The Man You Need (Love on Tour #4) (6 page)

“I think maybe we aren’t the target audience for this,” Baby said, sitting across from me.

Bell sat down next to her and threw the penis-shaped sun visor she’d gotten from the bachelorette party on the table. “Agreed. None of these guys are one-tenth as hot as Hank.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all night,” Jack said. “How about a quiet bar, instead?”

“Seriously? This is not how chicks on a rock tour are supposed to behave,” I pointed out. But in truth, I was more than happy with the idea of a few drinks and some conversation with this group. I just didn’t want them to know that.

Baby shrugged. “Too bad, Stac, you’re stuck with us.”

****

We ended up at a little dive bar down the street. It was the kind of place that still had a jukebox and a few pool tables in a darkly lit back room. We sat in a corner booth with slick wood seats and a wobbly table. Baby, Jack and I each got a beer. Bell grumbled over her club soda.

“No more breast-feeding for me,” Baby said, clinking the neck of her beer to mine.

“Cheers to that,” I said. “You, on the other hand,” I pointed my bottle at Bell, “have a long way to go.”

She rubbed her belly and shrugged. “I don’t drink that much anyway, just when I’m out with you guys. No alcohol in my house.”

“How long has Hank been sober?” Jack asked. Though I was sure he already knew this from his Internet snooping.

“Fourteen years and counting,” Bell said proudly.

“He was so different back when he was sobering up,” I said.

Both Bell and Baby leaned forward over the table. They were interested. After all, they hadn’t known Hank back then.

“What was he like?” Bell asked.

“Well, the first time I met him was after his first stint in rehab. He was dark and brooding. Not the Hank we all know and love today, at all.”

“Dark and brooding? My Hank?”

“Yeah, you probably wouldn’t have liked him. But I did. He was sexy as hell.”

Jack’s head snapped to the side, he glared at me.

“What?”

“Why would you say some shit like that to his wife?”

Bell waved her hand. “Oh please, I knew that Stacey used to have a thing for Hank before I even met her. I can’t blame her. Besides, he’s not her type anymore.”

“So true,” I said.

Jack looked at the three us as if he was trying to understand our relationship. I supposed it would be confusing, especially for someone who had seen both sides of me. But I was honest with Baby and Bell. The truth just toppled out of my mouth when I was relaxed, without any filter or much thought. They were completely used it. Jack would figure it out soon enough.

“It’s kinda funny, really. Back then Sean and Hank were a different man couple, too. Sean was the same, of course, quiet and introspective. And it was like, quiet dude and dark dude. It was a very different vibe. Now they are much more yin and yang, quiet and loud and obnoxious.”

“I like loud and obnoxious,” Bell said.

“I like quiet,” Baby said.

“You two are ridiculous.”

“What about you, Jack? Do you have a girlfriend?” Bell asked.

“He just broke up with her before the tour,” I interjected.

“Yes. In fact, I was staying in a hotel room for the last week before we left.”

“You lived with her?” Baby asked.

“I was crashing at her place, yeah.”

“I’m so sorry.” Baby reached across the table and covered his hand. She was such a compassionate sucker.

“Thanks, Baby. But I’m not broken up over it. It was one of those things that was over long before it really ended, you know what I mean?”

“So what happened?” Bell asked.

Jack leaned over, resting his arms on the table. “Well, she wanted to get married. I didn’t. Eventually, she gave me an ultimatum. She wanted me to promise that we’d get engaged. And she wanted the promise before I left on this tour. It was either that or break up. So we broke up.”

“You didn’t really love her?”

“No. We weren’t very compatible. We didn’t want the same things out of life. I’m not sure what even attracted me to her in the first place.”

“Boobs,” I said. “I bet it was boobs.”

“No, Princess. She was pretty, but not smoking hot.” He looked at me in a way that almost made me blush. “But she was a nice girl. She worked at the animal shelter, took care of her sick mom. She was sweet.”

