Chapter 33
Angus
The next few weeks are calm and quiet, as far as life goes.
We’re still rockin’ hard, playing night after night, and Ryleigh is still with me even though Rich isn’t paying her anymore.
The story she pens is beautiful—poignant, interesting, and not always rosy. She’s honest about the breakdown between the band members after my identity was revealed, Jonny’s ongoing struggles in trusting me again, and the bond we share both within the band and with Nobody’s Fool.
She also writes about the magnetism with our fans, and how they’re drawn to the music despite the drama, and how, at the time of the article, we were on the verge of hitting gold—which is when an album sells five hundred thousand copies in the US.
I’m so fucking proud of her, and if that’s not enough to make Rich happy, I’m willing to let my uncle contact his buddy at Rolling Stone . Everything is about who you know, so Rich can fuck off. He’s not the only game in town.
I know she’s worried about health insurance, and short-term, I can afford to take care of any bills that come up, but that’s not practical in the long run. Something as simple as emergency gallbladder surgery could cost upwards of a hundred grand. God forbid she winds up with the breast cancer she’s at risk for—that would put a dent even in my hefty bank account.
If we were married, it wouldn’t be a problem.
I know it’s soon to think about that.
It’s crazy to even consider it, but I can’t seem to help myself.
She’s my other half in almost every way. Happy when I’m grumpy, soft when I’m hard, and she uses words to be creative while I use music. We complement each other in ways I’ve never felt before so I have no reason to let her go home.
Unless she wants to.
But I don’t think she does.
I think she’s happy.
We’re happy.
And it’s fucking great.
She’s been creating content for her social media platforms, and she’s had three other videos go viral to do with the band, so it’s been win-win in that regard. She hasn’t heard anything from Rich, other than a request to review an album, so she isn’t sure what’s going on. He told her he was working on something and would get back to her when the article was ready to be published.
So she’s in a holding pattern there, which is stressful, but I’ve tried to distract her.
I’m still waiting for the results of the paternity test, which I’m having delivered to Sasha’s house since I don’t know exactly how long it’s going to take. I made sure to use a lab that caters to discretion, and it should only be a few more days, but I’m a little nervous about it.
If my father is actually my uncle, and my uncle is really my dad, that’s going to take some getting used to.
I’m upset with my mother but—and I understand there’s a double standard—not at all with my uncle. From what Ryleigh heard, he loves her and wanted to be with her. She’s the one who didn’t want to be with him. And still doesn’t. It makes me wonder—and hope—if maybe Alden isn’t my father’s son either. He’s got a lot of Alex’s quirks, but that’s probably too much to hope for.
I have none of Alex’s quirks and deep down I’m positive Ryleigh didn’t misunderstand what she heard.
It all makes sense.
The roughhousing when I was little.
Teaching me to fish.
Showing up at hockey games, graduations, and lots of other big events.
And I know, even though he doesn’t know I saw him, that he’s attended a handful of my shows. I was cranky about hiding my identity back then, so I pretended I didn’t see him.
Another thing I’m regretting.
But I don’t have time for regrets.
We just found out the album has gone gold so Sasha is flying out to a show this weekend to celebrate with us. I think they’re going to give us framed gold records commemorating the milestone, but I’m not sure. Nobody’s Fool just got theirs last week for going platinum, so there’s been a lot of excitement on the tour.
“Hi!” Ryleigh comes in after going shopping with Lexi and Sydney, and I peer at the packages curiously.
“Hey. Have fun?”
“I did.” She puts everything down and comes over to kiss me. She’s lean and tan, after we spent a few days at the beach in San Diego, and I tug her onto my lap.
“Buy me anything?”
“Does a new bikini count?”
“Oh, yeah. Can I see?”
“Maybe.” She runs a hand down my chest. “But I’ve been thinking about you all afternoon—I’m so horny.”
“Well, that’s a problem I can solve.” I palm her ass as I slip my tongue between her lips. She sighs into my mouth, as she adjusts her position to straddle me.
