In between songs, I checked my phone. Two songs left in the set, Sara sent me a text that brought a huge smile to my face.
Sara: Don’t worry about us, little brother. We’re waiting for you. Play your ass off. Nothing’s going to happen until you get here.
I faced the crowd and fiddled with my guitar strings. I nodded to Erica and Eddie to give me some background music. What I was about to say needed to be scored in a way that only Eddie and Erica could do.
“I was sixteen when I got my first guitar and nineteen when I started my career. I moved to Atlanta from Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Anyone who’s ever packed up and left the comforts of home knows that starting over is a lonely process, especially when I moved to LA. I missed my friends, my family, and my favorite restaurants. But I knew that coming out here was going to change my life.
“Normally, I’d take this moment to thank you guys for always supporting me. For always sticking by my side and showin’ up at shows and on release days. You know I wouldn’t be shit without you. But tonight, here at the world famous Hollywood Bowl, there are two people who aren’t here that I wouldn’t be shit without. My two sisters.”
I paused for second so I wouldn’t choke up. I heard some people in the front row say “aww” and I smiled.
“Y’all know Dee-Lee, my baby sister, used to be my assistant.” I waited for cheers for Delilah to die down. “My older sister, Sara, keeps out of the spotlight, but she’s a doctor here in LA. Not only are my sisters my biggest fans, but they have been supporting this dream of mine from day one. Delilah used to tag along with me to my guitar lessons. Sara used to stand up for me to my parents because she was the oldest and felt like it was her duty. I want to tell you a story about my sisters.”
“I was seventeen and I’d just quit the football team. My dad was pissed and took away my guitar. I had to get a job to buy another one. Then after I went to college for year, I quit that too and moved to Atlanta. That did nothing but upset my parents and they cut me off. I joined Joey Clausen on his House of Blues tour, which was a big fuckin’ deal, but my parents still didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
My eyes began to tear up as I recalled what happened with my sisters during that tour. I couldn’t help the cracks in my voice as I finished my story.
“My parents cut off all communication with me and I hadn’t spoken to my sisters in months,” I told my fans. “My dad ended up having a sales convention in Vegas at the same time we were going to be there. Sara and Delilah, using their own sneaky methods, found me on the Las Vegas strip and gave me back this guitar! My sisters risked their own relationships with our parents in order to help me pursue my dream. My parents eventually came around, but what my sisters did for me has stuck with me all this time.”
I held my first guitar…my baby up in the air. “Every time I take this guitar out of her case, I think about my sisters. So tonight, I want to dedicate this show to Delilah and Sara. They’ll never understand how much I love them!”
Six hours after I ended the show after two encores, I was standing by Sara’s hospital bed holding my nephew, Tyler, while my sisters watched the video Sunny had taken of my concert. Sara’s face was red and she was dead ass tired after pushing Tyler out for six hours. As the tears rolled down her face, she squeezed my hand and smiled up at me.
“You’re so special, little brother.”
“Even after all the crap you put us through,” Delilah sniffled. “I always knew you were a softie for us.”
Chapter 18: Atlanta
I burst into Kat’s Pepto Bismol pink office at Rabbit’s, unannounced and three hours early. Kat Mays, my second mother, practically jumped out of the Herman Miller desk chair I bought for her birthday. The chair didn’t match her pink and white furnishings, but she loved it all the same.
“What the hell, boy?” Kat shouted. “You bustin’ in here like you got a warrant or some shit! You said you weren’t coming over ‘til later. What’s wrong with you?”
I grinned and swooped my surrogate into a big hug. I do not see Kat nearly as much as I want to. I have an impossible time trying to get her on an airplane.
“You’ve missed me. Admit it.”
“Of course I missed my baby-boy,” she snapped as she sat back in her chair. “Haven’t seen you since the wedding that didn’t happen. Sit down. Where’s your crew?”
I picked through the candy dish on her desk. “Everybody went their separate ways when we touched down. We’re just pulling in from Miami. Man, we are drained! We had a hell of a time, Kat. Sunny hit up King of Diamonds with us. Can you believe it?”
