Listen to Me (Fusion 1)

“I’ll just come over and share your handful for a while,” Cami says with a soft smile on her pretty face. She looks so at home with that baby in her arms. Cami’s going to be an awesome mom someday.

My phone pings in my hand with an incoming text. I grin when I see that it’s from Jake. I haven’t seen him since Sunday morning, but he’s texted me several times a day, every day. I never know what they’re going to say. Sometimes he’s flirty. Sometimes he sends silly selfies, and sometimes he’s just sharing something that happened that day. It’s only Wednesday, but I miss his face.

Thinking of you. What are you up to tonight?

“Who’s that?” Mia asks with a frown. “All of us are here.”

“Is it Jake?” Cami asks innocently, but I narrow my eyes at her.

I’m getting pampered with the girls this evening. What are you up to?

“Why would Jake be texting you?” Riley asks. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“And why does Cami know and the rest of us don’t?” Kat asks as she peels the cucumbers off her eyes.

Good. You deserve to be pampered. I’m writing a song with Max tonight. Take you to dinner tomorrow night?

“Addie. Start talking,” Mia demands.

“Can’t I have two minutes to respond to messages?” I bite my lip, and type my response.

Okay, but don’t get any ideas about me being attracted to you or anything.

“Is she seeing Jake?” Riley finally asks Cami.

“Not my story to tell.”

“Addie!”

Stop fawning all over me. I’ll go out with you. Geez. Have a good night.

“Everyone calm down.” I shove my phone in my pocket and take a deep breath, then relay the same story I told Cami the other day. Everyone has stopped what they were doing to listen to the story. Cici has even stopped trimming Mia’s hair.

“I haven’t even seen him since Sunday.”

“When are you going to see him again?” Kat asks with a grin. “And also, I approve of this. I like him.”

“He’s taking me out for dinner tomorrow.”

“And after-dinner sex.” Riley does a happy dance, then fist-bumps Kat.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Cici rolls her eyes and snips at Mia’s hair. “Girl, he’s gorgeous. And sexy. And a rock star. You better hit that.”

“Hit that?” I laugh out loud. “Since when do you speak like that?”

“I don’t know, it just came out,” Cici says with a laugh. “And you know we’re going to want details.”

“No details.”

“You’re no fun.” Riley pouts and crosses her arms over her chest.

“You’ve never wanted details before,” I point out.

“You’ve never had sex with Jake Knox before,” Mia says.

“Keller,” I reply automatically.

They all blink at me for a minute, then look at each other.

“She’s got it bad,” Kat says. “Not that I blame her.”

“He’s the trifecta,” Cami says. “Music, hot body, and personality.”

“I’m jealous,” Cici says with a sigh.

“You have an awesome husband,” I reply with a roll of my eyes. “And he worships the ground you walk on.”

“True. But he’s not a rock star.”

“No, he’s just a literal rocket scientist,” Riley replies. “You don’t ever get to complain.”

“I’m not complaining. I’m coveting.”

“We’re all coveting,” Mia says. “But I’m so damn happy for you.”

“And if he hurts you, we get to kill him and hide the body,” Kat says as she pops a frozen grape in her mouth. “We’ve always threatened to do that, but now we’d get to make good on it.”

“We can still kill Jeremy and hide the body,” Riley suggests. “And speaking of that, what was he doing in the alley, Addie? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“He was just drunk, and being stupid. It’s really no big deal.” If any one of them lied to me about something like this, I’d be pissed. But I don’t want them to worry. It’s over. Jeremy’s too lazy to come back for more. He’s most likely moved on to someone new now. And good luck to her.

“I don’t think Jeremy’s worth potential jail time,” Mia says.

“And Jake is?” I ask with a laugh.

“Hell yes. Jake’s the real deal. He could seriously do some damage.”

That’s what I’m terrified of.

“Or he could be the best thing that ever happens to you,” Cami says thoughtfully. “Just lead with your head and not your heart. ’Cause your heart’s an asshole.”

“They all are,” Kat agrees with a sympathetic smile. I nod and chew my lip. Cami’s advice is exactly what I needed to hear. And being with my girls tonight is exactly what I needed for my soul.

Chapter Six

Jake

Max and I are in the studio, finishing up a song and checking our schedule for the next week.

We’re swamped. And damn if that doesn’t make me happy. When we started the business, I was terrified that we’d fuck it up. That artists wouldn’t want to work with us.

But it seemed that from the minute Max came to me with the idea and we set it in motion, it had a life of its own.

We have to turn people away.

“I know you don’t like to work on Sundays,” I say to Max while examining the schedule, “but it’s the only day we can get Steve in the studio, and I’m not willing to turn a musical legend down.”