Wonderful, page 48
She laughed, then sighed. “I love you both. Stay safe, okay?”
I assured her I would try, then hung up the phone. Looking around, I saw that Jenny and Rachel were gone. “The girls leave?” I asked Kiera.
Looking forlorn, she said, “Yeah.”
Lifting my phone, I told her about the calls from Gavin and Hailey, their mutual concern. Kiera wrapped her arms around my neck and told me we’d get everything sorted out. Then she reminded me that I had shit to do today, a private performance that had completely slipped my mind.
“God, I’d forgotten all about that,” I told her. “I was hoping to sit down with someone this afternoon, make a formal statement about that picture, but I’m not going to have time.” And that really pissed me off. There just wasn’t enough time. A fact that was further proved by both of our cell phones going off and Tory pounding on the door, telling me I had ten minutes. Fuck my life.
Chapter 29
A LITTLE MIRACLE
When the private performance was over, the car took us back to the hotel so we could pick up Kiera, Anna, and our things, and then it took us to the venue. The group for the private performance had been all right: nobody had asked me anything, made any comments, or yelled anything derogatory. They’d given me hope that maybe things wouldn’t be so bad for Kiera. But then we stepped out of the car at the venue, and the vibe was the complete opposite. The crowd clustered around the fence was full of guys with cameras, and it was almost like they knew Kiera was with me; they immediately started taking pictures the second the car door opened.
Kiera didn’t want to hide anymore, so she held my hand, and we walked inside together. Seeing the two of us as a unit drove the photographers into a frenzy. It also angered the handful of fans in the group, and they yelled things that made a vengeful sort of adrenaline surge through my body. Hearing them made me want to turn around and give them a piece of my mind. I knew I couldn’t, I knew it would only make things worse, but man, it was difficult to ignore words like whore, slut, bitch. I clenched Kiera’s hand tighter and tighter to stop myself from assaulting somebody.
Kiera stayed in the dressing room when it was time for the meet-and-greet. I didn’t blame her at all, in fact, I was glad she wanted to stay somewhere safe and quiet. I needed to be professional and respectful with my fans. After all, they were the reason I was able to do what I loved for a living. But Kiera was my entire world, and if it came down to respecting them or protecting her, well, it wasn’t even close. I’d burn it all to the ground for her. But I really hoped it didn’t come to that, and I was sure, once I had a chance to explain things to the fans, they’d let her in and leave her alone. Fuck, I hoped so.
When I stepped into the room for the meet-and-greet, I braced myself for a cold or lukewarm reception. I thought I might hear someone call me a whore or something, but no one did. All I got from the fans was screaming, giggling, jumping up and down…the normal reaction. It floored me that no one was mad at me for what they thought was infidelity. But maybe it was just the rush of being in the same room as me. Maybe I was being ripped apart online just as much as Kiera. I honestly didn’t know.
Sienna and I ended up standing next to each other. We usually did, but for once, it didn’t bother me. If Sienna and I seemed cordial, unruffled, then maybe the fans would connect the dots. But Sienna ignored me the entire time. She wouldn’t even look in my direction, and that reaction sent a wave of tension into the crowd. When she discreetly wiped her eyes—like she was fucking crying over me—I just about lost my shit.
I was three seconds away from forcing her to look at me so I could tell her to knock it off…when I noticed Kiera run into the room. My heart dropped to the floor as I met eyes with her. What the hell was she doing? Or more accurately, what the hell was wrong? Because she wouldn’t come in here unless she absolutely had to.
I tried to move forward, to go over to her, but I was stuck behind a wall of people. Kiera wasn’t angling for me, though. She was cutting through the lines toward Griffin. Griffin. Shit…this had to be about Anna then. Fuck, something was wrong with Anna. That would explain why Kiera was as pale as a ghost, why she was being aggressive with the fans who wouldn’t let her through. By the looks on the fans’ faces, it was clear she’d been recognized, and my heart surged with worry.