“What’s that the kids say? Pics or it didn’t happen?”
“No one says that anymore,” I chuckled but I pulled out my phone to show her the proof.
“You got that girl a lap dance! And she let you? She must be in love!”
“Yeah, but she wouldn’t go for a threesome. Believe me, I tried.”
“Better watch it. My niece ain’t like those other whores you dealt with. Suggest a threesome to her again and I’ll cut your nuts off. Where’s my niece at anyway?”
The relationship between Sunny, Kat, Erica, Joey, and Roxy is kind of complicated. It took me a minute to figure everything out. Kat, Joey, and Sunny’s father, Jermaine, are siblings on their dad’s side. Roxy and Erica’s mother are sisters. Erica and Sunny went to school together and that’s how they became friends. Joey married Roxy, but they never had any kids.
“I think Sunny and Erica went over Sunny’s house.”
“The townhouse or her mom and dad’s?”
“Mom and Dad’s,” I answered. A little bit of joy shot through when I found a cinnamon disk buried under the million starlight mints in Kat’s dish. “The townhouse is still empty.”
“And how long are you staying before you back to LA and forget about me?” Kat asked with raised eyebrows.
Kat knows that Atlanta is our last show. She also knows that I don’t have a good reason to hop on a plane right after the show tomorrow night. That was a trick question.
“How long do you want me to stay?”
“A week,” she answered.
“You know Sara had her baby,” I reminded her. “And Erica wants to start recording.”
“Two things that have nothing to do with me,” Kat said and popped a stick of Doublemint gum in her mouth.
“I know you got a lot goin’ on back there, but this is your home, boy. I would appreciate seeing you more often than you popping into town for a day or two every three or four months. I can’t get a week?”
Immediately, I felt like shit. I love this woman with all my heart. Kat gave me a venue to play in and a place to practice…two very instrumental things that jump-started my career. She also paid for studio time, equipment, put gas in my car, and made sure I ate every day. From the day I met Kat, she treated me like a son. She deserves more than a weekly phone call. I held my head in shame.
“Sorry.”
“Lift your head up. Ain’t no need to be apologizin’. Just do better. I know I didn’t birth you, but I love you just the same. You hungry?”
“Starving.”
Kat got up from her desk, but I stopped her from opening the door.
“You’re coming to the show tomorrow, right?”
“You pickin’ me up? You know I don’t drive in nobody’s rush hour traffic.”
“If I pick you up,” I grinned. “You’re going to have to hang out backstage with us. Roxy’ll be there.”
Kat sighed. When she did, her entire body slumped.
“Well, let me start prayin’ for strength now,” she said.
Kat still hates her ex sister-in-law. I am not going to be the one to tell her that Roxy and Joey have been dating again for almost a year. She might really kill Roxy. It’s probably best to let her brother tell her.
“And I booked you a room at the Hilton. You’re coming to Savannah with us after the show, right?”
“You know I’m too old to party with you and your fr
iends,” Kat stated.
“Yeah right. You partied with us in Vegas after my last tour. Come on, Miss K. You can even ride in the bus with us.”
She burst out laughing. “Boy, you act like that’s a privilege.”
“It is.” I kissed the top of her head. “Another thing,” I said as we walked out of her office into the relatively quiet lounge. “I have a small camera crew meeting me here. Remember that thing about BMTV I told you about?”
“Great.” But Kat’s frown said she didn’t think it was great at all. “You know I don’t like all that paparazzi shit in my bar.”
“They’re not paps. They’re professionals from a television station. We’re getting paid for this.”
Despite my explanation, Kat rolled her eyes. However, her disapproval dissolved when she saw my little sister sitting at a table stuffing her face with a slice of Kat’s red velvet cake. Delilah jumped up as soon as we walked in.
“Miss Kat!”
“Oh, and Delilah’s here,” I said.
“Oh my, Dee-Lee, you get prettier every damn time I see you. How’s that husband of yours? Still spoiling you rotten?”
