Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
RONAN
Ishould call Drew again. He’d know how to handle the situation with Jeff. As I poured kibble into Bean’s bowl, I sighed.
Bean dove into his food, chomping as if I didn’t feed the little bastard twice a day.
With a soft snicker, I set his food bag back in the pantry and then plucked my phone from the kitchen island counter. Having Evan stay over again had been pleasant, even though we hadn’t fooled around. I hadn’t been in the right headspace, but his presence had been comforting.
I held the phone’s screen to my face, and a notification popped up. “Shit.” Drew had called me, but it had been after we’d gone to bed. Had he been out partying? One side of my lips tugged up. After calling him, I set the phone on speaker, and it rang a few times.
“Hello?” Drew said in a ragged voice.
“Hey. Are you still in bed?” I glanced at the clock on the stove. Shit, it was only nine. Why was I awake at this ungodly hour? Because of Evan. Warmth spread through my chest.
“Yes, I was out late last night. Jax phoned and invited me to a party. A good band was playing at The Van Buren. He knew the guitarist. Hell, I don’t know.” He scoffed. “And then I got your voicemail about your dad. What the fuck?”
I huffed a snicker. “You mean, Jeff.” I refused to call him my dad. He never earned that title. I put a pod in my coffee maker and a cup underneath the dripper, and then started it.
“Yeah, whatever. What did he want? Money?” He blew out a long breath.
“No, he…” I swallowed a lump climbing up my throat. “He said he got sober, but now he has liver cancer.” I swallowed again, watching the coffee drip into my cup. “He wants to make amends or some shit before he dies.”
“Jesus, Ronan. What will you do?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Evan was here, and according to him, Jeff sounded sincere.” I might have a jaded view of Jeff. Might? I did. I grabbed creamer from the refrigerator, and after the coffee maker stopped, I poured the creamer in.
“So, wait, he met Evan?” he asked.
“He did.” While sipping my coffee, I strolled toward the patio doors. I was up earlier, so it would be cooler outside. I should bring a blanket with me.
“Does he know about you two?”
“No, we told him Evan was a friend.” As I passed my couch, I yanked a blanket off it and strolled through the patio doors, holding my coffee and my phone. “Come on, Bean.” Glancing behind me, I smiled at him.
Bean plodded toward me and through the open sliding doors.
“Did he buy it?” In a low, sarcastic voice, he said, “Were you both fully dressed?”
I choked on a laugh. “Yes, we were both dressed. I think he bought it. I don’t know why he wouldn’t. You and Jax aren’t queer. It’s not like all my friends are queer.”
“Yeah, okay.” He huffed. “Whatever you do, Ronan. Be careful. You know how he is.”
“Uh-huh.” With my heart aching, I dropped onto the sofa overlooking the yard and the pool, the sun beaming down from over the mountains to glitter across the water. “But what if he’s genuine this time?” Evan had given me hope, damn it.
“I’d be shocked if it’s real, but I’d be damn happy for you.” He snorted and cut it short. “How are you feeling about this? It’s got to hurt some.”
With a nod, I said, “It does, I won’t lie. I’m trying to be optimistically cautious.” Did I have a choice? The man was blood and the nearest I’d come to having a father. Fuck.
“Anyway, how are things going with Evan? If he’d been there, he must have witnessed a shitshow. Holy crap, I can’t imagine.”
“He did, and he was very…comforting.” I replayed the moment in my bedroom, him coming in to check on me and giving me the strength to face Jeff. With a contented sigh, I sipped my coffee. “I didn’t freak out too badly on him.”
“Did you yell? Throw things? Crumble into a ball of wailing sobs?” He let out a sharp chuckle. “I can imagine you doing all three at once.”
“Stop it. I’m not that dramatic.” I snickered. Fucking Drew. He always knew how to make me laugh at my shit. “I handled it mostly calmly. At one point I lost it, but Evan gave me an out, so I could lose my shit in my bedroom.”
“Good man, this Evan. He sounds like a keeper.”
“He called me babe.” Yes, I’d heard it, and it had melted my heart. I drank more coffee, and Bean jumped onto the sofa to lie beside me.
“Oh, he did, did he? I guess he’s in love then.”
“Oh, come on. We just met a few weeks ago.” When would I see him next? He’d left while I’d been asleep and we hadn’t made plans. Sliding my fingers down the soft, short fur of Bean’s back, I said, “I do like him, though. A lot.”
“I can tell.” He sighed. “I hope this works out for you, Ronan. He sounds like a stand-up guy.” He paused. “I just hope this drama with your dad—fuck—I mean, Jeff, doesn’t make things difficult for you two.”
