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"How is Emily?" he asks. His concern for my friend is touching.
"She's hanging with Roy since Laredo's occupied." Guilt gets the better of me. He saw me on the phone and assumed it was with Emily. It would be easy to let it slide, but I have enough secrets already on my shoulders. "That was Dax on the phone. You should be seated when I tell you this, but here goes." Adam leads me over to the side of the walkway. His hands squeeze my waist, and he places me on the railing, stepping between my legs. His hands squeeze my thighs, and he gives my nose a quick peck.
I purse my lips and exhale. "The band is coming out this week. We have a slot on the Sunday program."
I wait for a reaction, but he doesn't give me one. His face is frozen with an unreadable expression. Is he making fun of my impatience? Does he want me to crack first? Fine. I prepare to scream at him when his lips part. "That's incredible. I can only imagine what it means to the band. We have to tell Laredo. We're going to have to extend our hotel reservations and change our flights, but we're totally staying. I wouldn't miss that for the world."
He lifts me off the railing and spins me, unaware of the battle his words have caused in my head. I've been so focused on keeping this secret and getting to Sunday it didn't cross my mind he and his brother may have other commitments. I've done the same with the band.
"I'm sorry. I hadn't thought… I can pay for…"
He cuts me off. "You're kidding, right? Do you know how much we'd pay to see a Devil May Care concert from the front row?"
I chew on my tongue, his comment a reminder of my next secret. The list is endless. "Well, Dax said, not everyone may make the trip. Any chance you feel up to sitting in with the band?"
"Your band? Here at Seaside? On a Sunday program?" His voice fills with disbelief as if I've asked him to take my pet elephant for a walk.
"Yeah. You've played with us once before."
His head shaking tells me I'm wrong. "That was in a studio, away from fans, and on a track my sister wrote. If I messed up, we just yelled, 'Cut!' and reset. This is an entirely different ball game. Live concert in a stadium full of music executives and influencers. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
He lists reason after reason my brilliant plan is flawed. "What if things were different?"
"How do you mean?"
"What if we were back in a studio, and you had time to learn the songs? Would you consider playing with the band, then?" If this was a courtroom, I would hear the objection from the opposing counsel for leading the witness.
"What guitarist wouldn't want to jam with Devil May Care?"
"We have two days. I can get you up to speed. You already know half our catalog."
"Wait, what? Are you serious? This week. You want me to learn, practice, and perform with your band on the Sunday stage at Seaside?" The pitch of his voice grows with each syllable. By the time he completes his question, he sounds like a teenaged girl.
I nod. His brows furrow, and the concern returns.
"I'm not sure Laredo will be up to it."
I bite my tongue as his brother hadn't crossed my mind. Laredo is involved in some drama with a local girl and has been M.I.A. all day. I only need one of them.
"His focus is elsewhere right now." Adam hesitates, and I can tell he wants to say more but also wants to protect his brother's privacy. "I'll talk to him. This may be the distraction he needs."
I exhale and quietly celebrate the victory. It doesn't last.
"However, I'm still not on board. I'm not sure I can get on that stage, with your band, in front of an audience." When he gives me his brand of a sexy smirk, I realize he's toying with me. "I may need some extra motivation."
I hook my arm into his, press my cheek against his shoulder, and fall in stride for stride next to him. "Your hotel room or mine?"
"As if that's a choice at all. You have a suite and full breakfast room service. I say we hole up in there until show time."
Visions of being in Adam's arms for two days and then stepping on stage with my band are like the perfect dream come to life. It's the best of everything.
"Well then, we should hurry because there are still a few moves I've yet to teach you." I release his hand and skip ahead of him. My hips shimmy, and a giggle escapes my lips. I'm freaking flying. I have my man. I have my band. I have everything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Adam
I stand behind the glass wall, arms crossed against my chest, and stare in wonderment at the scene in front of me. Ariel standing at the microphone in the studio and Laredo playing alongside her as if he'd done it a million times already.
