Chapter 25
Dante
“I don’t like this,” I say for the fortieth time, and for the fortieth time, I’m met with a sassy eye-roll.
“You have work to do, and you shouldn’t reschedule for my sake. I’m fine. Sam and I have lunch plans that I’ve already postponed once, and I need to get some things from my apartment. Wearing the same seven outfits is absolutely killing my vibe.”
I glare, but as always, it rolls off of Theo.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Theo argues. “You’ve given me two whole self-defense classes, so I’m practically prepared for anything.”
“That isn’t accurate in the least. Our last session ended early because you broke a nail.”
He holds his hand out in front of him to inspect his fingers. “Yeah, well, now I have something sharp to stab someone with.”
“Will you at least take Sam with you to your apartment?”
He snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. “You think my brother is going to be my grand defender? Sam runs from butterflies. He had a phobia of ladybugs until he was seventeen. Ladybugs, Dante!”
“Safety in numbers is a real thing.”
Theo heaves a long sigh and aims another eye-roll directly at me. “It’s been a couple of weeks since anything happened, and things have been quiet. Do you honestly think Jesse’s hanging around and waiting for me to show my face?”
“I don’t know what’s going on in that psycho’s mind, but I don’t want you to be alone there. Take Sam. Please?”
“God,” he groans, drawing it out.
I know I’ve got him.
“The begging gets me every fucking time,” he mutters, but his eyes are soft as he rises onto his toes for a kiss. “I’ll bring him along if he’s not busy. I can’t ask him to miss work or something important just because that douche canoe disrupted my life once already.”
I hug him against me, sinking my nose into his hair and breathing him in. It’s as much as he’ll give me, so I have to accept it’s enough. “Text me when you get there and when you leave. And park your car in the garage when you get back.”
“Yes, Dad—darling.” His lips twist into a guilty grimace as he flinches up at me and mumbles an apology.
I shamelessly take advantage of his guilt. “Give me Sam’s number.”
“Why, so you can turn him into your minion, too?” he grumbles, even as he pulls my cell phone out of my back pocket to add Sam to my contacts.
“I ask so terribly much of you,” I say with mock sympathy.
He narrows his eyes and wrinkles his nose as he slides the phone back into my pocket. “There’s already plenty of attitude in this relationship without you adding to it.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” I drop another kiss on his lips before releasing him. “Just be careful.”
“Careful is my middle name,” he says as he slides his shoes on. “Theodore Careful Wheeler.”
“That sounds like a complete falsehood, but okay.”
“Doubting me already? And this soon? Dante, you wound me.”
“I’ll wound you later, pretty boy,” I mutter.
He rewards me with the smile I was hungry for as he squeaks and claps his hands together. “Yes, please. I’ll have two of that.”
“Go have fun with Sam,” I say with a soft chuckle.
He gives me a sweet wave and blows me a kiss before he walks out the door, and my smile fades the second it closes behind him. Anxiety hits full force, my instincts telling me to not let him out of my sight.
There’s a fine line between protectiveness and controlling, though, and I’ve been on the wrong side of it. I won’t put him in that position. His car gets smaller before it disappears from sight, and I ignore the urge to tail him as I climb into my SUV and force myself to drive to the studio.
My mind is still on Theo as I push my key into the office door, the distraction leaving me unaware of my surroundings. I don’t realize there’s a body in front of me until I slam straight into it. They go flying without a sound as something clatters to the floor.
“Shit, sor—oh, what the fuck?” I whisper.
Blow Up Wante hangs from the ceiling, suspended by fishing line and swinging back and forth like an inflated sex pendulum. Dmitri steps out from behind the desk with his phone held up, cackling like a maniac.
“Are you recording?” I launch myself at him, but his long legs let him scramble away before I can reach him.
“Theo made me do it!” he cries, holding his hands up and circling the room while still filming. Wante slams into his side, which only makes him laugh harder.
I almost grin, too. Something skids across the floor when I kick it, and I glance down to see a blue plastic toy bucket rolling away. “What’s that?”
“Dunno. Theo just told me to tape it to his hand and tell you the buckets belong to him.”
My face burns until my entire head feels flaming red, and Dmitri is positively thrilled. “Dude, you are pink!” he shouts as he braves a step closer, still filming. “Is this a sex thing? This really feels like a sex thing.”
He yells his objection as I snatch the phone from his hand. I hold the camera up and hike an eyebrow. “You’re going to get it later,” I say, before stopping the recording and handing the phone back.
Dmitri eyes me suspiciously. “You aren’t deleting that?”
A loud, exaggerated sigh escapes me, followed by a shake of my head. “I know you’re planning on sending it to him, and I can’t deny him a goddamn thing.”
His smile shifts from sly to sweet as he taps a few things into his phone, no doubt sending the video before I can change my mind. “So I’m taking this to mean that what happened at the concert wasn’t a fluke? You two finally caved?”
“More like I finally came to my senses.”
He surprises me when he runs over and wraps me in a hug, lifting me clear off my feet. “Fuck, it’s about time.”
“Since when are you a hugger?” I demand as I wrestle my way out of his grip.
He releases me with a grin. “Sorry, Eric’s rubbing off on me.”
“I don’t need to hear about his rubbing, Sticks.”
“Fair,” he says with a chuckle.
I motion for him to sit and open my laptop, ignoring Wante still gently swinging in the breeze. “What are your thoughts on Monica’s email?”
“The idea of an international tour? Honestly? It’s kind of terrifying.
There are so many sides of it we’d need to consider.
It would be ungodly expensive, and if we didn’t sell enough tickets, it could really set us back.
Logically, we need to figure out how to tell if it’s too ambitious for where we’re at right now. ”
Dmitri and I are often on the same page, and moments like this remind me why he is the best member of the band to help me with the administrative side.
The years of working at his dad’s company gave him a strong business mind, and unlike the others, he isn’t impulsive.
He considers all angles before making a move instead of jumping in blindly.
“We definitely need more time to analyze everything,” I say. “It could be a good idea for us to set a goal, like getting the album into the top twenty or reaching a specific revenue threshold. Something concrete that we can measure and justify.”
The gears in his head are already turning as he dips his chin in a slow nod. “Yeah, we’re going to need a way to actually monitor progress on paper. If we don’t, the others will bulldoze us because they’ll be excited to go on a trip.”
“It’s like having three overexcited kids,” I mumble. “Have you told Eric yet?”
He shakes his head, pursing his lips as he glances away. “No. When I read Monica’s email and saw your text, I thought we should make a plan before I mentioned it to him.”
“Yeah, same. Theo would’ve already been packing and shopping for the latest French fashion if I’d told him.” I can already picture my driveway lined with boxes full of berets and sweaters he’d insist on calling jumpers.
“What about her other suggestions?” he asks.
“Interviews? To be honest, they’re something we should be doing, but it makes me nervous. I’m not the best at talking to people.”
“Not everything is on your shoulders. Eric is great at dealing with the crowds, and I don’t mind answering questions. Theo would jump at the chance to be interviewed.”
“Tai would just have to sit back and look aloof.”
“He’s so good at it,” Dmitri agrees with a grin.
I nod absentmindedly, staring at the email I have yet to respond to. “You talk to Eric and I’ll get Theo and Tai up to speed. We’ll gather their thoughts and discuss it further during the next practice.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I stand and untie Wante from the ceiling. “Don’t judge me,” I mutter when I see Dmitri’s goofy smile, and I don’t wait for his response as I hustle out the door with the doll under my arm.
His laughter follows me all the way to my SUV.