Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Kit
The State Room, Salt Lake City
River was in the sleeper cab, sawing logs as I drove the truck to Salt Lake City for their concert at The State Room. I had a very full load and a very happy heart. River and I were exclusive, and the trust between us grew more every day.
Bailey Wright, a recording engineer Nate had sent to meet us in Salt Lake City, arrived on Friday afternoon while we were still in Phoenix.
Olive was able to commandeer an empty suite at the hotel so he could set up his equipment and talk to the guys about how to capture the best sound possible in a live venue, and I sat quietly in a chair in the corner, my gaze glued to River.
I memorized every facial expression he made as he played.
There had been a few glitches with the equipment at the beginning of their set on Saturday night, but luckily, Ryder, Derek, and Jaxson from Maiden Voyage were in the audience, and they were able to help Bailey work it out.
By the time they started playing their metal songs, all the bugs were worked out, and they sounded fantastic. The encore was amazing.
The Maiden Voyage guys hung around for a while after the show, and seeing the excitement bubbling from the members of Accidental Fire made me smile.
They asked questions about touring, and the more seasoned musicians were happy to answer.
When they left us after the equipment was loaded, Ryder said to contact Masterson Management if they ever wanted tickets. It was a nice gesture.
When we loaded up to get on the road, Olive rode with the security guys. She’d been eyeing Rowdy since she arrived, so I wasn’t surprised.
Olive was a great help to me at the venue, showing me things that I could do to help the band during the show, like providing water and towels for them between songs. I would have never thought of it, and I’d never seen Kensington doing anything of the sort during the other shows.
Bailey Wright decided to ride with the roadies in the luxury van they were using. I was glad nobody suggested he ride with me because that meant I could grab River to keep me company.
I’d gulped coffee the whole ride, and I desperately needed to pee. “Call Clancy,” I instructed my phone after I touched the Bluetooth button on my steering wheel.
It rang twice. “Yep.”
“I’ve gotta hit the head. There’s a rest stop at exit two sixty-one. I’m taking it.” They could go on. We’d only be about fifteen minutes behind them.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll be right behind you,” Clancy said. I merged into the right lane, and he followed behind me.
As I touched the brake to take the exit, I heard River stirring. “Why are we stopping?” I’d barely engaged the air brakes to slow us down.
“I need to use the restroom. You don’t need to get up. You can go back to sleep. I’ll only be a minute.” I turned into the parking lot and glanced at the gas gauge. I’d need to fill up before we get on the road to Denver, but for now, it was fine.
“Oh, I gotta go too. The sound of that brake always wakes me up. It means you’re arriving wherever I am.” A warm hand touched the back of my neck as River slid into the passenger seat and put on his seatbelt.
“And you’re glad I’m arriving wherever you are?”
“Yes, and I always will be.” He put his hand on my thigh and smiled. I could look at that expression all day long.
We pulled into the rest area, and I drove around to the semi lot and parked.
The tour bus pulled up next to me, followed by the van for the roadies and the Tahoe with the security detail.
It was eight in the morning, and we had about fifty miles to go until we reached downtown Salt Lake City.
I needed to go shopping to replenish my supplies for the trip to Denver, where the next tour stop was scheduled.
The State Room was a smaller venue—only a two hundred and ninety-nine guest capacity. Thankfully, it had ample parking for the bus, my truck and trailer, and the additional vehicles in our entourage.
We quickly unloaded the trailer, once again leaving the backdrop at the front, and I helped carry the equipment into the gray brick building. River and the band were inside with their acoustics, working on another new song, and so far, things had been going well.
“What’s going on with you? You’re not getting paid for this.” I glanced over my shoulder, put down the large speaker I was carrying, and smiled.
“How’s it going?” I asked Dagr Blix, or Yeti, as he seemed to prefer.
“Bored. Anything I can do to help?”
I glanced at his six-foot-five-inch frame and chuckled. “You can pick up my truck and trailer and scoot them two inches closer to the curb,” I joked.
Yeti’s full belly laugh made me smile. “You didn’t answer my first question. You’re not getting paid to do more than drive a truck, right? Why are you helping out with everything? What’s in it for you?”
After putting down the speaker, I pointed to the edge of the stage, and we sat down.
