The nurse in the ER did a bunch of blood tests, and an on-call doctor did an ultrasound to check I wasn’t bleeding. My blood pressure was fine, I wasn’t contracting, and they’d put it down to the stress of the day. Relief washed over me as Simone texted the guy who’d dropped us off at the ER door to pick us up at the same place. I’d just settled in the car and switched on my phone when it almost blew up with the sheer amount of voice mails, texts and missed call alerts. All from Flynn.
I sat in the car reflecting, the day had gone anything but how I’d wanted it to go, but at least the baby was fine, RedA were a hit, Jonah had finally made the concert and Kayden was my hero.
I was barely through the door of the dressing room when Flynn rushed over to me. With a look of concern, he took me by the arm and led me to an armchair he’d obviously been sitting in. His phone was on the side, a bottle of sparkling water by his feet, “Jesus, babe, what are you doing coming here again? Why didn’t you call me back?”
“You’d have told me to stay away, and I’d have worried that everything had ended well. All we’re doing now is having some food and going home to bed, right?”
The meet and greet was already over and the foster kids, Alison and Helen, had already gone back to the hotel. There wasn’t anything left, but for Lee to take us home.
“I think it was the bass—he didn’t like it,” I said, rubbing my swollen belly. “The vibrations were coming up through my feet. If I’m honest, I was so excited about Kayden being out there with you that I hadn’t noticed it at first, but my stomach felt tight and my back was sore. I’d been standing a lot today as well.”
“Right, fuck it. I’m putting my foot down. I’ve gone along with this work shit as much as I could, but you’re not coming to any more gigs until after the baby is born,” Flynn said. I knew he could be really assertive, but until that day he’d rarely aired that side of himself with me. “You need to stop being selfish, Valerie. This is our baby, and it’s worrying me. From now on during gigs, you are a stay-at-home-expectant-mom. And don’t look at me like that,” he said like he was truly ticked off.
“I’ll stay home.” I was twenty-eight weeks, and I knew I’d been pushing my luck as far as our baby went. He had no argument from me.
Without another word he pulled me against his warm, slightly damp chest, and bent his head to my ear, “Family first, babe. Nothing else matters. We got this now. You’ve been incredible Valerie, but you have to focus on our baby and building your strength for the C-section,” he murmured softly. The faint smell of peppermint on his breath and the sweat of his labor on stage made me turn into him for his comfort.
“I’m sorry I’ve made you worry, but pregnancy is supposed to be a normal, physiological event, not a dramatic one, but I’m listening now. My visit to the hospital has helped me realize I can’t play around with this. Maybe I’ve been headstrong and immature, but I’ve got the message.”
Smiling that amazing, sexy, I’ve-got-your-full-attention smile, he bent and pressed his soft plump lips against mine, smiled against them, then pushed himself away, “Alright the way you’re all behaving you’d think none of you had a bed to sleep in,” I said, standing and nodding at Lee to let him know we were ready to go.
Flynn took me to bed that night and snuggled up tight without mentioning the scare at the hospital again, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he was little scared at the prospect of an early birth. We rarely went to bed without dissecting the day, but we were both mentally exhausted from the incidents with Jonah being late, and the baby scare that we fell into bed and were asleep in minutes.
*****
The morning after Kayden’s debut as the reserve drummer for RedA we had a rush job t-shirt made for him that said, Flynn Docherty’s Hero—Kayden ‘The Mechanic’ Darsin. It was a shame the evening had ended like it had because Kayden deserved credit for what he had done for the band. He’d already pushed past that set of nerves and swapped them for another because that Friday was the day he’d chosen to propose to Amber.
Amber stayed after the concert with Kayden. They work together, so the next day he had a job on his hands to get her to leave for work without him. Kayden wasn’t going to work, but Amber had no clue what was in store for her. Flynn helped him as they hosed down an old flatbed trailer Kayden had secretly spray painted with metallic white paint, and after hooking the pristine wagon laden with dark red roses to our old tractor, they dragged it down to the creek in preparation for Kayden and Amber’s big moment.
