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“I’ll take two for me and Joey, and I’ll take two to give to my partner Jason and his wife. But other than that, I’d say take what you want and tell Maggie she can have the rest for her, Cole, and Cole’s friends.”
“I’ll take one for me. I don’t think your mother will want to go.”
“I think Ma would rather talk directly to the Devil himself,” Danny said.
“What about Heather and the boys?” Richie asked.
“No. I know Heather won’t go. Tommy and Matty are too young.” He pressed his lips into a thin line. Lucas would be mad, but he couldn’t take one son and not the others. And he didn’t want to put Lucas in the position of choosing between him and Heather.
“Fair enough.” Richie took four tickets out and handed them to his son.
Danny stared down at them. “Why did she send them to you?” His father stayed silent, and the answer became clear to Danny in a flash. “Because she didn’t want to make things hard for me. If she’d sent them to me, she would have put me in an impossible spot.”
He was very aware he’d been in that impossible spot for months, and he’d put himself there.
ChapterFifty-One
The night of the concert, Danny was outside Joey’s apartment at six-thirty, leaning on the horn. Someone behind him honked and gestured rudely as he passed. Danny yelled back. Joey and Vinny came out the front door, and Danny rolled the window down. A bracing rush of January cold flooded the car.
“Put some speed on it, Grandma!”
“Keep your shorts on,” Joey said as he jumped in the Jeep and Vinny climbed into the back.
“Atomic Alcatraz is pretty good,” Vinny said. “Couple songs aren’t half bad.”
“How’d things go when you left?” Joey asked his brother.
Danny waited to answer until he’d pulled out into traffic. “Not so good. This whole week hasn’t been so good. And tonight was, well…” His face was grim.
“Sorry, man.”
“Not your fault. But I don’t want to talk about that.” Danny wished Heather could understand how important this was to him, but his wife had made it excruciatingly clear before he left that she could not. And that there would be consequences for his actions. He’d left the house pissed off and questioning all of his choices.
It was a sold-out show, and the area around Madison Square Garden was packed. Most of the family was at the suite when they arrived. Cole and her friends were crowded at the front, a swirling knot of teenage excitement. Danny roamed around the suite, restless, until—finally—the opening act came on.
Danny listened for a bit. He didn’t want to like them but caught himself tapping a toe. An hour later, Atomic Alcatraz wrapped, and the lights came up. Roadies swarmed the stage, an army of black t-shirts and jeans, swapping out equipment and bringing The Kingmakers’ instruments onto the stage.
Not interested in the logistics, Danny wandered out into the hall. There was plenty of food and drink in the suite, so he didn’t have to worry about buying anything. He lingered on the fringes of a merchandise table. There were multiple styles of t-shirts emblazoned with The Kingmakers’ logo and tour name. The vendor was doing a brisk business, and Danny was tempted to get shirts for the boys because he knew they’d love them—but it would be a slap to Heather, and he wasn’t going to do that.
On his way back, he bumped into Lauren’s father. “Danny!” Jack Stone said jovially. “How the heck are you?”
“Good, Jack. Appreciate you asking.”
“You looking forward to the show?” Jack gestured out towards the stage.
“I am. Although probably not as much as my niece and her friends.”
Jack chuckled. “I understand. We have the same thing going on in our suite. Except I think Carolyn is more into it than the kids are!”
As if on cue, Cole and her friends—along with Lauren’s niece and nephew—swept by, gossiping and comparing swag they’d purchased from the vendor tables. Cole paused long enough to wave her concert shirt at Danny and yell, “This is the best night EVER!”
After, Jack said, “You know I’ve seen every show she’s done in this city? From that very first tour. I’m awfully proud of Lauren.”
“I know she always appreciated how supportive you’ve been,” Danny said.
“I just want to see her get out there on stage and see that smile.”
“That smile?”
