Baylee points to the kitchen table. “Sit. I want to know everything. Are you having fun? How are things with Layla? Is Jace a good husband? Are his bandmates still dicks? Dish.”
Before my butt hits the chair, Baylee puts a drink in my hand, and I chuckle. “I might be having fun.”
“I knew it!” She smacks the table.
“I still hate living on a bus with all these men, but being able to spend time with Layla offsets that. And the concerts are great.”
Paige joins us with a plate of quesadillas, chips, and queso. “Eat up.” As she gives me a plate, she waggles her eyebrows. “Jace is a good boyfriend, isn’t he?”
“Husband,” Baylee amends.
“Don’t pressure her.”
I shove a chip in my mouth to buy myself some time to respond. Under the table, I twist my wedding band. “The label doesn’t want anyone to know we’re married. They’re worried about the optics since his fans are largely female.”
“What?” Paige frowns.
“That sucks.” Baylee shakes her head.
“It’s okay. I don’t want anything to affect his relationship with Bandit, but Jace told Frank he won’t act single and that as far as anyone is concerned, he has a girlfriend.”
“Aww.” Paige takes a sip of her margarita. “That’s sweet.”
“And I have to admit he and I get along much better than I thought we would.”
Baylee’s brow lifts. “As in, if the bed is rockin’, don’t come knockin’?”
When I don’t respond, Paige tosses a chip at Baylee from the other side of the table. “She doesn’t want to talk about that. Look, you made her blush.”
I glance around, grateful we’re alone. I’ve never really had girlfriends to confide in, and I could really use their input. How can I say this without being graphic? “We don’t… do everything.”
Baylee scoots closer. “What does that mean?”
“It means that… we’ve only… mutually satisfied each other. Without going all the way.”
“Huh. Not what I thought you were gonna say.”
“At first, I wanted to go slow while we got to know each other. And then I offered to do more, but he always turns me down. You know how he was doing that sex cleanse?” They both nod. “I’ve been wondering if he’s afraid to fully break it.”
Paige’s lips twist. “What if he’s going slow because he wants to get this right between you? You probably feel like this is taking forever because you live together and sleep in the same bed,which amplifies everything, but really, it’s only been, what, two months?”
She has a point. It hasn’t been that long in the grand scheme of things. “Maybe.”
Paige ducks down to make eye contact. “Is there something else bothering you?”
I think about how to word this. “With his bandmates hooking up with random women all the time and knowing that was Jace’s background… with having to see Marlowe so much… those are constant reminders that Jace had something with these other women that I don’t have with him.”
And it makes me feel deficient. Like I’m that quiet bookworm who loses her boyfriend to her outgoing stepsister all over again.
“Hmm. That makes sense.” Baylee gets a scoop of queso and drizzles it on her chips. “Don’t let it get you down. I married a reformed playboy too, and even though I wanted to strangle Maverick with my bare hands at times while we were working through our issues, he was worth the effort. Jace will be too. Regardless of what’s going on with him, don’t let that spook you. It sounds like the tour is constant chaos. He probably just needs things to be calm at home.”
Paige gives me a reassuring smile. “And that’s you. For all intents and purposes, you’re Jace’s home on the road.”
“If it means anything, I have a good feeling about y’all.” Baylee and her feelings. She motions to me with a chip. “What about his bandmates? Are they still being assholes?”
Tilting my head, I squint. “A little, yeah, but Frank’s great. He’s a little stressed about the new songs, and he’s always in parent mode, but he’s our anchor. He keeps all the plates spinning, you know?”
Paige tops off our drinks. “Tell us more about the new music. Have you heard the songs yet?”