Page 29 of One More Made Up Love Song (Midnight Rush #2)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Ivy

When we pull into Freddie’s driveway after we land at the airport in Nashville, I expect it to be dark and quiet, as it’s been almost entirely unoccupied during our months-long absence.

A housekeeper has stopped by every day to check the mail and water Freddie’s plants and keep an eye on things, and the lawn service Freddie uses has continued its maintenance of the outside, but that’s it.

I’m sure that’s it, because I’m the one who made all the arrangements.

But Freddie’s house is lit up like there’s a party going on, with several cars parked in the driveway.

“Should I know who’s at your house?” I say to Freddie, who is sitting in the front seat next to Wayne.

“Just the guys,” Freddie says. “I gave Adam the code to the front door.”

My shoulders tense as I start scrolling through my mental checklist, trying to remember if I asked the housekeeper to get the guestrooms ready for Freddie’s former bandmates. I’m sure I didn’t, so…does that mean I dropped the ball somehow? Forgot to make the arrangements?

“Relax,” Freddie says as if sensing my unease. “They asked if they could come early, so I reached out to the housekeeper and asked her to prep the rooms. It’s taken care of.”

I sink back into my chair, relieved that I didn’t actually forget but all too aware that before all of this happened, Freddie would never have reached out to the housekeeper himself. He would have asked me to do it.

I can’t decide how it makes me feel that he didn’t.

But maybe it’s better this way. Right now, my brain is so full of Freddie, it’s a wonder I’m able to accomplish anything at all.

It was all I could do just to make it through the conversation with Sloane and Kat, pretending like I was, one, in complete control of myself, making mental notes of all the details they were giving us, and two, perfectly chill and motivated to tackle a fake relationship with Freddie with professionalism and efficiency.

If they could have seen what the inside of my brain looked like, they probably would have been searching for my replacement on craigslist. Putting out ads for women of medium height with stupidly curly hair and at least two brain cells, seeing as how that’s two more than I’m currently operating with.

“Um, the guys?” Carina whispers from beside me. “Does he mean the other members of Midnight Rush?”

Freddie must hear her, despite her whispering, because he turns and offers her his most charming smile. “I hope you don’t mind sharing the house with them too. Well, at least with Adam and Jace. Leo’s local, but he’ll still be hanging out a lot this week. Since we aren’t all together very often. ”

Carina reaches over and grips my arm. “Please say I can stay,” she says. “Just for a few days. Please, please?”

I look at Freddie and he shrugs like it’s not a big deal at all. “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

I think through the logistics. Usually, Freddie’s six-bedroom house would be plenty big enough for Carina to have her own room, but considering all his other guests, she’ll have to stay with me.

The other rooms will be occupied by Jace and his mom, who is traveling with him to help with his kids, plus an additional one for the kids, then one for Adam and Laney.

Still, my bedroom was meant to be a mother-in-law suite, so it’s more like a studio apartment.

It has a tiny kitchenette, plus a sitting area, a king-size bed, and an outside entrance. There’s plenty of room.

“Fine,” I finally relent. “You can stay. But you’ll have to stay in my bedroom with me.” I bite back a request for Carina to be on her best behavior. That’s the kind of thing I used to say, and it feels like a small victory that I’ve managed to stop myself this time.

Carina lets out a squeal. “Yay! Sleepover! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She leans over and gives me a side hug that triggers an unexpected flood of love for my little sister.

I can’t believe I’m even thinking it, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have her in Nashville full time. If I can figure out how to stop thinking of her as my responsibility, I might actually enjoy her company.

“If you want, you can also come to the Voltage party tomorrow night,” I say, surprising myself as much as I surprise Carina.

But she only considers for a moment before she holds up her hands. “I appreciate you offering,” she says, “but I think I’m due for a break from partying.”

“Really?”

Her expression shifts as she shrugs her shoulders. “It’s only been a couple of days, but I like the person I am with you so much more than the one I am with Margot. I need a reset. This feels like a good time to have one.”

I lean over and hug her again, a real one this time instead of the one-armed side hug she gave me. “Okay, well, if you just want to go inside and head straight to bed, I’m sure the rest of Midnight Rush will understand.”

