Page 35 of Crash & Burn

I look up from my hands to see Emmett give Drew a kiss on the cheek and walk back over to the bar, and her cheeks finally start fading to their natural color.

“It’s been a lot of fun. I used to be into photography in high school, but I gave it up for a while. Mateo needing a band photographer helped me rediscover my love for it.”

“And how is it working with your brother?” Annie asks.

“It was a little difficult at first because Mateo can be a little bit of a helicopter parent, but things have been good since we found our footing.”

“A helicopter parent?”

“Ha! I use that term all the time at work,” Drew adds. “It’s when a parent or guardian pays super close attention to their child—always getting involved and asking questions.”

This makes me laugh because it is theperfectway to describe Mateo. “Mateo has been raising me since I was eight, so the line between older brother and parent has been blurred for most of our lives.”

“Mateo mentioned before that you two lost your parents,” Drew says.

“Car accident.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“No worries. It was a long time ago.”

“This crew does better without parents anyway,” Annie adds, bringing an obscure light into a dark conversation.

“What do you mean?” Not that I’m offended, but it is an odd thing to say with no context.

“You fit right in. Drew doesn’t talk to her parents, Emmett barely sees his, you and Mateo lost yours, Luke and I can’t stand ours, and Eddie—“

“Eddie what?” I felt him before I even heard his voice behind me.

Drew and Annie exchange a quick look before Drew answers. “Annie was just telling Mia about how this group has an interesting track record when it comes to our parents. How we do just fine without them.” I can tell Drew is trying to explain withoutactuallyexplaining.

I turn and look up to see Eddie’s usual easy-going grin contort in frustration, obviously not happy about the conversation. I have yet to see anything but interest, happiness, or pure focus on his face, so I am taken aback by the frustration and borderline anger. His hand is resting on the back of my chair, and I feel my chair move in the slightest as his grip on the wood tightens. He is close enough that I can smell the spice of his cologne, and I am momentarily struck silent by the tension radiating off him.

I didn’t hear what Annie was going to say about Eddie’s parents, but I can imagine it isn’t something good based on his reactions.

“Okay, changing the subject,” Annie continues, barely skipping a beat. “Eddie, are you excited for the upcoming shows?” Apparently, Emmett’s grumpiness isn’t the only thing she’s immune to. Pissing off Eddie doesn’t even faze her. I guess it could be expected working with both of them, but I can’t help but be a little impressed because I feel like Eddie is about to break the back of my chair.

“Um, yeah,” he says. I watch as any sign of negative emotions melts from his face and goes back to normal. “Anyway, sorry to interrupt. I just came over to see if Mia needed another drink.”

He looks down at me from where he is standing next to my chair, and I file away the questions I have because something tells me now would not be a good time to do anything but keep that smile on his face. “I’m good,” I answer, and he gives me a nod before walking back to the bar.

“And I thought Emmett was territorial,” Annie says under her breath, but I don’t have the capacity to process it. The sadness in Eddie’s eyes, the reason why his smile only occasionally ever reaches past his lips, why he is always more concerned about those around him than himself . . . So many thoughts circling in my head, all centering around wanting to understand the complexities of whoexactlyEddie is.

Not only are his parents a sore subject, not only is there something that is making it impossible for him to put on a genuine happy face, but he has some serious anger bubbling right under the surface.

It seems like it could come out at any moment.

I want to ask Drew and Annie to find out more about these questions circling my head, but that wouldn’t be fair to Eddie. Even though there is no way keeping that hidden away can be good for him, I know better than anyone that no one can force you to heal.

I watch as he settles back in his spot between Luke and Emmett, and I can’t help but wonder what secrets he’s holding, what feelings he’s burying, what memories he’s trying to forget.

And my gut tells me it has something to do with what Annie was about to say.

Chapter 12

Mia

The rest of last night consisted of getting to know Annie and Drew more, and we wrapped up around 9 p.m., so the guys and I could all get some rest before having to drive the four and half hours to the venue for the first show for Cross My Heart.

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