We’d arranged for Alison and Helen to come and stay at our cabin the day after the concert for the weekend. The rest of the band had gone home for a three-day break before rehearsals commenced the following Wednesday.
Flynn and I had lunch with the girls, and afterward they met up with Craig and Simone in the studio. He gave them a singing lesson and recorded them singing “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi, and “Thinking In Black and White” by Flynn. Flynn called and cleared it with Jon Bon Jovi himself about the song, so there were no copyright issues; it was for their personal use. They were in awe when he gave them their copies in the plastic CD covers with them and Flynn on the cover.
I had taken a couple of pictures of them when I’d gone over to have some lunch then was banished to spend the afternoon lying in bed, so I’d perfected them as a surprise. I had missed my photography, but I’d still had some input with Keller doing the video shoot and the graphic designers for the merchandise.
We never saw Kayden or Amber again that day. Kayden had picked her up from work and apart from his car being outside the barn, we wouldn’t have known they were around. I hadn’t been nervous for him at all because Amber would have been a fool if she’d knocked him back.
Watching Flynn’s natural ability communicate with the girls made my heart squeeze, I couldn’t wait to see him with our baby. His gentle encouragement was the most impressive sight to see when he was with them. I heard them open up to him and listened to their honest discussions about being in the foster system. They had bad luck and restrictive life opportunities. I couldn’t help but feel sad for them.
When Flynn said he was lucky, I struggled to see his perspective with that because his mom and brother had been murdered, and his dad was in jail. It was only when he mentioned his foster parents and grandma that I got what he meant.
As for Alison and Helen, they had no idea what the future held for them. Helen liked art, but she had no confidence in her ability. When I asked to find out what specific art form she enjoyed, she said she was interested in digital art, screen printing, and typeset printing. The school she went to had an awesome art department, according to her, and she was so animated it was obvious she’d been talking to someone who had been teaching her the basics. Her dull blue eyes came alive when she’d talked about art.
Alison’s preference was for social media and she’d already earned money by tweeting and posting on Instagram for a few independent businesses that had no time to do it themselves. She reminded me of myself, keen to learn, adaptable, and with a thirst for knowledge.
My mom and dad were particularly interested in the girls’ lifestyles, and I was pleased they had taken a genuine interest. Helen and my mom, in particular, had hit it off and just before dinner, Helen had helped my mom with some designs for a quilt she wanted to make. Alison wasn’t nearly as loud and assertive as she’d been the previous time I’d met her. She knew her stuff and was really informative when we’d discussed how to spread the word about RedA better, inviting her fresh social media use ideas.
I spoke to Flynn to gauge his thoughts on offering Alison a small role in the fan club, and even though he was sceptical at first, after he’d listened to another conversation between us he’d agreed—as long as there was a delay in her posts until they’d been approved. We figured twenty-four posts over twenty-four hours between all the social media platforms would be about right, eighteen prescheduled, and six held back in case any urgent news had to be shared.
“Oh. My. God,
I promise you won’t regret it,” she gushed excitedly and jumped up to hug him before turning to apologize to me for doing so.
Something told me she’d rock the new responsibility. We walked the girls to our house and went to other for the weekend.
An hour later, we finished preparing salads and coleslaw for the cookout the following day and dragged our tired, weary bones to bed.
*****
The following morning, I could see the apprehension on my mom’s face about socializing with our neighbors again. She’d been fine with the band and Amber, but hadn’t been around anyone in so long, I knew it would be a hard day for her.
It was heartening to see our neighbors turn out in force to support my parents in their first real social gathering in three years, and Amber and Kayden with their good news. Amber was surprised to see her family there as well. It had been Kayden’s idea, and the low-key affair was perfect for our families to get to know each other.
