by Laura Gates
Evie's alarm went off at 4 AM. Beau groaned as Evie turned it off and proceeded to put comfy casual clothes on. Beau pulled the covers over his head as Evie turned on the light in his closet. "Come on, Hon, it's time to get up," Evie said as she walked back to the bed to help wake Beau up. She kissed him tenderly on the cheek. "I hate waking up this early," Beau grumbled. "But you have no problem staying up this late?" Evie teased. "I haven't stayed up late in months," Beau argued, still feeling grumpy. "You can sleep on the plane," Evie whispered.
Beau gave up and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Evie stood up, but before she could walk away, Beau grabbed her and pulled her down on the bed. He began kissing her cheek and neck mainly to tease. They both laughed. "C'mon, Beau. We need to leave the studio at 4:30. Our flight leaves at 7," Evie said.
"We don't have two minutes?"
"Not unless you want to be late," Evie said.
"What's rock n' roll if we aren't late now and then?"
"What's rock n' roll about only taking two minutes?" Evie teased. Beau just kissed her to ignore her. Two minutes later, both got out of bed and got dressed.
After getting ready and loading sleeping kids in the car, Beau and Evie drove towards the airport while all the other vehicles followed them. There were town cars waiting for them in New York that would take them through the East Coast after their show in New York the following two days. The kids slept for three of the five hours on the flight. Beau and Evie managed to sleep during some of the trip, as well.
When the kids woke up, it was breakfast time, so Evie pulled out the kids' breakfast. Beau didn't realize that Evie had bought him and her some breakfast as well. They all ate as the kids watched a movie provided by the airlines. When they touched down, it was lunchtime. The town cars picked them up and took them to the nearest Wendy's, where the band and crew all ate. A few fans noticed them and asked to get their pictures taken with the group. A couple of fans introduced themselves to Evie and told her how impressed with the work she did for promoting the tour, the new album, and helping Beau in his recovery. She felt very humbled and honored.
Once they were done eating lunch, they loaded back up on the tour bus and headed to the hotel they were staying at for that night. Evie felt that all four of them sharing a room would be very overwhelming for Beau, so she got her own room with the kids. The rooms were adjoining so that they could still be close. Evie snuck out of her room into Beau's at night, and she snuck back in before the kids woke up each morning, even getting a run on the treadmill in the hotel's gym.
The band and crew loaded up in the town cars late the next morning and headed over to Madison Square Garden. Evie oversaw the set up to make sure everything was in the right place. She advised Levi and Harper to help the crew as much as they could and to stay out of the way when it came time to move the big stuff. Evie was able to find a place in one of the locker rooms to set up a pack ‘n play for Harper to take a nap while Levi had quiet time on one of the couches the crew brought. She hoped and prayed that Harper and Levi would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the concert. Beau talked about hiring a nanny to take care of the kids while everyone had to work, but Evie didn't want to let someone else raise her kids.
It was a half-hour before the kick-off concert for their tour. Beau had on headphones warming up his voice with his tape he got a while back. Crew members were tuning guitars, and everyone else stood in silence, taking deep breaths.
Evie felt tense because she hoped everything would run smoothly. She wore the faux leather pants, and a rose gold flowy tank with embellishment around the neckline. She wore knee-high boots with a one-inch sole.
Beau was wearing his signature leather vest with Death Toll's logo on it as well as various bands and influences, a black tee-shirt, black jeans, and black boots. Kade's long, curly black hair sat on his shoulders. He wore a black silk shirt, a black leather vest, black jeans, and black boots as well. Kade painted his fingernails black. Rick wore a black Death Toll tee shirt and shorts with flip flops. His hair carried his signature four braids with a backward snapback. Luke dressed in layers like always wearing black because he still ended up shirtless by the end of the show. Evie encouraged him to get a haircut, which he did.
The lights soon went dark, and the hundreds of fans screamed at the top of their lungs as their pre-show song began. Adrenaline pumped through everyone's veins. The band took their places on stage, and soon the whole place lit up in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics and lights. The concert opener was Wherever I May Roam, which was a blend of the old and the new. Everyone cheered, sang along, clapped, and looked happy. Evie grinned from ear to ear as she heard each song on the playlist and the crowd cheering.
