Play Me (Jaded Ivory Book 5) Read online

What a fucked up day. Well, the beginning hadn’t been bad. Hell, even the sprained ankle wouldn’t have been terrible if it hadn’t been for Megan being the nurse.

  I tipped the beer up, trying to keep the memories locked in the box I’d placed them in after I’d joined Jaded Ivory. It was getting harder to keep it closed. Draining the rest of the beer, I snatched the pill bottle off the table and popped the top. One drink wouldn’t mess with the painkillers that badly.

  Chasing two of the pills down with a drink of water, I lowered my foot from the table and picked up the crutches. No reason to sit there alone. Trying not to think about her only made the memories want to get to the surface faster. Sleep was the only thing that would clear my head.

  It took some time to navigate down the hall and into my bedroom. I didn’t bother trying to change. My shirt hit the floor along with my other shoe and I pushed up onto the bed, using the extra pillows to prop up my foot.

  Moonlight filtered in through the blinds of the window once I turned off the light, creating an eerie glow across the wall. Too tired to care, a yawn escaped my lips and I let my eyes fall shut, the pain medication finally taking hold.

  “Have you ever thought about getting married?”

  Megan glanced up from her textbook. “Huh?”

  I sat on the desk chair in my room, tuning my guitar, trying to pretend the question I asked had little importance. “Have you ever thought about getting married?’

  She shrugged and continued highlighting the notes she’d been reading for her exam on Monday. “Sure. I always imagined getting married someday, having kids. What about you?”

  “Actually, I think about it all the time.” No matter how many times I tried to push it out of my head, the idea of spending the rest of my life with Megan kept coming back. I knew people would say we were too young to think about it, but there was no doubt in my mind about us.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw her look up and set the highlighter down. “All the time? What had you thinking about marriage?”

  I stopped strumming the guitar and looked up. “You.”

  Slowly, she sat up and closed the textbook on her pencil. “Me?”

  I gave her the half smile I knew she loved. “Yes, you. I think about getting married to you.”

  Her breath caught. She watched in mute silence as I set the guitar in the stand and walked over to the bed to sit down next to her. I cupped her jaw and ran my thumb along her cheek.

  “I guess I shocked you into speechlessness.”

  She swallowed hard. “A little.” She covered my hand with her own. “What exactly are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that someday I want to marry you. I want us to move out of this crappy campus housing and get an apartment of our own next year.”

  She shook her head and the smile fell from my face. Did she not see how perfect we were together? I opened my mouth to ask when she laid her finger over my lips. “I would love to be your wife someday, but you know the only reason I can afford this school is because of my scholarship. I don’t have the money to move—”

  I captured her lips with mine, silencing any other protest she made. If her no was about money and not about our relationship, I could find a way around that. She ran her hands up my shoulders and into the hair at my nape. Fire and excitement raced through me. I slipped my tongue into her mouth and almost forgot what it was we were talking about. My dick hardened, thoughts of laying her down on the bed sounding better and better with each passing moment, but I wouldn’t let sex derail this conversation.

  When the kiss finally ended, I caressed my fingertips along her bottom lip.

  “Don’t worry about that part. I already talked to my parents about moving off campus next year with Monty. He and I talked about it yesterday and he’s fine with you coming to live with us.”

  “But I can’t—”

  I moved my finger to cover her mouth. “Is your scholarship on the condition that you live on campus?”

  She opened her mouth, likely to argue, and I shook my head. “Don’t argue with me until you hear me out. Just answer the question.”

  “Yes. It’s a full ride, which includes room and board.”

  “But does that mean you actually need to be living here or just have a room here?”

  She shrugged. “I guess just having a room here.”

  “Exactly, it’s not like they’re going to do a bed check each night to make sure you’re staying here.”

  Megan giggled. “No, that would be ridiculous.”

  “And I’m sure Stephanie wouldn’t mind having a room to herself, would she?”

  “No, who would?”

  “So, come and stay with me. Leave your bed and everything here and move in with me next year. You know Monty won’t be home half the time.”

  “True.” It was why she was always in my dorm room in the first place. Stephanie was always home and Monty wasn’t. Made it easier to study.

  “You’ll have quiet to study when you need it. And…” I took her hands in mine but didn’t say anything for a moment, trying to find the words.

  “And what?”

  “And, it’ll give us an idea of what it will be like to live together before we get married when school is over.”

  She moved until she slid a knee over my lap, straddling me.

  “You really want to marry me? Won’t everyone think we’re too young to be thinking about that?”

  I wound my arms around her waist. “I don’t care what they think. This has been going through my head for months now and each time I ask myself that question, the answer is always the same. No.”

  “No?”

  “Nope. Age doesn’t matter when you find the one person meant to be yours. It’s just a number. Why do we need to wait until we’re a few years older? We’ll both be done with college and by then, hopefully Monty and I will have found a drummer and keyboard player to round everything out.”

  “Your voice is amazing. You know you don’t need anyone else.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe not to play, but I can’t write music the way Monty does. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “And you’re sure this is what you want?”

