Braden mused beside me, “The place hasn’t changed much.”
I wanted to burn the place down. “No, it doesn’t seem like it.”
We heard tires on the loose gravel outside as someone else pulled into the driveway. The stairs creaked loudly underneath Gunn’s weight. He looked freshly showered and relaxed. Giving us a wink, he said, “Hey there.”
“I see you had a good night with the girlfriend.”
“Yeah, man.”
Braden frowned, hopping onto the counter. “We need to meet this chick.”
“She’s no chick. She’s a woman.” Gunn went to the kitchen table and sat down. He shook his head. “And no way am I letting her meet you. You and Luke are too pretty. The girls go crazy over you. You can meet her on our wedding day. Too late to leave me then.”
Braden grinned. “Aw, sweet, controlling love.”
Gunn gave him the middle finger, remarking, “Nah, that’s called being smart.”
I barked out a laugh. “Something you don’t know, huh?”
“Hey!” Braden swung his head from Gunn to me, then back. “Pick on Braden Day? Is that what this is?”
“Stuff it. Like you can’t handle it.” Gunn leaned back in his chair, trying to restrain a smile. “You start it half the time.”
Braden laughed. “You’re right, I do. Okay, carry on. I wish you many nights of sex and blow jobs.” He gave me a look, and just like that, I knew the joking was done. It was time for our unofficial meeting.
This was going to suck ass. Emerson was a pain, but we had grown up with him. He was like a brother to us. However, it was time, and feeling like I was about to hang a friend out to dry, I started it off. “Emerson relapsed last night.”
“He uses every night,” Gunn said so matter-of-factly.
I asked, “Every night?’
He shared a look with Braden who nodded and added, “It’s been every night.”
“Then it’s worse than I thought.”
“He’s going to be a liability.” Gunn seemed to hesitate. “We need to cut him from the band.”
“I agree,” Braden said quickly. His head was down, and his shoulders were tense. “I love him. He’s family, but he’s going to bring us down. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m down for Bri coming back.” The suggestion came from Gunn. Both Braden and I swung our heads around, and he shrugged. “Like we’re not all thinking it. I know you two have had words about her, but the girl is magic behind those drums. We all know it.”
Fucking hell. I could feel that tsunami getting closer and closer, and I didn’t know if I was ready for it or not.
Braden murmured quietly, “I think the decision is Luke’s. We all know my vote on that one.”
Gunn lifted his hand in the air. “I vote we ask her,” he added, “I fucking love this band. This is my livelihood, too. I know I hit the lottery when she dropped out. Emerson’s like a brother now, but he’s going down a bad road, and we all know it. We’ve tried for a year, more than a year for you guys, and he won’t stop. We have to cut him loose. She’ll make the band better. It’s a clear-cut decision.”
Braden’s eyes were getting bigger and bigger as Gunn talked. “Is this a yes? Should I talk to her? Is this really a go?”
I could feel Braden’s excitement. Gunn grunted in approval.
“What about Emerson?” Braden asked both of us.
Emerson was family, but he was going to hurt us. “We’ll figure something out with him.”
Braden didn’t respond, and Gunn’s tone turned soft. “I love the guy. This hurts me, too.”
It was hurting all of us.
Braden spoke up, “Bri’s got a gig tonight—some house party. I say we go. Talk to her there.”
“Wait a minute. I haven’t agreed, and we haven’t thought how to handle this with Priss and Peter. You know they’re going to fight it. Priss won’t want a girl in the band.”
“Who the fuck cares?” Braden shot back. He jumped to his feet and started pacing. “You’ll handle her. You’re the only one she listens to anyway. I say we just go for it. Bring Bri in, kick Emerson out, and tell the Twins this is how it is.”
“That easy, huh?” He had no clue.
“Yeah, why not?”
“Why are you fighting this, Luke?” Gunn asked. “You called the meeting.”
“I know.” I wasn’t fighting it. “I just want to go over it, so we know there’s nothing more we could’ve done for him. No regrets.”
“He won’t go to rehab. The Twins got him in four times over the last year, and he always left within a day. He won’t stick it out. They covered for him. We covered for him. I’ve been covering for him all my life, so has Bri, and he treats her like shit,” Braden swore. “It’s done. We’ve given him enough chances.”
“Okay.” It was done then. “How do we act until it’s done?”
Braden quieted and glanced away.
Gunn said it for us, “We act normal. That’s all we can do.”
“So, we go to the house party then.”
Fucking hell. Bri was coming back. Had I agreed to this? Emerson had to go. That was set in stone, but Bri…I wasn’t ready for her.
“They’re going to go crazy.” A speculative gleam formed in Braden’s gaze, and his smirk grew. “That Wes guy will hate it.”
“Wes?”
Braden rolled his eyes. “The singer in Bri’s new band. I met him last night. He seems like a douche.”
Gunn grunted. “I suppose I’ll have to be security for you two. Too pretty.”
“Bring your woman. I still want to meet her.”
Gunn leveled Braden with a shrewd look. “Right.”
Braden laughed, and hopped back onto the counter. He was more relaxed now, and he teased back, “I think you’re hiding something, Gunn. Is this girl even real? Come on…”
They continued to tease each other, but it was a mask. I didn’t participate in the conversation. They might sound happy and light-hearted, but they weren’t. None of us were. We decided to cut our friend, our brother, from the band. I hadn’t officially agreed to Bri coming back, but I couldn’t think about her yet. We had Emerson to deal with first. I did the dirty work for us, so that meant I would be the one to tell him.