Death Toll played three songs before they decided to take a little talking break. Evie hadn't written the script for the concert, so she had no idea what was coming up next. One of the crew members grabbed Beau's white ESP EXplorer from him and handed him his black EXplorer. Kade and Rick had an instrument change as well, while Luke got out from behind the drumset to interact with the crowd. Once everyone had a new instrument, Luke went back and sat on his throne.
The crowd cheered louder as Beau approached the mic. "Wow, thank you!" Beau shouted into the mic. He noodled a little bit on the guitar, and the crowd got louder. Evie smiled at the showmanship.
"Okay," Beau said, trying to get the crowd to hush, which they did. "This next song is very special to me," he said, "It's about one of the best humans I have come to know. It is a very different song than any other we have done. Now, almost a year ago to the day, I lost my family in a terrible car accident, and I relapsed. I ended up back in rehab, a place I had no desire to go back to face my demons. A month later, I met this stubborn and independent woman with hurricane blue eyes who turned my whole life around. Six months later, she became the most important woman in my life, and I wrote this song for her. Evie, will you come out here, please?"
Beau turned to where Evie was standing, which was where they entered the arena. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head in terror very slowly. Beau's smile changed from showman to the man she was in love with as he saw the gesture. The crowd cheered louder, trying to get her to come on stage. She continued shaking her head very slowly. "Please, Babe?" he said in the mic. "What about the kids?" she shouted, pointing to backstage. Beau could see her lips move and her finger gesturing towards the locker rooms, and he figured she was talking about Levi and Harper. "Someone is taking care of them. They will be fine. Come on out," he said very compassionately into the mic. "Who's taking care of them?!" she shouted. Beau squinted, trying to read her lips. "I hired a nanny. Please come up here," Beau begged a final time.
Evie slowly started walking towards the stage. When she got on stage, the bright spotlights blurred her vision, and the crowd was the loudest it had ever been. Evie continued to walk to where Beau was not sure what he was planning.
When she got to him, Beau wrapped an arm around her, and they kissed tenderly. She waved to the cheering crowd, immediately regretting it. This isn’t concerto night in college, Evie. Just be cool, she thought to herself. Beau started talking in her ear, "I have a surprise for you." Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and a crew member she didn't know was holding her violin. Beau said again, "I've been hearing you play our song for weeks now. I think it is time you played with us."
She was scared, but also grateful because she wanted to perform so bad. When she grabbed her violin, she started tuning it. The crew member shouted, "I tuned it for you. You are amped up and ready to go." He slipped the monitor into her back pocket for her. She nodded at him. Beau motioned to Kade that Evie would be playing the solo, and Kade nodded. Evie took the violin, and the crowd cheered.
Kade started playing the opening arpeggio to Nothing Else Matters, and Evie soon came in on the opening solo. She played every guitar riff on her violin. When Beau started to sing, Evie often played with Rick on his bass lines. She occasionally added harmony and embellishments
to Beau's singing. The crowd was surprisingly quiet throughout the whole song as they listened to all the excellent musicians. When the actual "guitar" solo came about, Evie played the solo with double stops and distortion as she imitated Beau's style. That's when the crowd went wild.
When the song began fading, the crowd went quiet as Beau finished singing the song. When the song finally faded, Beau and Evie kissed much more passionately. The crowd loved every minute of it. "I love you," Beau said tenderly. "I love you," Evie said. They kissed again before Evie bowed to the crowd. Beau walked off stage with her. "Do you think you could do an encore when we finish our setlist?" he asked. "Which song?" she asked. "Enter Sandman. I know you've been practicing that one, too," Beau said, winking. Evie smiled. "Yes, I can." He kissed her a final time before he went back on stage. "Oh, by the way, I made arrangements for you to play that concerto you know so well as part of this tour with many premier symphonies here on the East Coast," Beau said to her. Evie smiled and gave Beau an even bigger hug and kiss.
