sure I’d grown biased. I loved Ian’s voice. He could sing rock, country, old folk songs, and modern pop, and I’d just soak it up.
The first two songs were magic, but the third one?
I blinked up at him, and he grinned slowly. “That one,” he mouthed, and what else could I do but nod? If I could sing any of them, I’d love to sing that one. I wasn’t a singer though, even if it was fun to pretend.
He let out a little hum and began to rub my back gently as we listened. There were tears in my eyes before it was over. Tucking my head against his shoulder, I sighed. We were still waiting on college letters. I’d been wait-listed by two schools, both in the Ivy League. I had a feeling that would be Harvard’s response, too. Of all of us, only Ian hadn’t heard anything yet.
NYU seemed to be a yes for four of us, but we needed Ian to get in there, too. Not that we were set on it. The programs he’d applied for wouldn’t respond as swiftly. The auditions made a difference.
But how could they tell him no?
The fourth song was even better than the third, and my cheeks ached at the fast pace. It was hard to hold on to the melancholy with the beat he set. He needed a band.
He needed… Holy shit. On the fifth song, I jerked my head up and stared at him. The smug grin on his face made me laugh, but it didn’t alleviate my shock. He’d covered one of my favorite Torched songs, right down to the keening wail the lead did in the third stanza.
His chuckle warmed me to my bones, and then he pressed a kiss to my forehead before I tucked my head back down. Coop caught my eye. He was grinning at us, looking all kinds of pleased. I stuck my tongue out at him before I grinned back.
I’d avoided one conversation with them all weekend. Not on purpose, but more because we’d been having fun, and after my meltdown on Friday, I’d wanted the warmth. Now would be as good a time as any to have it, and I still didn’t want to disturb the mood.
We had time.
We’d make time.
The fact that the last song Ian recorded was “The Rainbow Connection” and he even mimicked Kermit’s voice set me off laughing. I barely got to hear any of it for the wheezes of laughter escaping me. Ian just smiled, as I buried my face to try and smother the sound.
“Okay,” Archie announced. “All in favor of making Bubba share whatever the hell made her laugh, raise your hands?”
Ian snorted at them.
That lasted about twenty seconds. Jake plucked me right off of Ian’s lap as Archie and Coop tackled Ian. I winced—because of his ribs. But they were all laughing, and Jake had a smug look as he held up Ian’s phone, but I managed to click the screen lock before he could get the song playing again.
Before he could call me on it, the vicious crack of wood split through the noise as the coffee table broke and scattered game controllers and textbooks.
All three hooligans paused to look up at me and Jake.
“I replaced the last one,” Jake told them drily.
Archie and Coop both pointed at Ian. “It’s his fault.” ‘
For his part, Ian just laughed. “Oops?”
Chapter Eight
The Sound of Two Voices
Ian
“You should have her home by ten,” Jake told me, smirking like an asshole.
“I was thinking more nine-thirty,” Coop countered as he waved a French fry in my direction. “It’s a school night. Our girl does need her rest.”
Archie snorted as he pocketed his keys. “Or you can just drop her off at my place,” he said. “Since these two jackasses think they are so funny.”
“And you’re not?” Jake drawled, but I just ignored them. Frankie had ridden home with Coop, but I’d headed to my house on my bike and cleared some chores I’d been ignoring. Neither of my parents had given me hell about it, but I also wanted to check the mail while I was there. Mom had been the only one home, and she had what I wanted in her hand when I walked in the door.
Her grin had been giddy as she handed it over, and then she eyed me, “I want to ask you a question that is probably none of my business, and at the same time…”
“I’m not having sex with Frankie,