I wanted to burn the place down. “No, it doesn’t seem like it.”
We heard tires on the loose gravel outside as someone else pulled into the driveway. The stairs creaked loudly underneath Gunn’s weight. He looked freshly showered and relaxed. Giving us a wink, he said, “Hey there.”
“I see you had a good night with the girlfriend.”
“Yeah, man.”
Braden frowned, hopping onto the counter. “We need to meet this chick.”
“She’s no chick. She’s a woman.” Gunn went to the kitchen table and sat down. He shook his head. “And no way am I letting her meet you. You and Luke are too pretty. The girls go crazy over you. You can meet her on our wedding day. Too late to leave me then.”
Braden grinned. “Aw, sweet, controlling love.”
Gunn gave him the middle finger, remarking, “Nah, that’s called being smart.”
I barked out a laugh. “Something you don’t know, huh?”
“Hey!” Braden swung his head from Gunn to me, then back. “Pick on Braden Day? Is that what this is?”
“Stuff it. Like you can’t handle it.” Gunn leaned back in his chair, trying to restrain a smile. “You start it half the time.”
Braden laughed. “You’re right, I do. Okay, carry on. I wish you many nights of sex and blow jobs.” He gave me a look, and just like that, I knew the joking was done. It was time for our unofficial meeting.
This was going to suck ass. Emerson was a pain, but we had grown up with him. He was like a brother to us. However, it was time, and feeling like I was about to hang a friend out to dry, I started it off. “Emerson relapsed last night.”
“He uses every night,” Gunn said so matter-of-factly.
I asked, “Every night?’
He shared a look with Braden who nodded and added, “It’s been every night.”
“Then it’s worse than I thought.”
“He’s going to be a liability.” Gunn seemed to hesitate. “We need to cut him from the band.”
“I agree,” Braden said quickly. His head was down, and his shoulders were tense. “I love him. He’s family, but he’s going to bring us down. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m down for Bri coming back.” The suggestion came from Gunn. Both Braden and I swung our heads around, and he shrugged. “Like we’re not all thinking it. I know you two have had words about her, but the girl is magic behind those drums. We all know it.”
Fucking hell. I could feel that tsunami getting closer and closer, and I didn’t know if I was ready for it or not.
Braden murmured quietly, “I think the decision is Luke’s. We all know my vote on that one.”
Gunn lifted his hand in the air. “I vote we ask her,” he added, “I fucking love this band. This is my livelihood, too. I know I hit the lottery when she dropped out. Emerson’s like a brother now, but he’s going down a bad road, and we all know it. We’ve tried for a year, more than a year for you guys, and he won’t stop. We have to cut him loose. She’ll make the band better. It’s a clear-cut decision.”
Braden’s eyes were getting bigger and bigger as Gunn talked. “Is this a yes? Should I talk to her? Is this really a go?”
I could feel Braden’s excitement. Gunn grunted in approval.
“What about Emerson?” Braden asked both of us.
Emerson was family, but he was going to hurt us. “We’ll figure something out with him.”
Braden didn’t respond, and Gunn’s tone turned soft. “I love the guy. This hurts me, too.”
It was hurting all of us.
Braden spoke up, “Bri’s got a gig tonight—some house party. I say we go. Talk to her there.”
“Wait a minute. I haven’t agreed, and we haven’t thought how to handle this with Priss and Peter. You know they’re going to fight it. Priss won’t want a girl in the band.”
“Who the fuck cares?” Braden shot back. He jumped to his feet and started pacing. “You’ll handle her. You’re the only one she listens to anyway. I say we just go for it. Bring Bri in, kick Emerson out, and tell the Twins this is how it is.”
“That easy, huh?” He had no clue.
“Yeah, why not?”
“Why are you fighting this, Luke?” Gunn asked. “You called the meeting.”
“I know.” I wasn’t fighting it. “I just want to go over it, so we know there’s nothing more we could’ve done for him. No regrets.”
“He won’t go to rehab. The Twins got him in four times over the last year, and he always left within a day. He won’t stick it out. They covered for him. We covered for him. I’ve been covering for him all my life, so has Bri, and he treats her like shit,” Braden swore. “It’s done. We’ve given him enough chances.”
“Okay.” It was done then. “How do we act until it’s done?”
Braden quieted and glanced away.
Gunn said it for us, “We act normal. That’s all we can do.”
“So, we go to the house party then.”
Fucking hell. Bri was coming back. Had I agreed to this? Emerson had to go. That was set in stone, but Bri…I wasn’t ready for her.
“They’re going to go crazy.” A speculative gleam formed in Braden’s gaze, and his smirk grew. “That Wes guy will hate it.”
“Wes?”
Braden rolled his eyes. “The singer in Bri’s new band. I met him last night. He seems like a douche.”
Gunn grunted. “I suppose I’ll have to be security for you two. Too pretty.”
“Bring your woman. I still want to meet her.”
Gunn leveled Braden with a shrewd look. “Right.”
Braden laughed, and hopped back onto the counter. He was more relaxed now, and he teased back, “I think you’re hiding something, Gunn. Is this girl even real? Come on…”
They continued to tease each other, but it was a mask. I didn’t participate in the conversation. They might sound happy and light-hearted, but they weren’t. None of us were. We decided to cut our friend, our brother, from the band. I hadn’t officially agreed to Bri coming back, but I couldn’t think about her yet. We had Emerson to deal with first. I did the dirty work for us, so that meant I would be the one to tell him.
