any girl who throws herself at him since he hit it big. However, for these last three months, I was thinking of forever, believing all my dreams had come true. Freddie Tucker had his lips on mine, his hands roaming and caressing my body. I was the one he was seeking out every spare minute he had away from the band. For twelve weeks I had it all, and losing it now is unbearable.
To hell with that; I’m not losing him. He doesn’t want to fight for us, but I’ll be damned if I don’t.
Dragging my ass out of bed, I shower and gather the clothes I wore yesterday, dressing as fast as I can. Flipping my head over, I gather my hair and tie it up in a messy bun before grabbing my purse and car keys.
Numbly, I check out, finding the room has already been paid for, and hand them back the key card. Damn Freddie. He said he doesn’t want me, yet covers the price of the room? The more I think about it, none of this makes sense. I heard everything he had to say, but none of it matched with the pain in his eyes. So, it’s up to me to make him see we’re meant to see this through.
The traffic is heavy, and it takes me over an hour to get to the guys’ house. Multiple cars are parked up in front, and I can already hear the blaring music before I open my door.
Inside isn’t as full as I’d expected, but I don’t recognise anyone as I walk through the first floor, heading out back where the music’s the loudest.
“Baby Coleman! What are you doing here?”
Heads turn toward me as Baz hollers from a sun lounger, a bikini clad blonde draped over him like a scarf.
“I heard there was a party!” I shout out as I look around.
He laughs, pushing the blonde off his lap. “You heard right.”
Grabbing two bottles of beer, he strides toward me and passes one over. I take it, but don’t intend to drink it. Even for me, it’s a little early. The blonde glares as Baz throws his arm around my shoulders, leading me over to the pool where we take a set at the pop-up bar.
“You don’t look like you’re in the partying mood,” he notes. “Looks like you’ve been crying. What’s happened?”
I can’t help but smile. For a rock star, Baz is caring, kind, and thoughtful. He knows how to put on a show, and he, like every guy in the band, takes full advantage of the attention. But only the people he cares about see that side of him.
“Nothing I want to talk about,” I mutter, deciding that a beer might be a good idea after all. “Where are the others?” I ask carefully, not singling Freddie out.
“River hasn’t shown his face since last night. Your brother’s occupied with a redhead, and Freddie hasn’t surfaced yet. He showed up at the club last night in a right pissy mood and hit the drink hard. I was bored, so I invited some people over.”
“Oh, yeah, I saw Freddie on the blogs this morning leaving the club with a woman. What’s his count this year, 159?” I try to appear flippant, like my heart isn’t broken. Thankfully, drunk Baz isn’t as sharp as sober Baz.
“Nah. He dumped her ass before we got to the car. He’s been disappearing a lot lately, though. Don’t say anything to the guys, but I reckon he’s found someone serious. Last night, he turned away chick after chick, and the mood he was in… Something must’ve kicked off between them.”
“Maybe you should try asking him about it,” I suggest.
“Believe me, I tried. He cut me a dirty ass glare and told me to mind my own damn business, so that’s what I did.”
“I wonder who she is?” I muse, playing along.
“I don’t know. But whoever she is, she’s managed to change him over the last few months.”
With that, I hug him, telling him I’ll catch up with him later. Back in the house, I wait until the coast is clear and slip upstairs. I know whose room is whose, and I knock quietly on Freddie’s door.
“Fuck off,” I hear from the other side.
I twist the knob, but the door doesn’t budge. “Let me in, Fred, or I’ll make a scene until you do.”
Moments later, the locks clink and the door swings open. Half-dressed, seeming shocked at me being here, I walk inside,