The Rockers' Babies
Page 54
“Lana? Are you okay?” Dallas stepped in front of me and I lifted my eyes from her leg to her face. The piercing in her nose and above her lip glittered in the November sunlight, her blue eyes full of concern.
I gave her a grim smile. “Just being stupid. My tolerance has been little to nonexistent lately. I’m crazy jealous of dumb bitches.”
The concern didn’t leave her face but a smile lifted her lips. “You’re an idiot. Let the hos look and drool all they want. Drake would never do something like that to you. The man is your slave. Relax. Stop stressing yourself out. You’re only going to make that baby mad at you.”
“You’re right.” I sighed, she really was. Drake loved me more than anything or anyone. I knew that all I had to do was say I hated him working for America’s Rocker, and he would quit. He would move mountains for me if I asked him to. Stupid pregnancy hormones screwing with my head! “Let’s go eat. Maybe my blood sugar is low and that’s why I’m so grumpy.”
It was the lunch hour and my favorite little Greek place was packed. It didn’t bother me that we had to wait ten minutes. While we sat by the entrance, the owner came out and gave us glasses of ice water and bread to snack on. She knew how much I adored her restaurant and knew me by name because I had eaten here so many times.
When we were seated I was in a better state of mind and even fished my cell out to text Drake back. I told him that I was just going to order a pizza for dinner and we could have our date another time. He didn’t text me back so I assumed he was busy doing whatever it was that he, Axton, and my father had to do the day before a live episode of America’s Rocker. Rehearsing? Going over itineraries? Discussing what they were going to wear? If that was the case then Drake was probably bored out of his mind. No doubt he was just sitting around sketching, ignoring everyone around him for the most part.
I forced my thoughts away from Drake and his work and focused on Dallas. She looked tired but content. I knew she loved her job, even if it was more hectic than she would have liked. Working in one of the world’s busiest city’s biggest hospitals was hard work. The ER department where she was currently working to fill in for someone on maternity leave kept Dallas on her toes and nearly dragging with exhaustion by the time she got home every night.
“What have you been up to in your free time?” I asked, feeling like a horrible friend for not knowing what was going on in her life at the moment. We had texted several times over the last few weeks, but it had been mostly me doing all the talking. Dallas hadn’t mentioned one thing that was going on with her.
Dallas winced and picked up her water glass with slices of lemon and lime floating around in it. “Just working, mostly. I’ve been filling in for a few other people who’ve had the flu. Today’s the first real day I’ve had off since I got back from Harper’s wedding.”
“I thought you had Sundays guaranteed off?” She had stipulated that when she had signed her work contract with the hospital for the few months she was filling in. Sundays were her down days, always had been for as long as I had known her. She didn’t do anything on Sundays unless it was life or death, sometimes not even then.
“I’ve been busy on Sundays too.” When she didn’t elaborate and wouldn’t meet my gaze I couldn’t help but be curious.
“Doing what?”
“Visiting a friend…” she trailed off as the waiter put our lunch in front of us, but I pushed the plate away. When the guy was gone I just sat there staring her down. At first she ignored me, pretending to eat her lamb. But I was just as stubborn as she was, more so. Finally with a muttered curse she told me what she had been doing. “I go visit Liam Bryant on Sundays. They are the only days that family and friends can see the patients in the rehab he’s in. No one else goes to visit him and I don’t want him to feel like no one cares…”
Out of all the possible excuses she could have given me, that one had been light years away from what I had been expecting. My biggest guess was that she had been sneaking around with Axton Cage and Sundays were their crazy sex days. Really all the possible answers I’d come up with had involved Axton. Liam hadn’t even entered my mind.
I had heard that Liam was in rehab again. Devlin had told Natalie so that Emmie would know that Liam was getting help for his addiction—again. There was no way Emmie would let Liam go on tour with OtherWorld if he was high. She had stopped being tolerant of addicts when Drake had straightened his shit up. That was all I had known, though. Wasn’t even sure what rehab Liam was in this time.
“So you and Liam..?” It was a question that needed answering. He wasn’t Dallas’s type at all. She needed a man with a stronger personality than Liam currently had. I thought the guy was an asshole, the worst out of OtherWorld and any other band I had come across during the time I had been with Drake.
Dallas glared at me. “No. No, of course not. We’re just friends. I think of him as I would Linc. I helped him get into the rehab he’s in, and it was actually his decision this time. He’s doing pretty well now that the detox stage has passed. He just needs someone to show him he isn’t alone. Everyone he loves has turned their back on him, even his sister won’t come visit him.”
“He’s given them reasons to do that, Dallas. He’s treated his entire family like pure shit. Marissa blames herself for his addiction because he really started going hardcore when she was sick all those years ago. And maybe it was one of the reasons, because from what I heard it got pretty intense at the time and she nearly died.” No one liked to talk about that time, especially anyone in OtherWorld who cherished Marissa almost as much as Demon’s Wings did Emmie. “And his bandmates? He’s screwed them over a hundred different ways. Costing them personal and professional relationships along the way.”
“I’m not excusing his past, Lana.” Dallas pushed her food away, giving up on pretending to eat. “But he needs someone right now and I’ve promised him I will help him all that I can. Right now he’s just happy that I remember to come see him for an hour or two every Sunday.”
My hunger getting the better of me, I finally picked up my fork and took a bite of the feta-heavy salad. “I know how Harper feels about the whole Axton issue so I haven’t mentioned him, but I’m dying of curiosity.” I glanced at her through my lashes to watch for her reaction to the rock god’s name. Dallas’s face was set in stone and I was worried she was going to chip a tooth the way her jaw was locked so hard. “So that was just a weekend thing? Or have you talked to him since the wedding?”
