Page 91 of Reckless
29
Gage
The loud sound of knocking woke me and I rolled out of the hotel bed. I hadn’t slept well lately, not even in the cabin in Montauk. I’d gone there for some much needed away time, borrowing the place from my buddy.
Today was the day. The day of the charity gig.
The day I would do anything it took to win Kelly back.
I’d let Ron, my father—which I still couldn’t get used to the thought of—know the way it was going to be. If I could win Kelly back, I was going to leave the band. I didn’t love it anymore, it allowed me no life that was my own. I had enough money to not do anything for the rest of my life if I so chose. And the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to live my life in the public eye. If I was being honest with myself, I was done being fodder for the gossip rags. Done with dragging myself from concert to concert. Done living the life of a rock star.
I’d arranged a driver to pick up Kelly and bring her to the concert, escorting her to a front row seat. There, I would serenade her with both of the songs I’d written about her. Later, if she put up with my display, I’d have her brought backstage during intermission. If all went as I wanted it to, I planned on asking her to marry me from the stage.
My hands shook just thinking about it.
“Hold on.” I tried to rub the crick out of my neck, blinking as I pulled the door open after checking to see who it was.
Andy, Bryan, and Ben stood in the hall.
Frowning, I looked at each of them. “What’s going on? Did I forget about a gig?” I racked my brain, but I was positive I’d pulled myself out of everything but the charity thing. “Why do you all look so…tense?”
“If you would let us in, we could tell you.” Andy pushed past me without waiting for an answer.
Uneasiness trickled down my spine. “What’s going on, guys?”
“We…need to talk, just us boys,” Ben said.
“You better not be coming to announce that my grandfather was Elvis,” I joked, and they all laughed, the sound was nervous.
Shit. I needed coffee.
I brewed a pot and poured four mugs, setting them on the coffee table in the large living area.
As I took my first sip, I surveyed each of the friends, trying to glean something from their faces but none of them were giving a damn thing away.
My stomach churned with the coffee. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”
“We all know that you’ve been trying really hard to get back on track, but the truth is…” Andy paused and exchanged looks with Ben and Bryan.
I blew a breath out. “Guys, I appreciate the sentiment, but I have a change of heart.” My leg started jumping. I needed to tell them now. Stretching it out would only prolong things. “I’m not sure I want to continue with Gaged. I think we’ve had an awesome run, but it would be better to go out on top. I realize you’re upset with me, that you’ve put your all into—”
Andy burst into laughter, and the other guys joined in.
“Did I miss something?”
Andy cocked his head to one side. “Are you sure about leaving the band?”
I stared down into the dark liquid in my mug. “I’ve thought it over every which way, and yes, I think so.”
Andy leaned in, a cheeky glint in his eye. “Ron won’t like it, but we were going to propose something similar.”
I opened my mouth to argue when it hit me that he was agreeing. They wanted me gone too? “W-What?”
Ben chimed in, “We’re all ready to pursue other things. I’ve had a movie offer.”
Bryan held his hands up. “The little woman is ready to settle down, and we’ve tried it my way for years. I think it’s time she got her dreams.”
“And since our contract was going to be renewed with this new upcoming album, we can choose to walk away instead. It’s just a plus to learn it’s what you want as well,” Andy added. “And if we miss it, we can always have a reunion tour. Rake in the big bucks.”
