Since I'd joined the show at the last minute, I struggled to find a rhythm with the rest of the cast who'd been bonding for weeks, but I worked as hard as I could. The intense focus provided a welcome respite from missing Cole and CJ.
My mother couldn't understand why I accepted the tour. After I told her what happened in PR—and I expect that she got an earful from Papi and Abuelita—I was sure she was expecting me to announce a real wedding date. The more time I spent away from Cole and CJ, the more I missed them, but I gained a greater understanding of why I had to do this. Performing made me feel alive. I couldn't believe how much I missed the adulation of a crowd until our first performance in Boston. My first number earned the biggest standing ovation of the night, and I was in such shock that I nearly missed my cue and threw off the rest of the scene. When we exited the theater, people were waiting to get their playbills signed and congratulate me.
“See, I told you,” Cole said in a yawn. It was one in the morning, but he’d waited up for me to call him. “My girlfriend is a star.”
“Your girlfriend?” It was the first time he’d ever put a label on what we were doing.
“Unless you’re ready to be my fiancée?”
"Well, I've only been your girlfriend for"—I paused and looked at my watch—"three minutes. We're moving a little fast, aren't we?"
“You were mine the moment you decided not to kill me the night we met. That was a big mistake, sweetheart. Now you’re stuck with me.”
I laughed.
“How are you, gorgeous?”
“I’m fine. I miss you. How’s my little nugget?”
"He's fine. He misses you too. I show him your picture every night and play the video you made of you singing. He'll watch it for an hour straight." He chuckled, and my eyes stung with tears. "Hey, you still there?"
"Yeah," I said, but my voice was thick. "It's getting late, and you have to get up early. I love you."
“I love you, too. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” I ended the call and cried myself to sleep.
The next weekwe performed in Philadelphia, Buffalo, and then on to Albany. We had the day off because it was Thanksgiving, but my family was too far away, so I opted to stay in my hotel and order in. Michelle and some of the cast members were hosting a Friendsgiving dinner, but I was too sad to be good company, and at least I'd have the room to myself.
My phone buzzed, and Cole’s and CJ's faces filled my screen. I took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and answered.
“Hey, Happy Thanksgiving,” Cole’s cheerful voice called through the phone.
“Happy Thanksgiving, baby. What are you doing today?” I asked. I expected him to say that he was waiting for his dad to carve the turkey or fighting with Kimberly over the corn, but his answer surprised me.
“Waiting for you to come to room 427.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
"What?" I whispered. Of course, I heard him, but I wanted him to repeat it to make sure I hadn't gone insane from missing him so much.
“CJ and I are in room 427 waiting for you to show up.”
I grabbed my room key and ran into the hallway. I jammed the elevator button with my thumb. Five of the longest seconds passed before I decided I couldn't wait any longer and found the nearest staircase and ran down the four flights to the fourth floor.
Cole was standing in the hallway, holding CJ. When he saw me, he put the baby down on the carpet, and my little nugget ran towards me as fast as his short legs could carry him. I crouched as he got closer and let him tackle me. His laughter filled the hallway as I tickled him. Cole caught up to us and helped me to my feet. He wiped away my tears with his thumbs. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him, and he closed the distance, pressing our lips together.
Our kiss was sweet from his lips and salty from my tears. I couldn't believe it had only been two weeks since I last saw them. Cole scooped me under my thighs and hoisted me onto his waist and carried CJ and me back to their room.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, and it came out in a sob. I was so overcome by emotion that I felt weak. Cole set us down on the bed. CJ wrapped his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist like a spider monkey.
It seemed that he was afraid if he let me go, even for a second, I would disappear again. I understood how he felt. I was still in shock wondering if I was dreaming and if at any moment I'd wake up to find that Cole and CJ were never here and I'd actually spent the day crying in my room, eating the turkey breast salad from the room service menu.
"I wasn't going to let you spend Thanksgiving alone. So, I rented a car and a car seat and made the three-hour drive. Surprise!"
“Sa-pize!” CJ mimicked.
“I love your surprises!” I leaned over and kissed him again.
I did eat the garden salad topped with turkey breast because it was the only thing from the menu I could have. Cole and CJ shared a Thanksgiving platter with a side of carrots. My little nugget still wouldn’t leave me, so we ate our first Thanksgiving dinner together with CJ sitting in my lap and me sitting in Cole’s lap. My big nugget didn’t mind the arrangement.
