by Thomas, C. M
Zane had never been an early riser, even though he ran every day. He just ran in the afternoon or just after dinner. He needed his beauty sleep.
“Morning. You guys ready?” Gia looked at me and Bear.
“Well, I am. I don’t know about him.” I pointed at Bear.
We ran for the next hour or so. When we got back to my house, I went inside to get two bottles of water. Gia was sitting outside on the porch with Bear.
“Water?” I asked when I came out again.
“Yeah, please.” I handed her one of the bottles before I sat down beside her. “So, how did it go last night?” she asked.
“Really good. She is so adorable.” I smiled. Evie sent me this picture this morning of my baby girl, all tired and snuggled up against her mom.
“I can’t wait to meet her. Amy says she is so cute and full of energy.”
“That she is. I still can’t believe that I have a daughter. It’s so surreal. And at the same time, the love I feel for her is so deep. I don’t even understand how that can be, I only met her yesterday.”
“I think when you’re a parent, the love you have for your child is there right away.” I looked at my baby sister. Since when did she become so wise? “Don’t look so surprised,” she said with a laugh.
“Sorry.” I laughed at her and pulled her in for a hug.
“Eww. You’re all sweaty.” She pulled away.
“So are you. But you’re right, I need to take a shower. I have a meeting with the guys, Anna, and our manager in about an hour.”
“Okay, I will go back to Mom and Dad’s. See you later.”
“See you.” I walked inside to get ready for the meeting.
“Anna told me you guys have something to discuss with me,” our manager, Logan, said. We had a Skype meeting with him.
“Yes. Mostly it’s me. But the guys are a part of it too,” I said. “I found out that my ex-girlfriend has a daughter. And that I’m her father.” I told the rest of the story to Logan.
“I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t know sooner. But it’s great that you and she will try to work this out,” Logan said.
“Our question is: how do we handle this? Do we send out a press release? Do we just keep quiet? Or what do you think?” Anna asked. The guys just sat and listened, because it really was mostly my problem. Well, I wouldn’t call it a problem. After all, no matter what, Alana came before anything else, even my career. But it could become a problem if we didn’t handle this correctly.
“I think the best way will be some sort of public statement. Will it be okay if I have my assistant draft up some options for you? Then you can look at them and get back to me. You will have them tomorrow morning at the latest,” Logan said.
“I think that is fine. That way Liam can talk to Evie about it, so she is in on the decision,” Zane said.
“And we called Dax. He is coming here tonight with five of his guys. They will be here over the summer if we need them. We hope we don’t. But if the media goes crazy over this, we want to be prepared,” I added. Caleb told us just before this meeting that he called Dax this morning. We already had two security guys here, but we needed more in case the press went crazy.
“I think that is a great idea. We never know how this will turn out in the media. Or how your fans will react. But I will get my assistant to send you some material, and then I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow. I have another meeting, so if there is nothing else?” Logan asked.
“I think that was it. They try to take a break from music over the summer. So hopefully this will be the only thing we have to deal with,” Anna said with a big smile on her face.
“We hope so. But if not, I’m only a phone call away. Talk to you soon. And have a good summer,” Logan said before he finished our meeting.
“When do we get to meet our niece?” Zane asked. We had just eaten lunch and now we were all relaxing in my living room.
“Tonight. Didn’t mom tell you?” I asked. I thought for sure that our mother would have called them all by now to tell them that tonight they were going to meet Alana.
“No, she just sent a text ordering us to be at the house at four this afternoon,” Caleb said.
“Funny. I expected her to advertise the fact that she was going to meet her granddaughter tonight,” I said.
“I think she is so excited. After you left yesterday, she started giving orders to us all. That we needed to redecorate your old room, so Alana had a place at Mom and Dad’s. Then she told Dad that she was going shopping very soon.” Zane looked amused.
We all knew what that meant. When our mother went out shopping, she went all in. This new room would be full of everything Alana could ever wish for. I couldn’t help but smile. She deserved that. She deserved to have grandparents who spoiled her and loved her unconditionally.
“How did it go last night?” Cole asked. I told them about my first meeting with Alana.
“I miss her. It’s weird in some way. I only met her yesterday. And by the time I came back last night, I missed her. I want to be around her all the time. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been a part of her life the first three years. But I really don’t want to miss anything.”
“And how is it being around Evie again?” Caleb asked. He seemed to be in a better mood today.
“It’s like nothing has changed. But at the same time everything has changed. We’re not teenagers anymore. We have Alana to think about.” I wanted to be with Evie, but we needed to take this slow just like we discussed last night. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. If I was being completely honest, I wanted them here already, living with me. But I didn’t want to scare Evie away.
“I bet by the time we go back on tour, you guys are back together. And then we don’t have to look at you moping around, feeling sorry for yourself,” Zane told me with a big smile on his face.
Anna slapped him on the shoulder. “Shut up. Think about if that was you, do you think you would go around smiling all the time if we broke up?” Anna asked him.
