Chapter 20
Twenty
DARCIE
Music poured around us, the crowd jumping and singing along with my best friend. She looked radiant on the stage. Dressed in a star-covered dress, high tops, and her hair newly colored magenta, Lennox St. James sparkled. Knowing how nervous she got before every show, it was amazing to see her come alive on stage once she started to sing.
Slade played guitar beside her, ignoring the crowd as he watched her. He didn’t take his eyes off her once while they were on stage together. She’d started the tour with a different guitarist, but after a few shows, he’d conveniently taken a new job and Slade had stepped in—the possessive bastard. Though, while the man was gorgeous in his own right, I understood why he intimidated everyone within a ten-foot radius of her. Lennox drew people in with her kind smile and authenticity.
“She’s amazing,” Grayson shouted, tugging me closer to him so I could hear.
“I know.” I threw my hands up and danced harder, loving that I was here with my guys. A year ago, I never would’ve believed I could feel this free and loved.
But I was both—loved and unequivocally free.
No more bounties. No more stalkers. No more assholes hunting me down.
Uncle Pat, aka Director Fallon, had ensured it and given me a new identity. There was no way I wanted to go back to being Darcie Calloway. For one, her credit was shit for missing payments and not paying taxes for years. Oops.
But mainly because that girl had died with Stanley Driscoll. I wasn’t her, so why claim the name of a dead girl?
Darcie Rosebud, the identity I’d used for several years, had been an option. Still, considering I’d stolen it initially, I didn’t want to start my new future with something tainted.
It was time to introduce the world to Darcie Royal.
The song ended, and the crowd applauded, chanting for an encore. Lennox waved, her cheeks rosy. “Thank you, Memphis! You’ve been great, and I’ll be back later. But first, are you ready to have an eargasm? Up next is the band you came for, Shadows of Mayhem!”
Sound exploded, and I worried if we weren’t outside, the roof would’ve blown off from the raucous they made. It was insane to be here, to witness a group so popular that tickets sold out within minutes. Thank Gucci for best friends with connections.
Lennox and Slade made their way off stage, and I motioned for the guys to follow me. I’d dressed in a cute boho dress and cowboy boots, blending in with many concert goers. My guys, on the other hand, were a different story.
Brooks had on his Wranglers, a rodeo T-shirt, cowboy hat, and boots. Bubba had returned to his usual black shirt, jeans, and boots ensemble. Maddox apparently shopped at the same store because he wore black jeans and boots but changed it up with a white shirt. Grayson, on the other hand, looked like he walked off the spread of a magazine. In tight jeans, a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the first three buttons opened, he drew attention with every step he took.
Needing to make my claim, I grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the VIP section. Like I said, best friend benefits rocked!
The five of us waved our lanyards with our badges, and the guard let us through. The second we stepped under the tent, I was mauled by a five-foot-four beauty.
“Darcie!”
“Lennox!”
We both screamed and jumped up and down as we clung to one another, laughing and, okay, crying a little bit. We ignored the guys while we greeted one another, but eventually, they had to comment.
“Are they always like this?”
“Pretty much.”
“At least she’s not covered in blood this time.”
“Hey! That happened one time,” I said, pulling apart. My guys stared, daring me to keep lying. “Okay, two times at the most!” Lennox giggled, shaking her head at me.
“I’ve missed you, Darce. Now, introduce me to your guys.”
Grabbing her hand, I turned and faced them all. Bubba had walked over to Slade, and the two were deep in conversation, but Thane and Simon stood awkwardly next to Grayson, Maddox, and Brooks.
“Maddox, this is my best friend and sister wife, but not that type of sister wife, just that we’re both on the ‘why choose one dick when you can have more’ wagon type of sister wife.”
Maddox blinked, and Lennox barked out a laugh. “Good gravy, I’ve missed you.”
“Ah, so that’s where you got that phrase from,” Maddox said, finding his footing. He reached out his hand. “Maddox King. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for being a friend to my girl and helping her when she needed it.”
“Oh, of course. Darcie is the best. She was a friend to me when I needed one. We both found each other.” She turned to me, tears gathering in her eyes. We hugged again, both so thankful for the other. Why were adult friendships so hard for girls? When you found a good one, you held on with everything you had.
Wiping our eyes, I motioned to Grayson and Brooks. “And this is Grayson and Brooks. They’re the other two that live with Waylon. So, I’m unsure if you know them already or not.”