“My uncle is Nate Ashby. He approached me in May about taking the job to haul the band’s equipment from venue to venue.
What I didn’t expect was to meet such a great group of people supporting five young men who happen to be immensely talented and stupid at the same time. ”
The man laughed again. I was surprised he was so amenable. A man of his size could take on the entire defensive line of the Chicago Breeze and not break a sweat.
“Okay, but I don’t think that’s the whole truth of it. Did you get them to fire Kensington so you could take over his place and have them dependent on you?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Do I come across as being that diabolical? I’m really not, you know. I want to see these guys succeed, and I think you do too. I had to get them out of their drug fog so they could be the creative young men I believe them to be.”
I turned to meet his gaze. “The excitement in their eyes when they play, or when they find the right notes to put on the page, is contagious. They have a great future ahead of them, and if I can help them achieve any of it, I’ll have done a great service for humankind.”
“Especially when it’s River, right?” He was studying me for a reaction, and when I smiled, he had what he wanted.
“That’s exactly what I thought. How long have you been seeing each other?”
I laughed. “It’s the damnedest thing. I met him the night I met everyone else at Nate’s estate.
He was having a panic attack, and I was able to talk him down.
I didn’t see him again until Los Angeles, but I couldn’t get him off my mind.
It was the craziest thing in the world. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. ”
“Are you gay?” he asked.
I chuckled. “That’s the question of the day. I’m not sure what I am if you want the truth. All my life, I’ve only dated women. I’ve never been in love with a woman, and I’ve never been attracted to a man. River surprised the hell out of me.”
Yeti nodded. “I have an uncle who has a husband. Mom had a fit about it, but my grandmother told her the heart knows what the heart wants, and my mom should get on board or get out of the way. I’d say be glad you found someone. A lot of folks don’t.”
“Kit?”
Glancing to my right, I saw River coming into the chaos of the roadies running wire, tuning guitars, and setting up Arlo’s keyboard and Hardy’s drum kit. Coaster had River’s electric Fender and played some mad licks as he adjusted the string tension.
River walked over to where I was sitting and smiled at Yeti. “Hi, Yeti. How are you?”
“Not as good as Kit.” The beast stood, patted River’s head, and walked away.
River looked at me, and I shrugged as though I didn’t know what he meant. “How’s it going with the song? Is this a new one, or are you tweaking one of the other ones?”
“It’s a new song Goldie and I are working on. You must be my new muse because the words are coming insanely fast. Are you gonna be at the show tonight?” His voice was soft as if he wasn’t sure of my answer.
It was time to commit one way or another, so I opened my legs and pulled River to sit on my right thigh. “Are you okay if everyone knows we’re together? I mean, you’ve agreed we’re exclusive, right?”
River put his arm around my shoulders. “I am if you are. What did Yeti say? Did he guess about us?”
“He did. He reminded me that not everyone finds someone to be happy with. He said I was lucky, and he’s damn right. Will you let me kiss you right now?”
River grinned and nodded, so I put my right hand on his cheek and guided his lips to mine. It was a soft kiss, but when the place went silent, Riv pulled away to see everyone staring at us.
“Does the band know you’re gay?” I didn’t want anybody freaking out.
“Yeah. I think they’re surprised about you.” He pecked my lips and stood. “Back to work, everyone. Show’s over.” The cat calls were loud.
Olive walked over, her wicked eyebrow arched for effect. “Nothing inappropriate. Don’t hide or deny, but let’s see what happens. You game?”
“You bet.”
Civic Center Park, Denver
Denver was hot as fuck, but what did I expect for the Fourth of July weekend? The band was one of five acts performing for a live concert at Civic Center Park. There was a drone show instead of fireworks, due to the drought.
Accidental Fire was second on the lineup, and Murder of Crows was after them. The headliner was a band I’d never seen—Achilles’ Heel—but hell, it was all new to me. I wasn’t a headbanger like the folks who attended the shows.
I loved the songs that River played in our room while I was reading and he was writing. Those were my favorite moments with River, just the two of us alone, together.
River came out from a large tent where Accidental Fire was getting the hair and makeup treatment before they went on stage, and he looked gorgeous. I walked over to him and kissed his forehead. “You look hot, sweetheart. Kill ’em.”
