, bare-chested men from Chippendale’s wearing assless chaps and tuxedo collars and cuffs was a great way to kick off the tour again. The group hugs between the guys in the band were endless and the show turned out to be one of the best of their tour.

By the second night, it appeared the honeymoon phase of being back on the road was over and Wheland found himself smack in the middle between a bickering Dante and an angry Ashton. It was obvious to everyone around them they hadn’t taken the time off to sort out their business, but Wheland still had hopes they would one day.

The best thing he’d noticed since his return was the subtle change in the relationship between Tony and Jared. Wheland sensed something had happened between them during the break, a shift of balance of sorts, or maybe they just came to their fucking senses. The outcome was nice to see though and every time Wheland saw Tony and Jared showing a little affection for each other in public he couldn’t help but smile. Wheland wasn’t certain if Tony or Jared realized their PDA’s were being noticed and he certainly wasn’t going to tell them. He was happy to sit back and watch whatever it was developing between them unfold.

It was before their show in Las Vegas that he walked in to a dressing room at Mandalay Bay Hotel and nearly bumped in to Tony and Jared in a tight embrace. Wheland apologized for the interruption and walked right back out into the hall. He was still smiling from seeing that when he heard the commotion at the end of the hallway. Once again, Dante and Ashton were at each other’s throats. Dagger managed to jump in between and separate them, but not before Dante made a few swings with his fist at Ashton’s face.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Dagger asked, directing his anger at Dante. He kept one palm pressed to Dante’s chest and his other holding Ashton away from Dante.

“He’s a fucking piece of shit,” Dante shouted.

“He’s pissed off because I got a little head from one of his old hook-ups,” Ashton said. “I keep telling you, you’ve got no claim on the groupies, man, so get the fuck over it!”

Ashton’s last comment had Dante launching his fist again and this time he made contact with Ashton’s cheek just under his eye. Ashton’s body spun away from Dante from the force of the hit and Wheland managed to catch him before he stumbled to the floor. Wheland decided the only solution to this was to drag Ashton into a room and lock the door and give them both some time to calm the fuck down. He found a dressing room and shoved Ashton inside, then stayed against the door with his arms crossed over his chest. Wheland ignored the few attempts Ashton made at getting around him to leave. There was no way Ashton was physically capable of moving a man of Wheland’s size from the door, and eventually Ashton gave up on the idea. Instead Wheland watched Ashton pace the room, back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists to the point it almost became comical.

“You like him, don’t you,” Wheland said pointedly.

Ashton stopped in his tracks and glared at Wheland. “I can’t stand the sight of him,” Ashton answered through gritted teeth. “In fact, I might quit the band just to get the fuck away from him! I’ve had it with his shit.”

Wheland chuckled under his breath. He knew Ashton would never leave Black Ice. He loved the music almost as much as the fame that came along with it. Even still, Wheland decided to play Ashton’s bluff.

“Maybe you
should
leave the band,” Wheland said. “You could walk away after tonight, maybe work with another band, and get some real distance from Dante. That way, you’d likely never have to see him again, accept maybe at award ceremonies or something like that. But, it’d probably be
years
before your paths crossed again. Imagine years upon years without having to see Dante, that’d be the best thing for you, right?”

Bingo.

Wheland couldn’t miss the lost look that washed over Ashton’s face and the bob of his Adam’s apple in his throat. It was the telltale sign he expected to see, and it wouldn’t require Wheland saying another damn thing to question Ashton’s real feelings for the man he claimed to hate. It was just that obvious.

“I’d give that decision some careful thought before you act on it, Ashton,” Wheland said. He opened up the locked door and stepped out into the hallway. Before turning to leave, he faced Ashton one more time and said, “You might wanna get some ice on your face.”

Wheland shut the door leaving Ashton inside the room and walked away. Rooster was coming at him from the opposite direction.

“Looks like I missed something,” Rooster asked Wheland. “Care to enlighten me?”

Wheland kissed Rooster first then gripped the back of Rooster’s neck and squeezed the tight muscle as they began to walk together. “Dante and Ashton were playing slap and tickle again, but this time Dante got a little rough.”

“How bad is it?” Rooster asked.

“Ashton will be bruised but he’ll survive,” Wheland said.

“I hate to see them fighting like this,” Rooster said.

“I know, and what’s really sad is they’re not really mad at each other,” Wheland said. “They’re pissed-off because they
like
each other. It’s total junior high bullshit, but they can’t seem to see it.”

Wheland and Rooster continued walking to his dressing room and spotted Trina talking to another woman by the stairs leading to the stage area. Wheland moved toward Trina and gave no thought to the embrace he offered her once they were in front of each other. That simple gesture meant so much to both of them. Wheland had come a long way with Trina; opening himself up to having some semblance of a biological family and, more importantly, accepting it. After Wheland stepped back, Trina reached for Rooster and hugged him.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Trina said beside Rooster’s ear.

“Thank you, Trina,” Rooster said.

Wheland and Trina had talked about getting together after the tour was over for dinner, and perhaps Wheland would get the chance to meet Trina’s sister. He wasn’t sure he wanted to meet Trina’s mother, but he wasn’t completely closing the door on that option, either. For now, Wheland was happy with the way his life was morphing into the life he always wanted for himself, but never thought he’d find it. Truthfully, he never thought he deserved it, but Rooster had disproved that completely.

