Never Say Never: Gravel Hill Boys Book Two

16. Ian

The first faceI saw when I opened my eyes was the chick from the Four Seasons, who for some reason, was trying to ruin my life.

“You!” I tried to sit up but the room begin spinning. On top of the humiliation of passing out in front of my bandmates, family, and just about everyone in fucking Ashwood, I probably had a goddamn concussion. “What the fuck are you trying to pull?”

Barrett pulled up behind me and helped me to my feet. “Easy there, boy,” he warned. “This isn’t something you want to air in public.”

“No?” I questioned. “I don’t see why not because there’s no fucking way it’s true.” I aimed an accusing finger at her. “She’s lying.”

The look of concern I’d seen on her face when I came to dissolved as she threw her shoulders back and balled her fists. Before she could assault me, Liane grabbed her arm and held her back.

“Not one time have I ever fucked a chick without wrapping it up. Not once,” I shouted.

I didn’t know why I was shouting because the bar was quiet. Too quiet. The band stopped playing and the din of conversation and laughter that filled the room minutes ago had ceased.

Fuck me.

Actually, one look at Beau and I could tell he was about ready to fuck me up.

“C’mon,” Barrett said, his voice even and calm. “Let’s take this outside. This is our friends’ day, and we’re not gonna ruin it for them.”

“We?” I snapped. “Is she accusing you of getting her pregnant too.” I turned my glare on her. “It doesn’t work that way, honey. You can’t fuck all of us and then try and see which one sticks.”

The shock on her face was gratifying, for about two seconds. My vision had grown wonky from the hit to my head, so it was only natural I hadn’t seen her hand coming.

“How dare you!” The slap rang out in the quiet room and forced my head to snap hard to the right. I could’ve sworn I heard it echo, but the fall might’ve jacked up my hearing as well.

Before she could land another hit, Liane caught her. Not that it would’ve mattered if she hadn’t, because apparently, Beau had enough.

“That’s it,” he snarled, spinning me around and grabbing the back of my shirt and the top of my slacks and bum-rushing me toward the exit. If Barrett hadn’t intercepted, I’d be lying in the parking lot.

“Beau,” Barrett said. His voice was calm, but I detected a warning note. “Let go and get back to your guests. I’ve got this. Your fiancée needs you.”

I chanced a look at Brooklynn, and my heart sank. Either she was about to cry or beat me to a pulp. Probably both. Although I didn’t know why. I was the injured party here.

Beau backed off, and Barrett immediately wrapped his hand around my arm and jerked me forward. “Outside,” he said sharply. “Move.”

I kept my head down, not wanting to see any of the faces aimed in my direction. Especially my parents. Jesus. What must they be thinking?

The back of my head and my neck throbbed, and the neon lights around the bar were making me dizzy. I closed my eyes and trusted Barrett to get me out of there. Hopefully soon. I was about to start puking any second now.

We made it to the parking lot in the nick of time. I doubled over and threw up what seemed like everything I’d eaten and drank over the past week. God bless him, Barrett held onto me and kept me from keeling over into the contents of my stomach.

“Jesus Christ.” Zac had followed us outside. Judgmental prick.

I remained, head bent, one hand on my knee, the other pressed against the wall, sucking in a great lungful of air, when I heard a woman moan. “I’m going to be sick.”

“C’mon, honey,” Liane said. “Over here. Away from the door.”

Did half the bar follow us outside? I’d check, but the thought of lifting my head was too painful. In fact, I wanted to lie down. In the parking lot. Next to a pile of my own chunks.

“Zac?” Liane’s voice came from further away. “Could you run inside and grab Madison some ginger ale? Hopefully, it will settle her stomach.”

Settle her stomach? What about my stomach? What about my head?

Zac must’ve obeyed as the sounds from inside grew louder and then disappeared as the door opened and closed. At least the band had started up again. I felt bad about ruining the party, but it’s not like I set out to cause a disturbance. That was all Liane’s boss over there.

Despite the pain and nausea, I slowly lifted my head. Madison was leaning against the hood of my BMW, the one I kept at my parents’ place to drive when I was in town, with her head between her knees while Liane rubbed her back and glared at me. Liane knew that was my car. She better not let Madison puke on it.

And I better not puke in it.

Zac came outside with two glasses of ginger ale. I held out my hand, anxious to get the taste of bile out of my mouth, but the sonofabitch walked right past me and straight to Madison. He handed her the glass and then came back and gave me mine.

I glared at him. “Thanks, buddy.”

The bastard glared right back. “Ladies first, asshole.”

I filled my mouth with the sweet drink, swished, and spit it onto the disgusting pile I’d left by the door.

“Keep people from coming outside,” Barrett told Zac. “These two need to have a conversation. They’ve already provided enough entertainment for one night.”

