DRASTIC (Book 4 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 76: Drummer Boys Reflect on Love. Everyone's.

A/N: THis chapter was so long I broke it up. Ronna and Varric's song was chosen by our superfan @MmmWhatever--At Last--perfect choice! It was featured in the header on the previous chapter. The song featured above-Moonlight Serenade-- is the one Leed and Ashlynn dance to in this chapter. I'm sure it did't look quite like this but I imagine Leed had danced to it before and managed to show Ashlynn off a bit, wink!

Bodie

Varrick and my mother are having their first dance—to At Last by Etta James, excellent choice—as the rest of us look on from tables. They have eyes for only each other. I keep finding myself amazed at the look on her face.

I mean, yeah, I've come to accept over the last year that she was falling in love with him, but he just proposed two months ago. The engagement has been short and the feelings between them seem to expound every day.

Riley drops abruptly into an empty chair. "Have you spoken to Row today?"

"Naw. Why isn't she here, anyway?"

"I don't know," he says with irritation. "Her photo shoot in New York wrapped this morning. This afternoon she said her flight was delayed but that she was hoping to arrive before the wedding. I haven't heard from her since."

"She probably forgot a charger."

I don't say this to Riley, but as much as I love Row she doesn't usually travel alone and she can be a little bit...forgetful, when it comes to handling the practical details.

His grin softens. "You're right. I'm always the one who charges both our phones at night." He texts rapidly. Probably telling Ariadne to add a backup battery charger to all Row's hotel riders from now on.

The man treats Row like a princess. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but she's pretty much already a princess, and he's not doing her any favors, doing every little thing for her.

I guess I look at some of Row's habits and realize it comes from being so privileged and her parents allowing her to focus on her music so young. She missed developing a lot of practical life skills. I'm trying not to let that happen to Darius.

Because, now Riley is having to unwind some of Row's more spoiled behaviors.

Riley went home from the hospital with Row and never left Matt's house. Several times he asked her to move into his apartment with him, but she always talked him out of it. "It's so nice here, a private place, our own pool, maid servicem and a cook, and a PA, and the pool guy, and..."

Eventually, he gave up his apartment, but recently he's given her an ultimatum. Pick a house and one full time housekeeper they can afford in the next three months, or he will pick one, because he's tired of living with his sin-laws.

Row sends me pictures of the houses she's toured. Not a single place more than five minutes from her parents, which means nothing under fifteen million, and unfortunately that's the one thing Riley won't budge on—the budget.

I don't what their actual budget is, but I do know that Riley, despite managing our millions, makes a somewhat more modest six figure income and is still working on accruing his own millions, choosing to invest most of his capital back into his business.

I also know that Row's trust fund isn't available to her until she's thirty, and Strut's doing great, but the big bank takes a few years to get rolling, and Row is a big spender who manages her money by using her debit card until it gets declined and then switches over to Matt's AMEX until her card miraculously starts "working again."

Half the time when she invites me to lunch, she just gives both cards to the waiter and says, "Try the red one first and then the black."

Casually. Like it's normal that she's filthy rich but has no actual money in her bank account, and has to back it up with Matt's emergency card. Which has no spending limit, of course.