used to drink a lot.” I settle back, too, and she stretches her legs out so they’re in my lap as she laughs. “And Tommy and Brett still will, for sure.”
She raises a brow. “You won’t?”
I shrug, and then I shift and lean back like she’s doing. I stretch my legs out, too, so they’re mirroring hers as they tangle with hers. “Not a lot. Maybe some.”
“What else?” she asks.
“We meet with our manager, who will stop by with a report of everything that’s out there so far. He’ll update us on our social media, review what people are saying, discuss whether we think they’ve hit the mark or missed it. We don’t get a snapshot of sales just yet, but we can make a guess based on whether or not we’re trending. Our A and R rep at the label will probably stop by with a bottle of whiskey and some encouraging words.”
“And then it’s tour time in a few weeks?”
I nod. “Yeah. Before then, we have a bunch of local gigs lined up with our press junket, and then we fly to New York for more press there.”
“So this is your busy season?”
“Apart from touring, yeah. The immediate weeks after an album launch are the most vital. The more we can get out there and let people know we’ve got new shit out, the more copies we’ll sell.”
She squeezes my shin. “Makes sense. But I’ll miss you.”
I shoot her a sad smile. “I’ll miss you, too. And our little Luna Bear.”
“Luna Bear?” she repeats with a bit of teasing in her tone.
It’s rare that I get embarrassed...and yet I feel the heat creeping up my neck. “It just slipped out,” I mutter. It slipped out because I call her that in my head all the time.
She giggles. “I love it. It’s perfect for her. She’s feisty like a bear and sweet like the moon.”
I squeeze her shin, too. And then, with more reluctance than I thought I’d have, I say, “I need to get to Tommy’s place.”
“Go,” she says. “I’ll hold down the fort here with our little Luna Bear.”
I laugh as I stand, and then, just for good measure, I press a kiss to her lips. “I’ll see you later.”
I feel her eyes on my ass all the way out, and when I turn around to give her a little wave before I step inside, I totally catch her checking me out.
I sigh.
I wish I didn’t have to get to this meeting...but band duties call.
CHAPTER 44
TYLER
“She said yes,” Dustin says as we begin our meeting.
None of us are surprised by his announcement, but it’s another reason to celebrate. It feels like she should be here, too, along with Dani and Luna. This feels less like four rock stars hanging out on album launch day and more like an extension of my family. Because that’s what they are.
We bicker and fight like brothers, but through everything, we’re there. They’re there for me just as I am for them, and that means something.
Maybe it’s my new lease on life, or the fact that I landed the girl and have a daughter now too, but a few months ago, I felt very ready to throw in the towel on playing bass for Capital Kingsmen. I was burnt out. I felt like I had no control. I didn’t want to hop in the studio and record another album. I just wanted a break.
And now...I don’t feel that way anymore.
I was focusing so hard on what being in a band has taken away from me that I forgot to look at everything CK has given me—including the insurance that I’ll be able to provide for my family for the rest of our lives.
Sure, I have to travel and be away from the people I love the most in the whole world, but I get to play music every night in front of sold out stadiums. Sure, I’ll be in the spotlight and I’ll have women chasing after me, but I have a woman at home who trusts that I’ll stay true to her—committed to her.
I get to do what I love, and before I downplayed that because I didn’t want to be a part of something the woman I loved didn’t want out of life, too. But now that we’ve spent actual time together over the past couple weeks, I see a new dawn of understanding in Dani, and that’s something I’m immensely grateful for.
After the celebration of Dustin’s news settles, I