Powerless to help, I watched in frustration as the crowd around Kiera reacted poorly to her attempt to squeeze through them; they started pushing back. I again tried to step forward, but the bodies blocking me weren’t giving way. Things around Kiera turned rough, and pure panic sliced through me. Then a girl with a bright pink fauxhawk slapped Kiera, and suddenly, I wasn’t in a room with fans anymore. Everyone in here was a potential threat to my wife, and I needed to get her out.
“Hey!” I shouted at the pink-haired girl, then I shoved in earnest. Some of the fans squeaked and stepped back. One almost fell down, so I stopped pushing. “I need through,” I told them.
Sienna put a hand on my arm. “What’s going on?” she asked. She scanned the crowd, and I couldn’t help but note that any sign of sadness was gone from her expression. She only looked mildly alarmed now.
“I don’t know,” I told her, then I sought out Kiera again. She’d made it to Griffin and was explaining something to him. Whatever she was saying, he was stunned by it. He looked toward the exit. The fans who had been waiting in organized lines were now a disorganized mob. Tory was attempting to regain control, but there was a frenzied feeling in the air. I called out Kiera’s name, but she didn’t respond—her entire focus was on Griffin. She pulled on his arm, then the two of them started moving.
Griffin barreled his way through the crowd, shouting, “Get the fuck out of my way!” Freaked-out fans let him pass, and he pulled Kiera with him.
When they got close enough, Kiera looked at me and yelled, “Anna! Hospital!”
My jaw dropped as I suddenly understood. Anna was in labor. Holy shit. I instantly turned to Sienna; they were going to need help getting Anna to the hospital quickly and quietly. Sienna could easily get one of the label’s cars for them; we were only allowed to use them for official tour business.
“Anna’s in labor,” I told her. “Can you call a car for her?” Sienna’s dark eyes briefly widened, then she nodded and pulled out her phone. As she made the call, the crowd suddenly surged forward, pressing us against the wall. The girls directly pressing against me were a mixture of pleased and petrified; they were being squished too. Shit, this was how people in crowds suffocated. In fact, I couldn’t inhale deeply enough, and I was starting to feel lightheaded. I also couldn’t lift my arms to push people back. I couldn’t do a damn thing.
Right as panic was really starting to kick in, people were suddenly yanked off me. I looked up to see one of Sienna’s bodyguards creating a bubble of protection around me; the other bodyguard was already hurrying Sienna out of the room. “Thank you,” I told the wall of solid muscle.
He gave me a stiff nod, then indicated for me to get into the hallway. I hustled out of the room, glancing back to check on Matt and Evan. They were in the corner of the room now, behind the mass of fans, but not being bothered by them. Sienna’s bodyguard was already working on reaching them, and I wondered if Sienna had asked him to do that since technically, none of us were under his protection. It made me both grateful and irritated because she was a major reason for the escalation in the first place. If she’d just fucking say something, all of this chaos would go away.
But talking to her about it had proven to be a waste of time. Conversations with Sienna were always so circular. It was maddening to never get the response I wanted from her—the response I needed. She was both the helpful ally supporting me in my skyrocketing career and the roadblock I could never get around in my personal life. A blessing and a curse.
Matt and Evan joined me a few moments later in a quieter spot up the hallway; security from the venue had tightened around the meet-and-greet room, and for the moment, none of the fans were being allowed to leave. The members of Holeshot were the last people to exit the fray.
Matt’s eyes were wide as he looked back at the chaotic room. “Holy shit, that was nuts.” His eyes went even wider. “Holy shit, Kiera said Anna’s in labor.” His face went pale white. “Holy shit, Griffin left with her, didn’t he? We don’t have a bassist!”
None of us knew the answer to that, so Matt ran to the dressing room; Evan and I hurried after him. Once he saw it was empty, Matt started combing his fingers through his short, spikey hair. “Shit, shit, shit! What do we do? What the fuck do we do?”
Evan put his hands on Matt’s shoulders. “Calm down. We planned for this, remember? David has been learning our songs, he’s going to fill in.”
Matt slowly nodded, like he was just now remembering that. “We were supposed to have more time. She’s not due for another week. David’s not ready.”