“Yes,” Delilah answered proudly. “Paulie still treats me like a princess.”
“Because you’re a brat,” I teased.
“Let me get y’all somethin’ to eat. I know you want more than that little piece of cake.”
Kat’s been feeding us soul food since we met her. There is no other place in Atlanta that has better ribs and greens than Rabbit’s. We never had food like that back home. After practically inhaling a plate of ribs, collards, and cornbread, I went to the kitchen to speak to Jo-Jo the cook. I also had to confirm with Jerry, Kat’s husband, that everything was in place for me to take the stage tonight. I came back into the lounge just in time to hear Delilah and Kat talking about me. I stood behind the bar where they couldn’t see me and listened.
“Well, he’s been in love with the girl since way before he knocked her up, Dee-Lee,” Kat was saying.
“I know that,” Delilah huffed. “I’m just worried that this could turn into another Ramey type situation.”
“Sunny isn’t a gold-digger. She ain’t here for his money and fame. Shit,” Kat scoffed. “She practically runs from it.”
“Yeah, but it’s definitely the same he loves her more than she loves him situation he had with Ramey. I see my brother totally invested in this relationship, putting Sunny and what she wants above everything. Then I see her putting everything into her career while my brother is stuck trying to explain where she is to people. Let me tell you, Miss Kat. Aiden’s been on tour for three months and I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen Sunny more than he has and she was supposed to be on the road with him. She knows that Aiden isn’t going to say anything about it so she leaves him hanging to meet with clients or to do work that she hired me to do. I don’t want to get involved in the relationship between my brother and my boss, but damn, Miss Kat. Some days, I just want to punch Sunny! I’m like, he’s more than just your baby daddy so you should treat him better. I know it’s only going to get worse when we all get back to LA and she really gets deep into Fashion Week.”
Delilah’s sentiments surprised me. Usually, she has nothing but good things to say about Sunny. I wondered why she was talking to Kat about this and not me.
“I’m so tired people hurting my brother!” Delilah spat. “Like, I’m tired of sitting back and watching this happen to him. And he’s too damn mannish to ever admit that a girl hurt him. Not to me and Sara, he won’t. But I know that he’s still hurt by what Ramey did to him, not to mention what Erica did. Then he goes and picks the one chick that will break his heart a million times and he will never get over it. Aiden lies and acts like it’s not a big deal, but it is a big deal. I told Sunny that I may not have done anything to Ramey or Erica, but I’m fed up and I don’t give a damn what my brother says. I will kick her ass if she hurts him. I don’t care how many of his kids she has.”
I held in my laugh as I stepped from around the bar. Kat didn’t even try.
“Go ‘head, girl!” she laughed loudly. “You better keep the Vaseline in your purse!”
“That’s not funny,” I said as I rounded the corner and sat next to my little sister. “I appreciate your willingness to beat up my girlfriend, but it won’t be necessary. My relationship with Sunny will never be perfect, but we’re good.”
“For now,” Kat replied. “All I got to say is…Sunny is a good girl. I love my brother’s child to death, but I know her better than you, Aiden. Sunny’s number one priority has been and always will be Sunny. I know she loves you, but you can’t make her your number one priority when you are not hers. Loving someone more than they love you is a dangerous game, Aiden.”
“I don’t think that’s the case with us,” I replied.
“Of course you don’t,” Kat said and patted my knee. “You have what you want. In your eyes, it’s damn near perfect. But how perfect can it be when her parents don’t even know y’all are together?”
My eyes widened in surprise. I had no idea that Sunny hadn’t told her parents what happened between us on Guana Island, especially her father. She tells her father everything. Last time I checked, Mr. Russell wanted us to be together.
“Maybe she’ll tell them while we’re here.”
“And maybe she won’t,” Delilah muttered. “This is the bullshit I’m talking about. I mean, she’s with Aiden fucking Tyler. Why would anyone keep that a secret? Does she even realize how damn lucky she is? Her ass should be grateful and shouting that shit from the rooftops.”
