With the Band (With the Band #1)

Dad’s not really that old, but his lifestyle has been rough on him. It would have been on anyone. Plus, from a young age, he had a baby to raise alone.

“You don’t have to work yourself this hard still. I’m confident you can live off the billions you have in the bank. Not even I could blow through all of that.”

“The money isn’t an issue, Tex. I’ve always done this, and I’m not sure I could give up music.”

“You can still sing in the shower. I won’t tell the label.”

He rolls his eyes and sits at the table. “Coffee’s taking a while…”

“I’m on it, I’m on it. Seriously though, if you need to take it easier, you can. Don’t tour as much; don’t release albums every five minutes. Plenty of old people do it when they’ve reached that special point in their lives where their bones creek when they move, and they can’t handle their whiskey anymore.”

“As ever, pumpkin, you’re a delight.”

“Hey, I’m being helpful here.”

“No, I’m pretty sure you’re mocking your old man.”

I tilt my head to the side and give him an innocent smile. “Yeah, that, too. But, I worry about you, and I’m telling you to slow down.”

“Mark’s slowing down?” Kitt asks from along the hallway. He’s pretending to have just come out of his room.

My heart jumps into my throat. I look over my shoulder, and another wave of guilt washes over me so hard and so fast that I almost lose my footing. Lying to Dad feels so wrong.

“He needs to. He’s past it now,” I say.

“I am not past it!”

“See? He’s not past it,” Kitt replies, not quite being able to look directly at me either.

Great.

I laugh a little nervously and turn away. We’re off to an awful start if we don’t want Dad to guess.

“Coffee, Kitt?”

“Please.”

He walks past me, careful to leave as much distance as he can in the small space. Why would he go out of his way to avoid me like I’m contagious?

Is he trying to get us caught?

I’m glad he gave me a wide berth though because I hadn’t realised how bad I would feel about this. It’s like the happy Kitt rainbow over my life has dulled. Being with him was supposed to be pure, not tainted with guilt.

Because you know doing it like this is all wrong.

“You got up late,” Dad says, shuffling over so that Kitt can sit down.

I bite my lip as I pour the first mug. Kitt is often up earlier than everyone else with me. He does his best lyric-writing at the crack of dawn apparently. Everyone knows that.

We have to be more careful.

Am I overthinking this?

Yes, because you’re a mega bitch who’s lying to her dad, and obsessively stressing over it is what you deserve.

Kitt yawns. “Yeah, didn’t sleep too well last night.”

I know that’s a lie, and my eye twitches.

After he kissed me for ages, we fell asleep, and he didn’t stir once. But, obviously, I’m not going to be pointing that out.

Dad’s eyebrows lift. “Oh, yeah?”

Kitt laughs. “No, nothing like that.”

“Now that I think about it, you’re quite behind Milo, Will, and Coop. Did you not take the bet in the end?”

He’d better be very behind them.

Kitt runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head. “Nah, not really my scene anymore.”

“Good for you. Not all of us feel the need to sleep with everyone because it’s the done thing.”

“And because you had an oopsy,” I say, smirking at him.

Dad glares. “Yes, thank you, Texas. Babies and touring are difficult to juggle. You’d be better off concentrating at one thing at a time. If not, they turn out sarcastic as fuck and never let you live it down.”

Kitt and I laugh.

“No baby plans for a while yet,” Kitt says.

A while? By that, he’d better mean at least ten years. This body ain’t going through childbirth for a really long time.

I still remember the video my personal tutor made me watch for sexual health and education when I was fifteen. I saw a woman’s foofie split, and all of a sudden, the curiosity surrounding sex went right out the window. The next day, I made an appointment to get on the pill, and I take it religiously.

“Good. Suppose it does you no favours, keeping an eye on Texas at after-parties.”

I almost choke. Stirring the coffee harder, I pretend I’ve not heard.

“She doesn’t cause that much trouble. Honestly, I’d rather hang with her than prowl over women, like those dickheads.”

He’s saying all the right things. If we start to let Dad know that we’re getting closer without actually saying the words, it will be much easier when we eventually tell him we want to start dating.

This could work. The lie is only temporary because Dad will know soon enough.

Justify it however you need to. You’re still a liar.

“Glad to hear it because, as much as I trust Cooper and Milo, you’re the one I trust with my daughter.”

Bugger.