Page 16 of Stuck With My Rockstar Boss (Soul Sounds Brothers #4)

Ken grumbles under his breath, but it’s garbled over the phone. “Well. Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t. She’s already on a plane to Houston.”

I look at the guys alarmedly.

Dylan doesn’t miss a beat. “Where, Ken? Give me all the details. Now. ”

That’s how we end up piled in the rental car, speeding to the San Francisco International Airport. Chase is behind the wheel; he’s the best driver and has a knack for being able to speed and avoid getting caught. Jay continues calling Mika nonstop from the passenger seat.

In the backseat, Dylan sits with me. I am quiet, flipping my phone over and over again in my hand.

“We’ll get her back, man,” he whispers to me.

And that’s all I need to stay resolute. My best friend reminding me that things will work out. And that he’s totally on my side.

We’re at SFO in record time. Chase leaves the car in departures with the blinkers on. “Fuck it. If we get towed, the label will pick it up,” he says with a maniacal laugh.

We all rush in, and it feels sort of like we’re a bunch of kids again. Like Stand By Me or the gang from Scooby-Doo . Me and my boys. Fighting for me. Fuck, I really owe them. We go to the check-in counter and all start speaking at once to the poor woman behind the desk.

“Houston! What are the flights to Houston today?”

The woman scrolls through her computer, much to slow for my taste, but there’s only so far you can push a disgruntled airline employee. “Mmm… the next one isn’t until this evening. One just departed about ten minutes ago.”

I feel all the air go out of me like a balloon. Ten minutes. I missed her by ten minutes . I’ll have to wait until she lands or something. “Are there any airlines heading to Houston sooner?” I ask frantically.

“I don’t have that information,” she says with a face that indicates I’m a total idiot.

“Lucas!” Jay suddenly shouts, grabbing my arm.

“Just a second,” I wave him off.

“No, look!”

Jay points across the entrance hall to a bench where a woman sits crumpled over herself, her legs drawn up, a big purple suitcase on the floor before her. Mika. I’d recognize her anywhere, even with her head in her hands.

I forgo any pleasantries with the airline employee, leaving that to the guys and break into a run. “Mika!”

Mika raises her head, but isn’t sure where to look at first, frowning. She must think she’s hearing things.

“Mika!” I call out again and raise my hand.

Her eyes shoot to me, beautiful, quivering blue.

I run up to her. I can’t believe she’s here. She can’t believe I’m here.

“What are you doing here?” Mika asks, her voice soft and wavering.

“Looking for you,” I say, not able to keep from smiling. “I–we were calling you and–”

She looks at her phone on the bench beside her. “It’s out of battery. I left first thing this morning when Ken called me.”

I tentatively sit beside her. She flinches away. It breaks my heart. “Mika, you can’t go.”

Mika laughs dryly. “I have to. I’m fired.”

“But you missed your plane,” I say with a half-smile.

Her face breaks and tears roll down her face. “I know. I couldn’t get on. I couldn’t even check in. I just…” Mika puts her face in her hands again. “I fucked everything up.”

My heart breaks that that’s the way she feels about us. “You didn’t fuck anything up. I promise.”

“No. I did. My parents are counting on me. There’s no money if I’m not bringing it in.

They’re both on fucking unemployment and SNAP and–” she stops and tries to hold in the tears.

“This gig. And working for you. That would have been enough to get us a little further. And I fucked it up because I got too caught up in…”

The way Mika trails off, I know she’s thinking about me. About us.

“We’ll lose the house. We’ll… I don’t even know what we’ll do.”

“Do you regret it?” I ask, afraid to know the answer, but knowing I need it.

She looks at me. Her lips are ruby red from crying and the sheen of tears on her face makes her look so small. Like I need to protect her now.

I push a lock of her feathery blonde hair from her face. “Because I… I don’t.”

Mika’s lips break into a small smile, her heart pulled in two directions.

“The guys… I told them about what’s been going on with me. And we’ve decided we’re not performing until you come back,” I say.

Her eyes widen. “Lucas, that’s crazy, it’s–”

I smile. “It’s not crazy. It makes the most sense in the world to me. Because I love you.”

Mika’s face softens with relief. “Lucas…”

“I love you and I need you onstage with me. And backstage. And all the time.”

She laughs, loud and bawdy. I’m always so happy when I can make her laugh.

“I love you,” I repeat, cupping her face in my hands. “And I want to be with you.”

She sighs, swoons, and gives me a big smile. “I want to be with you.”

I kiss her. Right there on the bench in a crowded airport. People already know. I’m sure something will be on Entertainment Tonight. TMZ will pick it up. The world already fucking knows. And now, so do we.

The guys, who I’ve managed to forget are watching from afar, start to hoot and holler. I pull away from the kiss sheepishly, but Mika holds tight to me. She pushes her lips to my ear. “I love you, too.”

Fuck the world. My world is right here.