She leans back and looks at me, eyebrows lifted. “I said a break from partying. Not a break from living. ”

When we make it inside, Leo, Jace, Adam, and Adam’s fiancée, Laney, are standing around the island in Freddie’s expansive kitchen eating chips and salsa and what looks like very delicious homemade guacamole.

An older woman I’m guessing is Jace’s mother sits at the table with a baby on her lap and a toddler strapped into a highchair beside her.

“You’re home!” Leo says, stepping forward to give Freddie a hug. “How did the road treat you?”

“About as well as you’d expect,” Freddie says.

Leo and Freddie are probably the closest of the four former band members, mostly because he also lives in Nashville, which means he’s the one I know best. I’ve known him from almost the beginning, while I only met Adam and Jace last year when the band got back together for a one-time reunion show.

But after all the time we spent together leading up to the concert, rehearsing and promoting and getting things ready, I would consider all of them friends .

Leo makes eye contact over Freddie’s shoulder and offers me a warm smile. His dark hair is longer than it was the last time I saw him. It’s still short on the sides, but it’s flopping over his forehead in a way that suits him.

Adam steps up next. He’s grown his beard back in, and he has a baseball cap pulled low on his face.

I swear, the man can hide in plain sight better than anyone I know.

With a beard, he looks like a totally different person than clean-shaven Deke, which is the stage name he used when the band was still together.

Finally, it’s Jace’s turn for a hug. He looks tired—dark circles visible under his blue eyes despite the California tan he brought with him to Tennessee.

I guess it makes sense. His baby is only four months old, and from what Freddie tells me, Jace is a very hands-on dad.

After his wife walked out and moved halfway around the world to pursue her modeling career, he probably could have hired a nanny.

Outsourced the bulk of his parenting responsibility.

He definitely has the money for it. But so far, he only has his mom help when he travels. Which means he has to be exhausted.

Freddie leans back and looks at Jace, his hands on his shoulders. He asks him something that I can’t hear, and Jace nods.

I will never get tired of seeing these four men embracing, honoring the friendship they built in the years they were making music together.

Even though they are all in entirely different places now—and none of them have a career like Freddie’s—when they’re together, that never seems to matter.

They’ve had their moments, but I genuinely believe that at their core, these men want what’s best for each other.

And they aren’t afraid to say it out loud .

After the men finish up their hugs and backslaps, Jace introduces his mom and his kids, Annie and Eli, then Freddie introduces Carina.

While she gets hello hugs from each of them, Laney moves over to me.

She hugs me hello and asks me about our flight, but then she loops her arms through mine and gives me a knowing look.

“Honestly,” she says, leaning close, “I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard the news. I’m genuinely so happy for you two.”

I freeze, confused by her words. “Happy for who?”

Laney furrows her brow, like my confusion has confused her. “For you and Freddie,” she says, and understanding hits me like a bucket of cold water.

These people—Freddie’s closest friends—all think we’re dating for real.

“That’s right,” Adam says, clearly picking up on our conversation. “Congrats to both of you.”

My stomach sinks as I make eye contact with Freddie. I assumed he would tell his friends the truth, though I’m not at all surprised he hasn’t had the time to do it yet. We’ve barely had time to process things ourselves.

But I really, really wish I didn’t have to be here for the conversation. I don’t know why, exactly. Maybe because I don’t want anyone’s pity. And in my head, that’s what people will feel when they find out I’m not dating one of the world’s most beloved music artists.

They’ll feel sorry for me.

Freddie lifts a hand to the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that,” he says, looking at each of his friends. “We aren’t actually dating.”

I’m standing closest to Laney, so it’s impossible to miss the flash of disappointment in her eyes as Freddie tells the story of what happened at Margot’s and how one impulsive kiss landed us in the middle of an unintentional publicity stunt.

“And you’re okay with all this?” Laney asks, her voice low enough that only I can hear.

I swallow against the sudden knot in my throat and do my best to feign indifference. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

In a different setting, I would probably tell Laney everything. We spent a lot of time together last year, and we’ve been texting ever since. Not all the time, but enough for me to know her concern—her friendship—is genuine.

But I can’t have this conversation right now.