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Aiden met Bex offstage, Chloe sleeping in his arms wearing baby ear-protection headphones.
He kissed her, handed her a bottle of water, and said, “Great performance, Pixie.”
“Thank you.” She chugged the water and grinned at him.
Everyone went back to the dressing room and Bex hopped in the shower. She scrubbed the performance sweat off her and washed the spikes from her hair. She rubbed at her breasts, which felt so full they ached. She decided that, first, she’d feed Chloe, then she’d pump. Quickly, she changed into a tank top and jeans.
When she exited the shower, the band milled around the room, relaxing. They all stayed relatively quiet, used to the routine by now.
Aiden sat near her makeup chair and bounced Chloe, whose headphones were removed. She fussed, and Aiden was doing his best to keep her distracted.
“Someone hungry?” Bex asked, sitting in her makeup chair.
“She is,” Aiden said.
Chloe wailed.
He half laughed. “Listen to those lungs. That comes from her momma.” Aided smiled. “Do you want her?”
“Yeah, let’s calm her down a bit.”
Aiden handed Chloe to Bex, who took her and made cooing noises at her sweet face. She was born with a head full of brown hair, which Bex carefully stroked with her fingertips. Chloe’s cries stopped and she made sucking motions at Bex with her lips.
Bex laughed. “Girl knows what she wants.”
Aiden draped a nursing blanket over Bex’s shoulder. She shoved up her clothing, latched Chloe on to her nipple, and made sure the nursing blanket draped over her. Chloe began suckling and immediate relief hit Bex when some of the fullness released. Bex settled into her chair to let Chloe eat and enjoyed the brief break she got, the ache temporarily gone and instead replaced with a warm tingly feeling.
Aiden sat down again in his chair. Tiredness marred his face, but it was a different tiredness than he used to have. Underneath the tired, she could see he looked happy. That was missing before.
Bex said, “I bet you never thought you’d see a rockstar run offstage and breastfeed.”
He laughed. “I never thought I’d see the mother of my kid breastfeed. Rockstar or not. I never thought I’d have kids. Or get married. Thank you for not giving up on me. You’ve gifted me so much.”
Bex smiled. “Of course. I love you. Thank you for putting up with the rockstar craziness.”
Aiden laughed. “Anytime, Pixie.”
“I’m glad you said that, because it’s only going to get crazier.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
When Chloe finished, Bex bundled her up in her blanket. Aiden stood and reached to pick Chloe up. Bex handed her to him and adjusted her shirt.
“Think she’ll sleep with her belly full?” Bex asked.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to try.” Aiden lightly laid Chloe against his chest and bounced on his feet. Bex breathed a sigh of relief as she kept sleeping.
Quietly, they crept out of the dressing room, waving at the band as they left.
They walked the venue hall to the door outside, crossed the parking lot, and climbed the bus stairs. They made their way into their room, what used to be the back lounge. The band surprised them by installing a bed, cradle, and changing station back there and gifting it to them. The members of Lovely Oblivion welcomed Chloe like a cherished new member. Bex cried when the band surprised their family with this new addition. It meant they supported her.
Aiden laid Chloe softly into her cradle and backed away slowly. They closed the door to the bedroom and silently celebrated when she kept sleeping.
They walked to the front of the bus and plopped on the couch in the front lounge.
“Want to watch a movie?” Aiden asked.
“Sure,” Bex replied.
He picked up the remote and turned on a random movie. They snuggled on the bus couch and Bex fell asleep with her head on his chest.
They’d found each other again, due to a drunken night at their high school reunion. Bex felt beyond grateful. Happiness overwhelmed her. And she couldn’t be luckier because life, she concluded, was all about being happy.