“A bleeding heart. Figures that’s your type.”

“It is. I like nice girls.” He glared at me.

“We’re going to find you one,” Bell said, a determined look in her eye.

Jack ran his hand through his hair. “Thanks, Bell, but I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Where are we going to find a nice girl,” Baby asked Bell, “on tour?”

“I don’t know. But we will.”

“I’m in,” I said.

Jack stared at me.

“We’re headed to Florida for our mini-vacation soon. There’ll be nice girls there, I bet. Plus, I know some nice girls in New York.” I rubbed my hands together. “This will be fun.”

Jack groaned.

7

“Hey, what are you two doing?” Jack asked, as he came into the back room where the food had been served at the venue.

“Henry and I are just finishing up,” I said, cleaning off the colossal mess on the table in front of my nephew. “And then we’re going to go for a walk.”

“Alone?”

“No, we’ll take a security guard with us.” I wiped off Henry’s hands while he squirmed. “You know, I’m glad they’re taking a few years off. Henry will get to grow up on the beach, ride his bike in the driveway, go to school. He won’t remember a time when he couldn’t take a walk around the block with his aunt alone because he might get kidnapped.”

Jack walked across the room and stood beside me. “While that is a very real concern, I think the bigger issue right now is the paparazzi. There hasn’t been a picture of him since he was three months old. They’re dying for a glimpse.”

I frowned at the memory. Baby and Sean were adamant that Henry’s adorable, cubby little face not be plastered all over the checkout aisle. But last year, when that stupid magazine article came out accusing Hank of being Henry’s real father, part of straightening it all out had been releasing a picture of Henry to the press. It was a major sore spot for us all.

I wiped at Henry’s face, he tried to avoid my ministrations, throwing his head from side to side. “It’s strange. Sean, Sam and I grew up in a normal middle-class house. Well, minus the crazy mom. You’ll meet her next week in Florida, lucky you. Anyway, it was a normal childhood. The same thing goes for Baby, Lisa, and Brad. But somehow we all ended up in a different place. Brad went from being an East Bay brat to a San Francisco tech god. Sam, the smart little punk, made millions when he was still going through puberty, and Lisa, despite her sworn ban on rich guys, married him. Then there’s Sean. He was just my brother, my awesome, sweet, big brother, and then one day,” I snapped my fingers, “just like that, he became insanely famous.”

“And then there’s Baby.”

I lifted Henry up and walked over to the stroller parked by the door. “Yes. Poor Baby, the park ranger. The closest she’d ever come to fame was when she had her picture in the local paper for giving a classroom full of kids a talk about bears or some damn thing. Now she’s ‘Baby Rush.’ But we all had this normal childhood.” I looked down at little Henry. “Henry’s childhood will be different.”

“He has normal parents, I mean, other than the whole rock-star-dad thing. And they love him like crazy.”

“True.” I sighed. I buckled Henry into the stroller, then turned it toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know? Around the block, I guess. We just need some air. And it’s so nice outside.”

“Nice? It’s ninety-five degrees and humid.”

“Well I like it, and I’m going to take advantage of the Texas weather.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said, holding the door for me.

I looked up at him, surprised. “Don’t you have better things to do? The concert starts in a little while.”

“Everything is all set. I don’t have anything else to do. Mike will handle the meet and greet. Hell, with Mike around, my job is a piece of cake anyway.”

“He
is
handy. Alright. Let’s go.”

We walked for about half an hour. Henry fell asleep, and Jack walked slowly to keep our pace. We didn’t run into anyone with a camera, thank God. And the people we did see had no idea who Henry and I were.

Jack regaled me with stories about growing up in Detroit. He told me about working in the bakery after school and about his grandfather’s blue ribbon-winning muffins. We discussed the fact that we’d grown up just two-and-a-half-hours from one another, yet met for the first time in California. We also talked about the Michigan accent, how everyone there was convinced they didn’t have one, and how I’d had to work hard to rid myself of it when I’d gotten into acting.

