Read Change Of Plans (New Adult BBW Romance) for Free Online

“I should have done
something, should have gotten him some help, but he pushed back, and you know,
I just said fuck it, right? As long as he keeps playing, as long as we’re still
doing shows and rolling in the cash, why do I give two shits what Lucas does on
his own time?”
    Callie said nothing, so he went on, the
words tumbling from his lips in a rush, as if a dam had burst free and he just
couldn’t stop talking. “The night he died, we had a huge performance scheduled,
and he didn’t show. Couldn’t find him anywhere, and we were freaking out
because we were on in like, three hours or something.” He dragged a hand
through his hair, causing it to stick out from the side of his head in black
spikes and probably make him look like a crazy person. “So Ricky has the bright
idea to try to track him using his phone, and we find out he’s in a motel about
ten miles away.”
    Shaking his head again, Brendan took a
long gulp from his wine glass. “I was so fucking pissed at him, because I just
knew he was shacked up there with some junkie whore, so Ricky and I jumped into
my car and drove off to find them. When I got there, his lay was sitting on top
of him, butt-naked except a g-string, pushing down on his chest and trying to
resuscitate him.” He broke off, disgust and rage and sorrow choking him. “I
couldn’t decide whether to cry or to beat the shit out of him, even though he
was already dead.”
    Callie took his hand, squeezing it gently
with both her own. “I wish you’d told me about it,” she murmured. “I would have
called his family, come to the funeral, tried to do something for their pain. I
would have wanted to.”
    Brendan sighed. “I might’ve done that if
I was thinking straight, but I was too out of my mind with grief, and besides,
I didn’t think you’d want to hear from any of us again, especially me.”
    “I would have wanted to hear about this.
I liked Lucas.”
    Brendan smiled a little, squeezing her
hand in return. “I know that. You’ve got a big heart, Callie. It’s one of the
things I love about you.”
    They stared at each other for a long
moment, hands clasped together, only a table and two leftover pies separating
them. “So what happened then?” Callie asked, eventually breaking the spell.
“Did you try to find another drummer?”
    Brendan shook his head. “There was talk
of that, but I didn’t have the heart for it. The band wasn’t the same without
Lucas, and quite frankly I was just fucking done. Tired of being strung out,
tired of partying hard, tired of the whole sex, drugs and rock and roll
rollercoaster. Just tired.” He rubbed his left temple using his free hand. “So
I packed up, and I came home. And I wrote a book.”
    “You sure did.” Callie smiled crookedly,
then took her wallet out to pay for the pizza. “What do you say we go take a
walk in Central Park while the sun’s still above the horizon? I think it would
be good for both of us to get some air.”
    “I’d like that.” Brendan smiled back,
then reached over and gently grasped Callie’s wrist. “But put your wallet back.
I’m paying for the pizza.”
    They left the warm, cozy pizza parlor and
entered the beauty of Central Park, following the paved path as it wound around
the lake. Birds were still twittering as they settled down for the night,
flitting between the branches of trees whose leaves were just starting to turn
color. The vibrant colors of the setting sun shimmered across the lake in hues
of orange, purple and gold, making the water look like it was a rippling
canvas.
    Going for a walk in Central Park after
pizza had also been one of their traditions, Brendan remembered. In the early
days of relationship they’d spent lots of time strolling through the park, hand
in hand as they talked about hopes and dreams and possibilities for the future.
He glanced down at Callie’s hand, the fingertips peeking out of her jacket
sleeve, just a few inches from his own. If he moved his own