him space. He shoots me a glance that says I’m being ridiculous.
The woman is beyond excited. “Do you mind if I get a picture with you?”
I hold out my hand. “I’ll take it.”
“Oh, would you?”
I point. “Stand there, so the sun isn’t behind you.”
Liam puts his arm around her, and they smile. Then he winks at me.
“Thank you,” the woman says. “I just love your music.” She turns to me. “Are you his girlfriend?”
“Uh, no.”
Liam pulls me close. “Yes.”
“You’re so lucky,” she says to me. She holds up her phone. “Thanks for this.”
“No problem. Thanks for listening to our stuff,” Liam says.
“Oh, my God!” I squeal quietly. “That was awesome. Has it ever happened before? I’ve only seen girls fawn over you after concerts.”
“It’s happened once or twice.”
“There will come a time when you might not be able to go down the street unnoticed.”
“Will that bother you?”
“It will be amazing.”
“I’m not sure you know what you’re saying, El. You saw those crazy fans in Florida.”
“You’ll always have to deal with fans like those.” I glance behind us. “But I think most of them will be like her. And if you want to be successful, it goes with the territory. I understand that. And I want you to get everything you want in life.”
He looks at me like I’m one of those things. “That woman was wrong, you know. I’m the lucky one.”
Chapter Forty-five
Liam
My phone chirps. I roll over in bed and grab it off the nightstand. It’s a text from Crew, telling me to check my bank account. I open the app and my jaw hits the floor. Sitting up, I rub my eyes, not sure I’m seeing straight. I look again. The numbers are clear as day. I run into the living room to see three people smiling at me.
“Is this for real?” I say.
“I’ve been telling you all along,” Garrett says, “we’re gonna be millionaires.”
“We’re not even close yet,” Crew says.
“Yeah, but it’s a good start.”
I have enough now to do what I planned.
“What did Brad have to say?” I ask.
Crew checks his phone. “He hasn’t gotten back to me.”
“He’s so far up Katie’s ass, he probably can’t even read the text,” Garrett says.
“Give him a break,” Bria says. “He’s going to be a dad. He needs a minute to grasp that.”
Garrett shakes his head. “He’s had two weeks.”
“It’s a kid, Garrett, not a new haircut. It might take him a tad longer.”
“You guys want to celebrate?” Crew asks. “Maybe go to the place Bria always talks about?”
Her eyes light up. “The one with the hundred-dollar hamburger? Let’s do it.”
“You guys go ahead,” I say. “I have other plans.”
“Bring Ella,” she says.
“The plans aren’t with Ella.”
Garrett looks around. “But everyone else you know is in this room.”
“I can do shit by myself, you know.”
“What kind of shit?”
“Shit that’s none of your fucking business. Now go eat your hundred-dollar burger and leave me alone. And why the hell would you want to eat there anyway? Didn’t you grow up eating that stuff?”
“You act like my family is the Rockefellers or something. So they have money. A lot of people do.”
“A lot of people don’t have a trust fund.”
“It’s not as much as you think, it’s only a m—” Garrett stops talking mid-sentence, suddenly deep in thought.
“It’s only what?” I prompt.
“Nothing.”
“Are we meeting back here before the gig?” Bria asks. “Or at the club?”
“Didn’t you hear what Ronni said yesterday?” I say. “We’re arriving in a limo again. We’re meeting at IRL.”
She rolls her eyes. “At least we can afford it now.”
I start toward my room. “See you there at seven.”
“You’re really not going to tell us where you’re going?” Garrett asks.
“I’m really not.”
~ ~ ~
“Ella’s not coming?” Bria says when I arrive at IRL.
“She’ll be there, but she’s not riding with us.”
“I should think not,” Ronni says, appearing around the corner. “She’s not part of the band. It wouldn’t be allowed.”
I wish I would have insisted she come with me just to irritate Ronni.
I hear a familiar voice and curse under my breath. I gesture to Dirk. “No way is he going with us.”
Ronni laughs. “I can hardly tell him no. He owns the company.”
“Why in the hell would you want to come?” I ask him. “It’s not like you haven’t heard us play a dozen times.”
“Making sure my investment keeps paying off. Thanks to me, you all got a substantial payment this morning.” He leans into me. “You’re welcome.”