“Well, you’ve done a good job. Not a hint left,” Jack commented.

“Wait till you meet my mom. Hey, I have to ask. Did you play sports when you were younger?”

“You wanna know if I played basketball, don’t you?”

I grinned sheepishly.

“Everyone always asks me that because of my height. The truth is, I played hockey.”

“Yeah? Sean loves hockey.”

“I know. We’ve discussed it.” He eyed me. “Don’t tell me you’re a Michigan girl who doesn’t like hockey?”

“I like hockey. I also like baseball. I like the chaos of hockey and the organization of baseball. I don’t know why. I guess they both appeal to me on some level.”

“Hmmm. Hockey seems chaotic, but it’s not really. It’s also very graceful.”

“It is. And hockey players are hot. At least all the ones that still have teeth.”

He rolled his eyes. I grinned.

It was when we were approaching the back door of the venue that all hell broke loose. I saw the group of women lingering by the back door. They didn’t look like press. They looked like groupies.

“Hey, that’s gotta be him,” I heard one of them say as they caught sight of me, Jack, and the stroller. The whole group started moving toward us quickly.

“Shit.”

I stopped in my tracks and moved around the stroller so that I was in front of Henry. At least five of the eight women had their phones out, ready to take my nephew’s picture.

Jack moved ahead of us and held his hand out in front of himself. “Stop right there,” he commanded.

The girls actually stopped. And they all looked up, way up. Mouths dropped open, lips were licked. I think a few actually drooled.

“Wow, who are you?” A girl in a tight tank top with a billion necklaces roped around her neck asked Jack.

“I’m the tour manager. We’re going inside now, and I don’t want any photos taken, got it?”

A girl, who was wearing one of the shirts Hank always threw into the crowd during his concerts, stepped toward Jack, phone in hand. “Can I take
your
picture?”

Jack looked surprised. “I guess.”

While they were posing for selfies with Jack, as if he were actually Sean himself, I saw him wave his hand at me behind his back. I took the hint and started sneaking toward the loading dock with Henry.

We were almost to the concrete steps that led up to the door when one girl broke away from the group and approached us. She was practically running, right for Henry. I put myself between her and the stroller.

“Stop!”

She kept coming, so I stuck my hand out. The girl ran into it and fell down on the pavement, flat on her ass.

She looked up at me, a ridiculous pout on her face. “Jesus. I just wanted to take a look. That’s Sean Rush’s kid.”

As if I didn’t know that. “Too bad, honey.”

She got up and tried to stare me down. “Who are you, anyway?”

I saw Jack headed toward us, the rest of the groupies in his wake.

“I’m Sean Rush’s little sister,” I said proudly.

“I don’t believe you. You the nanny or something?”

Now I was pissed. I couldn’t really identify exactly what about all this made me so angry, but it sure as shit did. “Fuck off.”

Jack reached me and took ahold of the stroller. “Come on, let’s get inside.” He lifted the stroller and carried it and Henry up the steps to the door. He looked back at me. “Stac, come on.”

I turned to follow him, but then I heard one of the girls say, “She’s probably some groupie they let take care of the kid in exchange for blow jobs.”

I whirled around and focused on the speaker. She was a bigger girl, and that suited me just fine. I grabbed onto one of the skinny straps to her top with one hand. The other made a fist. I cocked my arm back. Her mouth puckered into an ‘O.’

“Stacey!” Jack’s bark paused me.

I loosened my grip on the girl and stared at her for a minute. Then I felt his big hand on my other arm.

“Let’s go,” he demanded. He pulled me up the steps and in the door.

Henry was still in the stroller, a security guy standing in front him like he was guarding the crown jewels.

Jack pushed me against the closed door and leaned down to look in my eyes. “What the hell was that all about?”

