Carter stared at me, dumbfounded.
“Ty, I’m going to give it to you straight. Get her out of your system and let her go when you leave. It will suck, you’ll be sad, but you are way too young to be thinking about forever with any girl, especially one who just graduated high school.”
“I don’t want to get her out of my system.”
“C’mon, you’ve never really dated let alone had a serious girlfriend.” Carter was incredulous.
“No. But, I haven’t been completely immune to the women that throw themselves at all of us, Carter.” I scowled.
“Thank God, you’re far too young to settle down.”
“That’s my point. You were with Zane’s mom at my age, weren’t you?”
“Yes! It was the worst fucking mistake of—” Carter stopped mid-sentence. His face drained. “No, it wasn’t a mistake, Zane was never a mistake.”
“You loved Lianne.” I tried to get him to understand. “Maybe if—”
“I did. And I know that having a girlfriend and a kid and living this life, it just doesn’t go together.” Carter squinted at me. “Trust me, it will blow up.”
“Carter, I’ve had to make my own decisions and support myself for a long time now. I didn’t have anyone who ever gave two fucks about me until I met Zane and you. But Zoey is a whole new level, I know I want to be with her.” I dug my heels in. “My life is different than yours, that’s what I’m trying to say.”
“You’re only twenty-one, you don’t know a lot.”
“Well, neither do you,” I snarked. “I sure don’t feel twenty-one. I’m not going to ever fuck a bunch of girls who are strangers. I am not my mom. I’m also not going to be like the sleazeball guys who wanted to fuck my mom. I’ll never be like that.”
“What does Zoey want?” Carter backed off a bit after my outburst, trying a new angle. “She just turned eighteen, I mean c’mon. You said it yourself, she’s young. Do you trust that she feels the same way?”
“I hope so. If she’ll stay with me, I will do whatever it takes to be a good man for her, because that’s the kind of guy she deserves.”
“Look, I’m not going to fight with you, Ty.” Carter picked up his guitar and strummed a few notes. “Just promise me you’ll not do anything stupid. Or permanent. Use condoms.”
I sighed without answering and started playing a counter-melody. Zoey slipped into the room and stood against the wall, watching us with a look of awe on her face. We played and sang a few covers, Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, Oasis, and finally a couple of Beatles. When we finished and I set my guitar back on its stand, Zoey gleefully ran over to me, throwing herself into my arms.
“You guys are so talented, I’m so lucky to just be able to hear you play like this,” she said softly. “Thank you, Carter, for letting me be here today.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Anytime.” Carter smiled at her kindly. He took off his guitar and set it on its stand. “You take care of him, yeah?”
“I’ll do my best,” Zoey said as though she were taking a solemn oath.
“I’m gonna call it a night.” Carter stood to leave. “Ty, remember I’m off tomorrow for a couple of festival shows, and when I get back it will be time to focus in the studio.”
“I can’t wait, hope everything goes well.” I saluted him.
“Yep.” Carter saluted back and headed out.
I picked up my guitar and started strumming again as Zoey watched me, thinking about the conversation I’d just had with Carter. Summer was going to go by quickly, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible now and make sure we were on the same page for afterward.
“So, are you going to visit me when I’m on tour, butterfly?” I caught her eye while plucking through some notes to a tune that had been formulating for the past few days.
“If I can, I’d love to.” Zoey sat on an amp across from me while I played.
“I’ll pay for your ticket.” I tried to keep eye contact with her to gauge her reaction. “I’ll check the tour schedule when it gets finalized.”
“I’d like that, but I’m going to have to see how my classes and school obligations shake out, Ty.” She stared off into the distance, avoiding my gaze. “Plus, you might change your mind about us once you’re on the road.”
“I’m not going to change my mind about you, Zoey.” I set the guitar on its stand again and walked over to her, gently lifting the butterfly on her necklace from her throat and rubbing it with my thumb.
“I hope not.” Zoey’s hazel eyes watched my finger against her throat from under her long lashes.
Bending down, I touched my forehead to hers and her eyes found mine. Her pink lips parted. She studied me with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. My cock instantly hardened, I wanted her so much. I lifted her chin, and Zoey captured my mouth while gripping my shirt tightly. She sipped from my lips, her tongue searched for mine.
Exploring her pouty mouth was pure bliss. Zoey’s hands moved downward to rest on my hips. I wrapped my arms around her head and shoulders, pulling her flush against me as we devoured each other. One of her hands moved across the front of my board shorts tentatively, cupping my erection. Instantly, I moved away.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean . . .” Zoey’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh God, you don’t want me like that.”
“No! Z, I want you so much.” I took her back into my arms, not caring that my dick was as hard as it had ever been and that she could most certainly feel it.
“Is this just a summer thing for you?” Zoey’s voice quivered.
“It’s so much more than that.”
