Chapter 3
Xander
Usually I looked forward to our international tours. Something about knowing that people—literally all over the world—loved what we did so much they had to see us in person lit me up inside. The power from being onstage and having the audience sing my words back to me was everything . Nothing on earth could compare to the high I got from being onstage. And trust me, I’d tried most of the usual suspects. Coke, heroin, and even molly were all sad substitutes.
But I so didn’t want to get on that fucking plane today.
Kelly Evers was going to haunt my existence for the next three months. Backstage, sound checks, greenrooms—she’d be everywhere. And prancing around with that stupid ring. Rubbing it in my fucking face that she’d moved on, found someone else, was going to get married, have babies, and live happily fucking after.
She won, and I have to watch it all for the next three months.
“Pretty sure sheer will won’t make the plane run over her body.” Jesse’s voice came from somewhere behind me.
“What?” I turned around and watched him walk up to me, bags in hand and his gorgeous, blonde girlfriend at his side.
“You just looked like you were personally planning her death.” Jesse shrugged. “I mean, you know I’m down for a good time, but I gotta draw the line at premeditation. It’s best if it looks like an accident. Crime of passion or whatever. Or so I hear.”
A wry grin spread over my face.
“And definitely don’t try to hire someone,” Ella, Chase’s sister and Jesse’s girlfriend, piped up. “They almost always turn out to be undercover cops.”
“Noted.” I shook my head.
“And just so you know, I’m down to hide a body or whatever.” She stared me down with an intensity that gave me chills. “No one screws with my family and gets away with it.”
“Okay, crazy.” Jesse laughed lightly and patted her on the back. “Let’s not discuss actual murder plots out in the open, and especially not where the feds are within eyesight.”
My eyes moved to the custom agents crossing the tarmac a dozen yards away. “Right. Let’s get on the plane.”
Jesse led the way and said over his shoulder, “If it helps, she’s not on our plane. Chase and I made sure that wasn’t fucking happening.”
I tipped my head. “I appreciate it.”
When I stepped onto the plane, it felt like everyone was watching me. I tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung to me as I stepped past Jesse’s usual spot on the plane.
He slapped my back as I walked by. “It’ll be fine, bro. It could be worse. You could be the fucker marrying her.”
I didn’t even try to hide my shudder. “Fuck. Thanks for that.”
“Just trying to keep things in perspective.” Jesse grinned. “Murder plots aside.”
I shook my head as I walked toward the back of the plane.
Only my usual seat was taken up by a tiny blonde cherub who was staring at Noah like he’d stolen her puppy.
I didn’t even want to know what was going on there.
I pivoted to grab a different seat further up when Noah shouted my name.
“Xan! Get over here!”
I turned back with a frown. I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with Noah’s shenanigans today. I just wanted to put my headphones on and pretend to sleep. “What?”
“Come here.” Noah jerked his head toward Harper. “We’ve got a little situation and need your help.”
Of course Noah had a situation. I was surprised to hear that Harper had signed onto whatever insanity he’d fallen into. Harper had always struck me as a classy chick, someone who had their shit together and didn’t have time for Noah’s stupidity. What the hell was she doing sitting next to him?
After I tossed my backpack on an empty seat, I walked down the aisle to Noah. “What?”
“Wow. Nice to see you too, buddy.”
“What do you want, Noah? I don’t have time for your bullshit.”
“Okay. Sheesh. I just wanted to let you know that I solved your little Kelly problem.”
I blinked, jerking my head back. “What the fuck. How could you solve that ?”
“Ouch.” Noah clutched his chest. “You could sound a little less skeptical. You’re hurting my feelings here.”
“Noah,” I barked. “Just get on with it already. What the fuck did you do?”
“I got you a beard.”
“Oh my god, Noah,” Harper hissed as she slapped his arm. “Do not call me that. It’s offensive.”
Dread slithered down my spine. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Harper gaped at me, her mouth opening and closing a few times, but no sound actually escaped.
Noah’s eyes bounced from her to me and back then the fucker giggled. “Oh yeah. You guys definitely need to spend some time together if you’re going to make this even a little bit believable.”