  “I’m positive. I’ve never wanted anything more.”

  “You know I’m going to expect a real proposal someday. With a ring and you down on one knee, right?”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is just step one.”

  She threw her arms around my neck. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Fuck.

  I jerked upright and instantly regretted the movement. Pain shot up my leg. Gently, I lay back down onto the bed and scrubbed a hand over my face. The pain slowly subsided with each deep breath. I should’ve listened to Heath and Monty. Pain medication and alcohol didn’t mix. It was the only reason I could come up with why my brain would decide to torture me.

  With darkness still filling the room, I knew I needed to try and get back to sleep, especially if I would be of any use on stage tomorrow. Forcing the dream from my head, I closed my eyes, letting myself drift off to sleep once again.

  8

  Jackson

  After a restless night, dreams of Megan hitting me every time I closed my eyes, my patience was non-existent. No one seemed to be immune from my shitty mood. I kept it contained for Allana. She’d dealt with enough of my attitude in the past. Plus, it wasn’t her fault I had to spend the next two weeks in the boot. Heath and Monty were the first on the receiving end when they’d picked me up a little bit ago to head to the venue.

  Ridiculous.

  I hobbled forward on the crutches, waiting as Heath opened each door, holding it so I could pass through, then racing ahead for the next one.

  “Last one, until we go on.” Heath held the door to the Green Room.

  I followed him inside and dropped onto the couch, letting the crutches fall unceremoniously at my feet. Resting my head against the back of the cushions, I closed my eyes. “I’m not going to be able to han
dle another two weeks of this.”

  “Is that what the doctor said?” Heath pushed the table closer, letting me prop my booted foot on top.

  “At least one on crutches, maybe more, until I can put weight on it. Then I have to keep the boot on for another few weeks after that.”

  “It could be worse. You could’ve needed surgery ’cause it was broken.”

  He had a point. Time to stop whining. “What time do we go on?”

  “In about an hour. I’m going to make sure everything is set up, including something to prop your foot on while we play.”

  I dropped a hand over my eyes. “I’m sure I’ll be fine for a few songs.”

  “Sure.” His voice rose slightly with the sarcasm. “Then it’ll swell so bad we’ll need to wheel you off stage like an old man.”

  My head snapped up, eyes open. “I’m going to have to hobble out there on crutches where the crowd can see me?”

  “No. That’ll just cause more chaos. We’ll have you seated and ready to go before the lights come up. I’ll be right back. Once I check in with backstage and find Jenna, I’ll be back.”

  Jenna had to wait for the babysitter, so Allana had promised to pick her up on the way over. I was happy to see everything had finally fallen into place with Allana. Hell, half the hostility she’d received had been from me. Boy had I been wrong.

  “Damn, can’t even walk down a few stairs.”

  I knew that voice.

  Aiden.

  “It’s some shit, right?” I held my hand out and he took it, clasping his other hand over top.

  “You don’t look any worse for wear.” He grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it closer to the couch.

  “Nah, just stuck in this damn boot for the next two weeks.”

  He nodded toward the door. “That’s what Heath said when I saw him in the hall.”

  I smirked. “So that’s how you knew about my busted-up ass.”

  “Nah, that rumor is already spreading like wildfire through the building.”

  “Great.”

  He waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It’s mostly the venue owners freaking out that you’re going to sue the shit out of them.”

  I rested my elbow on the back of the couch and leaned my head on it. “I’m leaving all of that up to Reagan. It’s his problem now.”

  He propped his ankle up on his knee. “It’s nice to let someone else deal with that shit.”

  “It is,” I agreed. “How’s Christine?”

  His eyes twinkled as a grin split his lips. “She’s great. We start house hunting tomorrow.”

  “Aww, man, congratulations.”

  “Thanks. After that, she wants to get married. We’ll probably do something small at the new house. We’ll let you know when.”

  “I’m seriously happy for you two.”

  Aiden had pursued Christine for years with many bumps in the road. It was time for them to get their happy ever after.

  He stood up. “I gotta get ready. We’re only a few after you guys.”

  “Glad you came to visit the wounded.”

  “Let’s just make sure you get out of that boot before it’s my turn to say, ‘I do’.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Aiden walked out the door, leaving me alone again, at least I thought, but the door pooped open almost immediately.

  “How’s the ankle?” Jenna walked in, followed by Allana. Jenna moved farther into the room, taking the chair Aiden had vacated earlier.

  “Not bad.” I glanced over at the doorway where Allana still stood. “Thanks for taking me today.”

  “No problem.” She threw a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m gonna go find Monty before he gets himself in trouble.”

  I chuckled. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Pretty much.” She narrowed her eyes and pulled out her phone, the same time Jenna pulled out hers.

  “Okay,” Jenna said, drawing out the word, and glanced at Allana.

  “I’ve got this,” Allana said, texting back. “I know exactly where to get that. Are you okay here?”

  Jenna nodded and turned back to me. “I’ll keep Jackson company until Heath’s done arranging the backstage setup.”

