Chapter 41
41
brONSON
J ordan stops and turns back to face me. “Yeah?” she asks.
I drop my drumsticks to the floor. She reacts with a look of brief shock as I close the gap between us and, without a second thought, I reach out to cup her beautiful face.
I kiss her. With parted lips and closed eyes, I crush my mouth on hers. I breathe in her scent. I feel the warmth of her skin against mine. And everything makes sense.
I break the kiss, but I stay close. Jordan’s eyes flutter open and she looks at me with surprise, her mouth parted to speak.
“Don’t,” I say before she can. “Don’t get over it.”
She says nothing.
“I lied to you before,” I admit. “I said there was no reason you shouldn’t go out with Christian, but there was. I love you. I’ve always loved you, Jordan. And I don’t want to go back to the way things were before.”
She inhales, the breath quivering. “You don’t?” she asks.
“I can’t.” I run my thumb across her cheek. “I want to spend my life with you, Jordan. Not just on tour, either.”
Her smile grows, her cheeks flushing beneath my fingers. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“But…” She breathes a sweet laugh. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I didn’t know how,” I say. “I’m not… great with words.”
She smiles. “Yes, you are.”
“Not good enough for you,” I say. “You deserve a guy who will make you swoon. Not… the quiet guy hidden in the corner with his sticks.”
“But… you do,” she says.
When I shake my head, she reaches out and rests her hands on my cheeks.
“You do, Bronson,” she whispers. “You’ve always stood by me. That matters so much more than words.”
“I didn’t think you would ever love me back,” I say, unable to stop now that I’ve started. “So I did what I always do. I kept my mouth shut. But I can’t do that anymore, Jordan. You’re the most perfect girl in the world, and I love you. I love you so much.”
Jordan looks as if she’s about to speak, but after a moment, she just kisses me instead.
I hear the clatter of her clipboard hitting the floor, and she wraps her arms around me. Holding her close, I kiss her again and again, my senses alive with nothing but her.
Jordan Peck. My manager.
My best friend. My lover. My everything in-between.
“What the fuck?”
“Shut up, Knox.”
“Wait, what’s?—”
“Don’t ruin it!”
Jordan and I break apart to find us surrounded. By the wings, Chrissy and August stand with Harvey and Addison, who smiles proudly at me. By the dressing room, Jonah lingers next to a rather giddy-looking Katrina. Beside them are Knox and Harmony, her looking on with large doe eyes while he just looks... confused.
“What’s happening here?” he asks.
Jordan turns to face them, briefly wiping her lips as she clears her throat. “So, there’s something Bronson and I need to tell you guys,” she says.
“You’re together!” Katrina says, unable to contain herself. “We know!”
“You do?”
“We do?” Knox asks, blinking twice at his sister.
Katrina bounces on her toes. “Yes, we know! And we’re all so happy!”
Knox frowns. “We are?”
“How did you already know?” Jordan asks.
I glare at Addison.
Safe in Harvey’s arms, she throws up her hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t say a word.”
“Harvey told me,” Katrina says.
Addison gasps at him.
“No,” Harvey says defensively. “I did not tell Katrina. She overheard me while I was... telling August.”
“I told you not to tell anyone,” Addison growls at him.
“Yeah, well, he and I are sworn brothers, and that’s just something you’re going to have to get used to if we’re going to be together,” he says, then... “Please. I love you.”
Her glare instantly softens.
Chrissy waves at us. “August told me, though I already had my suspicions. And I didn’t say anything to you about it because I didn’t want to put you off all the fun you were having. Finally.”
Jordan smiles. “Thank you.”
“What fun?” Knox asks, looking perturbed now. “Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?!”
Harmony brushes him with her elbow. “Jordan and Bronson are boning.”
Knox makes a noise somewhere between a gasp and a snort. “Since when?”
“I don’t know. A few weeks?”
“You knew, too?”
She winces. “Katrina told me.”
Knox swivels to glare at his guilt-ridden sister, then turns to Jonah. “And you?”