“There’s nothing to converse about,” I insisted. “She’s lying.”

Madison stalked toward me; all two of her.

Well, that’s not good. It felt as if I might start retching again. I braced my arm against the building. “I need to sit or I’m gonna be sick.”

“Jesus, why are you always such a pain in the ass,” Zac snarled.

“Just lucky, I guess.” I took a cautious sip of the ginger ale. “There are picnic tables around back. If we’re gonna duke it out, can we at least do it sitting down? I think I’m seasick.”

“You probably have a concussion,” Barrett said. “Your head hit the floor pretty hard when you fainted.”

“I didn’t faint,” I argued, feeling like a goddamn wuss. “I tripped.”

Zac, who was bracing me on the right while Barrett had me on the left as they led me around the building, snorted. “How do you trip if you’re standing still?”

“Shut up.”

“Obviously, you’re nauseous,” Barrett continued. “Are you dizzy? How’s your vision?”

“Disturbing. There are two Zacs.”

The bastard snorted. “There needn’t be two of me to kick your ass.”

“Save it,” Barrett said. “When we’re done here, we’re going to have to take him to the ER.”

“We? Is there someone else here I don’t know about, because there ain’t no ‘we’ considering the way he’s acting,” Zac said.

“Nice, bro. I’d have your back if you needed me.”

“I don’t want your back.”

“This isn’t helping,” Barrett snapped. “Knock it off.”

“Why isn’t this parking lot paved?” Madison said from behind me. “This gravel is ruining my shoes.”

“The woman gives me a concussion and she’s worried about her fucking shoes.”

“I didn’t give you a concussion. You fainted.”

“I didn’t faint!”

“Dude, you fainted,” Barrett said. “No shame in that. It happens.”

Zac snickered. I was tempted to shove him, but since there were two of him, I didn’t want to risk it.

What felt like an hour later, we reached the fucking picnic table. The minute I sat, I dropped my head between my knees and prayed for everything to stop spinning.

There was a subtle whiff of gardenias in the air—warm and light—with a hint of vanilla. My subconscious triggered, I recalled a night several months ago; a night that suddenly came galloping back and knocked me on my ass. Literally.

“Do you need anything?” Liane asked gently, which meant she wasn’t speaking to me.

On the flip side, Zac grumbled into my ear. “You better not throw up again, dude. And if you do, you best not get it on me.”

I cracked an eye open. “Your concern for my well-being is admirable.”

Resting on his elbows to my left, he leaned back against the table while Barrett took a seat at my right. “Pfft.”

“Yeah, pfft.”

I lifted my head, slowly so as to keep my brain from free-floating inside my skull and looked to see Madison and Liane sitting across from us. The sun had set, but it was still light enough that I could see her in the dusk. I remembered clearly now why I’d wanted to fuck her that night. She had that hot rich girl thing going on; blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect skin. Even with as pissed off as she was at me right now, I wanted to watch her turn up her little nose and purse those full, generous lips.

I remembered her. To be honest, I’d struggled to forget her. But I also remembered wrapping it up. Every fucking time.

“We hooked up what? Four, five months ago? If you’re here claiming to be pregnant, how come you ain’t got no baby bump?”

“Stop talking like an ignorant hillbilly,” Zac grumbled under his breath. “In fact, why don’t you stop talking period and just listen.”

“Good idea,” Liane piped up from the other picnic table.

At that, Barrett rose. “If you’ll allow me, I’m the de facto mediator for the band, so why don’t I get this conversation started.”

“We don’t allow,” Liane snapped. “Sit down.”

Chastened, Barrett retook his seat beside me, and despite the seriousness of the accusation being hurled at me, I laughed. “She told you,” I muttered.

“I thought I told you to shut it?” Zac admonished.

My go-to reaction was to give him some serious side-eye, but I regretted it immediately as that caused my stomach to pitch and everything to start spinning again.

“I’m in charge here, got it?” Liane paced back and forth the length of the two picnic tables. While I kept my head still, my eyes focused on Madison, her eyes were on Liane.

Liane stopped her pacing and looked down at me. “Ian,” she said with that exasperated tone she often used on me. “Do you remember meeting Madison at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia?”

“Philadelphia?” Zac snorted. “You fuck your way through the south already so you have to find ‘em up north now?”

“Zip it,” Liane snarled.

“Yes, ma’am,” Zac mumbled, uncharacteristically contrite. I wanted to laugh but I figured Liane might kick me in the balls.

“Ian? I asked you a question.”

I shrugged, aiming for unaffected cool dude. “Not really,” I lied, earning myself a ticket straight to hell.

Liane whipped a card out of her pocket and held it a few inches from my nose. The sudden movement made me dizzy, and I had to close my eyes for a few beats. “What about this? Look familiar?”