“Hey!” Lennox waved. “I’ve seen you both around the shop or town, but I don’t think we were ever officially introduced. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too. You have a great voice. I really enjoyed your set,” Grayson flirted, taking her hand and kissing it.
“Thanks.” Lennox blushed. I wasn’t even mad about it. That man had game and it just naturally came out. I’d be more worried if she didn’t blush.
Slade, on the other hand, did not appreciate it. He stalked over and wrapped his arm around Lennox, pulled her back to his front, and draped his arms over her. She rolled her eyes but didn’t push him away.
“This overbearing man is Slade,” she said. “His twin brother, Zane, is the sweet one.” Thane chuckled and shook my guys’ hands.
“You can all me Thane. Nice to officially meet you all.”
“He’s not that nice,” Slade grumbled, kissing her face.
“And I’m Simon. Previous best friend, upgraded to boyfriend for both of our rock stars.”
Slade looked up, smiling softly at Simon and reaching out a hand for him to join their huddle. Lennox did the same for Thane, making Slade grumble about his brother being too close. With one guy draped over her and the other two on her sides, I stared wistfully at my bestie.
“Why don’t you guys do that to me?” I grumbled, crossing my arms and glaring at my four.
They chuckled, but no one moved, making my pout deepen. Maddox reached for me, drawing me into his arms and kissing my cheek. “Because we’re still new to this, and when we’re all this close to you, the only thing we want to do is fuck you senseless, so we’re holding back so you can have time with your friend.”
Lord have mercy!
My cheeks turned crimson, and my clit throbbed as slickness gathered between my legs. “Right. That.”
Lennox chuckled, giving me a knowing look. “So, now what?” I asked, thinking about dipping and taking Maddox up on his offer. Lennox would understand.
“I’ll introduce you to Penny, Rafe, and Cooper, and we can listen to the band back here until I need to go on. I’m singing two songs with Jett tonight. You’ll meet Aspen and the others later.”
“Right. My competition. Let’s do this so she knows I’m the real bestie.” I extracted Lennox from Slade, wrapping my arm in hers. She led me through the VIP tent to an area backstage where a redhead and two guys stood. When they saw us, the redhead smiled and waved.
“Oh my goodness, you must be Darcie.” The redhead, who I assumed was Penny, hugged me and wrapped me in her vanilla and sugar cookie embrace. I wanted to hate her, but her hugs were really nice, and she smelled like a freaking cookie! You try to hate that. It’s impossible.
“Um, yeah. That’s me,” I mumbled, suddenly feeling dumb for being envious of this girl.
Penny introduced us to two of her guys, Cooper and Rafe, and I introduced her to mine. She explained that Cooper’s stepbrother, Aspen, was the guitar player for Shadows of Mayhem.
Our three groups joined together, and I marveled at our relationships. I loved that in our little pocket of the world, we’d all overcome preconceived notions about love and redefined it for ourselves.
“So wait, your name is Cooper Aspen and your stepbrother is Aspen Cooper? That’s so cool!” Grayson exclaimed. He’d instantly befriended Cooper, and had also hit it off with Simon and Thane, but kept his distance from Simon after Slade gave him a death stare for allowing Simon to touch his hair.
Cooper regaled us with his exploits as an Olympic jump roper, which led to an intense discussion on rope with Brooks and training. I’d grown bored midway through and had tuned into Penny and Bubba’s conversation about being a redhead. Which somehow jumped to Penny’s best friend, Poppy, who was also a redhead and singer.
“Is there some secret club for gingers I don’t know about?” I teased. Dead silence. Wait…was there? Shit. “Okay, um…” Bubba broke first, cracking a smile and bellowing out a laugh. “You turd.”
“Sorry, ginger joke. But seriously, there is a club. It’s called the ‘always wear sunscreen’ and everyone is invited to join,” Penny joked.
Lennox joined Jett on stage for two songs, and it was magical when they sang together. Slade grunted the whole time, eying the dark-haired man. Penny shook her head and smiled.
“They’re great together, but he has nothing to worry about. Lennox is head over heels for her three guys. Jett doesn’t even register. And to be frank, he’s still hung up on Poppy even if he won’t admit it.”
“Ooh, spill the tea, girl. This sounds like some hot gossip!”
