Page 42 of Flawless Aria

Holding up his hands in surrender, Jax says, “I promise to behave and have fun. My beautiful fiancée will keep me in line. Right, poppet?” Ugh, I’m waiting for everyone to laugh when he calls me by my nickname, but I’m surprised when everyone thinks it’s sweet. Even the guys.

“You bet I will. Now no more negativity. All good things from here on out.” All the guys give a “Hell yeah” and Melody stalks out of Hadley’s room.

“If any one of you morons wakes her up, you will be playing with her until she falls back to sleep.” Ouch. Out of the mama bear’s mouth. Love it. All the guys mumble “Sorry” then start filling their faces.

There are enough appetizers here to feed the whole block. From fruit and meat charcuterie boards to artichoke dip, mini teriyaki meatballs, stuffed seafood mushrooms, bruschetta, taco dip. It’s endless, and it all looks so delicious I don’t know where to start.

“Guys, guys it’s starting soon. It’s so surreal that we’ll be watching with millions of other people.” Zander’s like a little kid in a toy factory. He’s so excited. We’re all glued to the big screen that’s hanging in the family room. Waiting. When the clock ticks down, it’s showtime!

For three minutes and thirty-seven seconds we are mesmerized. You couldn’t hear a pin drop. But the second it ends we all scream like a pack of wild hyenas. Then Hadley joins us and Melody’s not a happy camper.

It’s safe to say we’ll all be playing with her until she falls asleep tonight.

25

JAXON

I’m sofrustrated since I still haven’t found a venue for the wedding, and we’re leaving in five days. Now I know what it’s like to want to pull the hair out of my head because I’m at my wits’ end. Aria’s going to be heartbroken if I can’t come up with something by the time she gets here later today.

We’ve been spending as much time together as we possibly can since she still hasn’t agreed to meet me on a leg of the tour. I’m going to be lost and lonely without her. The nights will fly by, but the days will drag and the travel is going to be horrendous. I won’t be back in New York until the middle of September. We have a hiatus of five days every three months. I’m not the only one bitching, the guys have joined in. It’s going to be rough being on the road when our families are back home.

Focus, Jax. Focus. I need to call a few other venues while I have the time. There’s no sense dwelling on eventually what will be. Touring is part of our job, and we need to suck it up.

Dialing Roman’s number, I wait. He’s going to get so fucking sick and tired of me. I hate pissing him off, but I have no choice. It’s do or die time.

“Jax, bugging the shit out of me on the daily isn’t going to win you any brownie points, if you get my drift.” Doesn’t he sound like a peach? In his defense, he’s been working hard trying to find me a place, too.

“Just checking in to find out if anything new popped up today.” If I was a kid, I’d be crossing my fingers and toes right about now, but I’m a grown-ass man so best not.

“Nothing yet, but I’m waiting on a few calls. They promised to get back to me sometime today. I promise to call you as soon as I get an answer. Good or bad.” Is it possible to get an ulcer at thirty? I think I got one.

“Thanks, Roman. I know you’re pulling some strings, and I really appreciate it. It’s just that we’re running out of time.”

“I know, but don’t give up. Hell, something might come up while you’re on tour.” True, but I’d rest easier if it was all settled before leaving.

“I know. ‘Never give up’ is your motto, right?” He chuckles and God how I wish I could. I don’t find anything funny anymore.

“Gotta go. Hang tight, I’ll call you later.” When he ends the call, I listen to the incessant beep. Or what I like to call the mic drop.

Desperate to take my mind off of everything, I decide to go work out for a while. Which is something I haven’t done in quite some time. All the guys have been bitching at me that I’m not building up my stamina. Well, if they could see me and Aria going at it every night they might change their tune. Scratch that. No way in fucking hell I want them watching me. Otherwise, they’d be a bunch of jealous bastards and there wouldn’t be any living with them on the road.

I know I should concentrate on my upper body, but today I want to run. Like the fucking wind. Stripping off my clothes, I slip into my shorts and step on the treadmill. After selecting the preprogrammed workout, I step on the side bars. Then I hit start.

Within minutes, my heart rate speeds up and I’m running like the wind on a mountain trail. Yeah, I have a visual on this bad boy. Up, up, and up I go while my arms pump back and forth. My legs feel the burn. I’m panting like a fool, and it feels fucking incredible. Sweat streams down all my nooks and crannies like rivulets flowing through a stream. As soon as the screen pans downhill, I know it’s smooth sailing until the next interval. Giving me a much-needed reprieve.

I concentrate on the gorgeous view since I forgot to put on my headset so I could listen to one of my playlists. It doesn’t matter since I also forgot to grab some water. So I’m not sure how much longer I can do this without hydrating. Until I pass out, I suppose. Just kidding.

With thirty minutes to go, I’m out of breath and dying of thirst, so I jump up on the sides and shut it off. Crazy how it stops instantly and would send you flying over the screen. Which would send me headfirst into my weights. Ouch.

For a few minutes, I just stand there, trying to catch my breath. I’m desperate for water, but I know if I move, I might fall flat on my face. Need to give it a few more. Since I didn’t have a cool down, I do a few stretches. Until I feel comfortable enough to start moving. And when I do, I go straight to the fridge and grab a cold bottle of water. I know, I can’t drink it fast. I just need something wet. Taking a sip, I swish it around before swallowing. That way the water’s warm going down instead of cold. Not my first rodeo.

After finishing the water, I grab a clean towel and wipe myself down. God, I def need another shower before Aria gets here. No way she’d get close to me smelling the way I do. Since I feel gross, I decide to get it over with since I can’t stand the stench.

Jumping in the shower, I let the warmth of the water sluice down my body before grabbing my body wash. Scrubbing from head to toe, I wash away all the sweat before washing my hair. Ducking under the spray, I watch the shampoo glide down my abs, legs, and feet before circling the drain and disappearing. Shutting off the water, I grab a towel and quickly dry off the best I can before walking into my bedroom. Now I feel like a hundred bucks. Throwing on an old concert T and a pair of sweatpants. No, not the gray ones that all the guys on social media wear. I might be a metal head, but I’m classier than that.

Walking into the kitchen I grab my phone and see I had a missed call from Roman. I quickly hit redial, totally ignoring his voicemail. When he doesn’t answer, I hang up and listen to his message.

“I’ll call you later to go into detail, but tell Aria she’s going to make a beautiful September bride in New York.” Fuck yes!!!

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