Slowly, I pulled back in order to see what it was she was holding.

“Hey,” I grinned, despite feeling like death. “You kept it.”

Barrett pinched his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “You really are an idiot.”

I whipped my head in his direction. Big mistake. The nausea hit hard and I groaned.

“Puke on me and I’ll have him beat the shit out of you,” Barrett said, pointing at Zac, who reached across me to fist bump our lead guitarist.

“Can we wrap up this little confab so I can call an ambulance?” I begged. “I need a dark, quiet room, not an inquisition.”

“Then cooperate, Ian, and we’ll make this as painless as possible,” Liane said.

“You missed your calling, ya know?” I said because I really was an idiot. “You should see if he CIA has any job openings.”

Liane looked ready to blow. “Listen up. We’ve established that you and Madison met and spent the night together at the Four Seasons, correct?”

“I don’t remember saying we hooked up.”

An unladylike growl came from the dainty-looking creature sitting across from me. “We slept together, and you know it. Multiple times in fact.”

I smiled. I had stamina for days.

Barrett rammed an elbow into my ribs. If I had to blow chunks again, I’d aim right for his lap.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’d just had my heart broken, and I’d had a few cocktails?—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you implying that I took advantage of you? Because excuse me, lady, that’s not what happened. You were begging me to fuck you after I ate you out in the foyer of your suite.”

“Hey, hey!” Zac yelled while Barrett groaned.

Madison’s head dropped into her hands, and Liane looked about to commit murder.

“Ian, I’m giving you one more warning. Watch your mouth, or I will pay someone to remove your limbs from your body and beat you to death with them. Do you understand me?”

Maybe I went a little too far. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll do it,” Zac answered.

Despite the pain it caused, I glared at our drummer. “Nice, man. I thought we were family.”

He snorted.

“How’s it going?” Beau suddenly appeared near the grove of picnic tables. In all the hubbub, I’d missed the crunch of gravel as he made his way over to us.

Liane sighed. “It’s not. Ian’s being a dick.”

“Excuse me!”

“Fact,” said Zac.

“Finally, my best friend to the rescue,” I said.

“Don’t push it, Ian. I just got things smoothed over with my fiancée. You’re on her shit list, by the way.”

“What about them?” I jerked my arm in the direction of Liane and Madison. “They came here to ambush me. They’re who y’all should be mad at.”

“Ambush?” Madison gaped at me. “I came here because it was the right thing to do. It was never my intention to cause a scene.”

“So jamming your pee stick into my gut wasn’t causing a scene?”

Given the way she was blinking, I’d hit a nerve. She cleared her throat. “There was no one around when I gave that to you.”

“Gave?” I snorted. Before I could point out that I probably had a bruise where she’d assaulted me, Zac decided to pipe up.

“He thought it was a thermometer.”

Madison continued to gape, while the rest of them burst out laughing.

“If I may,” Beau said once the laughter at my expense died down. “How ‘bout we let these two sit here alone and talk it out? Then someone can run him to the ER to get his head checked out.”

“I’ve been saying he needs his head checked out for years now,” Zac said as he stood.

“Can we please get on with it before I permanently lose brain function,” I begged.

“I don’t think that’s how concussions work,” Barrett offered.

I said what I said.

“Madison, are you okay to stay out here and talk to this chucklehead?” Beau asked.

I would’ve made a face, but it wasn’t worth the effort. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I got no respect whatsoever. Grammy and CMA-award winning songwriter, but fuck my feelings, right? Madison, however, winced at the name-calling. I’m sure it had more to do with concern that the father of her child might be a chucklehead.

For a small woman, she stood tall and folded her hands together in front of her. She looked as if she was about to address a boardroom instead of a fuckwit—aka me.

Liane ran her hand up and down one of Madison’s shapely arms. Seriously, Michelle Obama and Jennifer Aniston would be jealous if they ever got a look at those arms. I’d never thought of arms as sexy, but damn.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Liane asked.

For fuck’s sake. “What are y’all afraid I’ll do to her? I can’t even stand up without needing to puke. Besides, even if I wanted to touch her, I wouldn’t know which one to reach for.”

Beau gaped at me. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“There are two of her. There are two Lianes. And there are two of each of you, and right now, that’s six bandmembers too many. Leave us the fuck alone. None of this concerns any of you anyway.”

Beau stepped in front of me and leaned down until we were face to face. “I’m not worried about you touching her. What worries me, is that you can’t control your piehole. I know you’re upset and in shock?—”

“And in pain.” I pointed to my cracked coconut.

“And in pain,” he parroted, like he was speaking to a child.

“Be respectful, please. Just listen and hear what she has to say.”

“Whatever.”