Author: Olivia Cunning

They lay in the aftermath for a long time, none of them willing to let go of the other. Reagan had never felt like such an important part of anything before. But she was a part of these two men she loved, just as they were a part of her. And a part of each other. None of them whole without the other two.

Chapter 37

A couple of days later, Trey stood in the hallway of the tour bus and watched Brian apply his guyliner in the bathroom mirror. They hadn’t spoken since Brian had broken his heart in San Francisco. Trey felt he needed to say something to him. He wasn’t sure what. Things just felt unfinished between them. Uncomfortable. He’d never felt that way around Brian before and he needed it to go away. It was fucking with his perfect happiness. And he knew without a doubt that it would affect their music on stage that night. Their show in San Francisco had been terse. The flow of music between them had been off all night. He needed to fix that. Somehow.

“Take a picture; it will last longer,” Brian said, catching Trey’s gaze in the mirror and grinning at him.

Trey laughed. That had been Trey’s favorite saying in the fifth grade, when he’d first met Brian. Back before things had gotten complicated. Could they ever get that simple friendship back? Trey wasn’t sure, but he had to try.

“How’s Malcolm?” Trey asked. Small talk was a start. It would help him find the courage to press forward with more difficult words.

“I guess he’s good. I haven’t heard from Myrna all day.”

Trey scowled. That didn’t sound like Myrna. He hoped everything was okay. She wouldn’t hide a problem from Brian to keep him from worrying, would she? Of course she would. “Did you call her?”

“Yeah, she texted me and told me her day was entirely full and that she wouldn’t have time to talk until tonight.”

“So she’s okay?”

Brian smiled. “She’s fine. Jessica told me to give the woman a moment’s peace and sent me a picture of Malcolm in his car seat to assure me he was okay. I guess they’re running errands today.”

Trey laughed. “Oh. For a minute I thought you’d learned to relax.”

Brian met his eyes in the mirror again. “How long have you known me, Trey?”

“Eighteen years.” Trey closed his eyes, hoping it would help him find the courage to say what needed to be said. “I forgive you.”

“For knowing me?”

“No, for breaking my heart. I kind of needed it actually.”

Brian touched Trey’s shoulder and he opened his eyes. He stared into Brian’s deep, brown eyes and was surprised that the connection between them was still there. It felt different. The horrible aching longing he used to feel when he looked at Brian was gone, but the closeness that can only forge between two people who’d been through everything together was still there. Trey was so relieved his eyes prickled with tears. Brian’s fingers clinched in Trey’s shirt and he gave him a little shake.

“If you start crying, I’m going to fucking pound you,” Brian said. “I just put on my eyeliner and I don’t want to have to redo it.”

Trey laughed. “I’m not going to cry. I’m just glad we can move forward. I thought maybe I’d ruined our friendship.”

Brian’s hand relaxed and he smoothed Trey’s sleeve. “Does she make you happy?”

“Reagan?” Trey smiled. “Yeah, I love her. And Ethan too.”

Brian nodded. “Then we’re good.” He shoved Trey in the shoulder and brushed past him. “I’m going for a walk.” His phone beeped and he paused to check his text message.

“Myrna?” Trey asked.

“Yeah. It says, Honey, we’re home. I guess that means they’re done with errands and I can call her now.”

Outside a loud horn sounded. Brian dialed his wife, while Trey looked outside through the large tinted window over the sofa to see what was going on in the parking lot. There was a large RV he’d never seen before parked next to the bus. When Trey recognized its driver, he grabbed Brian by the shirt and pulled him to the window.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Trey could hear Myrna’s voice coming through Brian’s phone. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“What are you doing in that RV?” Brian asked her.

“Well, I figured since you can’t come home, I’d bring home to you.”

“What?”

“Come over and see.”

Trey pulled Brian to the front of the bus just as Reagan and Ethan stumbled out of the bedroom at the end of the narrow hall. “What’s going on?” Reagan asked.

“Myrna’s here,” Trey said and hauled Brian down the steps.

Brian finally found the sense to move on his own. He met Myrna at the bottom of the RV’s steps and pulled her into his arms. She cupped face in both hands. “Are you surprised?”

“I don’t really understand what’s going on.”

“Come inside and I’ll show you.”

Myrna took Brian’s hand and directed him into the RV. Trey followed them, his curiosity getting the best of him. In one of the captain’s chairs sat an unoccupied car seat. In another sat Aggie with a loudly purring black tuxedo cat on her lap. She smiled and waved.

“Aggie is starting up a travelling merchandise shop for her corsets,” Myrna said. “Selling them in a merch stand outside of concerts.”

“Embedding myself into Jace’s life yet again,” Aggie said. “I can’t seem to stop doing that.”

“He’ll be ecstatic to have you on tour with us again,” Trey said. “Well as ecstatic as Jace can be.”

“Where’s Malcolm?” Brian asked.

“Jessica is changing his diaper in the nursery,” Myrna said.

“Jessica is here too?” Brian asked.

