Page 153 of Dirty Like Jude
“You okay?” Jessa approached and ran her hand down my arm, giving me her worried mommylook.
“I’mgood.”
“She’s perfect,” Jude said. “Think I broke your bathroom door, though. Tell your man to send me the bill.” Then he slipped his hand intomine.
Jessa saw it. “Okay, then.” She looked at me and when I smiled, she gave me a dorky smile right back, one that reminded me of when we wereteenagers.
“Don’t look now,” I said, giving Jude’s hand a little squeeze as Jessa turned away, “but you’re holding my hand in front ofeveryone.”
“Yup. Got a problem withit?”
“Nope.”
“Good. ’Cause I’m about to drag you under that ball of mistletoe over there and kiss the fuck out of you,too.”
“That one?” I pointed at the mistletoe that hung over the windows, by thetree.
“Thatone.”
“Everyone’s gonna seeit.”
“Which is exactly why I’m gonna doit.”
And that was exactly what hedid.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jude
Iwalked backstage,feeling the electric energy of the crowd building out front. The opening band had finished their set a little while ago and everything was set for Dirty to take thestage.
Everyone who was supposed to be here was here, and so far the New Year’s Eve event was rolling smoothlyalong.
Jessa and Nick had come by early, before the opening band went on, to take a look around and fawn over Roni’s success. Then Bishop had taken themhome.
I’d already been here for hours doing my thing, and so had Roni. And every time I glimpsed her across the room, or down some hall, talking to people and looking like she did… I got proud. I got a soft, warm feeling in my chest that I liked, a fuck of alot.
On Christmas Day, I’d taken her to Christmas dinner at my mom’s place, and if there’d been any shred of doubt left in my mind that Roni Webber was the woman for me (there wasn’t), seeing the instant mutual affection and respect between her and my mom would’ve erased it. I couldn’t think of much that would make me melt more than the two most important women in my life gettingalong.
Piper had even managed to dig up some manners and generally keep his mouthshut.
In the small area right behind the stage and off to one side, I found the band hanging out; just Brody and the members of Dirty. This was there sacred space where no one else would be allowed to join in. This was how it’d been on the first world tour, and we’d decided it was a good practice to bring back. Give the band a few minutes together before they went onstage, with no one else in the way. No one but me and Brody. Maggie was welcome too, but knowing her, she’d stay out of the way anyway, unless she wasneeded.
I could see down behind the stage to a hall that ran underneath, where a bunch of crew and security were hanging out. And there was Roni, looking gorgeous as fuck in her black silk blouse, tight black skirt and fuck-me heels, her black hair all smoothed down and her lips a glossy red that I was gonna enjoy seeing all over my dicklater.
“She did great, yeah?” Brody said, besideme.
“Yeah,” I said. “She didincredible.”
Then Brody shook my hand and pulled me in for a hug, because that’s what he always did before ashow.
I moved over to Jesse, and when he saw me, he nodded over toward Elle and Seth. Elle was looking curvy, the little baby bump in her belly showing through her short, gold-glitterdress.
“The fuck are we gonna do without her?” Jessesaid.
“Don’t know. Gotta say, it’s not gonna be the best.” I couldn’t really see anyone else onstage with Dirty playing bass. Elle had been with the band since the beginning. “You all need each other to make this thing what it is. What it’s supposed tobe.”
“Yeah. Kinda makes the having-Seth-back thing a little anticlimactic. Won’t be the five of us upthere.”
