flip Henry off. Then each one of them as they laugh harder at my expense. Gus strums The Cars, “You Might Think” and I spin around in a circle, my hands going to the top of my head, unable to hide my reaction. Because I used to rock out hard to that song, dancing around the garage and begging them to let me join the band. Not my best moment, but considering I was seven, I have no shame.
“So thrilled you boys remember that.” I can only shake my head, biting into my lip to stop my own amusement while feigning—and failing—annoyance.
“I think it’s burned into our minds, Ede. No offense doll, but you’re much better behind the booth than you are in front of it if you get my meaning.”
“I do.” I squint at my brother. The only man on the planet allowed to call me Ede though Gus gets away with it too sometimes because, well, he’s Gus. “So how about we start working on the damn song already.”
They finally relent—not that I’m giving them a choice. Eden teasing hour is over and then we get started. That might happen after I threaten to pump a siren sound through their headphones. It never quite reaches that point.
They play through what they envision for the instrumentals to the song, jamming and laughing, but also taking this seriously. They know the time crunch we’re under. They know what this means for their band and for Jasper and Adalyn.
For all of them really. With the exception of Henry, they all have reasons to finish this album quickly and take some much-needed time off.
These aren’t the same guys playing shows, hitting up clubs, and sleeping around that I saw even three years ago. Now their focus has shifted to being about something much larger than just themselves and their music. They’re not what you think of when you imagine rock stars, that’s for sure. They don’t do groupies. They don’t do drugs. They don’t do flashy.
But I think I like this version of them better.
Still sexy and bad ass and all fucking hot male, but with uncompromised hearts that makes any girl who looks closely enough swoon.
In under four hours, I’m splitting them up so they can begin to lay down their preliminary part individually. The instrumentals are still rough. I know this. But I want to hear it compiled so we can see what needs adjusting. It’s how it’s typically done, and I won’t take any shortcuts with this.
Jasper goes first because it’s easiest for him to lay down the lyrics first even if it’s simply with his acoustic to guide him. Then Gus, because he’s backup guitar and vocals. Then Keith on drums, and last, Henry with his bass.
By this point, it’s after noon and I let everyone else go.
The truth is, they don’t really need to linger for this. But that doesn’t mean Keith is happy about it either. I see the infinitesimal scowl on his lips that he’s trying to hide. The way his eyes shift to Henry, then over to me, and then back again as he quietly assesses the situation.
Only, there is nothing to assess other than us working.
He doesn’t know our truth and in reality, he’s not really owed an explanation. I am a woman. My sex life is my own. My secrets are mine to share or not. I owe Keith nothing when it comes to that, and though the world might disagree with me on this, I don’t think Henry does either.
I have Henry in the booth, his bass in hand that he’s playing around with, and the music piped through his headphones. He’s listening to it first, his eyes closed, and my attention is on my tablet. Not Keith. Or Henry, for that matter.
“Catch you later?” Keith asks, a note of hesitation lingering in his voice.
“Yeah,” I call over my shoulder, refusing to look up or acknowledge what he’s doing. “I’m going to work on this for a while, but I’ll probably meet you all at the beach or the pool or something.”
Henry opens his eyes, the song finished, and he says, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
I throw Keith a wave and get back to work, not even listening for the sound of the door though I know he takes the hint and leaves.
I cue up the song and set everything up on my end and watch as Henry plays. Each artist addresses their instrument differently. Has a different approach to the sound