“Of course not, but we won’t break up, baby.” He gave her a kiss.
We talked about what we needed to get done over the summer. Then Anna showed us the final schedule for the last of the tour. We talked about what interviews we wanted to do in the different cities. Then, just before we were ready to end, Cole asked us something.
“I got a call from Kylie. She wanted to know if we would make an appearance at her first charity benefit for Happy Childhood. It’s three days before we go back on tour. And it’s the first benefit she is doing. And it’s in Colorado Springs, so we don’t have to travel a long way for it.” Cole looked around at all of us. Happy Childhood was a foundation that helped children from abusive homes. Cole was one of the founders, and the foundation was his baby.
“I think that is a great idea. But why didn’t she call me?” Anna asked. Kylie was her sister, and our former PA.
“Maybe because you’re not working for the foundation. I don’t know,” Cole said. He did a lot of work for them when he had the time. And we all supported him and the foundation and their work to help children from homes with abusive parents. That foundation meant a lot to him.
“Don’t be mad, baby. Cole and Kylie will be working together a lot now,” Zane said.
“I know. What do you guys think?” Anna smiled and looked around at all of us.
“I think it’s a great way to end the summer. And we did promise Kylie to make more appearances now that she is working there,” I said. We all supported the foundation financially. Five percent of everything we earned on tour went to Happy Childhood.
“Me too. I think we should do it. And maybe we could have Mom, Dad, Gia, Amy, and Evie and Alana with us. If you want to have Alana go with us to something like that?” Caleb said, looking at me.
“I will talk to Evie about it,” I said. I had a
lot of other things to figure out with Evie before we were ready to make a public appearance together. Hopefully she would come with me to this and we would be together as more than just Alana’s parents.
“Thanks, guys. Anna, will you do the planning with Kylie?” Cole asked Anna.
“I will. You guys need the break. And it kind of is my job.” She grinned.
“Right, it is. I totally forgot.” Cole winked at her.
I looked at my phone and saw that Evie had sent a text.
Evie: Is it okay if we come over in about half an hour?
I looked at the clock. She wrote this text fifteen minutes ago.
Me: Of course. I will kick the guys out now.
Evie: No need, just text me when they are gone.
I looked up from my phone. “You guys need to go,” I said.
“You’re kicking us out?” Zane put a hand on his chest, trying to look shocked.
“I am. My baby girl is on her way with her mother. And you can’t be here when they come. We will all see each other in a few hours. Do you think you can do without me in that time?” I asked him.
“I guess I have to.” He stood up and walked over to the door with the others. “You want me to take Bear with us?”
“No, let him be. Evie thinks Alana will love him. But we will see. If she doesn’t, I will just let him out of the house,” I said.
“Okay, can’t wait to meet her later. I will for sure be her coolest, funniest, and prettiest uncle.” Zane walked out of the house, laughing.
“Shut up. You really think she will like you more than me?” Cole asked.
“Yes, I do. What do you think, baby?” Zane put his arm around Anna while they walked away from the house. I didn’t hear her answer, but Cole and Anna were laughing, so I think she might have disagreed with Zane.
“Are you okay with all of this?” Caleb asked.
“I think so. It’s a lot to take in, you know? I want to be a part of her life, but at the same time, what kind of life will she have when the media finds out?” I said.
“Don’t worry about it, man. We will all support you and Evie. You know that, right? I know I was an ass yesterday, but I really thought she just left you, and then kept Alana from you on purpose. I can’t believe her parents would do that to her.”
“I know. I can’t, either. I know you all are supporting us, but it’s still hard. But I think we just need to take it one day at a time, and then see what happens.”
“Yeah, me too. I will get out of here, see you later.” Caleb gave me a quick hug before he walked down from the porch.
I sent Evie a text, telling her that they could come whenever they were ready. I cleaned up the table after our meeting.
Thank God Zane had thought to ask Mom for some sandwiches for lunch, because my fridge was almost empty. Mom had of course also bought some juice boxes and snacks for Alana. She really would be the greatest grandma ever.
I walked outside and sat on the porch, waiting for them to come. Bear was sleeping inside, which I thought was for the best. Alana wouldn’t get run down by him. He was, after all, a big dog.
Chapter 9:
Evie
Driving down the driveway to the Camden ranch, I felt a little nervous, and my hands were sweaty against the steering wheel. Maybe more than a little nervous. I knew that Liam had told everyone what happened, and why I left, but I also knew that there would be questions I had to answer at some point. I just hoped that tonight would be about Alana, and not about why I left. I didn’t think I could handle that.
I was also nervous about Alana meeting all these new people at once, but I was sure she would be fine. The way she was around Amy was amazing. She trusted Amy. Trusted me to not make her meet someone who would hurt her. I just hoped tonight would be the same.
I parked in front of Liam’s house, and saw him sitting on the porch waiting for us. The moment he saw me park the car, he walked over to us.
“Look who is coming over, baby girl.” I looked over my shoulder at Alana. She was looking out of the car window. I could see her face change the moment she saw Liam.
