Page 87 of Snapping the Ice
“Damn, babe, that’s hot.” I’d left some of myself inside him. My heart flittered. He was finally all mine.
CHAPTER 18
EZRA
A week had passed since the gay bar incident and there’d been no sightings of Tate. Had we finally pushed him from our lives forever? Leo had made good on his promise of recommending me to his brother’s band, and I’d been able to fit them in for a quick promo shoot.
Rapping echoed through my studio. I jumped from my desk, jogged to the door, and opened it.
Six men stood outside, one wearing heavy makeup, a skirt and combats boots. Another stood in front with long black bangs, blue eyes and a vintage Sex Pistols t-shirt. A bullet belt slung low on his hips, over his black skinny jeans. He held out his fist. “Hey, man, name’s Axel. I’m Leo’s brother.” He gave me a sly grin.
“Oh, hi.” I fist bumped him. He didn’t resemble Leo at all. “I’m Ezra. Come on in.”
As they walked into the studio, some with guitars in cases, they each introduced themselves. Devin, the one in the skirt, was the singer, Caleb was the bass player and had a similar haircut to Axel’s but lighter hair, and then Silas, the otherguitar player, had dirty-blond hair falling to his shoulders. Bringing up the rear was their keyboard player, Milo and Gabe, the drummer.
They each had their own style, with Milo being the flashy one in a pink sequined crop top.
Silas eyed me, his brown eyes taking me in. “Before we get started, I’m not doing anything stupid.”
I stared at him. “Why would I have you?—”
“Silas, shut it. I’m sure Ezra knows what he’s doing.” With a scoff, Axel crossed his arms. “Don’t listen to him. He’s an ornery fuck.”
“You just want sexy shots. We need to look tough. We’re a fucking punk-pop band, not a boy band.” Silas rolled his eyes and shifted his weight.
“We can do whatever poses you think will sell your music best.” My gaze cut to Silas and then focused on Axel. I got the feeling Axel was the leader here. I should direct my questions to him.
Caleb stepped toward me. “Don’t mind them. They’re not happy unless they’re bickering.” He chuckled.
With his hand held over his mouth, Milo giggled. “Got that right.” He studied me. “I like your necklaces. Those are cool. Where’d you get them?”
“Uh, a secondhand shop in Tempe. I got them when I was in art school.” Milo seemed nice, like a guy I could hang out with. I glanced at my makeup desk. “We should put some powder on you all.”
Devin twisted his lips. “I, uh, already have powder on.”
“I think you can skip it then.” He’d done a great job on his makeup. “So, let’s get started.”
We ordered pizza to the studio after a few hours of shooting the band. The guys stood around my monitor, going through the photos I’d already taken and making comments.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I slipped it out.Momscrolled across the screen. “Holy fuck.” My heart jumped into my throat. With a glance at the band, I answered the call. “Uh, hi, M-Mom.” Her name was foreign to my tongue. I hadn’t spoken to her since I’d left.
“Ezra? Oh, my God.” Her voice cracked. “Do you hate me?”
“What?” I twisted toward a wall, my vision growing hazy and a deep ache filling my chest. “N-no, I don’t hate you.” But I’d closed my heart to her. Was it the same?
“I’m so very, very sorry.” Her breath snagged. “What I did to you, what I let your father do to you, it was wrong.” She sobbed. “We were wrong, Ezra. You’re my son. How could I send you away like that?”
I blinked, and a hot tear rolled down my cheek. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I dropped to the floor on my free hand and knees. How was this happening now? I was mid-shoot. I had to hold it together. “I…what are you saying?” Sitting on my tucked legs, I brushed my bangs off my forehead with a trembling hand.
“I want to see you. I want to reconnect and salvage our relationship. I want you to know that I accept?—”
The phone fell from my hands, and my chest heaved with a sob. Holy fuck, I couldn’t stop it. I covered my face in my hands as tears escaped.
“Ezra? Hey man, are you okay?” Axel’s murmured voice came from behind me.
“Shit, he’s not okay. Look at him,” Silas growled.
In a beat, the band members hovered around me, Silas dropping to his knees beside me. “What happened? You cantalk to us. We’ve seen it all, believe me.” He planted a hand on my shoulder.