When the band took the stage, they were magic. They played their set, and Bailey Wright recorded it while Olive had some guy video them. I stood to the side of the stage with my ever-present cold water and dry towels.
The band came off stage for the encore, and fuck if the crowd didn’t go nuts. I handed River a towel, and he gave me a kiss. It was fucking perfect.
Pink Garter Theater, Jackson Hole
“When are we gonna fuck?” Riv was in the passenger seat with his guitar, working on the melody for the song Goldie and he were writing together.
“We’ve been having a lot of sex, sweetheart. Do you…? Do you not like what we’re doing? I don’t think I can bottom, and you’ve only ever topped, but I enjoy what we’re doing now. Are you unhappy about what we’ve done?” I asked as I downshifted to take the exit off I-15 into Jackson Hole.
River picked out the beginning of an old Color Me Bad song that I recognized.
I laughed. “Is this gonna be an issue for us? I don’t expect you to give me your ass, and I don’t know if I can give you mine. There’s enough other stuff we can do to satisfy each other, don’t you think? I love when you suck my dick,” I responded.
“Oh, so you see me as the girl in this relationship. I suck your dick, and you don’t—”
I pulled the truck over onto the shoulder, and when Clancy sped past me, I didn’t answer the phone when he called to ask what the hell was going on.
“Wait, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
“Do you see me as a girl in your mind when you kiss me or have me suck your cock? I’m not a girl, Kit. I’m a man who loves you, but if you’re pretending I don’t have a dick, then we need to part ways right now.”
I had no idea what to say, so when we arrived at the venue, River got out of the cab, taking his six-string with him without looking back. Obviously, I’d said something very, very wrong.
Treefort Music Hall, Boise
River rode on the bus with the band when we left Wyoming. We hadn’t talked—him avoiding me and pushing Goldie to talk to me instead. I was an idiot. I was doing everything wrong, and I didn’t know how to fix it.
I drove into the parking lot of Treefort Music Hall, which had a capacity of about a thousand people. Clancy pulled the bus next to me, and I got out of the cab and walked around to the back of the truck to open the doors and pull down the ramp for the guys to unload the equipment.
When the band stepped out of the bus, I noticed that River didn’t get off. That wasn’t good.
I headed over to Clancy, who was leaning against the front of the bus. “Hey, man. How was the drive?”
“Quiet. What did you do to River?”
What was I gonna say? I wouldn’t suck his dick because I was too scared I wouldn’t do a good job? And why didn’t I suck his dick? I wanted him to feel as good as he made me feel, but I was still unsure of how I felt about the changes I was experiencing, and River knew it.
“Nothing, really. We’re just having a disagreement, but we’ll be fine.” I didn’t think we’d be fine at all.
Clancy smirked. “If you think you’re gonna be fine, you’re a fool, Hansen. There’s something between you and River, and you’re on the verge of fucking it up. I’ve fucked up good things over my life, and the regret is hard to swallow.”
“What should I do?”
River stepped off the bus, glancing over to where I stood before he went into the venue, not giving me a second glance. My heart was pounding as it started to break. Surely, River wouldn’t walk away, would he?
“I think you’d better drop to your knees and beg for forgiveness.
If you love him, you’d better figure it out and make sure you two are right.
Have you seen the press on the band? They’re eating up how handsome these guys are, and if you don’t make sure things are good between you, there will be a line around the building of people wanting his attention.
” Clancy gave me a wink to make his point.
“Press? You mean, like reviews of the shows?” I hadn’t been paying attention to anything except River.
Clancy grabbed his phone, and after fucking around for a minute, he showed me a headline from an entertainment website in Denver for the Fourth of July Festival show that was very favorable of the band’s performance.
I read the article and smiled at some of the comments. One read: This band is exactly what I needed.
“Did anyone show this to the guys?” I memorized the website before I handed back his phone.
“Not that I know of. Kensington was responsible for that stuff. I guess that falls into your purview now, right?” Clancy pulled a half-smoked cigar from the pocket of his T-shirt and lit it up.
“Yeah, I suppose it does. Thanks.” I walked toward the Treefort, not sure what kind of reception I’d get when I went inside.