“She’s decided she wants to be Malcolm’s nanny until she has a baby of her own.” Myrna smiled. “In around eight and a half months.”

Brian’s eyes widened. “Does Sed know?”

“She just found out yesterday. She wants to tell him in person. So keep that to yourself.”

“He’s going to flip. So all three of you are going to follow us around on tour?” Brian asked, waving a hand in Aggie’s direction.

“Four of us. Don’t forget your son.”

“Myrna, I’m not sure if this is a good idea,” Brian said. “Malcolm needs stability in his life. There is no stability in a life on the road. I don’t want that for him.”

Myrna shook her head at him. “What Malcolm needs is his father. And I need my husband. This will be our home, Brian. Just because it moves doesn’t mean it’s not a stable environment for him. When we’re parked, I can write.”

“And I can sew,” Aggie said.

“And Malcolm can play and grow up knowing his father,” Myrna said.

“What about when we tour Europe?” Brian asked.

“I’ve been looking into real estate in France. I already ordered my passport. We can follow you there too.”

“And South America? Australia? Asia?”

“We’ll figure out a way to be together as much as possible. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want us here, Brian,” Myrna said.

“It just seems too good to be true.”

“I think it’s a perfect solution,” Trey said. “Myrna, you’re brilliant.”

“Thank you, Trey.” Myrna gave his arm a squeeze and really looked at him for the first time. She smiled. “You look happy, sweetie. Did you just eat a cherry pie?”

“He’s in love,” Brian said and rolled his eyes.

“Reagan?” Myrna asked, her eyes and smile wide as she nodded enthusiastically.

“And some guy named Ethan,” Brian added. “You can ask him for an interview for your book later.” He took Myrna’s hand and directed her further into the RV. Trey followed. There were several rooms in the back. In addition to the small bathroom and the surprisingly large bedroom with a huge, king-sized bed that was sure to get broken in very soon, a small nursery was connected off to one side. With a crib and changing table, the room was a bit cramped, but not without charm. It had been decorated to look like a regular nursery with primary colors, pictures of musical instruments, mobiles, and stuffed animals. Jessica was blowing raspberries on Malcolm’s tummy and he was kicking his feet gleefully. Jessica looked up when she noticed the group of spectators standing in the doorway.

“There’s your daddy,” Jessica said and lifted Malcolm from the table. She handed him to Brian, who got that wondrous look on his face that he sported every time he held his son.

“Your mother is a genius,” Brian said to Malcolm. “The smartest thing I ever did was marry that woman.”

Malcolm cooed in agreement.

Someone stomped up the bus steps. Trey turned and caught the look of pure joy on Jace’s face, just before he hauled Aggie to her feet and into his arms. “How long are you staying?”

“Forever.”

Trey had never seen Jace smile so broadly in all the years he’d known him. Jace kissed Aggie as if he never planned to stop. The man never said many words, but somehow, he never needed to. Jace’s cat, Brownie, rubbed up against their legs, meowing for attention.

“Aggie was worried that Jace would think she was being too clingy,” Jessica whispered.

“I think he’s the one clinging at the moment,” Trey said.

Sed appeared in the front stairwell. The RV was spacious, but there wasn’t really room for seven adults, a baby, and a cat. Reagan and Ethan were behind Sed, and bringing up the rear were Eric and Rebekah. There definitely wasn’t room for four more. Trey started to inch toward the front door. This arrangement would make Brian happy, which was good because Trey knew he wasn’t the only one sick of Brian’s constant moping.

“You all have to be onstage in thirty minutes,” Rebekah announced. She spotted Malcolm and responsibility took the backseat. “Oh, isn’t he perfect?” She was down the hall before Eric could stop her. When she got close to Malcolm’s face and made a funny expression for him, the baby’s eyes lit up and he grabbed a fistful of Rebekah’s crimson red hair, ignoring the more boring platinum blond shades that made up the bulk of her hair color. “I think it’s time to find us one of these, Eric,” she said.

“When we get back from the world tour we’ll start looking into adopting,” he promised, and placed a protective hand on the base of Rebekah’s spine.

Sed had Jessica in his arms. “Wish we had more time to be alone together right now,” he said. “We’ll have to save our next round of baby-making attempts until later tonight.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Jessica said in a clipped tone.

Trey stifled a laugh. The two of them drove each other nuts on purpose. And they both loved every minute of it.

Sed’s face fell. “You haven’t already changed your mind, have you?”

She scowled at him. “I hope not. I happen to be pregnant.” She dropped her angry ruse, grinning as she waited for his reaction.

It took a moment for her words to register with Sed, because he was apparently expecting her to say something entirely different. When it finally sank in, his eyes lit up and Trey was sure Sed’s dimples would cause his face to implode.

“Do you mean it?” he said. “You’re pregnant?”

She tilted her head back to smile up at him. “You, Sedric Lionheart, are going to be a father. And I couldn’t be happier about it.”

“Fucking awesome!” Sed shouted and swung Jessica around in a circle.

When he stopped twirling, Eric smacked him in the head. “Watch your mouth around Malcolm.”