“Nothing important,” I answered.

“Chloe, you can tell me anything. What’s making you frown like that?”

I sighed. “The usual. I was just thinking about how I’ll deal with all the girls who will show up when you start touring.”

He ran his hands through his wet hair as he sat down next to me. “Babe, we’ve talked about this. No one will ever compare to you. I just got you back. I’d never give up what we have for one of those girls.”

“I know, but it still sucks.”

“It does, but it’s a part of this life. You’ve handled it well so far.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be ten times worse now that you’re a big-time band. Girls will be lining up to meet you, and most of them won’t be wearing very many clothes.”

“I’ve seen you naked. Nothing compares to that.” He grinned down at me.

“You’re such a charmer.”

“I know. It’s one of the many things you love about me.” He leaned down and kissed me. “Now, get your stinky ass to the shower. We need to go.”

“I do not stink!” I smacked him.

“Sure you don’t. Go shower.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine.” I stood and grabbed a set of clothes to change into after my shower.

* * *

We were back on the road. Time seemed to speed up since I wanted it to slow down. Before I knew it, we were passing a sign welcoming us to California. I couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of excitement as we passed into my new home state. I’d traveled with my mother several years earlier, but this was the farthest I’d ever been from West Virginia. I knew I was in for a culture shock, and I was trying to prepare myself for it.

The closer we got to L.A., the quieter I became. My nerves were starting to get the better of me, and I couldn’t seem to get my leg to stop jumping.

“Hey, are you okay?” Drake asked.

“I’m fine. I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be. The band is excited that you’re joining us, especially Jade.”

“I can’t wait to see them. I’ve missed them.”

“You mean a lot to them. Adam even seems to like you.”

I laughed. “Gee, what a compliment.”

“With him, it is. He doesn’t like many girls.”

“What about Amber? Does he like her?”

Drake was silent for a minute before answering. “I don’t know what’s going on with those two. Amber is your friend, so I try to stay out of it.”

“I just don’t want him to hurt her. She says nothing is going on between them, but she gets this stupid dreamy look on her face when I mention him. I’m pretty sure that they’re still talking.”

“Adam doesn’t talk to girls. If he’s talking with her months after they’ve been around each other, something is going on with them. I just don’t know how he’ll handle it. Adam’s past isn’t that great.”

I didn’t know much about any of the band members’ pasts. I never thought it was my place to ask, but his comment intrigued me.

“Why? What happened?”

“It’s not my place to say. All of us have pasts where we’ve dealt with bullshit. The guys and Jade are good people despite the things they’ve had to deal with.”

“I had no idea. They’ve never mentioned anything before.”

“There are things that people try to forget. It’s not that they don’t want you to know, it’s just the simple fact that they don’t like to think about it.”

“After growing up with my mother, I can understand that.”

He glanced over at me. “Is there anything you haven’t told me?”

I sighed. “There are things that I haven’t told anyone. You know most of it though.”

He reached over and took my hand. “If and when you’re ready, you know I’m here. We’re a team, and I’ll help you through anything.”

“I know. I just want to put it behind me. We’re out here, thousands of miles away from home, and it’s time to start fresh.”

“You’re right on everything except for the home part. We’re not thousands of miles from home. We are home. This is our home now.”

“True, but West Virginia will always be my home. Everything important to me happened there. We met there.”

“And now we’ll spend the rest of our lives together, doing whatever the fuck we want, wherever we want.”

I laughed. Leave it to Drake to ruin a sentimental moment with his sarcasm and use of foul language. He had accomplished one thing at least. I wasn’t nearly as nervous as before.

* * *

That changed when we hit L.A. city limits and my stomach did a nervous little flip. I watched in awe as Drake weaved through traffic like he’d been doing it all his life. We finally managed to break free from the traffic jams, and we were now on a highway where the traffic was actually moving.

As soon as I’d agreed to move out here with him, Drake had broken the lease on the apartment Jade had gotten him while he was in rehab. He’d bought a house, but I knew nothing about where it was at or what it looked like. I had secretly hoped that it wouldn’t be right in the middle of Los Angeles, and when we arrived, I was glad to see that it wasn’t. It was in one of the less populated areas of town. As we drove slowly down the street, I saw kids playing outside. It seemed like the type of neighborhood that had families instead of crazy rock stars. It was perfect.

Drake pulled into the driveway of a large, simple home. I should have expected something like that from him. He wasn’t the type to go for flashy. It was a white two-story house with a black roof. It had a small front porch with a high privacy fence extending all the way around the house. The only hint that someone important lived here was the keypad on the gate and the fence.

“Welcome home,” Drake said.

We grabbed a few of my bags and walked to the front door. I smiled as he unlocked it and held it open for me. As soon as I was through the door, I noticed a banner hanging from the staircase to the wall beside it. Welcome home, Chloe! was written across it. Out of nowhere, Adam, Eric, and Jade appeared. They were all grinning from ear to ear as they walked toward us.

“Chloe! I missed you!” Jade squealed as she ran forward and hugged me.

“I missed you, too.” I hugged her back.

I really had missed her and the guys. I hadn’t realized what a big part of my life they were until they were gone.

