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We viewed our pods—my name, not theirs—as the place to crash or get some alone time when we needed it. Mine was devoid of life because Teagan’s room was my home, my base, my solace. She was all three and had been for a damn long time, but it was nice that I didn’t have to hide it anymore.
Greeting each day without sunshine took some getting used to, but it was a helluva lot better with a certain redhead curled in my arms.
Oh, there were a few skirmishes throughout the weeks. I was used to a much larger bed and not sharing one, to be truthful.
Teagan even launched me out of our bunk when I smashed her into the wall one too many times. Then again, I just dragged her down there with me and made her forget why she was mad at me.
She was coming into her own more every day. And with that, she pushed back when I made bonehead moves.
Fighting with her would always be a thing. We were both hotheaded about our points of view, but with that heat came explosive make-ups and a lot of laughter. Being in love with my best friend took that friendship to an even deeper level, that was for sure.
Now that we were heading into the Midwest, things were getting a little dicier. There were long stretches of road and the lack of windows made us all a little nuts. There weren’t as many places to stop and stretch or grab a bite to eat. We were eating on the bus more and more, thanks to our catering people.
The July temperatures didn’t affect us in our not-so-little box, but cabin fever had definitely been setting in. On one of our rare stretch of days off, we convinced Noah to stop at one of the reservoirs in Colorado. We flew in our significant others to make a family day of it. Even some of the crew had come to hang out for some barbecue and friendly, frequently rowdy games.
We spent the day kayaking and doing water sports with Warning Sign. My favorite task had been slathering Teagan’s freckled skin with sunblock about thirteen times.
I didn’t want her to burn. I was just that kind of guy.
Oh, and the little cove we’d found while exploring in a paddleboat had been a bonus too. Yoga had definitely made Teagan more bendy. She was probably going to kill me, but man, what a way to go.
Our adventure was a much-needed refresher to get us through the grueling next few weeks. Summer was the big concert time for outdoor venues, and we liked to maximize our dates during the season so we could have more time off at the end of the year.
We’d just finished up a bunch of dates around Colorado and were headed for my home state of Montana. We didn’t have a show tonight, and I’d been on the phone with my mother every night, trying to hatch something. I wanted her to finally meet Teagan. And while a surprise would have been fun, I knew my mother.
Surprises were the kind of thing that put me in the doghouse for years. Instead, I planted the idea that maybe we’d stop in before the show. She and Jenny had been planning for our arrival for the last week. We had an extra day because of all the trucks it took to get our equipment to the venues. And the Kettlehouse Amphitheater was a little harder to get to. The Blackfoot River roared behind it, and in the old days, it had been my favorite place to see shows. We’d played there a few times, thanks to me being in the band, and we usually had a damn good turnout.
Handily, my mom’s place was less than an hour away.
I checked my phone. Last night had been a late one, but I couldn’t settle. Even losing myself in Teagan in the middle of the night hadn’t helped for more than a handful of hours. I knew it was stupid to be nervous, but I really wanted my mom and Teagan to get along.
Melissa Dallas got along with everyone, but she was a force. She’d had to raise two kids alone when my old man died. I’d been fifteen and angry with it, while my sister had been a precocious preteen. Neither of us had made it easy on her. Add in running a ranch and it had been a lot.
She’d downsized the ranch in the last two years, focusing on just one animal. She and my sister were fiber freaks, and my mom’s alpacas had become the main source of income. When I saw how much she enjoyed them and harvesting the wool, I had dumped a bunch of money in her account and told her to finally do what she loved. I had more money than I could spend in one lifetime and letting her have her dream had eased some of the guilt I had for putting her through my stint in the Rangers.
They had a small seasonal shop space they shared with other crafters for the holidays in a nearby town, but they did most of their business online. But she didn’t want to get rid of the ranch land, which left a lot of open space for the little beasts. They looked cute as hell in pictures, but they could be mean.
I just hoped that surprising Teagan wasn’t like when I did it with my mother.
I rolled onto my side. She was curled toward the wall and had stolen all the covers as usual. The bit of strappy silk she wore to bed gave me a few ideas about how to spend the early hours, but I’d already taken enough of her sleep.
I kissed her shoulder and slid out of bed. I tugged on a pair of workout shorts and went downstairs to find something to eat. And maybe, if I was lucky, a moment alone with our head of security. Convincing him that my idea had merit would take some finagling.
The hallway was in its narrow form since we were on the move. As I figured, Noah was the only one stirring. He was reading some sort of report or document on his clipboard—the iPad wasn’t his deal like Lila’s—and the scent of strong black coffee perked up my sluggish brain.
“Got some extra of that?”
Noah looked up from his paperwork. “I made a pot. Help yourself.”
“Old school all the way.” I gave him a wry smile and pulled a mug down from the cabinets. They were all on hooks in deference to our constant state of motion. I poured myself a full mug. There was no way I was going back to sleep today. My brain was too wired.
“I’m assuming you need something.”
“Normally, I’d take offense to your living, breathing dickishness, but I need a favor.”
“Shocker.”
“Look, man. I used my big head this time when I made my plans.”