Ashton performed that night with a black eye, but otherwise was no worse for the wear. Wheland also noticed the icy wall of silence that had fallen between Dante and Ashton after their fight in the hallway, and that bothered him the most. He couldn’t understand why neither man was willing to admit they had something growing between them. If the divide continued to grow, Wheland wondered what would happen to them once the tour ended and distance really was placed between them.

After the Vegas show, Wheland grabbed the bed on the bus and locked the door once Rooster cleared the threshold. They had about five hours of drive time to get to the next stop and Wheland intended to make the most of it. He stripped down to his boxer briefs and climbed beneath the sheets and watched Rooster do the same. Once Rooster was beside him, Wheland pulled him close and faced him on the pillow they were sharing.

“How are you, babe?” Wheland asked, running his fingers through Rooster’s loose hair.

“Tired, but I’m okay,” Rooster said.

“Is it too much for you being back on the road?” Wheland asked.

“I think it’s actually helping me,” Rooster said. “The distraction is nice.”

“How are your sister and dad doing?”

“Angela said my dad is sleeping a lot,” Rooster said.

“I’d expect that to be a normal thing after a loss like that, right?” Wheland asked.

“I suppose,” Rooster said, and then his voice trailed off.

Wheland watched Rooster close his eyes and continued to stroke the back of his head. Rooster did look tired but he also looked a little lost, and Wheland worried Rooster was wishing he could be back home.

“Babe?” Wheland said, and waited for Rooster’s golden-brown eyes to open for him. “If you want to be with your family, I’m okay with that.”

Rooster’s eyes came into focus and Wheland felt Rooster’s body tense. “I don’t want to go, Mick. I want to be here with you.”

“I understand that, but I can also see the pull of what you have back in Cali,” Wheland said. “I know the road isn’t your thing, and I don’t want you to regret not being with your dad and sister.”

“I spent a month with them and set everything up to work while I’m away and I make daily phone calls,” Rooster said. “My dad doesn’t need two babysitters. I’m good. Really, I am, and I need to find my own normalcy and routine and that’s here with you.”

Wheland tugged Rooster closer and kissed his forehead. He wasn’t going to push Rooster to go home, but he was definitely going to watch him over the next few weeks. If he sensed for one minute Rooster’s heart wasn’t into being on the road with him, then he’d insist Rooster take a break and fly back to Los Angeles for a while.

Rooster’s thigh eased between Wheland’s legs and both of them moaned from the friction of their course leg hair rubbing against each other. Wheland’s cock sprang to attention at the closer contact of their bodies, but he sensed Rooster was way too tired to follow through with sex tonight.

Wheland held Rooster until he fell into a deep sleep, then carefully slid out of the bed. He pulled on a pair of sweat pants and walked out into the living room. His mind was swirling with how Rooster was coping with his family situation and he wanted to think about that some more. He passed the sleeping bunks and heard the soft snores from Jayson and Cooper behind the privacy curtain, and hushed talking from Alex’s bunk. Wheland assumed he was talking with either Chase or Danni. He smiled at his pseudo family, knowing he’d not change one thing about it.

When he stepped into the living room area of the bus he saw Tony and Jared curled up against each other on the couch in a semi sitting position. Wheland made a point of bumping into Tony’s foot stretched out on top of the coffee table to wake him. As soon as Tony’s blue eyes opened, he pulled away from Jared, creating more space between them.

“What are you doing out here?” Tony asked Wheland.

“I couldn’t sleep and Rooster was exhausted, so I let him be,” Wheland said.

“And, instead you came out here and woke me up?” Tony asked.

Wheland chuckled and tossed his phone onto the coffee table. “How are things going with you and Jared?”

“There is no ‘me and Jared’,” Tony said.

“Sure looks that way,” Wheland said.

Tony gave Jared a gentle shove to upright the man more in the opposite direction as him, and leaned closer to Wheland. “What is your fucking problem with me and Jared?” Tony asked, his tone laced with irritation and bordering on anger. “Jared and I friends, we live together, and we happen to share girls every once in a while, but that doesn’t mean we’re fucking each other. Christ! Just because most of the guys in our band happen to love dick doesn’t mean we do!”

“Don’t get bitchy with me, Tony,” Wheland said. “I’m just trying to help. That’s all.”

“Pushing your way into my personal business is helping?” Tony asked.

“I was once in a similar situation,” Wheland said.

“What you did with Cooper is
nothing
like my situation,” Tony said.

“You don’t think so?” Wheland asked.

“Nope. Not even a little bit,” Tony argued, and finger combed the dark hair out of his eyes.

“Okay, then let me ask you something,” Wheland said. “When you and Jared share your women, do you ever touch each other?”

Wheland watched Tony’s face heat with color and wasn’t sure if it was due to anger or embarrassment because what he’d said had some truth to it.

“Jesus, man,” Tony said, rubbing at his temples. “If we... happen to come in contact with each other it isn’t on purpose. You’re making it sound like we’re into each other.”

“Have you ever thought about that?” Wheland asked. “You know, deliberately touching? And, before you get all pissed-off at my question, really think about your answer and be fucking honest with yourself.”

Tony opened his mouth ready to speak, then stopped and looked at Jared’s sleeping form beside him. Wheland saw Tony’s facial features soften and the introspective look that washed over him.

“I’m only trying to help, man,” Wheland said. “No one took the time to talk to me about this and it sure as fuck would have helped.”

Tony’s gaze returned to Wheland. “Okay, fine. I’ll admit I like him,” Tony said. “We’re really good friends, and we spend a lot of time together, but there is no way in hell it will ever cross over that line.”