I almost smirked at Matt for thinking he could schedule when Anna would give birth, but none of this was funny, and Matt did have a legitimate concern. David had been learning the songs during his free time, but we hadn’t all played together yet, and learning a song and performing it with a group were two very different things.
Evan lightly shook Matt. “He is ready, and he can do this. We’ll have an emergency practice right now. Will that make you feel better?”
Matt visibly relaxed. “Yes, yeah, let’s do that. Kell?” he said, turning to me, a lingering panic in his voice.
I nodded, then held up a hand. “Just let me call Kiera first.” Matt gave me a Seriously? face, and I made myself not scowl at him; he was just stressed. “I want to make sure everyone is okay,” I told him, stressing the words. He blinked, like he’d just remembered what had caused our D-Bag deficiency, then he nodded and let me do what I needed to do.
Grabbing my phone, I called Kiera. She answered right away. “Hey, you’re okay,” she said, gratefulness in her voice.
A sigh of both weariness and relief left me. “I was going to say the same thing. I can’t believe that bitch hit you.” I kind of wanted to wade back into that chaos just to find the woman who’d smacked Kiera. But that was definitely a bad idea.
“I’m fine,” she firmly told me, like she knew I needed to be reassured and redirected.
Letting it go, I asked her, “How’s Anna?”
Kiera hesitated before saying, “She’s…okay.”
I had to imagine Anna was in a lot of pain. And I also wondered how Griffin was holding up. He wasn’t exactly the most comforting person, but then again, he had his moments. “I wish I could be there with you, but Matt’s freaking out about the show.” I told her about our plan to have David fill in, how we were cramming in an emergency practice session, then told her I’d skip the encore and see her after our set. Surely, Sienna would understand if we missed it one time. And if she didn’t, well, I wasn’t too concerned with that at the moment. My family needed me.
Kiera told me she’d see me then and wished me good luck. With a dose of dry humor in my voice, I returned the sentiment. I just had to deal with Matt, Sienna, and disappointing the fans. Kiera had to deal with Griffin.
When I disconnected the call, Matt and Evan were both staring at me. “How is she?” Matt asked, concern on his face.
Knowing he meant Anna, I smiled and said, “She’s fine. She’ll be fine.”
Matt nodded, then grabbed my arm and pulled. “We need to find David.”
I sighed, nodded, then let myself be dragged away.
Practice went smoothly. Our set went smoothly. David was a professional, and talented to boot, so stepping in for Griffin wasn’t as much of a problem as Matt had feared. I decided to wait and tell Sienna that we weren’t sticking around for the encore until after our set, mainly because I didn’t want to argue with her. I just wanted to tell her, then leave. She was in the staging area when we came down from the stage, and I walked over to her to deliver the bad news.
She smiled brightly when she saw me. “How is Anna doing, love? I haven’t heard any newborns crying, so I’m assuming the car arrived on time?”
I mentally cringed. I probably should have thanked her for that already. “Yeah, Kiera texted me; they made it to the hospital. Anna and the baby are fine. Thank you for your help.” Without that car, they probably wouldn’t have made it, and Anna would have given birth waiting for the cab. Everyone was relieved that she’d made it on time, and that was all thanks to Sienna.
Her grin grew even brighter. “Of course. Anything I can do to help.”
I instantly wanted to tell her exactly what she could do to truly help us…but now wasn’t the time for that conversation. “I’m glad you said that,” I told her. “Because the guys and I are leaving for the hospital. We won’t be back for the encore. I just wanted to let you know.”
Her smile instantly vanished. “What?”
I shrugged and smiled. “Thank you for helping us with this. We realize it isn’t the most ideal situation, but I’m sure if you explain it to the fans, they’ll understand.” Leaning in, I couldn’t help but add, “They go along with everything you say, after all.”
She blinked and pulled back, and for a second, I saw uncertainty on her face. It was quickly replaced by annoyance, then completely erased by cool composure. “Of course. Do what you need to do, love.” I started to leave, and she tossed out, “Give Anna and the baby my best. I’ll have some things sent to the hospital for them. They rushed out of here so quickly that I doubt they remembered to grab everything.”
Stopping in my tracks, I looked back at her in stunned confusion. “Thank you. That’s very generous.”
