Page 80 of Fresh Tracks
The sound of the elevator door to the penthouse opening grabs our attention and we all turn in that direction. I let out a long sigh when I see Jake come in, still dressed in his gym clothes from his morning workout. I look at him and then Sutton. “Again, changing my locks and codes as soon as I can.”
Jake snorts a laugh and raises his coffee cup to Sutton as he sits on the other side of the island. He looks at Sutton but tilts his head to me. “I see he’s his normal, charming self.”
Sutton takes a sip of his coffee and shakes his head. “Actually, these two were all sweet and cuddly this morning. It’s a good look for him.”
“Whatever.” I mutter under my breath, rubbing my hand down Grace’s back, still holding her to my side. I lean down, whispering into her ear. “Are you good? I’m sorry they’re all here. You can go change or throw on some of my sweats.”
“I’m good. They’re just legs, Tommy.” She tips her head to Sutton and then Jake. “You think these two haven’t seen a pair before? Besides, I grew up with Tanner and Clay. Those two are big presences, literally and figuratively. We didn’t exactly have a big place when we were kids so I’m used to crowded houses in the morning.”
She might be fine with it, but I want to make sure they know she’s fucking mine. Absentmindedly, I kiss her just above her collarbone and she hums contentedly before I pull away to spot Jake looking between Sutton and me.
“Wait, so he knows too?” Jake asks. I roll my eyes and groan. “As of five minutes ago, since he also let himself in. Yeah.”
Jake shakes his head. “Wow, you really suck at keeping this under wraps.”
I shoot him a playful glare. “You didn’t come over here just to tell me that.”
Jake’s lips pull into a half hearted smile. “No, I came for a couple reasons. I wanted to apologize last night, but you were already gone. I had no idea he was going to bring her. I never thought Vince would bring Can?—”
“It’s not your fault,” I say, my voice colder than I meant. “I never thought he’d be that stupid either.”
Jake nods and we don't have to say the rest. “Anyway, as long as it’s just us that knows.” I start before Grace hums with a mouthful of food, holding up a finger.
“Don’t forget about Josie and Stacy,” she says.
“Right.” I scrub my palm over my face.
I look up to see Jake wincing and my whole body tenses.
“What is it?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath, swiping his thumb across his phone and sliding it across the kitchen island. “Remember I said I had a couple reasons for coming over? Well, the group that knows might not be so small.”
I look down to see a picture of me from last night on a local online music blog. I’m standing in the rain, tilting Grace’s chin up to me. While I remember the hurt and frustration in her eyes, from the outside in this picture, all I can see is the intimacy of the moment and the longing.
Shit. So much for keeping it simple.
This just got a lot more complicated.
CHAPTER 30
GRACE
LITTLE GESTURE
Looking downat Jake’s phone, it’s jarring to see this scene captured by a stranger. It was only last night and I remember being so frustrated with him. In that picture though, even if he’s barely touching me, it’s impossible not to see the built up tension pulling us together.
“Grace.” Tommy’s deep voice snaps me to attention and I turn to see him focusing those blue eyes on me. “I’m so sorry. I should have been more careful. I should have kept my shit together. Are you OK? What do you want to do?”
I see the worry etched across his face. I see the stress and anxiety. I already see that my worries are nothing compared to his. I can see how this has nagged at him for years and years. It makes sense why he likes his privacy back in Jackson or Bend.
I take a deep breath and nod, trying to reassure him. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” My eyes drift back to the phone and I point at it. “How big of a blog is that?”
Jake grabs his phone and tucks it into his pocket. “It’s not huge, just a music scene blog really. Lots of Teal Tigers fans though.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Good. That’s perfect. My family practically lives under a rock and doesn’t really use social media.”