“It’s good to have you back,” Eric whispered as gave me a quick one-armed hug.

“It’s good to be back,” I whispered back.

Adam surprised me by grabbing me and literally throwing me into the air. “It’s about time you got your ass back here. Now, maybe Drake won’t be such a moping loser.”

Drake rolled his eyes as he watched our exchange. “You’re an ass.”

“I try.”

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.

“Drake texted Eric when you guys got to L.A. We put the banner up yesterday, so we came over to chill until you got here,” Adam said.

“We didn’t want to miss your homecoming,” Jade added.

“And Drake said something about all of us going out for dinner. I swear he mentioned he was going to pay, too.” Eric grinned at Drake.

“You guys are only here because you want free food,” Drake grumbled.

“I’m offended,” Adam said as he pretended to be shocked.

“Sure you are. Why don’t you and Eric make yourselves useful and carry the rest of Chloe’s bags in while I show her our room?”

“We’re guests. We don’t have to do anything.” Adam grinned.

Eric smacked him across the head. “Come on, asshole. Let’s go get her stuff.”

“I’ll hang out down here until you guys are ready to go. There’s a box on your bed. Make sure you put it on for tonight,” Jade said.

She walked into the living room and sat down on a black leather couch. I raised an eyebrow. I loved Jade, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about something she had bought me. I was kind of picky when it came to clothes.

“Okay,” I said.

I followed Drake up the stairs to the second floor. We walked down a hallway until we reached the door at the very end. He pushed open the door and went in, setting down one of my bags that he’d carried up. Our room in his house back in West Virginia had been almost completely empty, but this one was filled. The walls were covered in photos of Drake and me and of the band. There was also a plaque with their first album that would be releasing soon. Stepping into his room was like I had walked into one massive photo album.

“Wow.” My mouth dropped open in shock.

“I guess I got kind of carried away with the pictures.”

“No, I love it. Before, it was like you lived in your head. You were afraid to hold on to anything sentimental, but this,” I said, gesturing around the room, “is incredible. It’s like you’re opening up and showing the world who you are and what you care about.”

He was silent as I walked around the room, looking at each picture. One in particular caught my attention. I reached up and took it off the wall to get a better look. It was a family photo. A man with coal black hair was standing behind a woman with flowing blonde hair. She was holding a dark-haired toddler in her lap.

“Is this your family?” I asked.

I knew it was, but I wanted confirmation. I could see so much of Drake in both of his parents. While it was obvious that he looked mostly like his father, his mother’s eyes were identical to his.

“It is. This was taken when I was two.”

“You guys look so happy. And you look so much like your dad.”

“We were. I wish I could go back to when that picture was taken and then relive every moment after. I’d cherish them so much more.”

“Hold on to the memories you do have. They’re never truly gone if you remember them.”

He took the picture from me and placed it on a desk next to me. “Thanks, babe. You always know what to say.”

I shook my head. “I really don’t. I fly by the seat of my pants most days, and I just say whatever comes to mind.”

He laughed. “Well, you do a pretty damn good job. Why don’t you get changed and meet us downstairs?”

“Okay. I’m afraid to open Jade’s box.”

“She knows what you like.”

“I hope so. I spent too many years being dressed by Amber to start that disaster all over again.”

He chuckled as he left and closed the door behind him. I eyed the box on the bed warily as I approached it. I lifted the lid carefully, praying that Jade hadn’t screwed me over. I felt a sense of dread when I saw all the fluffy paper hiding my present. From the packing, it was obvious that the gift was expensive. I held my breath as I moved aside the paper. I relaxed when I saw whatever was in the box was black. I hated bright colors, and Jade knew that.

I pulled it slowly from the box. My mouth dropped open in shock when I saw a gorgeous black cocktail dress. It had an emo-gothic feel to it, and I loved it. I pulled off my clothes and slid into it. It fit perfectly. I walked to a wall mirror and stared at my reflection. Despite my crazy car hair and lack of makeup, I looked pretty damn good. The dress wrapped around one shoulder and ended a few inches above my knees. The neckline was daring, but not slutty. I turned away from the mirror, and I was grateful that Drake had been thoughtful enough to carry my bag upstairs. I grabbed my straightener and cosmetics out of it. I noticed that there was a bathroom was attached to our room, and I walked inside to try to tame my hair and look somewhat presentable.

Once I was happy with my appearance, I walked downstairs to where the guys and Jade were waiting. As soon as I entered the living room, Drake had me in his arms, and he kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in years. I was breathless when he finally released me.

“Get a room!” Adam yelled.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“I missed you,” Drake replied.

“We were apart for all of twenty minutes.”

“After being in a car with you for the past few days, it seemed longer than that.”

I smiled. “You can be so freaking sweet when you want to be.”

He glanced over at the guys and Jade. “Just don’t tell them that. After all these years together, they still think I’m an asshole.”

“We do not.” Jade rolled her eyes. “You guys ready?”

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Adam grumbled.

“Shut up and get your ass off my couch if you’re in such a hurry,” Drake said.

Adam was up and out the door before any of us could register the fact that he’d moved. I busted out laughing as the rest of us walked out the door together. Drake held me back, so the others were ahead of us.