“Delilah,” Kat said sternly before Delilah really flipped out. “Look, baby, nobody is saying that you and Sunny shouldn’t be together. We just don’t want you thinkin’ you got this fairytale romance with the perfect girl when what you really have is a fragile relationship with an emotionally damaged woman who is too stubborn to get some damn help. Hell, Sunny is thirty-three years old and still has adoption issues. She will test you and manipulate the situation so that it always serves her best interests. That doesn’t make her a bad person. It’s how she copes with her shit. All we’re saying is don’t let her do that to you. If anyone can help Sunny get out of her own way when it comes to relationships, it will be you. You just can’t change who you are to fit her ideal. Understood?”
I nodded absently. My head was still spinning, thinking about why Sunny was keeping our relationship a secret from her parents. I can understand why she’s not ready to come out to the public, but her family?
That’s not right.
Furthermore, Kat’s advice was the same as her brother’s. Joey had warned me about Sunny’s ways and now Kat and Delilah were on that same bandwagon. They don’t know her like I do. We’re three months into a lifelong relationship. Of course, there will be growing pains. We still have a lot of hurdles to jump but we’re together and for me, that’s what matters most.
***
I pushed the Sunny situation out of my head and put my best “I don’t give a shit” face on when Alex’s camera crew showed up at Rabbit’s to follow me around for the next thirty-six hours. We took them on an interesting trip to my apartment in Buckhead through Atlanta’s standard rush hour traffic.
I still have my apartment because, no matter what, Atlanta is home just as much as Los Angeles is home. I’m thinking about buying the apartment below me and putting a studio down there and a couple of rooms for Summer and Sunny. Summer is old enough to come here with me when I’m working and not have to stay with her grandparents.
Sunny wasn’t home when Delilah, Mona, and I walked into the apartment with the film crew behind us. I was glad because I didn’t want to get into any shit with cameras filming my every move.
Tracy and Roxy showed up for one last strategizing session since the tour is ending. Delilah and Mona were there to discuss the End of Tour party. We’ve outgrown celebrating the end of a successful tour in the hotel suite. My tour parties are badass and require lots of wo
rk and an event planner or two. There is a lot of work that goes into pulling off a great tour. The crew and band deserve so much than a few bottles of champagne and an on-stage thank you.
“Did Chloe give you a list of the fan club members coming tomorrow?” I asked Delilah.
My assistant usually works with the event planner and the fan club president, but Mona is still too new to take on this task alone. She hasn’t been able to duplicate the relationship that Delilah and Chloe have. Delilah and Chloe would be best friends if Chloe didn’t live in Nevada. I like Mona but I couldn’t throw this very important party at her on her first tour. Delilah has been doing this for years.
“Of course,” Delilah answered me. “Just twenty-five.”
“That’s it?”
“Everyone can’t afford to travel to Atlanta to hang out with you, Aiden,” Delilah admonished. “Flights, hotels, and rental cars are not cheap for the average person.”
“I think you should do another fan event,” Roxy chimed in.
Everybody in the room shut up. Roxy suggesting a fan event was like hearing a mute child speak for the very first time.
“Nope,” Tracy shook her head adamantly. “We are not doing that ever again. Remember the Valentine’s Day in New York fiasco? I’m still putting out those fires.”
“We have to appreciate the fact that Aiden has learned from most of his mistakes,” Roxy said to Tracy. “We’ve been promising another fan event for five years. Plus, he’s in a relationship and Sunny will be there. She won’t let him embarrass himself or us.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. Granted, my “Valentine’s Day is for Fans” event wasn’t a highlight of my career, it wasn’t as bad as Tracy and Roxy made it out to be. My fans don’t talk about the craziness. They talk about the parties and the show like it was the most fun they ever had.
“Let’s do a cruise,” I suggested.
Delilah vetoed that idea with a shake of her blonde hair. “Can’t. Mayer already did two cruises. You don’t want to copy him.”
“I know. Let’s do something in the winter, like a ski trip. No one ever does anything in the winter.”
Love Notes (Friends Lovers or Nothing Book 4) Page 15
