Chapter Sixteen #2
It might be hard not to give him a piece of my heart, seeing as he just stole some of it.
“He’s amazing,” Donny whispers, making me laugh.
Roxie’s harsh stare softens, and she slants her stance with a “Ha.”
“Yeah, he’s a lady-killer,” I murmur, and she rolls her eyes at me.
“Ryan’s so cool, Mom. I wanna learn guitar now, not drums.”
Roxie laughs. “Well, praise the Lord for that. A guitar I can handle.”
“Can you teach me, Ryan?”
“Savvy, no. He’s too busy,” Roxie chides.
“I’m sure I can come by once in a while to give you some pointers,” he says.
“Yes,” Savvy exclaims and launches into Ryan’s arms. He embraces her tightly, and there’s not only contentment on his face, but his eyes are a little misty, like even though he’s happy right now, he’s a little sad too.
I’m not sure what that’s about, but seeing him with Savvy is adorable.
She pulls back from him and continues to play her little Lego guitar around the room.
“Okay, we’d better go. Thanks for looking after Piper and Hunter for me. It will be around three weeks before we’re back.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. You know Savvy’s gonna spoil them,” Roxie informs.
Chuckling, I nod. “Yeah, I know.”
“It was awesome meeting you,” Ryan says, grabbing my hand, which inadvertently sends sparks through my skin.
“Great to meet you too,” Donny almost yells, and we look at him with a smirk. “Sorry, I’m excited.”
Ryan leans forward, taking Donny into a man-hug and back slap thing. Donny’s face lights up as he hugs Ryan back a little too enthusiastically, and I giggle to myself as Roxie dramatically rolls her eyes.
They separate, and Donny beams with excitement. “Ryan from Recoil just man-hugged me.”
“Oh my God, you’re such a girl right now, Donny,” Roxie states.
We all laugh as Ryan and I turn, heading for the door.
“Thanks again, Roxie,” I say.
“That’s what big sisters are for.”
“Yes, to babysit pet rats,” I tease.
She pushes my shoulders toward the door with a laugh. “Get out! Enjoy your tour. Don’t do drugs or have orgies.”
“Oh my God, Rox!” I gasp while Ryan chuckles.
“What? I’m serious,” she says.
Ryan’s now laughing.
Roxie and Donny stand at the door, waving as we walk to the car.
“Your sister’s a hoot,” Ryan says as we slide into our seats.
“She’s a pain in my ass, that’s what she is.”
“Nah, she’s just looking out for you. It’s nice to have people on your side.”
We wave to my family, who are smiling happily at us from the house, and I look at Ryan. I can’t help but think about how well he fit in with them and how easy it was for us all to be together.
“That was nice,” Ryan says, starting the car.
“Sorry about Savvy stealing you away.”
“No, it’s fine. She reminded me of someone, and it was...” he pauses, but sighs softly. “It was comforting.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were a kids kinda guy or not?”
He smiles, and it’s genuine. “I am a big kid at heart, so I get along with them just fine. I love kids. I get them. Must be the childlike mentality.” Ryan laughs, as do I, and he pulls the car out onto the street.
We head back toward my place.
Two Days Later
We’re settled on the private jet Oliver acquired for the band, along with the entourage coming with us, like the new security detail, to be headed by the main security officer, Declan, an ex-Navy SEAL.
We also have three flight attendants—one is a man, Trent, who is overly flamboyant but everyone loves him—and then there are Ava and Rozanne.
We’re flying five and a half hours from Los Angeles to New York, and the mood in the cabin is high. Danger’s humming while sitting next to Lunar. Nate plays with his iPad, and I watch as Matt flirts with Ava.
The entire flight is spent in comfortable ease.
Luckily, flying with this band is no hassle at all. They’re nothing like your typical rock band I’ve traveled with in the past, who are generally very loud and boisterous.
I love this atmosphere, and I adore these guys. They’ve included me in their family, and I’m happily cuddled up next to Ryan as he gently plays with my hair. This is uncomplicated, effortless, and I could really get used to it.
We land five hours later and make our way off the jet, down the tarmac, and into the arrival area.
Ryan grips my hand, Danger has his arm draped around Lunar’s shoulders, Nate is humming to himself, and Matt is still chatting up Ava as we all walk through the tunnel and out into the open expanse.
As the guys enter the open area, a barrage of screaming girls run toward us, and I open my eyes wide as Ryan chuckles. He looks at me as Danger glances toward Ryan with the biggest smile.
They deserve this!
Declan rushes forward and ushers us all toward the exit. The girls scream, all chanting and taking pictures. The guys wave as Declan continues with his team, moving us all along the airport, out to a waiting Hummer. All the while, Ryan keeps hold of my hand, never letting go.
It’s wild to think that not so long ago, we could hardly stand each other, and then he was insistent on keeping us a secret.
Now, here he is, openly showing everyone that we’re together.
It stirs something deep inside me, seeing him go from guarded and distant to unafraid to let the world know I’m by his side.
I glance into the array of screaming girls as they follow us to the car.
They all have their cell phones out, and I’m sure some are filming or live-streaming, when one girl in particular catches my attention.
She’s taking pictures with a digital camera with a long lens.
It’s not weird. It just looks odd because everyone in this day and age uses their cell, not an actual camera unless you’re the media, but she’s way too young to be a paparazzi.
I shrug it off as Ryan pulls me toward the Hummer, and I slide in with Ryan following behind me.
The others are already in the car, laughing and smiling jovially as he closes the door.
“Oh my God, that was crazy,” Lunar announces.
“That was fucking epic,” Danger replies.
“We haven’t had a crowd like that since we were on tour with Staked and 12GAUGE-Slayed, and let’s be honest, the crowds were only ever there for Colter Slade. Now they’re fucking here for us, only us, guys,” Nate chimes.
“Yeah, gotta admit, that was pretty fucking cool,” Ryan says, and I squeeze his hand. He leans into my side, sliding his hand up my thigh and resting our joined hands on top.
“Right, let’s get to the hotel. We can debrief and settle in,” Oliver says.
We all nod as the car takes off, and the screaming girls yell at the car from a safe distance.