Page 33 of Falling Faster
"Good to see you. Thanks for helping us out with the tickets." Patrick hugs Zander next, then steps back and gestures to our friends. "Luke and Zander, this is Devon. And Cody." They both shake hands with the pair. He then gestures to Ty. "And this is Ty."
Zander shakes Ty's hand first. "Good to meet you."
"You too. I'm a big fan of the band."
Luke's smile widens. His gaze flicks to mine before he turns his focus on Ty and clasps his hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Ty. Craig's been looking forward to your visit."
His cheeks flushing, Ty presses his shoulder into mine. "I've been looking forward to it, too."
"Sit. Relax. Plenty of room for everyone." Luke points to the couch and chairs grouped around a long, low table. "Patrick, I forgot to tell you, I was cleaning out boxes from the garage before the tour and found an old recording of you and me."
Patrick drops onto the chair closest to Luke. "No way. What song?"
"Don’t Stop Me Now. The best duet to come out of that nightmare experience."
Chuckling, he rubs his hand over his jaw. "I’d love to get a copy of that."
I spy Ty's questioning gaze and with a tug on his hand, pull him onto the couch with me. "Luke and Patrick were briefly in a band together years ago."
Nodding, Luke shifts over so Zander and Devon can sit beside him. "Why don’t you come over tomorrow? I'll make you a copy. Hell, we can sing it right there in my studio. Jam a bit. I'd love that. We’ll have a cookout too." He casts his gaze over all of us. "You’re all welcome to join us."
Cody perches on the arm of Patrick's chair. "The chance to hear Paddy sing? I’m in."
Eyes warm, Luke gestures to Cody with his bottle of beer. "I hope I get to hear you sing too, man. From what I’ve heard in your songs, you have a hell of a range."
With a squeak, a wide-eyed Cody slips off the chair's arm and onto Patrick's lap. "You’ve… heard us?"
"I've followed your band from the beginning. You have a great sound. My home studio isn't as big as Zander’s, but it's still decent. I’d love to jam with you."
"I want to hear the two of you sing together. You both have such powerful voices." Zander tips his glass at the guys. "And Devon, I watched the drum solo you did during your cover ofCut Down. Brendan and I were blown away. I want to see that in person, if you'll play for us."
"Holy shit." Cody clutches Patrick's hand. "Craig. Paddy. Devon. I can't believe this is happening." His low voice, filled with awe, stirs goosebumps on my skin. Playing together for an audience of rock royalty is a huge deal.
With a cough and a run of his hands through his hair, Devon attempts to school the surprise stealing over his features. "Sounds fun. It would be an honor to jam with you."
Patrick shifts Cody's weight to his other thigh. "I'm in."
I open my mouth, but hesitation holds my words back. Wanting to take part, to see what it’s like with these two groups existing in the same space wars with wanting time with Ty.
Ty squeezes my hand and smiles in understanding. "I'd love to see you all play together."
Luke sits back with a satisfied smile. "Great. It's settled. Once Brendan and Landry get back, we'll loop them in."
"Are you sure?" Murmuring the question close to Ty's ear, I steal a kiss to his temple. "We don't have to go."
He presses against me. "Yeah. Definitely. I want to."
A waitress arrives for our drink orders, then Landry and Brendan join us and set off a second round of introductions. My friends fall into conversations with the band, chatting away like they've known each other for years. Devon and Brendan are side by side, their attention held by a video of a drum solo on Brendan's phone. Landry and Patrick look like twins in their leather jackets, discussing a guitarist they both idolized growing up. And Cody's animated recount of one of our earliest shows has Zander and Luke in stitches. I'm relieved, though not surprised they're getting along so well.
Keeping my hands off Ty is impossible. I wrap one arm around his waist, hugging him, and he relaxes into me, laying a hand atop mine to keep me close. We chat about our week and he shows me some of the new artwork he completed for the comic book series. The connection we share feels electric and necessary, completing me in a way I didn't realize I was missing until I saw him again. It's also huge and scary and breathtaking. I never want it to end.
In between trading teasing remarks with each other, Cody, Patrick, and Devon entertain Ty with stories about me. The Fury members add in a few more, and I swing from amused to slightly embarrassed to laughing so hard I can barely breathe. I can only hope I'll have the chance to do this with Ty someday, with his friends in Buffalo.
He tips his head onto my shoulder and his eyes twinkle with his smile. "I feel like I know you so much better now."
"I hope that's a good thing." Affection for him swells from deep in my chest. The way we are with each other feels so natural and he fits in with my friends like he's been a part of us all along.
The brush of his thumb on the side of my hand is hypnotic. "A very good thing."