She giggled. “Not as sordid as it sounds. They’re both hot-headed and instead of talking about their feelings, they both make assumptions and solve their problems by sticking their tongues down other people’s throats. And now… well, it doesn’t matter. They’re just dumb,” she huffed. I felt guilty for prying. There was definitely something going on there. “Anyway, she was supposed to sing with Jett, but yeah.” She grimaced. “So, I was glad we found Lennox. She’s been a great addition, and with Aspen’s songs, she’s got a bright future ahead of her if she wants it. I know it wasn’t her plan to be a rock star, but she has what it takes.”
I digested that, making a mental note to talk with my bestie and help her figure out what she wanted. We could do some soul-searching together. Lennox came off the stage after her second song, and the band transitioned into their last few numbers. Our groups huddled together at the side of the stage. Penny stared at the guitarist with heart eyes. He had a rocker vibe that I could dig with the tattoos. Jett’s voice was the bigger draw for me. It was dark, with a smidge of dreamy, and turned me on like no other.
“Don’t even think about it,” Grayson murmured.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” I whispered back.
“Better not be thinking of adding a rock star. The only dick I can take is my brothers’, and boy, that sounds so wrong. But I have to be the pretty one, or I’ll get jealous.”
Laughing, I kissed his cheek and he took the opportunity to haul me into his arms. He’d draped them over my shoulders like Slade had Lennox earlier, and I’d loved every minute of it. Turning to face him, I stared up at Grayson.
“I don’t want him. I just like his voice. Which is something you most definitely can benefit from.” Carefully, I rubbed the front of his pants until he was hard. His eyes widened, and he rocked into my touch.
“Yeah, okay, I can get behind this song.”
Squeezing, I spun back around, much to Grayson’s dismay. Brooks smirked, his pupils dilated, telling me he’d enjoyed the show, too.
When the concert ended, we chilled in the VIP tent with the band and officially met Aspen, Jett, Roscoe, and Griffin. The band wasn’t anything like I imagined. They were nice and down to earth, completely destroying my perception of rock stars. Once the meet-and-greet was over, we headed out with the band toward their buses. They had to leave for their next show in a few hours. Life on tour was always moving, apparently.
“I’m so glad you could make the show. It was so good to see you, Darce.”
“You too, babe.”
We hugged one another tight despite knowing we’d see each other soon. They were at the end of the tour with only a few more shows left until they returned to Kentucky. My earlier mental note popped up, and I pulled back and looked her over.
“When you’re back, let’s plan a day to spend just with us. We’ll do all the girlie shit and talk about life. I think we could both use some fresh perspective.”
“Girly shit?”
“Ooo, can I join in?” Grayson asked.
“No!” Slade and I said at the same time, to the delight of everyone else.
“Hey, I could help,” Simon piped in. I glanced at Slade, and he shrugged. Guess I wasn’t a threat to the tattooed man. Should I be offended?
“Not fair,” Grayson mumbled.
“No, guys,” Lennox said to several grumbles. “We need to talk about tampons and maxi pads,” she shouted.
“That stuff doesn’t scare us, you know,” Bubba said. “But we’ll let you have your day. We’ll do something equally manly, so we’re not in your hair.”
“But I like being in her hair,” Grayson muttered.
“We can have our own spa day,” Simon said, covering Slade’s mouth.
“Sold! I knew I liked you.” Grayson wrapped his arm around Simon’s shoulders, and the two walked off to talk about hair products. Slade turned to Bubba, narrowing his eyes at him. Bubba lifted his hands.
“I can’t control him. But he’s harmless. He’s really interested in hair care. It’s his second love.”
Slade grunted but dropped it. Lennox and I rolled our eyes, but I secretly loved that they were getting along. Visions of family vacations, dinners, and holidays spent together formed in my mind. I wanted that so hard.
After several more hugs, we made our way to our bikes. It was bittersweet to say goodbye, but it wouldn’t be for long. Lennox and her guys were my family, too.
“You have a good time?” Brooks asked, taking my hand.
“The best.” I smiled, turning to take in the others. “I’m feeling kind of wired. How do you guys feel about riding for a few hours? We could stop in Nashville and spend a day there before heading home?”
“We’ll go wherever you go, Queen.”
Warmth and love filled me. This life I got to lead was more amazing than I’d ever anticipated—full of love, friendship, and unity above all else. The copious amount of sex was also a bonus. A girl could never have too many popsicles to lick.
Climbing on my bike, I strapped on my helmet and started my engine. I glanced back at the four men who owned my heart and knew there was nothing more beautiful than this.