We have an hour before we have to leave for the arena, but that’s plenty of time. I’m in no rush as I kiss her, grinding my erection against her core. She’s wearing one of these adorable sundresses she likes, with spaghetti straps and—no bra. She took my request to heart and rarely wears a bra these days unless she’s going somewhere. Apparently, shopping with the girls doesn’t count because I feel her taut nipples poking against my chest.
I untie the straps at her shoulders, watching as the fabric slips down below her breasts.
“Lunch,” I murmur, bending my head and sucking one into my mouth. One hand travels south, beneath her dress, to cup her bare ass since she almost always wears thongs.
“When are you going to let me fuck your ass?” I whisper as I lift my head.
“You have to buy me a plug,” she replies with a playful grin. “Your dick is way too big to do it without preparation.”
“You’d take it just fine,” I say, “but I’ll buy you a plug. Maybe a few of them. I think you’ll love the vibrating kind.”
She moans. “God, Angus, would you just fuck me already?”
“We are incredibly impatient today, aren’t we?” I tease, making her lift to her knees so I can get my dick out.
She slides down almost immediately, and her breath leaves her in a rush.
“Fuck, that feels good.”
“Yeah, it does.” I tug at the dress, and she lifts her arms so I can pull it off her. She’s still wearing panties but that didn’t stop us.
“More,” she pleads as I rock into her.
“Slow and steady,” I say, using both hands to pull her head down so I can kiss her some more. Our mouths lock together instantly, our bodies in sync as we make love. We do it a lot—at least twice a day unless she’s on her period—and it’s magnificent.
“This never gets old,” she says, her eyes boring into mine.
“Never,” I agree.
She shifts her hips, taking me deeper, and I’m already feeling that tingle in my spine, the one that’s going to send me over the edge.
“I’m close,” I grunt.
“Just like that,” she pants, bouncing up and down, her tits waving just out of my reach.
But it doesn’t matter.
I buck hard, and our bodies slap together a few more times before her wails fill the room.
Finally, she collapses against me, and I stroke my hand down her back.
“That what you were thinking about all afternoon?”
“Uh huh.” She sighs.
Before I can say anything else, there’s a knock on the door.
“We still have thirty minutes,” I mutter.
“Did they clean the room?” she asks.
I nod. “Yeah. Hang on.” I gently set her on her feet and walk to the door. “Who is it?” I call out.
“Delivery for Angus Jeffries from Hart Records.”
Oh shit.
Sasha must have overnighted me the results of the paternity test.
I quickly stuff my dick back in my pants and zip them up as Ryleigh runs into the bathroom. As soon as she closes the door I open this one and dig out my wallet, handing the guy a five-dollar bill.
“Thank you,” I say. I close the door and then walk over to the bed.
“What is it?” she asks, coming out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “Is it the results?”
“I think so, yeah.”
“Oh, babe.” She immediately sits next to me. “Are you ready?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I’ve been dying to know for sure but now that it’s here…”
“You’re about to find out whether or not a huge part of your life has been a lie,” she says gently. “It’s understandable to be nervous.”
“If Uncle Alex is my father, I’m going to fly out to go see him,” I say, holding the envelope in my hand. “I don’t want to have that conversation on the phone.”
“That makes sense.”
“Would you be upset if I went by myself?”
“Of course not.”
“I don’t want to confront my mother at first, I just want to talk to Alex. Get the story from him because I know she’ll lie or try to twist things.”
“Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks.” I take a breath and then rip open the envelope. Slowly, I take out the attached papers.
For a minute, it’s hard to understand what I’m reading, but it’s there at the bottom.
99.98% DNA match.
Uncle Alex is my father.
Holy fucking shit.
“Babe?” Ryleigh is watching my face.
“Yeah. I’m okay.”
She wraps her arms around me from the side, resting her head on my bicep. “You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Everything in my head is kind of fuzzy as I try to come to terms with this new reality.
I’m a Hollingsworth, but not a first-born.
Not even a second son.
I’m the first son of the second son.
Basically, I’m a nobody.
And that makes me laugh.
“Angus?” Ryleigh looks at me like I’m crazy.
“Sorry.” I shake my head. “I went to so much trouble to change my name, to become someone else, when all along, I already was someone else.”
She chuckles too. “Fate has her own ideas for us, you know?”
“I do now.”