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I couldn’t fully make out Thalia’s expression, but she clasped her hands to her chest, and I felt my heart swell with new hope.
Chapter 19
Thalia
Thepastweekfeltlike a blur to me. After Damian’s show in Denver, we were up all night on the tour bus. Mostly to record that new song he spontaneously performed in the second half of the show. He told me to pay attention, but I was not expecting him to perform an all-new song while donning his classic look with the blue guitar. To say I was surprised was an understatement. Recording the song was really fun, interspersed with some make-out sessions. God, I couldn't get enough of this man. I teased him about who the song was about. I wanted to hear him say it, but he would just sheepishly dismiss my question as he planted another kiss on me. It was cute to see him playful and with his guard down. All this time, he kept me at arm's length and now, after sharing our deepest, darkest secrets, the walls had come down and things seemed easy again.
We still had to send over what we recorded to Jackson because he was still the one doing the mastering of the track, but we were about to be back in LA after one more show. Damian just had to wrap up his show in Nashville and then we’d have two weeks off.
I couldn’t have been more excited to see Luna. I wanted to squeeze her into a giant hug and catch up on everything that had happened while I’d been gone. I also wanted to start easing her into getting to know Damian.
They had met in the grocery store, and I still remembered how easily Luna joked with him and acted around him. She wasn’t shy and was very personable, and I had a feeling she was really going to enjoy spending time with him.
So maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as I thought. I just needed to be there to guide her and trust that my parenting was enough to slowly introduce her to this new situation we were about to enter together.
Of course, I was anxious about what Damian’s lifestyle would mean for Luna. He seemed to not be interested in completely blowing apart our lives overnight, and I could only hope that was true.
During the show in Nashville, the fans were expecting that he was going to perform his brand new song again for them, but he opted not to for that night. Damian could see the crowd’s disappointment, but he made it up to them by performing a deep cut that had gained a cult following within his fan base. The crowd ate it up. His fans really did love him, and I would honestly say he deserved it. He was talented, and he put all of his heart into his shows.
Though I wasn’t going lie to anyone. A part of me still yearned to be in his place. Yes, I was happy to put aside my dreams so I could raise Luna and Damian could pursue his, but there really was no putting out this fire I had in me. Believe me, I tried a million times. I told myself over and over that my time had passed. I had tried, and it just didn’t work out, and it was okay. Of course, it didn’t work. I still had that bug in me, wanting to write songs and perform in front of crowds like Damian was doing.
But I had to take a deep breath. One step at a time. The main priority right now is introducing Luna to Damian properly. This was big. I was introducing her to her father.
After the show in Nashville, Damian and I flew back to Los Angeles along with the head of his security team, Hector. Damian made a small fuss about how private jets were bad for the environment, and on paper, he would be correct. But I had to say that it was one of the most unforgettable experiences I had ever had. It was crazy to think about how rich people lived. Damian’s private jet had an entire bar and gourmet chef on board for just a four-hour flight.
Sometimes, I was reminded hard that Damian was indeed one of the people who managed to achieve billionaire status with his music. It blew my mind how much all his albums had sold worldwide, and how every single one of his world tours had sold out to full capacity. He was a savvy businessman when it came to his brand and his music, and he most definitely used every trick in the book to achieve the wealth he had acquired. It was crazy seeing someone who was struggling to pay rent just a few years ago become this billionaire music superstar.
I knew Damian before his name was on every major stadium in the U.S. I knew his wants, his fears, his dreams, and his preferences. And it might be hard to believe, but now that I was open with him again, I’d come to realize that a lot of those things I knew about him barely changed at all. Beneath all the glitz and the glam, beneath all the accolades and the awards, beyond the screaming fans and the huge fancy shows with flashy lights, he was still the same Damian I fell hard for.
I couldn’t give him a proper goodbye, not with everyone hounding him as soon as we landed at LAX airport. As I sat in the rideshare back home, I just thought about him. However, when the road was becoming all too familiar, and I saw our run-down apartment complex, I thought of someone else…that little girl who was hopefully excited to see her mom come home after their first time being apart.
There was a sudden energy in my step as I ran up the stairs, all the way to our floor. When I was scouring my purse for my house keys, I was surprised by the door opening for me. I looked down and there she was. My little moon who I had missed so much.
“Mommy!” Luna greeted me as loudly as she could, jumping up into my arms for a tight hug. I missed her so much, and I was ready to cry right then and there from pure joy. “Mommy, you’re here!”
“Yes, I am, sweetie. Yes, I am,” I cooed, stroking her soft brown hair as we shook from pure elation. “I’m home!”
I told her countless stories from my short trip around the country. I told her all about the fancy tour bus, and the screaming fans. I told her all about the loud shows I got to see, and all the songs I got to hear. Luna then told me about how much fun she had been having with Auntie Adriana and her grandmother.
“She was a real angel,” Adriana assured me. She had been watching us on the side as we told each other stories about our time away together. We just wanted to catch each other up as much as we could.
“Really? That’s great,” I replied, relieved. I then placed a gentle hand against Luna’s cheek and smiled at her. “Thank you for being such a good girl, Luna.”
She simply giggled, obviously happy with how she behaved. I reminded myself that I needed to do something extra fun as a special treat.
Adriana then cleared her throat, earning my attention once again.
“And… How about you, Thalia? Did you…think of yourself?” My sister was speaking in codes, but I knew what she meant. She was aware, of course, that all this time, Luna’s father was Damian. She was my sister, and I told her everything, but I was blessed to have her not be so invasive about my life decisions.
But that didn’t stop her from having an opinion. She had always told me that I should tell Damian the truth. That I should give him the opportunity and that I should think about myself and how much I’d sacrificed for both of them.
She was probably right when she would tell me that keeping the secret of Luna’s biology from Damian was self-detrimental. Now that I had actuallytoldDamian, I understood more why my sister had always said that.
I gave her a small grin and a nod.
“I did.” Adriana let out a hoot and did a little dance that made Luna erupt into a fit of giggles, even if she had no idea what was going on.
“Yes! Thalia, I’m so happy for you!” Adriana had always been my greatest cheerleader, and this was no exception. “How did he take it?” She propped her elbows on the counter, intent on hearing every single detail. With Luna right here, this was definitely not the right time.