I gave her a grim smile. “Just being stupid. My tolerance has been little to nonexistent lately. I’m crazy jealous of dumb bitches.”
The concern didn’t leave her face but a smile lifted her lips. “You’re an idiot. Let the hos look and drool all they want. Drake would never do something like that to you. The man is your slave. Relax. Stop stressing yourself out. You’re only going to make that baby mad at you.”
“You’re right.” I sighed, she really was. Drake loved me more than anything or anyone. I knew that all I had to do was say I hated him working for America’s Rocker, and he would quit. He would move mountains for me if I asked him to. Stupid pregnancy hormones screwing with my head! “Let’s go eat. Maybe my blood sugar is low and that’s why I’m so grumpy.”
It was the lunch hour and my favorite little Greek place was packed. It didn’t bother me that we had to wait ten minutes. While we sat by the entrance, the owner came out and gave us glasses of ice water and bread to snack on. She knew how much I adored her restaurant and knew me by name because I had eaten here so many times.
When we were seated I was in a better state of mind and even fished my cell out to text Drake back. I told him that I was just going to order a pizza for dinner and we could have our date another time. He didn’t text me back so I assumed he was busy doing whatever it was that he, Axton, and my father had to do the day before a live episode of America’s Rocker. Rehearsing? Going over itineraries? Discussing what they were going to wear? If that was the case then Drake was probably bored out of his mind. No doubt he was just sitting around sketching, ignoring everyone around him for the most part.
I forced my thoughts away from Drake and his work and focused on Dallas. She looked tired but content. I knew she loved her job, even if it was more hectic than she would have liked. Working in one of the world’s busiest city’s biggest hospitals was hard work. The ER department where she was currently working to fill in for someone on maternity leave kept Dallas on her toes and nearly dragging with exhaustion by the time she got home every night.
“What have you been up to in your free time?” I asked, feeling like a horrible friend for not knowing what was going on in her life at the moment. We had texted several times over the last few weeks, but it had been mostly me doing all the talking. Dallas hadn’t mentioned one thing that was going on with her.
Dallas winced and picked up her water glass with slices of lemon and lime floating around in it. “Just working, mostly. I’ve been filling in for a few other people who’ve had the flu. Today’s the first real day I’ve had off since I got back from Harper’s wedding.”
“I thought you had Sundays guaranteed off?” She had stipulated that when she had signed her work contract with the hospital for the few months she was filling in. Sundays were her down days, always had been for as long as I had known her. She didn’t do anything on Sundays unless it was life or death, sometimes not even then.
“I’ve been busy on Sundays too.” When she didn’t elaborate and wouldn’t meet my gaze I couldn’t help but be curious.
“Doing what?”
“Visiting a friend…” she trailed off as the waiter put our lunch in front of us, but I pushed the plate away. When the guy was gone I just sat there staring her down. At first she ignored me, pretending to eat her lamb. But I was just as stubborn as she was, more so. Finally with a muttered curse she told me what she had been doing. “I go visit Liam Bryant on Sundays. They are the only days that family and friends can see the patients in the rehab he’s in. No one else goes to visit him and I don’t want him to feel like no one cares…”
Out of all the possible excuses she could have given me, that one had been light years away from what I had been expecting. My biggest guess was that she had been sneaking around with Axton Cage and Sundays were their crazy sex days. Really all the possible answers I’d come up with had involved Axton. Liam hadn’t even entered my mind.
I had heard that Liam was in rehab again. Devlin had told Natalie so that Emmie would know that Liam was getting help for his addiction—again. There was no way Emmie would let Liam go on tour with OtherWorld if he was high. She had stopped being tolerant of addicts when Drake had straightened his shit up. That was all I had known, though. Wasn’t even sure what rehab Liam was in this time.
“So you and Liam..?” It was a question that needed answering. He wasn’t Dallas’s type at all. She needed a man with a stronger personality than Liam currently had. I thought the guy was an asshole, the worst out of OtherWorld and any other band I had come across during the time I had been with Drake.
Dallas glared at me. “No. No, of course not. We’re just friends. I think of him as I would Linc. I helped him get into the rehab he’s in, and it was actually his decision this time. He’s doing pretty well now that the detox stage has passed. He just needs someone to show him he isn’t alone. Everyone he loves has turned their back on him, even his sister won’t come visit him.”
“He’s given them reasons to do that, Dallas. He’s treated his entire family like pure shit. Marissa blames herself for his addiction because he really started going hardcore when she was sick all those years ago. And maybe it was one of the reasons, because from what I heard it got pretty intense at the time and she nearly died.” No one liked to talk about that time, especially anyone in OtherWorld who cherished Marissa almost as much as Demon’s Wings did Emmie. “And his bandmates? He’s screwed them over a hundred different ways. Costing them personal and professional relationships along the way.”
“I’m not excusing his past, Lana.” Dallas pushed her food away, giving up on pretending to eat. “But he needs someone right now and I’ve promised him I will help him all that I can. Right now he’s just happy that I remember to come see him for an hour or two every Sunday.”
My hunger getting the better of me, I finally picked up my fork and took a bite of the feta-heavy salad. “I know how Harper feels about the whole Axton issue so I haven’t mentioned him, but I’m dying of curiosity.” I glanced at her through my lashes to watch for her reaction to the rock god’s name. Dallas’s face was set in stone and I was worried she was going to chip a tooth the way her jaw was locked so hard. “So that was just a weekend thing? Or have you talked to him since the wedding?”