“Daddy, Daddy.” She tried to get out of her car seat.
“Easy, baby girl. Your dad will help you in a minute.” I got out of the car and walked around to Liam. “Hey.”
“Hey, you okay?” He gave me a hug before he opened the car door.
“Just nervous about tonight.” I shrugged.
“Me too,” he said before he reached in and took Alana out of her car seat. “Hey baby girl.” He gave Alana a kiss on the top of her head.
We walked inside the house. When I closed the door, I heard Alana gasp. I quickly turned around and saw why.
“Mommy, see big dog.” She clapped her hands and tried to get down from Liam’s arms. Bear was sitting in front of Liam and Alana, waiting. Liam squatted down so Alana could reach Bear.
“Be nice to him, okay?” I walked over to them.
“Okay, Mommy.” Alana carefully reached over and petted Bear on the head. Liam smiled up at me before looking back at Alana.
“You like him? His name is Bear,” he said, still holding Alana. I was quite surprised that Bear just sat there. He wagged his big tail and just watched us, or mostly Alana, with hopeful eyes. He let her pet him without making any movements. Normally he could be a little wild, mostly because he sometimes forgot how big he was.
“Mommy, me want dog at home.” Alana looked up at me with her small puppy eyes. I laughed and looked at Liam, who was also laughing.
“You can visit Bear all the time, okay?” I looked at Liam when I said that, hoping that he understood that I wanted Alana to be here with him, also without me, if that was what he wanted. Liam let Alana go, and she walked around in the living room. Bear followed her around like he wanted to protect her.
“That went better than I could have ever hoped for. I think he likes her,” Liam said, and took my hand. We walked over to the couch and sat down.
“Yeah. Told you she loves animals. But I know he can sometimes be a little wild.” I grinned.
“He for sure can. You should see him every time we come home after having been gone for weeks. Both he and Buddy almost jump up in our arms. They forget how big they are, I think.”
“You might be right about that. Is everyone going to be at your parents’ house tonight?”
“Yes, and apparently Mom has ordered them all to behave. She is so excited to meet Alana,” Liam said.
“I hope everything goes okay tonight. But to be honest, I’m nervous about it.” I looked over at Alana; she was sitting in front of the fireplace, petting Bear. I thought they would be good friends.
“We will be there for her, and if it gets to be too much for her, we will go.” Liam turned in his seat so he was looking at me.
“I know. I’m just being silly. So much has happened the last month. I think I just need a break to breathe again. Alana asked about my parents today, when they were coming to visit us. I didn’t know what to tell her. I know she loves my mom. My dad didn’t really care to form any relationship with her. How do I tell her that they are gone?”
“I don’t know, Sunshine. But maybe for now just try to tell her that they won’t be coming by for some time. I don’t think she can understand what dead means. But remember I’m here, and I want to help. It’s not you who has to make all the tough decisions alone anymore, okay?”
“I know, and for that I’m so grateful. I just feel a little in over my head. I actually feel like I can’t breathe at times. Like I’m going to drown. I know it’s stupid. But so many things have happened.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid. I really think you might need to talk to someone about what you went through. You can talk to me if you want. But if not, that’s okay too. Just talk to someone about your feelings.” Liam looked at me. He was worried about me, it was
all over his face. His eyes were full of compassion. I was worried about me too. I worried that at some point all these feelings inside me would come crashing down on me.
“I will try. But it’s hard. I haven’t had anyone to talk to or to confide in since I left. If it’s okay with you, I think I would like to talk to your mom, she has always been so easy to talk to.” I hoped I didn’t hurt him, but I thought I needed someone to talk to who wasn’t him or Amy right now. I would talk to him about some of the things, but not the birth of Alana and the pregnancy. I needed to talk to someone who had been through the emotions that came with that.
“I think she would love to help. And don’t worry about me being hurt about this. I just want to see a smile on your face. Just know that I’m here, always. Always have been, and always will be, no matter what.” He held his hands out. “Come here.” I moved over so I sat between his legs, my back against his front, resting my head on his chest.
“Mommy, me want cuddle too.” Alana came over to us and tried to get up on the couch. Liam reached around her waist and lifted her up so she lay on his leg, between me and the couch. She cuddled into me and smiled.
Liam turned on the television, and we watched some cartoon. Or Alana did, maybe Liam too. I just enjoyed the moment. Me in the arms of Liam, with our baby girl cuddled up against us. I could get used to this. I would love for us to just be together like this every day, to be together as a family. I just hoped we could work through everything and be a family. That really was all I wanted.
“I want you to meet some new people today, you want that?” Liam asked Alana. They were sitting on the floor beside Bear. After an hour of watching cartoons, Alana wanted to play with Bear.
“Yeah, me like meeting people.” Alana smiled. Liam picked her up and walked over to the pictures that were hanging on the wall.
“This is your grandma and grandpa.” Liam pointed at a picture of his parents. Alana gasped and looked at the picture.