She shrugged. “It’s what I do for my friends.” She winked, then turned away to get ready for her set.
I watched her for a moment as my mood toward her spun. It would be so much easier to dislike her if she’d stop doing really nice things for us. I opened my mouth, wanting to take her moment of kindness as an opportunity to come up with a real solution to my problem with Kiera and the media, but Matt clapped me on the shoulder before I could start the conversation.
“Ready, Kell?”
There was a relaxed eagerness in Matt’s eyes; he was relieved our set had gone well, and he couldn’t wait to meet his newest relative. I let my thought of begging Sienna for help go and gave him a smile. “Yeah.” I looked down at my shirt, damp with sweat. “Maybe we should change first, though.”
Matt agreed with a laugh, and we all took a moment to clean up before heading to the hospital. It was pretty late when we got there, and I worried that they wouldn’t let us visit. But then I noticed the nurses looking at me, saw their eyes widen in recognition. I hated to take advantage of my pseudo-celebrity status, but I had people that I really needed to find.
“Hi,” I said, leaning against the counter, soft smile on my face. “I was wondering if you could help me?”
One of the nurses giggled, then coughed to stop herself. “Of course. What can we do for you?”
I heard one of the girls in the back quietly say, “Need a bed?” The nurse beside her softly snorted, but I ignored them. “I’m looking for Anna Hancock. She just had a baby.”
“Ah, yes. Down this hallway, room 515,” the first nurse said. Then her eyes brightened. “Would you like me to show you the way?”
I heard Evan snigger behind me. Ignoring him, I told the nurse, “That’s all right. We can find it. Thank you.”
As I walked away with Evan and Matt, I swear to God, I heard a collective sigh coming from the nurses’ station. Matt said something to Evan, but they were both far enough in front of me that I couldn’t hear him. I just saw Evan nod and laugh, and I was positive they were making fun of me. Jackasses.
That was when someone rushed up behind me and pinched my ass. I spun around, fully expecting to see one of the nurses assaulting me, but to my delight, it was Kiera. My heart was still hammering in my chest from the surprise, and Kiera’s eyes danced with mischievous glee. “Hey, stranger,” she said. “Come here often?”
Willing my body to calm down, I smiled at her. “Not if I can help it.” Hospitals were my least favorite place on Earth.
Kiera looked like she was containing a secret as she showed us Anna’s room. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she wasn’t telling us. Maybe Anna had twins? Matt was the first one to rush through the door, and by the time I walked in, Griffin was showcasing his son to Matt. Only…he wasn’t calling the baby a boy.
“She’s totally got my nose, right?”
Matt’s jaw dropped as he examined his newest family member. “You had a girl?” he asked. I looked over at Kiera for confirmation, and she nodded and smiled at me. Damn. Anna had been right all along. We never should have doubted her.
We all congratulated the new parents, and I had to laugh at the look on Griffin’s face. By the pride in his eyes, you’d think he’d chiseled his daughter out of clay, then magically made her come to life, all by himself. Anna watched his reaction with amusement in her eyes. And tears. And I had to admit, as I watched Griffin pass his child to Matt, I was nearly moved to tears myself. It overjoyed me to see that there was one thing in this world that Griffin actually took seriously, for there was no mistaking the love and adoration on his face as he stared at his daughter. And the reluctance as he handed her over.
“So…Myrtle?” Matt said, gently rocking her. He tried to hide his grimace, but he wasn’t all that successful.
Anna snorted. “No. That was never happening. We named her Gibson.”
Matt let out a long noise of relief. “Oh, thank God.” He glared at Griffin. “What were you thinking? Even Grandma Myrtle hated the name Myrtle.”
Griffin shrugged, then indicated for Matt to pass her along. Evan took her next, and a really weird feeling started building inside me. She was so tiny and looked more fragile than anything I’d ever seen in my entire life. I didn’t typically have butterfingers, but I could easily imagine my fingers slipping, or not holding her in the right spot to protect her, or some other catastrophe that would result in her being permanently damaged. Fuck. I didn’t want to permanently damage a baby.
