He scratches the back of his head. “Who’s getting the master bedroom?”
“I don’t think there is one, but if there is, it might be full of equipment.”
“Maybe we should know that. My guess is you’ll get the master if you have one ’cause you’re the lead singer, and everyone else in the band is replaceable except you.”
I rear back. “No one is replaceable.”
“Bro, the reason Frank was acting like his hair was on fire when you said you wanted to bring Layla is because he knows this deal is dead in the water without you. Since you’ll have your wife and child with you, you should get the master. And if that happens, you need to talk to Rory about how y’all will handle that.”
“Sure. Fine.” I have a wife and child. That seems bonkers. Because Rory’s been staying with Honey and Beau since we moved her out of her apartment. It’s not like she’s been in my bed, and I can’t see her doing that willingly, but I don’t think this needs to be a federal case. I’ll pull Rory aside in a little while and get her thoughts.
But we get caught up moving the last of her things from her old apartment. News flash: She has a lot of fucking books and crafts. It takes longer than I thought it would to wrap that up. Then I have my shit and Layla’s stuff we need for the tour.
The day is never-ending, and the next morning is pure chaos. The kids want to see us off, so my entire family heads to the parking lot behind the Prairie Rose Trading Post where we’re loading the tour bus.
I stand there, absorbing it all. “Holy crap, this is really happening.” The exhaustion from the last few weeks evaporates as I think about what this tour means.
Mav hugs me with one arm since he’s holding little Leo. “So fucking proud of you, man.”
“Thanks.” I felt the same about him when he was drafted into the NFL.
Then it’s Beau’s turn. He just got off shift and is sporting his Wild Heart Fire Department t-shirt. He scruffs my head. “Kick ass on the road. Call us if you need anything.” He points at me. “Don’t get arrested.”
“No shit.” Chuckling, I hug him, feeling more choked up than I expected.
Rhett and Isaiah are talking, and I don’t interrupt. Just hug each of them and motion to Isaiah. “Keep an eye out for Rhett. Don’t let him work too hard.”
Before I walk away, Isaiah taps my shoulder. “Good luck out there. We’re all rooting for you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
The kids take turns hugging me and giving me gifts. “Love y’all. Be good for your parents.”
Finally, I turn to find Rory, who’s holding Layla. She looks like a natural with my baby on her hip. I have a good feeling about this.
They’re surrounded by Paige, Baylee, and Honey, who stop talking when I join them. “If y’all don’t mind, I’m gonna grab my wife.”
My heart rate speeds up, and my skin gets tingly.
My wife. Damn.
Not gonna lie, I like how that sounds.
Trust me, no one’s more shocked by that than me.
The girls holler and clap, and Rory flushes a fetching shade of pink. I take the baby out of her arms, and the girls each hug Rory. Then I hold out my hand. “Let’s do this.”
She looks like she’s gonna lose her breakfast. “What if your band hates me?” she asks softly as we cross the parking lot.
“Impossible. You have great taste in music.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little apprehensive about how the guys will feel about Rory. She’s not like the party girls we usually hang out with. I’m hoping they like her, though. She’s making a lot of sacrifices to help me.
She tugs on my arm. “What did you tell them about me?”
I’d already given them the heads-up about Layla and how that went down. Broke the news I’d gotten married. Kinda suggested it was to get help with the baby but that I’d been seeing Rory for a while. “I said we’ve been dating since thefall and that’s why I wasn’t partying with them after our gigs.” Which is code for fucking around. I squeeze her hand. “It’ll be okay. Just act how you would if we were really together.”
She groans behind me as I climb the stairs on the bus. When I see my bandmates, I grin like a lunatic. “Who wants to go on tour?”