The concert continued, and Evie played the encore with Death Toll. When the song was over, Death Toll did their signature bow while Evie clapped. They then motioned toward her, and she bowed. The rest of the East Coast tour ran just as smoothly as that first night, including Evie's guest appearances with various symphonies and rehearsals.
Chapter 17
Harper’s 3rd Birthday Party
Baltimore is a beautiful city, Beau thought to himself as he stood by the window wearing only sweatpants he slipped on when he got out of bed, peering through the drapes at the view from his hotel room. Watching the sunrise, he sipped his mug of hot cider with some supplements inside of it that Evie recommended. She laid in bed, sound asleep wearing only Beau's Death Toll tee shirt from the previous night.
He looked over at her. He knew today was a big day for both of them. Today was the day he would meet Evie's parents, her sister, her brother-in-law, nieces, and nephews. He also knew the chances of running into Jude were higher, considering he tried calling her last night after the show when they had gone to bed. He remembered why this was all happening; it was Harper's birthday. The sassy toddler was finally 3. They would be driving an hour away to Evie's hometown for a special birthday party for Harper at Evie's parents' house.
As the sun peered through the drapes, Evie began to stir. Beau turned around again and walked to her. He kissed her cheek. "Good morning, Beautiful," he said. Evie smiled. "Hey," she said sleepily. They kissed tenderly before Evie sat up. "What time is it?" she asked. "About 7:30," Beau said. "Crap, I need to get back to my room. The kids will be waking up," Evie said, grabbing her pajama bottoms. She slipped them on quickly and hurried towards the adjoining door. Beau smiled and grabbed Evie's arm.
He pulled her back in for a kiss. They kissed for a few seconds before she said, "Beau, I really need to go. I need to give Harper her birthday speech."
"What's a birthday speech?" he asked. "Come and see," she said, grabbing Beau's hand and leading him to her room. He grabbed the tee-shirt he threw on the table from last night and put it on.
They walked through the adjoining door to Evie's room. Evie slowly opened the door to ensure she didn't wake her kids up. Sure enough, they were still laying down in their beds, fast asleep. Evie and Beau walked into her room. Beau sat down on a chair and watched Evie walk over to Harper's bed. Evie bent over Harper and kissed her. "Happy Birthday, Baby Girl," she said quietly. Harper stirred before waking up. "Hi, Mommy," she said, scooting over so Evie could climb into bed with her.
"I can't believe how fast you're growing up," Evie said.
"But I'm still so little," Harper said.
"Trust me, it's going by so fast," Evie replied, "So, what do you think of your life so far?"
"I like it," Harper said.
"That's good. Any complaints?" Evie asked.
"I'd like to see Grandma and Grandpa a bit more," Harper said. "We will today, and I will work on it more," Evie said.
"Do I look older?" Harper asked.
"Very much so. You'll have to start paying for your movie tickets soon," Evie teased, but continued, "Guess what I think?"
"What?" Harper asked.
"I think you are the sweetest, sassiest, prettiest little girl I know, and the best daughter a girl could hope for," Evie said.
"Thanks, Mommy," Harper said.
"And it is so hard to believe that at exactly this time on this day, I was lying in the same position with a fat stomach, fat face, and fat ankles pushing this sweet little girl out…."
Evie proceeded to tell the graphic story of how Harper was born, including a comparison to the pain using anecdotes from Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, and even Loralai Gilmore. He only knew Loralai Gilmore because Phoebe loved watching Gilmore Girls. Plus, Beau remembered seeing Evie watch the show a couple of times. Evie also mentioned the funny story of how Jude threw up just before he cut the umbilical cord. Despite the graphic detail Evie went into, Beau smiled. He treasured this moment he got to watch. Evie was, indeed, a great mother. He only assumed she did the same thing with Levi. He hoped to witness that one in a couple of months when Levi would be seven.
