Page 90 of Big Daddy Christmas
“Knowing our women, they’ll all be over here at one point or another,” Holden said with a low chuckle.
“True.” Letting out a laugh of his own, Ice reached into his pocket for his buzzing phone. Almost instantly, his amusement faded, replaced by nerves twisting in his stomach at the sight of his manager’s face on his phone screen. “Hey, I gotta take this. It’s Simon.”
Holden nodded and Ice slipped out onto the balcony, making sure to close the door behind him before answering the phone. “Simon. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. In fact, everything is fucking amazing.”
Surprise had Ice’s brows raising. It had been months since he’d heard Simon this excited. Longer, maybe. But certainly not since everything had gone down with Ace and Silver. “It is?”
“It really fucking is. You got invited back to Play Me Like That.”
All the air rushed from Ice’s lungs and for a moment he could only stare out over the grounds of the hotel, lush even in winter as his brain tried to process Simon’s words. “What?”
“You and Silver. Everyone loves the new song, and you’re being invited back as ‘special guests’. And they chose a domestic violence charity this year, in honor of Silver.”
Emotions, too many and too varied for him to name, clawed at his chest. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything because I already told them you’d be there. But I thought Sil might want to hear it from you.”
“Thanks, Simon. Hey, uh, I’m getting ready for a wedding, but we’ll call you later, work out the details.”
“Sure thing. Give our girl a hug from me.”
“Will do.”
Ending the call, he gave himself a moment to lean against the railing of the balcony and breath. Just breathe.
He’d never expected to get a callback to one of the largest rock festivals in the world. Had let that dream go when the band had broken up, when Silver’s injuries had made it nearly impossible for her to do the one thing she loved more than anything in the goddamn world. She was better now, though still not quite to where she’d been before the attack, and he knew it weighed on her. Knew she still grieved for what she’d lost and might never get back.
But now… Now they had a chance to live out one of their biggest fucking dreams. Even if it was just for a single song, the one he’d written for her and recorded in the home studio he’d built for himself, with her singing the backup vocals to a haunting melody that had shot up the charts the second they’d released it.
Didn’t matter. They could get up there and sing the fucking Wheels On The Bus and it wouldn’t matter. Because they’d be there on that stage they’d dreamed of for so fucking long.
Excitement pumped through him as thought of the look on her face. The way she’d light up at the news, then probably break down sobbing with a mixture of happiness and heartbreak because they were getting to live out their dreams but they weren’t them anymore. They weren’t Deviant Whispers.
Fuck. Maybe he should keep it to himself until after the wedding. She’d never forgive him if he ruined her makeup before she walked down the aisle.
After, however… she was his to ruin.
Ice
* * *
Waiting was easier said than done. Especially when Frankie popped over and there was no ignoring the sounds of her whimpering and pleading and begging Daddy to let her come from the other room. Even more so when her screams came through the closed door and a few minutes later she stepped out again, looking perfectly rumpled and well-fucked, followed by a rather smug-looking Holden.
They kissed goodbye at the door to the suite, and Ice cocked a brow in the older man’s direction as he settled on the couch again.
“Stress relief?”
Holden’s grin widened. “The best kind.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“You could always pop over to the other suite and see if Silver needs some relief.”
Before Ice could do more than consider dragging his babygirl off somewhere to fuck them both silly, the door to the suite flung open again and Frankie hurried back inside, the expression on her face practically shouting that whatever stress relief her Daddy had given her had already worn off.
“I need to talk to you.” Frankie’s gaze slid to Ice and then back to Holden. “Alone. It’s about Ruby.”
