“I just met them yesterday,” I said. “But I love their music. And that’s very cool about your names. I love them.”
“They did this concert to help sick kids,” she continued. “Right Uncle Bobo?” Beau appeared next to Natalie, having gotten off the ground where he’d been playing with Lennox before. Uncle Bobo? That was cute.
“Sure did, peanut.”
“I have to run down and settle a few things with the hotel,” Natalie said. “I’ll meet you in the room, Beau.”
He nodded to Natalie, avoiding my gaze.
“Bye, Auntie Nat! Love you!”
Natalie turned around and blew Lennox a kiss before disappearing through the door.
“Lennox!” Bex called for her daughter. “We’re heading in. It’s way past someone’s bedtime.” She ruffled Lennox’s hair.
Lennox sighed. “I just met a new friend, Mommy! This is April! She’s so pretty! Don’t you think so, Uncle Bobo?”
Bex examined me. “Yes, she is pretty, Lennox. Now let’s go. Say goodbye.”
Beau didn’t respond, and I couldn’t make my eyes meet his. I didn’t want to see whatever was written on his face. “Bye, Lennox. It was nice to meet you.”
“Keep my uncle company, okay, April? He gets lonely without me.” Bex grabbed her hand and pulled her away, flanked by Johnny.
I laughed nervously when the door shut behind them. I turned to see where Camryn was, only to see they were gone. When had they disappeared?
“Seems like everyone left us,” Beau said. “Including security.”
“D-do we need security?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you a stalker?”
I sputtered. Was I a what? Is that what he thought? “I . . .”
“I’m kidding.” And then he laughed. Was I in an alternate universe? Who was this guy standing alone with me on the rooftop deck, this time teasing me?
“Oh.” I laughed, wringing my hands in my lap.
“Today went well, thanks to you.”
My throat was so dry; I wasn’t sure I could swallow much less respond. “I would say it was because of you guys, not me.”
Beau reached his hand out, and I swore I stopped breathing. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Seeming to realize what he’d just done, he took a step backward and ran a hand through his beard, stopping to turn the hoop in his nose.
“Tell me something about you.” He may not answer me, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
Beau
WHAT THE HELL was I still doing on this deck with her? She unnerved me. Seeing her with Lennox, then listening to that baby girl tell her I was lonely had loosened something in me. I didn’t like it, and I needed to back the hell up.
She wanted to know something about me? Why was that, so she could sell it to some tabloid? Even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t the truth; April wasn’t a groupie. She wasn’t trying to score a rocker so she could tell the world. She was real. And that scared me shitless.
I’d touched her. My hand had reached out and put her hair behind her ear before I could register what I’d been doing. I’d liked it, too. Her hair was soft.
“What do you want to know?”
Her eyes widened. What was she surprised about? That I’d responded to her, or that I was talking to her? Shit, I surprised myself.
“Um . . . well, I don’t know. Something you don’t mind sharing.” She was nervous, wringing her hands and moving her feet in place.
“Do you want to sit?” I indicated the couch where I’d seen her here last night. She nodded, and we both settled next to each other. Her knee touched my leg, and I jerked in response. I remembered how hard I’d been while thinking of her earlier when I’d taken matters into my own hands.
You don’t deserve to be alive. I shook my head. No. Not now. You should’ve died with him. The world would be a better place without you.
“Beau? Are you okay?”
Just fucking fantastic. Now I seemed like a weirdo in front of her.
I forced my eyes to hers. “Yep. Just fine. Okay, so something I’d want to tell you about me. Well . . . I’m a rather dull guy.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s true.”
Oh, but it was. I kept a predictable routine for a reason. It kept things in order.
“I thought of a question. I’ve noticed you kind of zone out and tap your fingers in rhythm on your legs. Is that because you are thinking of new music, or just playing?”
She was very perceptive. And this was a question I didn’t mind answering. “I almost always have music running through my head. New music, old music, whatever it is. A lot of times I have drumsticks in my back pocket and will just bang out a set on my leg when I’m bored.”