“Your mum,” Kitt growls.
Milo laughs. “You’ve gotta appreciate a your-mum comeback every now and again.”
“Fuck you, man. You ain’t ever getting in my mum’s bed.”
“True,” Kitt says. “She prefers it over the table.”
Even though the thought makes my stomach churn, I laugh.
“You’re a prick,” Cooper barks.
“My mother probably would let you all take her over the table,” I say, turning my nose up.
“Wait, we’re allowed to do your mum?” Cooper asks. “I always thought she was a no-go zone.”
Glaring, I reply, “She is. I’m just saying, she wouldn’t say no.” Hell, she would probably film it and leak it all over the Internet in a desperate bid for more fame and more attention.
Cooper sinks back into the seat and frowns in disappointment.
Well, tough. “Can we not talk about people doing my mother?”
“You started it,” Cooper grumbles.
“Now, I’m finishing it.”
The guys come through to join us for a drink, and Milo starts up a game of poker. Dad, Jimmy, and Will bundle in on the opposite side of the table. I just watch. I don’t have the energy to focus on playing right now, so I get up to make a huge mug of coffee.
Dad follows me over to the minuscule kitchen and hands me his phone. “I didn’t know you and Kitt went out.”
My heart falls to my toes.
Stay calm. This is all a part of your plan.
The plan seemed like a much better idea when Dad wasn’t questioning me though.
I take his phone. Okay, it’s not bad. The pictures are actually really cute. They’re from mini golf, and we’re both smiling and messing around. Thankfully, there aren’t any of Kitt helping me swing, but we weren’t noticed until after that.
“Yeah, we got bored of hanging out in the hotel all day. I beat him.”
Dad nods his head. “Is there anything else?”
“Such as?”
“I’m not blind. Does this mean anything?”
Oh God, I have to lie to him again.
My stomach burns as the lie forces its way past my lips. “No. Why?”
“I can see how you look at him, Texas.”
I sigh. Shit, keep cool. “Dad, he’s gorgeous. I’m not blind either. But you don’t have to worry. Come on, what would he ever see in me?”
“Don’t you ever do that to yourself,” he snaps. “I won’t have you tearing yourself down.”
I’m a shitty person.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “But it’s true. He’s a rock star, and he can have anyone in the world.”
“Do you like him?”
“I might have a small crush. It’s fine. I can handle it.”
His face pales. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. We’re good friends, and I won’t ever lose that. And you never know. When he’s old and past it, like you, and ready to settle down, he might just be able to convince me that he’s good enough.”
Dad laughs. “As a person, Kitt is one of the most decent. But his career choice in respect to him dating my daughter…”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Kitt isn’t like other musicians, Dad. They’re not all bad.”
Gritting his teeth, he dips his head. He can’t argue with that because he knows it’s true. Filthy Sound respects the rules set out by him. Mostly. They don’t do drugs, and they’re not arseholes. But getting my dad to do cartwheels over me being with one of them will take time.
“Please be careful.”
I roll my eyes. “Please. I can handle Daniels.”
“But can you handle your heart?”
Nope.
“I can. Don’t worry, Dad. I’m not going to get hurt.”
“If you need to talk to me or if you want me to talk to Kitt…”
I almost laugh in his face. Like I want him to talk to Kitt.
“I promise, I will talk to you. But I swear to God, if you mention this to him, I will take you down, old man.”
Laughing, he ruffles my hair, like I’m still two. “I had a feeling something like this would happen.”
“Way to go, psychic.”
“I’m serious, Texas. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“And I don’t want to get hurt. You don’t have to stress. Kitt would never hurt me anyway.”
I’m counting on that because he might as well be walking around with my heart in his pocket.
KITT
MONDAY, MAY 25
CZECH REPUBLIC
Things with Tex have been getting serious. Really serious. We need to tell Mark soon, before we get home, because, right now, I feel like we’re standing still.
I’ve always been moving forward, and it bothers me more than anything else that Tex and I are stagnant. And with her, I want it all. I’m impatient. I don’t care that we’ve not been together long, and it’s a big secret. We’ve got to tell Mark and get it over with, so I can do something really fucking stupid that I won’t regret and propose.
Like I said, I want it all.
She’s it for me, and there’s no point in waiting. Right?