Bristol couldn’t remember ever bringing anyone home to meet the family. She even kept her relationship with Sterling a secret because of their age difference. She had yet to feel a spark with anyone, the one that made her forget the pressure of her life. It seemed pointless to bring home someone she had no real connection to. Annie was the first person to make her take pause.

“Mom, Top Shelf is heavily pursuing her, and like I told Lizzy, what’s not great for me now might be great for her. Not every musician has my history with them. That’s what she wants, and I don’t blame her. She’s really good. She deserves a chance.”

“That’s why I love you so much. You’re selfless. How about we eat these in the kitchen? You know how I feel about crumbs in the bed.” Vanessa stood and grabbed the box.

“I need to get up anyway. But this was exactly what I wanted. I wanted my mother to be here first thing when I woke up.” When the doorbell rang several times in a row, they both smiled.

“Do I have to give him tickets?”

“You can always give him backstage.”

Bristol groaned and held her head in her hands. “Oh, God, no. I can’t even imagine.”

“You’ll be in a million TikTok videos and Instagram posts,” Vanessa said.

Her brother added knocking to the incessant doorbell ringing.

“I’m coming, you little asshole,” Bristol said and cinched the tie on her robe tighter before throwing the door open.

He had grown a few inches but was still her lanky kid brother with thick, wavy hair and long eyelashes. He propped his shoulder against the door frame and gave her a single nod.

“Hey. What’s up?”

She shook her head and pulled him inside and into a hug. “Get in here, you jerk. How are you? Why are you so tall now?”

“I got all the good genes. You got the talent, but I got the good looks.” He struck several model poses that only made Bristol roll her eyes. He wasn’t wrong. Once he stopped growing and filled out more, he could model.

“Okay, Zoolander. Mom got us doughnuts. Come in and tell me about your internship.”

He linked his arm with Bristol’s and escorted her to the kitchen.

“Did you get some sleep?” Vanessa asked while hugging him.

“I’ll take a nap later. I wanted to spend some time with Bristol before things got crazy. How’s the tour going?”

“It sucks, and I can’t wait to be home. Where are you planning to go to college?”

“It’s between Vanderbilt and UCLA. They’re the ones after me.” He tore a glazed doughnut and shoved half into his mouth.