Page 75 of Edge of Heaven

“Can we get a bigger bus?” Ryleigh asks dryly. “So everyone has a bunk to stretch out on? Angus is way too big for us to share. If not, I’m going home for a while.” There’s nothing accusatory or demanding in her tone, just a reality that we all understand because the bunks on a tour bus can be tiny.

“Don’t sweat it,” Sasha says. “We’re definitely upgrading the bus if you’re going to be sleeping on it every night. And you’ll be at hotels on Sundays and some Monday nights so everyone can get a good night’s sleep once or twice a week.”

“Are we good with this?” Jonny looks around.

“I’m in,” I say firmly.

“Ditto.” Tate lifts a hand.

“You know I’m in,” Angus says.

“Me too.” Sam nods.

“All right, I’m going to firm up these dates and work on the hotels and catering.”

“Are we still looking at a June eighth start date?” I ask, wondering how the hell I’m going to get Taryn away from Callum in the next four or five weeks.

“Yup. The first gig is in Atlanta. Then we’ll go down to Florida for four or five dates before heading up the Eastern Seaboard.” She discusses a few more logistics and promises to email us the schedule as soon as it’s ready, and once she logs off we all sit there looking at each other.

“To our first headlining gig,” Angus says after a moment, lifting his soda can.

We clink our cans and water bottles together.

A club tour isn’t like a stadium or arena tour, but it’s still a pretty big deal to be on a self-sustainable tour with our first album.

“To double platinum,” Jonny says.

“To a bigger tour bus,” Ryleigh adds.

“And a lot of fucking money,” I say.

“Crimson Edge for the win!” Tate yells.

It’s a damn good day for us.

So why is Taryn the only thing I can think about?

* * *

I don’t seeher for a couple of days. Karnal Death delayed the show in Houston since none of them were in any condition to perform after spending the night in jail, so now we’re in Dallas. The press is having a field day covering the situation, and we’re all grateful no one from Crimson Edge was caught on camera leaving the party. More than anything, I’m glad no one saw Taryn with me.

Not because I give a shit about being seen together, but because Callum would lose his mind, and deep down, I’m worried about her. I know he’s been abusive to women in the past—we’ve run in the same circles for a long time—so I don’t trust him much.

And with the woman I’m in love with? Not at all.

It’s taking all my self-control not to get involved, to ask Angus or Sasha to lend me the money for Toby’s treatment and get her out of there. I understand her pride and the desire for us to start a relationship with a clean slate.

But is it worth her safety?

Now that we’ve been intimate again, she’s fucking mine. I’m not letting her slip away a second time, no matter what it takes. Things will undoubtedly be complicated for us since she has a kid she wants full custody of. Having a long-distance relationship won’t be easy, but it’ll be manageable once we have some money.

She still has to work, and I can fly her and Toby out to shows whenever he has time off from school. He’s being homeschooled right now, and I don’t know what their plans are in that regard, but I’m sure it’s going to have a lot to do with his health and the results of this treatment.

I can’t even think about what will happen if she loses him, but I’m going to be there for her no matter what.

I’m already trying to think about things I can do to bond with Toby. He likes Pokémon Go, so I’ve downloaded it onto my phone and started hunting for the little guys. It’s kind of funny when you open the app and there’s a character in the room with you. Then I snatch up the little bastards.

Of course, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with them after I catch them, but I have time to figure it out. I’m going to make Tate or Jonny do it with me until I get the hang of it, then I can hopefully have something to talk to Toby about.

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