“Perfect sense.” Smith sat down on the couch. “You think he’s hitting the hard stuff?”
I thought about the times I’d seen him stumble in over the past couple of weeks, the way he’d looked before crashing and the times he’d asked me for downers. “Nah, coke and booze, in my opinion. You?”
“I figured about the same.” He held the whiskey bottle out to me; when I shook my head, he put the cap back on. “You think we need to put a stop to it?”
I pursed my lips. “Wouldn’t we just be the pot calling the kettle black? It’s not affecting his job, or the band. He’s here in the studio every day and he’s nice and pleasant around Landry and the girls. Who are we to tell him how to cope? At this point at least.”
Smith nodded. “Okay. We’ll just keep watching him, right?”
“Yeah, man. Let’s just give him to room to deal.” I stood, stretching my arms over my head. “Has Dash said anything about it?”
“Not to me.” Smith headed toward the stairs. “I doubt he thinks it’s his place, you know? He doesn’t like to get in between Luke and Lexi unless absolutely necessary.”
I followed Smith into the house. “Thanks. For tonight.”
“We’ve all been there, bro.” He pulled me in for a very manly hug. “You’re doing good though, with both your girls.”
“Oh for the love of everything holy. Do you guys ever stop hugging each other?”
Smith and I both winced at the sound of Lexi’s voice. We pulled apart and headed into the dark kitchen to find her sitting on the island eating leftover fried chicken. I chuckled. “Cravings?”
She shrugged, rubbing her belly. “Couldn’t sleep. This little girl is nocturnal.”
Smith pried the chicken leg from her grip and then handed her an apple instead. “Join the club.”
Lexi calmly sat the apple back in the bowl on the counter and snatched the chicken from Smith. “If you attempt to take this meat from my hands one more time, I will lose my shit. Your girlfriend has me eating the grossest crap, and I. Am. HUNGRY.”
Smith held his hands up and slowly backed away. “Sorry, Lex.”
She took a big bite and talked around the food. “Why are you two up? Late-night tryst?”
I pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, the light blinding us before I shut the door. “I have spent the past ten years treating women like garbage.”
Smith leaned against the counter, farthest from Lexi. “I was waiting up to talk to your boy.”
Lexi pointed at me with her chicken. “You were an asshole. You were all assholes. But everyone loves a bad boy who ends up being a good man. So you guys will be okay. You’ll all be cursed with daughters, but you’ll be okay.” She turned to Smith. “If you want to talk to Luke, you’ll have to wait for a few more hours. He usually gets in around seven.”
I cocked my head, studying her. I thought he’d been able to hide his early morning homecomings. “You knew?”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Of course I knew, it’s Luke. He’s my best friend.” She smiled, almost sinister. “There isn’t anything that goes on in this house that we don’t know about.”
Smith pursed his lips. “We? As in you and Dash?”
Lexi laughed. “No. Me and the girls.” She held her hand out for me to help her down off the counter. “You think Dylan doesn’t know you’re up worried about Luke? Or that Bryan doesn’t know you were down in the studio feeling low? They know.” She backed out of the kitchen, her eyes glowing. “We always know.”
I turned to Smith. “I’m never getting out of bed in the middle of night again. Lexi is fucking scary as shit.”
He pointed to the stairs and we both raced up them like two kids afraid of the boogey man. I climbed in bed next to Bryan, pulling her against my body, breathing in her sweet scent and wrapping my arms around her waist.
“I’m fine, love.”
I stiffened. “What?”
“No reason to lose sleep over the past. There is nothing anyone can do about it.”
Holy. Shit. They do know everything.
Chapter Twenty-two
Bryan
The next morning I woke up with my head on Jacks’s bare chest. All my memories from the night before came flooding back to me. I closed my eyes, more than happy to relive them. I still wanted him. I wasn’t pulling away. I only wanted to snuggle in closer. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Good morning, doll.” Jacks tightened his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
“Morning.” I choked out a laugh when I opened my eyes and saw the large tent that Jacks had made with his cock and the sheets. I reached my hand out, flattening that whole…situation.
“How are you feeling?”
I took a quick internal inventory, “Fine, a little sore and not bored in the slightest.”
He grinned. “Yeah?”
I nodded.
“I think we should go take a shower, and take care of my wood.”