“Make. What. Believable?” I said through gritted teeth.
“Noah told Wes that you and I were a couple,” Harper said quickly and almost under her breath—I had to strain to hear her. “That we’ve been seeing each other since the last few stops on the US tour.”
Considering what I’d done— who I’d done—as we wound our way through the Pacific Northwest, that definitely hadn’t been true. Some of it was a blur, but I’d remember doing Harper.
Pretty sure.
I turned to my former friend. “Why the fuck would you say that?”
“Because Wes hit a rough patch in his marriage. Apparently the missus doesn’t like the amount of time he’s spending with our tiny pixie here and thinks something is going on between them.”
Harper shook her head vigorously. “I would never .”
“Yeah, yeah.” Noah waved a hand. “We all know you and Shay could be poster girls for the Good Girls Club. Or at least you could. Since she married Chase, I’m pretty sure Shay had to give up her Good Girl Card. Do you have cards or do you just recognize fellow members by sight?”
“Noah!” I barked. “ Focus . Why the fuck did you get me involved in this bullshit? Why didn’t you just say you were dating her?”
“Like anyone would believe that. I spent the last year hitting on Harper, and she won’t even give me the time of day. Well, I mean aside from her work required duties. You know what I mean.” He waved a hand. “And this helps solve your whole Kelly drama.”
“Really?” I blinked. “Sounds to me like you got me tied up in a whole new round of drama.”
“No, think about it.” Noah pushed to the edge of his seat and leaned forward intently. “Kelly is prancing around with that rock on her hand, but we all know what’s going to happen. She’s going to want to hitch her star to your wagon again. Guaran-fucking-teed.”
I nodded slowly. It wouldn’t be the first time it’d happened. Kelly and I had been on and off so often most of the guys needed to check if we were together before they shit talked her.
Noah’s voice ripped me from my retrospective. “Unless that’s something you want to happen…”
“Fuck no. Never again. And please give me a lobotomy if I try.”
Noah smiled smugly. “That’s what I thought.”
“But I don’t think I need a beard to get through the next couple of months. No offense, Harper.”
She looked away and said faintly, “None taken.”
“Come on, man.” Noah entreated. “You know it makes sense. And what’s the downside? You have a gorgeous woman on your arm, keep Kelly away, and you help a friend out. Harper here wants to get on T’s radar, and apparently that hasn’t happened.”
“Noah!” Harper hissed. “Why would you tell him that? Why? He didn’t need to know.”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Of course he does. How is he going to help T see you if he doesn’t know what direction to point you when you’re all dolled up on a night out? Xan is a killer wingman. He’ll hook you up. You’re good as golden now.”
I rubbed my temples. “I’m getting a headache. This is so much weird information to take in.”
“I can totally hook you up with that lobotomy if you want.” Noah grinned.
I sighed. “I think I’m good.”
“Feel free to forget everything Noah said about me,” Harper muttered from behind her hands as she hid from us. “Is it possible to actually die from embarrassment? I’m asking for a friend, obviously.”
I couldn’t help the smile curving my lips. She really was fucking cute. Totally not my type. Kelly was a tall, slim brunette with tiny curves that I don’t think could technically be called curves. Harper, on the other hand, was like five foot nothing, blonde, and stacked in a way that was impossible to ignore. Despite not technically being my type, she might’ve starred in one or two of my fantasies while I was in the shower.
But where Kelly had to be the center of attention at all times, Harper was fine blending into the background. When she wasn’t barking orders, of course. And everyone respected her, unlike Kelly. My ex had burned more than her share of bridges within our circle.
I tilted my head as I looked at Noah. His shit-eating grin said he knew exactly what I was thinking. Damn him.
He hopped up with that grin still in place. “I’ll just let you two crazy kids spend some time together. Just remember, there are eyes everywhere .”
Harper’s hands fell back into her lap as she whispered, “Noah! Get back here!”
But he just gave her a chipper little pretend tip of the hat, then slapped my back as he skipped down the aisle to a free seat.
Ass.
I stood in front of Harper and looked down at her, seeing her in a whole new light. “T, huh? I kinda thought you had better taste than that.”