  The door closed behind Allana and I couldn’t help but notice the way Jenna watched me.

  “Spit it out.”

  “What?” She shrugged her shoulders in an act of innocence.

  “Don’t ‘what’ me. I’m sure Heath came home and told you all about the shitshow at the hospital yesterday and now you have a million questions.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. Jenna’s curiosity would win out eventually and better to give her all the facts than Heath’s glossed over version. I noticed the way he flinched every time Monty or I dismissed her the day before.

  Her bottom teeth sank into her top lip as she tried to stop herself. In the end, she blew out a breath, her hair blowing away from her face. “Okay, okay. I have a million questions.”

  I waved my hand in the go ahead gesture. Might as well get it over with.

  “Heath said you dated the nurse you had yesterday in college.”

  “I did.”

  “What happened? Heath told me she left one night and never returned.”

  “That’s pretty much it. We left for winter break. She flew home to the East Coast and I never saw or heard from her again.”

  “Oh, Jackson. I’m so sorry. And then you had to deal with her popping back into your life on top of all of this?”

  “So, you don’t believe Heath’s woe is me for Megan then?”

  Jenna smirked. “You know him all too well. But it’s not that I don’t believe him, it’s more that I know he likes to look for the good in everyone.” She tilted her head from side to side. “Most of the time.”

  We both knew she referred to our initial reaction to Allana.

  “Everyone is allowed one mistake every once in a while. Besides, he was protecting you. Or at least he thought he was.”

  She nodded. “I know and that’s why I wasn’t mad when he told me what happened. But I can’t imagine she didn’t have a good reason to disappear without a word.”

  I scoffed. “Yesterday, she tried to convince me she’d been arrested and had to join the army.”

  Jenna’s jaw dropped. “The army?”

  “Yep, the army. The most straitlaced woman I’d ever met. Hell, most of the garbage Monty did in college freaked her the hell out. And he didn’t pull half the shit then that he does now.”

  “I see your point. If you can’t handle Monty’s shenanigans without freaking out, you’re definitely not doing anything to get yourself arrested.”

  “Exactly.”

  She laid her hand on my good knee. “Don’t let her get to you. I can see the suitcases under your eyes and I have a pretty good feeling they have nothing to do with the pain from your ankle.”

  “Not a damn thing.”

  The door opened and Heath stepped into the room. Jenna stood and walked over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

  “We’re all set.”

  “Great,” Jenna said. “I’m going to go find Allana and wait in the wings.”

  Heath bent his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. “We’ll see you out there.”

  The door closed behind Jenna as I reached for the crutches.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  Wrapping my fingers around the handles of the crutches, I pushed myself to standing. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “They’re going to darken the stage and bring out the stool and chair. Once you get on stage and settled, they’ll take your crutches backstage until after we finish our set, then they’ll dim the stage lights again before they bring you the crutches.” Heath reached for the door handle. “Okay?”

  “Works for me.” I stifled a yawn and moved around Heath as he held the greenroom door open.

  I followed him down the hall and found the rest of
the band waiting in the wings. Only Cole seemed to be missing. The stage went black before I had the chance to ask why he wasn’t there. Because of his job with the studio, Reagan was at every show, but when they could, Cole, Allana, and Jenna made sure to come to our shows.

  One of the stage hands came up beside me. “I have everything ready for you on stage. Do you need a hand getting out there?”

  “Not a hand, but if I could follow you so I don’t trip on anything that would be great.”

  “Of course, Mr. Hadden, I’ll lead the way.”

  The guy walked out onto the stage and I carefully followed behind. Once we made it to the side of the stage where my guitar sat on its stand, I hoisted myself up onto the stool and propped my leg on the chair sitting next to me.

  The stagehand held out his hand. “Your crutches?”

  “Thanks.” I handed them to him.

  “I’ll bring them back when you guys are done playing.”

  “Perfect.” I picked up my guitar and lowered the strap over my head just as the lights came back up.

  The chanting began immediately as Mari walked out on stage to join us. Monty, Heath, and Sawyer were already in their positions.

  “Good evening, Morrison Arena. We’re so glad you came out to help us raise money for families with kids battling cancer. Hopefully, we can raise enough money to give those families one less thing to worry about.”

  Cheers went up throughout the stadium. As they started to die down, Mari pushed them even further. “Who’s ready to make some music?”

  Sawyer took that as his cue to start the first song. No matter how long we did this, it still seemed surreal to hear the crowds singing along as we played. Not to covers of other famous songs, but to ones we wrote and recorded. The volume of the crowd grew with each song.

  We’d reached the point in the set where Mari introduced the band. It had become a tradition from the first time we all played together.

  I set my guitar in my lap, knowing it would take too long to get it back out of the stand with my leg propped on the chair. A bottle of water sat on another stool next to me. I picked it up, taking a sip as Mari made her way around the stage.

  I lowered the bottle after she called out Monty’s name, knowing I was next. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone step onto the stage.