The cookout was fun, and it was the first one we had at our family home since the boys had passed away. My mom asked me to sing, and Flynn smiled warmly and nudged my arm.
“Hmm, I’ve never heard you sing. Go on, babe,” he said, gently encouraging me. I shook my head, embarrassed to be asked in the first place, never mind that my boyfriend was a rock star.
“Not fair, Valerie. This is nothing compared to what you put me through the other night,” Kayden reminded me. I had still protested, but the requests never stopped there, and I thought they would when I’d said the only song I wanted to sing was a sad one. Even at that everyone pushed and coaxed me until that became so embarrassing I gave in.
Kayden grabbed my old guitar from my bedroom when I’d used that as an excuse not to sing, and even though I knew there would be tears and torn hearts, I had to sing the one song that had floated through my mind daily since the first time I heard it.
No one had mentioned the boys that night, and I had felt we’d all been avoiding that we missed them so much. Maybe it was my hormones or maybe it was just the occasion, but if I’d had to sing anything then it had to be that. It was the one song that never said I’d feel better, but I’d done what the words told me and found my new normal.
“Let It Hurt” by Rascal Flatts was perfect for how I felt daily. The song sounded ten times better with the simple piano arrangement it was supposed to have, but a quick tune-up of my old beat up acoustic I’d had since I was thirteen and I was ready. The simple guitar arrangement made it sound as pure as the first time I’d heard Gary LeVox sing it.
When I started playing, I closed my eyes because I knew the words were going to bring back so many memories of grief, and at the same time it struck a chord with how all of us felt daily about the loss we’d suffered.
My voice sang a melody that drifted into the night air and a couple of times it almost cracked, but I kept going. I felt it was something that had to be done to lay my ghosts to rest, and face the next part of my journey with Flynn. I was nearly finished with the last bridge when my mom let out a painful sob. I faltered, and my voice cracked, and instantly both Kayden and Flynn’s voices kicked in to help me finish. When I struck the last chord, everyone sat there in silence, apart from Alison and Helen, who were cheering and hollering for more.
Opening my eyes to find my mom’s instantly connected to mine, tears running unchecked down her face and her hand holding my dad’s tightly. I saw him swallow three times in a row trying to hold back his tears. Kayden eyes were teared up, but he smiled and nodded, pulled Amber close to him, and kissed her head as he struggled with feelings of his own.
“That was beautiful, Valerie. That’s the first time I’ve heard you sing since…” my mom gave me a tear stained smile and my dad, hugged her close. The neighbors we’d known since childhood sat silently, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. We’d all loved the boys.
Flynn stood up and pulled me to stand and cleared his throat before turning to face my parents. “You see this girl? Your girl…my girl, she is the most giving, and honest human being I’ve ever met in my entire life. She is how she is because of you. You, Kayden, Martin and Adam shaped her into this awesome woman, and I thank all of you for the love you’ve all given her. It’s because she’s been loved the way she has that she’s as incredible as she is.”
He turned to Kayden and addressed him, “Kayden, you are the most fantastic guy I’ve ever known apart from Martin, and I may be speaking out of turn here, but I’m in debt to God that you survived because what you just did there for her when she sang was on pure instinct. It’s something I’ve seen in all of you Darsin men. You know exactly when to support my girl and when to let go. Now, before I shatter my alpha male rock star persona, I’m taking my woman and our baby to bed,” he smirked.
Flynn pulled me against him, flung his arm over my shoulder, “Goodnight everyone, it’s been lovely to meet you, but as you can see, Valerie’s not that great at knowing when she’s had enough of the day, so I’m playing the bad guy and making her go home.”
Kayden stood tucked his hands into his front pockets, “Thanks, buddy. Glad you came back for her, our lives would have been miserable if you hadn’t,” he said and smirked back, “Mom and Dad will make sure the girls are settled. See you tomorrow.”
