Chapter 32 – Nalia
Thirty-Two
NALIA
Walking into the crowded auditorium, I glance around the space that is filled with teachers, parents, kids, family, and friends.
With everyone still standing, it takes me a few minutes to find Logan standing a few inches above everyone else towards the front of the room.
As I make my way in his direction, I spot my parents, Zuri, and Cooper sitting in the seats next to where Logan is standing, talking to the man next to him.
Seeing everyone together, well, except for Billie, because she’s likely backstage trying not to panic about tonight, my chest feels odd.
Like my heart has gotten too big for the small space behind my ribs.
It’s felt like that a lot over the last few months as my whole life has changed in the best possible ways.
Not just being suddenly thrust into parenthood, which has been awesome, and building a life with Logan and the kids, which has been surprisingly fulfilling even with the challenges, but it’s also the way my relationship with my family has changed.
It no longer feels like I’m an outsider or intruder in my own family.
Sure, there are times I still question if I’m worthy of everything my parents have given me my entire life, but it’s gotten easier to accept that I don’t owe them anything for loving me.
And part of why it’s gotten easier is because I would be devastated if Zuri came to me later in life and told me that she felt like she hadn’t earned the love I gave her so easily.
When a hand comes to rest on my lower back I come out of my thoughts and look up and find Logan standing over me.
“Hey, baby,” His lips brush my cheek before he asks against my ear. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry I spaced out,” I mumble, and he grins.
“How was your meeting?” He wraps his hand around mine and starts leading me to where my parents and the kids are seated.
“Good, it ran longer than I thought it would because Bax and Talon showed up, and the two of them don’t know when to stop talking.”
“It’s not every day you meet a country music star.”
“True.” I agree. The client we met with this evening is a famous country star, who until tonight, we only spoke with through his assistant.
I can admit walking into his home I was a little star struck when I first saw him, but by the time we left I felt like he was just a normal guy.
A guy with a very cool story and lots of history, but a guy all the same.
When we reach our aisle, I scoot in front of Logan and hug Zuri before giving my parents each a hug and touch Cooper’s hair which makes him smile. Then I hug Gigi and Pops, the two of them sitting on the opposite side of Cooper who is sitting between his granddad and my dad, who adores him.
“Have you seen Billie?” I ask Logan as I take a seat and place my bag on the floor.
“Zur said she thought she saw her poke her head out of the curtain earlier, but I didn’t see her.”
“I can’t wait to see her all dressed up,” I tell him, then whisper and look at the empty seats next to him. “Kristy hasn’t shown up yet?”
“Not yet, she messaged that her and her parents are on the way.”
“Aaron’s not coming?”
“Nope.” I want to say I’m surprised, but I’m not.
Aaron has kept his distance and Kristy hasn’t really insisted on the kids being around him.
Despite whatever she told Aaron that made him show up at Logan’s job if she told him anything at all.
Either way, I don’t see things working out for them.
Kristy loves her kids, and Billie wants absolutely nothing to do with Aaron, and even though Cooper doesn’t know what happened, he’s following his sister’s lead and is refusing to spend time with Kristy if Aaron is around, including this weekend while Kristy’s parents are in town, which really sucks because the kids do what to spend time with their grandparents, just not when Aaron is there.
So, if something doesn’t give, I would guess Kristy is going to get tired of being pulled apart, and eventually she’s going to give up something, and I know that something is not going to be the kids. Plus, Kristy can do so much better than him. She’s gorgeous, smart and really sweet.
When the lights flicker, the crowded auditorium grows quiet, and a voice comes out of the speakers around the room announcing that the show will begin in three minutes.
Nervous that Kristy is going to be late, I turn to look behind me and let out a relieved breath when I spot her and an older couple coming down the aisle.
Lifting my hand, I wave, and she looks relieved when she sees me.
“I’m so glad we weren’t late,” she says, leaning over Logan to give me a hug.
“I thought I was going to be late too,” I tell her when she lets me go to hug Cooper, who has gotten out of his seat to say hi to his mom.
I look around Logan to say hi to her parents, who both have kind smiles and don’t seem to mind at all that their daughter’s ex-husband has brought another woman to see their granddaughter perform.
“I’m so excited,” Zuri whispers when the auditorium goes dark and the curtains begin to open.
Looking down at her, we smile at each other, and I grab her hand.
She and Billie have gotten so close over the last few months, and she looks up to her the way that I looked up to Willow and Harmony.
It’s such a special bond, and I really hope that it just continues to grow over the years as they both get older.
When Billie comes on stage during the first act, I have to force myself to keep my seat and not get up and clap like a lunatic and scream her name.
I’m so proud of how hard she’s worked, she is amazing and looks so beautiful.
Even if she doesn’t want to perform on Broadway professionally, I have no doubt that if she did, she would take over New York City with her voice.
While we are watching the show, Gigi passes the box of candy and treats she always seems to have in her bag during baseball games down the aisle to Zuri and me.
I take a few gummy worms and Zuri takes some M the only people around are a couple of women who are talking. Everyone has gone back to the show.
I head back to the auditorium and open the door.
It’s dark, the only lights coming from the stage.
Being quiet and attempting to make myself as small as possible, so I don’t interrupt anyone, I walk down the aisle to our seats and scoot past Kristy and her family then freeze when I notice that Zuri is not in her seat.
“Where’s Zuri?” Logan whispers, and my eyes fly to his.
“I…” My stomach sinks. “She was talking to a friend, Evelyn, but she didn’t come to meet me back in line. I thought she had come back here because the show started.”
“It’s okay we’ll find her,” he tells me softly before he gets up. I apologize to everyone around us trying to watch the show then hustle down the aisle with Logan right behind me.
“Where did you see her last?” He asks when we get out the door, and I spin around to face him.
“Over near the cafeteria.” I start ahead of him, going in that direction with my heart pounding.
I know that I should not be as worried as I am; she’s not a little girl and would never just leave with someone.
She would also scream the roof down if someone tried to kidnap her.
Still, terror is sitting in the pit of my stomach, making it hard to breathe.
“I’m going to be sick,” I tell Logan when we get to the cafeteria and find it completely empty. Not even the women who were in here earlier are around.
“We’re going to find her.”
“But where did she go? She was talking to a friend; she was supposed to meet me back at the concession stand. Where is she?” I look around, and he does the same, but the room is still empty
“What’s going on?” My dad asks walking up to join us with Logan’s dad right behind him.
“I don’t know where Zuri is,” I tell him, as Logan takes the popcorn I’m still holding and spilling all over the place because my hands are shaking.
“Do you have your cell phone?” Logan asks me after I explain the situation to my dad and his.
“Yes.”
“Alright, I want you to go check the girls’ bathroom. While you do that, we’re going to split up and ask anyone we come across if they’ve seen her.”
“Okay.” I take out my cell, and the screen comes to life the photo is one I took of Billie, Zuri, and Cooper during movie night last weekend. Seeing it, my throat tightens.
“We’ll find her, baby,” Logan whispers, and my dad says something along the same lines before we all split up.