Her eyes bulged. “Oh my god. This is mortifying. Just please, kill me now. Save us all the embarrassment of the next three months because there’s no way anyone’s going to believe I’m with you .”
I dropped down into Noah’s empty seat and turned to face her. “What makes you say that?”
“I mean, come on.” Harper scoffed. “You’re you. You’ve been on magazine covers and in tabloid headlines. You have stan accounts dedicated to your hair. My own dad can’t remember my birthday. He might call a week or two later if I’m lucky. One time he called six months late.”
“That sucks. What about your mom? Does she call on time?”
Harper stared down at her lap and fiddled with her seatbelt. “Nah, she took off when I was in kindergarten. Haven’t heard from her since.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” She heaved a sigh and sat back in her seat, clearly trying to relax. “What about you? Your parents still in the picture?”
“Oh yeah.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Ma calls me at least once a week to make sure I’m still eating my vegetables. And my dad is the one always asking when I’m gonna find a nice girl to settle down with. They got married in their twenties and have been together almost forty years.”
“Wow. That’s pretty special.”
“Yeah. Not a lot of people have what they have. It’s probably why I kept trying to make it work with Kelly. I wanted what my parents had—still have.” I tilted my head as I thought over what I’d just said. “I never thought about it like that before. Huh.”
Harper smiled back at me but didn’t say anything.
And honestly? It was nice. She didn’t feel the need to fill every pause or break with endless chatter. Some women either told me way too much about themselves or fawned all over me. Harper did neither.
A voice came over the loudspeaker. “Looks like we have everyone.” The captain waved from the small doorway into the cockpit. “Welcome aboard. Flight time to Belfast is just under ten hours, with our arrival estimated around noon local time. Current weather on the Emerald Isle is rainy with highs in the low sixties. Let’s get rolling. All hail the Tin Gods!”
“Hail!” everyone shouted back before the chatter picked up.
I looked over at Harper, whose eyes were huge as she took in everything.
The plane jostled before rolling forward.
The captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker again. “Crew, arm doors and cross check.”
A flight attendant hurried up the aisle, pausing to meet my eyes and giving me an inviting smile.
I wanted to say her name was Sabrina…or was it Savannah? Shit, I should probably remember considering we’d hooked up more than once. I inclined my head in response but didn’t give her my patented come on over look.
She tilted her head, her eyes passing over Harper sitting next to me before her professional veneer returned. Sabrina/Savannah hurried on up the aisle and met the other attendant and they started the preflight safety spiel.
Like everyone else, I’d heard it so many times, I could probably recite it myself. But still, I kept my mouth politely shut even as my eyes roved over the blonde at my side. Unlike me, Harper was transfixed by the lecture. Her eyes followed the flight attendants as they gestured to the doors, and I swore her lips moved as she counted the number of rows between us and the front exit.
“I thought you’ve flown before. Like a lot. Before every new leg, right?” I asked. Harper hadn’t traveled with us on the buses since she’d been promoted to assistant tour manager. Now she flew to the next location ahead of us to troubleshoot the locations in advance of our arrival.
Harper hunched in her seat, her shoulders rising to her ears. “What? I just like to be prepared. You try getting on a plane again after taking a ride down the inflatable slide. It’s only sheer willpower that got me to walk up those stairs. Well, that and knowing how long it’d take a boat to get me to Europe. No, thank you.”
“Seriously? You’ve been in a plane crash? When?”
Harper gave a quick shake of her head. “It was a few years back. Our landing gear didn’t deploy correctly. I guess when you fly as much as I do, it’s bound to happen sooner or later. And trust me, you wanna know exactly how far you are from the exits when that happens.”
“Fuck yeah. That’s intense. Sorry for teasing you.”
“You weren’t the first, you probably won’t be the last.”
I inclined my head. Harper was an interesting woman. Amazing tits aside, the fact that she’d kept doing this job despite her obvious fear of flying was impressive as fuck. I had mad respect for her.
The plane picked up speed. Noting the way her hands griped the armrests—and now knowing her flight history—I tried to distract her. “So Tyler, huh? You know you can do way better than that douche, right?”