His arms were on either side of my head, his hands propped against the door. I was trapped between the steel at my back and Jack’s tall, muscular frame. My chest tightened and my breathing was shallow.

“Well?” His breath fanned my face and my mouth went dry. Shit. I was incapable of speech.

Jack stared into my eyes. His face softened, and he leaned closer. What the hell was this?

Trying to compose myself, I shrugged. “They pissed me off.”

“Do you have some sort of anger management problem I’m not aware of?”

I was still reeling from what had transpired outside, not to mention what was happening right here at the door. I tried to focus on how I’d felt when my fist was cocked in that girl’s face, rather than how my body was tingling with Jack so close.

What happened out there was truly strange. I was not violent. I left the threats and punching to my brothers, thank you very much. But something about that whole situation had really gotten to me.

“Stacey?” Jack had pulled a few inches away from me and seemed to be composing himself as well.

“I might have a few anger issues. I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Jesus,” he said, in an exasperated whisper.

Jack pushed himself off the wall and bent down and to take Henry out of the stroller. Henry was still asleep and he plopped his head against Jack’s chest as Jack supported him with an arm under his butt. He draped his other arm around my shoulders and started walking us both down the hall.

“We seriously need to talk about this.”

For some reason, even though he was touching me now, and hadn’t been actually making contact at the door, this was so much more comfortable, casual. I let out a calming breath.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Jack. But, if I figure it out, I’ll get back to you.”

Sean and Baby were standing in the doorway of Sean’s green room, watching us approach.

“You look adorable,” Baby said, grinning. “Like a very good-looking little family.”

I made a face at her.

“Yeah, except that’s mine,” Sean said, reaching toward Jack to retrieve Henry. Henry stirred just a bit as he was transferred again. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, let out a heavy sigh and went back to sleep in his father’s arms.

Jack dropped his arm from my shoulder. “I’m sure I have things to do. I’ll see you.” He took off quickly.

Baby was still grinning at me.

“I should go watch Hank,” I said, trying to make my escape.

“There’s still time before the show starts,” Sean said. “Come on,” he gestured with his head toward the room. Then he walked in with Henry.

I shut the door behind him and pulled Baby further into the hallway, so we could talk without Sean hearing.

“What’s up?”

“I just almost punched a girl in the face.”

“Really? Damn. You’re, like, channeling Bell.”

“I know. It was fucked up.”

“Was it a reporter?”

“No, a groupie. There were a bunch out there. They ambushed us by the back door.”

Baby’s face screwed up. “What did she say to piss you off?”

I knew she was having an internal war between wanting to know and not wanting to hear it. Baby had heard her share of nasty shit from groupies.

“They wanted to know who I was. And I don’t know. I really don’t. But I just got so pissed, because… he’s
my
brother.”

Baby gave me a hug. I really did love her like a sister. But the reason I’d chosen to tell her this, to share this specific thing with her, was because she was the one person in the world who completely understood it.

“I know. It gets to you the way that total strangers get possessive over Sean, like he belongs to them. But don’t forget that he really is ours, not theirs.”

I smiled and looked at the door. “We probably only have about thirty seconds left before he comes out here to find out what the hell we’re talking about.”

“So true. Come on.” She took my hand and we walked inside.

****

Bell, Hank, Mike and I were waiting at the elevator for Sean and Baby. We’d arrived in New Orleans late last night. We’d all slept in and were now headed to brunch. After that we were planning to catch a museum. Then Sean was going to take me – just me – out to dinner. I was looking forward to a fun day. The only downside was that Jack wouldn’t be joining us. He was working all day. I was a little bummed because I was actually starting to enjoy his company.

“So, I really liked that Tak dude, Mikey,” Hank said.

“Yeah.” Mike ran a hand through his hair and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. “Me too.”

“That’s awesome!” Bell squealed. “Mikey has a boyfriend!”

“He might fly in to another one of our stops before the tour ends.”