He was already making his way out of the picket fence with me by the time Kayden had finished talking and bent to whisper, “Fucking hot. You, a guitar, and the way you sang that song…fucking hot. You know that’s the first time I’ve really heard you sing? I should have pressed Adam more when he said you played. Kayden and you…is there anything you guys can’t do?”
Looking into his eyes, I chuckled, “Yep. Neither of us can touch our noses with our tongues.”
Chuckling he kissed my head and shivered as we reached the cabin door, “Eww, I had a visual, I’m not asking anything else, I don’t want to think about Kayden’s tongue.”
Chapter 37 ~ Flynn
Thirty two
After an amazing few days at home and our first live concert under our belt, the band had spent two weeks preparing for a run of eleven back-to-back dates, three days off and another fifteen dates of the tour that Valerie, Javier, and another promoter had scheduled for us.
RedA’s launch concert had been in Iowa, and although it wasn’t exactly the center of the universe for making headlines, we’d chosen there for one reason. Martin and Adam’s death had made it all possible, and Iowa was where we felt close to them.
The band should have been in New York or Chicago, but when I saw the Iowa venue was free, and after a lot of consideration, I felt it was the perfect place to start a new beginning for Val and me. It had been a nice way to break in the band gently, and those other cities were already on the list of places for the small tour.
Valerie’s trip to the hospital had scared some sense into her, and she was having very regular appointments at the clinic to monitor her physical health, bloodwork, and to monitor and record the baby’s heartbeat.
Dr. Clark had been adamant that she come to the office regularly, but since the night she went to the ER she’d had no other issues and at twenty-eight weeks our son was behaving himself in her belly.
I’d given Jonah a massive ass-chewing over missing part of the first gig, but like Valerie said, if it had been any of our relatives that we cared about we’d have wanted to pay our last respects as well.
We couldn’t really blame him for the airline having issues, but we now made sure that steps had been taken that anything that could interfere with live performances was resolved at least twenty-four hours before we were due on stage. Otherwise, that band member or manager was not to be expected, and a replacement was to be called in if necessary.
We were so fucking lucky that Kayden had stepped up. Someone up there had been watching out for us. The dude had guts. There’s no way I’d have done that before I’d been trained in live performance. The poor guy had never even been in a band, and his first experience was in front of eight thousand in a packed arena
.
As a thank you to him, I’d arranged a mega renowned drum tutor who’d worked with some kickass drummers to give Kayden some of his time in the studio. He had a birthday approaching and Valerie and I wanted to do something special for him. She’d initially wanted to take him somewhere until I’d reminded her she’d be thirty-five weeks by then if she made it that far.
In the four weeks that followed, Valerie and I Skyped each other pre and post gig, and I was happy that the band had gone from great to phenomenal. Every live gig we rocked, ten more offers for venues came in. Valerie was bored senseless, but for the sake of our baby, it was a no-brainer for her to be a good girl and do as she was told. I’m kidding. No one told Valerie to do anything she had to come to the conclusion herself with a little prompting.
Conceding to the demands of her pregnancy worked out pretty well considering. Javier stepped up as my wingman for live events, and she spoke on the phone to resolve whatever needed her attention. The hardest part was being separated. I had to stay away for eight nights out of eleven and for one of them had been a huge after party.
I’d tried not to think about it too much, but I knew I’d have to be careful about someone catching a picture of me with a random female to make something out of it that it wasn’t. I just had a weird feeling around that one, and Valerie had started to become sensitive to her size and didn’t need any of that shit with her crazy hormones.
I’d been right to feel off about that gig, but for a different reason. We had a rare day off after the show, and the after-party was put in place by the PR team that had sponsored the original concert that Major ScAlz were due to perform. It was one of the dates that we had taken over. Valerie reassured me it would be fine and until I’d spoken to her on Skype I’d been enjoying myself.
Ready For Flynn, Part 2 : A Rockstar Romance (The Ready For Flynn) Page 32