"Guess what time it is?" Evie said to Harper. "What!?" Harper exclaimed. "It's time to get ready to go see Grandma and Grandpa!" Evie exclaimed. Harper gasped enthusiastically. She immediately jumped out of bed and onto Levi's bed, where she proceeded to dance to wake Levi up. "Wake up! Wake Up!" Harper said over and over again, jumping up and down. Levi sat up complaining, but when he heard the words, Grandma and Grandpa, he jumped up as well. "Happy Birthday, Harper!" he shouted. "Thank you!" she said back. "Shh! Guys, other guests are probably asleep, so we need to be quiet."
The kids quickly but quietly grabbed their clothes and began changing. Beau slipped into his room to change as well. He put on a charcoal Oxford shirt hiding his tattoos besides the ones on his hands and the one that poked out around his collarbone. Beau also slipped on some nice jeans and his loafers.
After getting dressed, Beau knocked on the door, and Levi answered. "Good morning!" Levi said, smiling. Beau gave him a big hug before looking over at Harper, who was staring right at Beau, wearing a light pink lace dress. "Is it someone's birthday today?" Beau asked mischievously. Harper grinned from ear to ear. "It's Harper's birthday!" Levi shouted. Both kids giggled. "Happy Birthday, Miss Harper!" Beau said, hugging her before kissing her cheek. "Thank you," Harper said, still grinning.
Evie then walked out of the bathroom wearing a bell-sleeved striped shirt with blush-colored pants. Her hair was straight and tucked behind her ears. She wore her black sunglasses on her head like a headband for the moment, and she had a black purse with a gold chain strap over her shoulder. She wore black strap sandals. When she saw what Beau was wearing, Evie was caught off guard by his appearance. He dressed very similarly to when they went on their first date minus the jacket. She knew he was nervous about meeting her family, so she didn't say a word.
All four of them went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. Beau had found the hotel with the best breakfast in the morning because he knew how important that was to Evie's kids. Luke, Kade, and Rick were already sitting in the dining room, eating. The kids ran over to them to give hugs. "Happy Birthday, Harper!" the three of them each said. She grinned back at them. They each reached into their pockets and pulled out necklaces. Harper squealed and said, "Thank you!" She hugged each of them again before she and Levi made their way back to the table.
Evie and Beau grabbed food for everyone and chose a table while Levi and Harper were talking to the other band members. As Beau walked past Luke, Luke said, "You're pretty fancy today. What's the occasion besides Harper's birthday?" Before Beau could answer, Evie said, "He's meeting my parents today." "That's right. Well, good luck," Luke said, raising his glass of mimosa before taking a drink.
When the kids sat down, they began to eat the food that was in front of them. Evie pulled out a baggy of her protein powder and supplements, poured each of them into
her water cup, and stirred. She began drinking it as well as picking at the eggs on her plate. Beau ate the sausage and bacon that was in front of him while Harper ate everything on her plate, and Levi ate bacon, eggs, and sausages. After everyone finished, Beau asked Levi to help him carry the dishes, empty them in the garbage, and put them on top of the garbage cans to be collected later. Evie and Harper stood up afterwards and followed Beau and Levi out to the rental car that Beau acquired the previous day for the trip.
The drive was beautiful as they looked out at the coast. Harper fell asleep in her car seat while Levi colored in a coloring book. Beau and Evie held hands. She gave Beau directions on where to go to get to her parents' house. Evie's parents lived in the Highland Beach district of Annapolis. Harper requested to go for a ride on the family boat while they were staying there.
Beau played out every single scenario of how the trip could go. He knew Evie came from a good family just like Phoebe did, and he always felt intimidated by that. He felt like he was sweating bullets as he pulled in front of a rambler with a huge yard surrounded by trees with a minivan parked in the driveway. Evie could sense he was tense, so she squeezed his hand and said, "My parents are going to love you." "Are you sure? I'm not exactly the picture-perfect guy parents expect to bring home to Mom and Dad," he said. Evie smiled lightly. "They will love you because I love you," she said calmly. Beau calmed down a little as he climbed out of the car and helped Harper get out of the vehicle. Evie climbed out and grabbed Levi's hand as he closed his door.