Could it? My heart twinged. Evan had suggested therapy. Maybe I should consider it? “I…yeah, I hope so too.”
“Hey, Jax is ready to hear the tracks we’ve been working on. Should we have him bring his kit over today?”
Fuck. I’d rather invite Evan over again, but I should work. “Yeah, sure. Come over around five and we’ll get started.” We could order pizza in.
“All right. I’ll see you then.”
“Yep, later.” After ending the call, I gazed across the backyard, breathing in the faint scents of late spring. I should check with Jeff about dinner. I texted him.
Ronan
I’m free tomorrow for dinner.
I bit my thumbnail. Would Evan want to get together tomorrow? Shit, I should have texted him first. Too late now. I watched the three dots blink at me.
Jeff
That would be nice. Do you want to meet out somewhere, or at your house?
I should keep this at home. I didn’t need some photographer taking a photo of us and finding out he was my long-lost father. We’d kept so much of my childhood bullshit out of the tabloids. I didn’t want it to start now.
Ronan
Let’s meet at my house at six. We can order in.
I wouldn’t waste time cooking for this man. He’d have to prove himself to me before I’d do that.
I needed to get out of my house. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been out, but holing up here with my thoughts before Drew and Jax came over wasn’t good for me.
After putting Bean in his kennel, I strode to my Porche Taycan, sitting in my garage, and hopped in.
I’d opted for matte black, and I loved this fucking car.
It was fast and electric, which made me feel like I was doing my part for the environment and still splurging on a car fit for a person like me.
A fucking rockstar. The thought was surreal sometimes. I snickered.
I backed out into the driveway and headed toward Kierland Commons, a high-end outdoor shopping mall. Celebrities and sports stars frequented the place, so I wouldn’t need to hide under a baseball cap there. A nice bourbon lunch in the bar at Ocean Club would get my evening started.
As I drove to the valet in front of the restaurant, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it and hopped out of my car, handing my keys to the valet.
“We’ll take good care of her, Mr. Vale.” The young man gave me a knowing smile.
“Thank you.” The first person to notice me…I waltzed through the heavy doors of the restaurant, nodding at the hostesses as I passed.
Their eyes grew wide, and they spoke to each other in hushed voices.
Okay, so lots of people would recognize me here.
This restaurant was exclusive, so few people would request selfies or autographs.
I headed into the dark bar area—the walls lined with stone and the ceiling with wooden beams. The bar itself was in a semicircular shape with a blue glow underneath and a marble bar top.
Overhead, large, round chandeliers hung.
As I searched for open barstools, my gaze halted on a brown head of hair, and my heart jolted. It was Evan, sitting with another dark-haired man. Hadn’t I seen the other man at the charity event?
The man slapped Evan on the shoulder.
Twisting around, Evan’s mouth widened into a warm smile. “Ronan.” He hopped off his bar stool. “Hey, I just texted you.”
“You did?” What were the chances? I held up my phone and tapped the text notification open.
Evan
Hey, I’m at lunch with Lucas at Ocean Club. If you’re not doing anything, why don’t you stop by?
My brows popped up. “Hell, I must be psychic.” I should have texted him, but I figured he might still be busy.
He wrapped me in a tight hug and then released me. “It’s so funny, Lucas just asked me about you.” He stepped back and held his hand out toward Lucas. “You remember him from the charity, right? Lucas Hopkins?”
“Oh, yes.” This was one of Evan’s best friends. I needed to be extra cordial. I stretched my hand out to Lucas. His hair was as dark as mine, but his eyes were an amazing blue. “Nice to see you again.”
“Likewise.” He shook my hand and gestured to the open chair next to Evan’s. “Have a seat. We just ordered our food.”
“Thanks.” I hitched onto the barstool and when my gaze met the female bartender’s, she stared at me for a moment. Apparently, I was being noticed more than usual. Was it because I was sitting with two NHL players?
When the bartender came to her senses, she took my bourbon order.
Evan slid a menu toward me. “What have you been up to?” He knocked his knee against mine, ticking his brows.
Hell, I didn’t know what story Evan had told Lucas about when we’d been together. I should be careful. “Oh, just working on music and hanging out at home.” After fingering my bourbon glass, I sipped it, letting the burn calm my fluttering gut.
“Yeah? How about those exercises Evan showed you? Are they working?” With his brows raised, Lucas drank a beer.
Exercises? Shit, I’d almost forgotten about that. “Y-yeah, sure. So far, so good.” I’d probably only done them once or twice. I was not good at being consistent.
Evan pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on his beer.
Was something wrong with Evan? Maybe he was upset that I hadn’t called him? I should have…but I’d been distracted all morning.