Jonah shrugs. “Yeah. I knew.”
“Who told you?” Jordan asks him, more curious than annoyed at this point.
“Marla,” Jonah answers.
“Marla knows?” Jordan turns up her hands. “How does she know?”
“I have no idea and I’m honestly too freaked out to ask,” he says.
Jordan looks accusingly at Katrina.
“It wasn’t me, I swear!” she says.
We look around at everyone. No one fesses up.
Yeah. That’s... kinda scary.
Marla Gorchinsky’s transformation into a Botsford wife is well underway, it seems.
“Wait, so…” Jordan looks around the group. “You all knew about us?”
Everyone answers with a series of affirmative grunts and head nods.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask.
They chuckle at that.
“Strange question coming from you,” Jonah jokes.
I bow my head. That’s fair.
Katrina smiles at Jordan. “You were so chill and relaxed,” she says. “It was kinda nice.”
“Yeah,” Addison says. “And we figured you’d tell us when you were ready.”
They all nod in agreement.
Knox scoffs, betrayed. “So, I’m the only one who didn’t know?” he says, turning up his hands. “What the hell, guys?”
“Sorry we didn’t tell you, buddy,” I say, stepping up. “Wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”
“Yeah,” Jordan says. “I mean, don’t bang a bandmate is a pretty big rule to break.”
“And you thought, what? That I’d be a petty bitch about it?” Knox asks.
We tilt our heads; an obvious duh.
His shoulders slump. “You guys.” In a few long strides, Knox steps forward and once again throws his arms around Jordan.
“Okay.” She tenses up. “We’re doing this again, huh?”
“Bring it back in,” he says, throwing his other arm around me and clawing me closer until I step into his embrace. “Everyone. Now.”
Everyone joins in. Our group hug from before now grows in size, with August and Chrissy squeezing in.
“Does this mean you’re cool with it?” Jordan asks.
“Of course!” Knox says as the others voice their support, too. “You weren’t a dick about me and Harmony, so I won’t be one about you two.” As the hug loosens, he steps back and regards us both. “Plus, I thought you two had already banged at some point.”
“Us?” Jordan shakes her head. “No.”
“No?”
“No,” I confirm.
“Oh. Well...” Knox shrugs and gives a thumbs up. “You have my blessing.”
A throat clears loudly outside our circle. We turn to find Roy, our long-time road manager, waving to get our attention.
“Sorry to interrupt y’all,” he says, his voice dipped in southern drawl. “But when the lights go up and the audience starts screaming like that, that’s usually when someone goes on.”
“Oh, shit!” Harvey jumps back. “I gotta go!”
He and August rush off toward the stage. Addison steps forward with a warm smile and brushes my shoulder. She gives it a silent squeeze, saying everything she needs to say in the moment, before walking off to watch her beloved on stage.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Knox says to Harmony.
She gives him a sweet smile. “I’ll make it up to you tonight,” she says before popping up onto her tippy toes and giving him a kiss.
He nods, seemingly satisfied with the promise, and the two of them walk back into the dressing room.
Jonah follows, his phone already in his hand, most likely ready to send off a text to Marla to update her on the situation.
Katrina slinks off back to the dressing room as well, her face locked in a smile.
That leaves just the two of us.
Oh, and Chrissy.
She looks at Jordan and grins. “I told you so,” she says before spinning on her heels and walking toward the wings.
I look at Jordan. My sweet Jordan.
“I guess our little secret’s out, huh?” she says.
“I guess it is,” I say. I kiss her once, holding back the urge for more. “Meet me tonight?”
Jordan chuckles. “Yeah.” Then she rolls her eyes. “Might as well have one last good night before I have to field phone call after phone call about this Monroe situation. Only a matter of time before people figure out the other voice on that tape.”
I kiss her again, silencing her. “That sounds like Tomorrow Jordan’s problem,” I say, softly gliding my nose along hers.
“You’re right,” Jordan agrees with a smile. “That’s Tomorrow Jordan’s problem.”