Chapter 14
14
S ean walked behind Mina and Gloria as they neared the back door. Boon and Dylan went out ahead and loaded their equipment into the back of their truck. Boon then turned and nodded toward them.
Gloria huffed out a deep breath and stepped through the back door, Mina close behind. He crowded in close to both of them. If anything started to go down bad with some of these reporters, a mob scene or something, he would protect them to the best of his ability.
He unlocked his door, and Mina climbed in the backseat. Gloria in the passenger seat. He turned around in the driveway in the back so he wouldn't have to back out in front of the crowd. He wasn't sure if they would surge onto his vehicle or if the police would be able to keep them at bay. He turned his head slightly toward the backseat.
"Mina, call the police station, and tell them that we're leaving so that the police officers can be aware and clear the driveway."
"Okay, good idea, Dad." Mina tapped on her phone and Sean continued to turn the vehicle around.
Boon and Dylan were in front of them, waiting. Gloria picked up her phone and tapped it. Someone on the other end could be heard saying, "Yeah."
Gloria said, "Hold tight, Boon. Mina is letting the police station know that we're coming out of the driveway. Let's give the officers a moment to secure the driveway and make sure no one gets hurt as we leave."
"Will do," he said. Gloria ended her call, huffed out another breath, and stared out the windshield. He reached over and touched her hand with his. He squeezed her fingers. And if he'd said he didn't enjoy how her hand felt in his, he'd be lying. Electricity shot right up his arm. It was almost as though these last twenty-six years had never existed. He was transported back to when he and Gloria were together. All the times they had, they spent every waking moment with each other.
He skipped so many college classes, he was surprised he could graduate. She was more studious and attended every single one, laughing at him when he said, "Skip today. Stay with me. Let's play."
She shook her head. "Sean, we've got to get through college. It's important for both of us."
His courses weren't as important as hers. His courses were in business management. He just wanted to get his degree, get out of college. And then he and Jami were taking their band and trying to make it big time. All he ever wanted was to be a musician. He'd done his due diligence. He'd done everything that his family wanted him to do. He joined the military, did his time, came back to college. And good thing he did. That's how he met Jami. A thrill ran up his arm when Gloria squeezed his hand back.
He glanced over at her and stared into her beautiful brown eyes. In the sunlight he saw the fine lines around her eyes, a few around her lips. They were faint. They added so much character and he wished he could have been there for every single line. And he sadly wondered how many of them were caused by him. At the time, he really thought he was doing the right thing for both of them, giving them both a chance. And he'd always thought if life wanted them back together, they'd get back together. He didn't realize it would take more than twenty-six years.
Mina's phone rang. "Hello? ... All right, I'll let them know."
She tapped the end call on her phone. The beep signaling to him the call was over. She looked at her dad in the mirror. "All right, we can go. The police have the driveway secured."
Gloria called Boon one more time. "Hey, Boon, go ahead. Police are waiting for us." She ended the call and stared out the window. He saw her shoulders pull back tightly, her fingers squeezed his hand. And he was loathe to let go. He probably should have had both hands on the wheel just to make sure things were okay as they drove through. But my God, he didn't want to let go of her hand.
She made that decision for him, though, as they started to move. She pulled her hand back, looked into his eyes. A soft smile appeared on her lips.
"Better to play it safe," she said.
He nodded, though his heart felt empty. He didn't know what would happen in the future, but what he knew now was life brought them back together. And they had a daughter. And he wanted to be in both of their lives again.
He was going to need to get her to want that as well. They had time. He'd work on it. They eased down the driveway. The roar of the crowd grew louder. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw how many more people had joined the crowd. They yelled as he drove by. He stared straight ahead. He gritted his teeth together to the point where his jaw ached.
He glanced in his rearview mirror to see Mina watching, staring straight ahead. She wasn't going to acknowledge any of these people, either. His heart grew another inch for his daughter.
They slowly made their way down the road to the hotel where the class reunion was being held, and where he would have his mini concert tonight on the beach with Chris Stapleton. Boy, he had been so damned excited when he found out that he was going to be doing a Crossroads appearance with Chris. And they had a few conversations on the phone about which songs they would sing. And they played on live chats with each other, their respective songs. It was the new age in music. You could jam online. How cool.
But he was excited to meet Chris in person. All of a sudden, that had all faded away, that excitement that he had. He was still eager to meet Chris and sing with him. It was a milestone, a career milestone. But his heart had been through so much today already. And all he really wanted to do was sit down and talk with his daughter in private. He wanted to know all the things. He was excited they were going to get that chance in just a couple hours. They turned into the hotel and a staff member waved him over to a private area they had secured for special guests.
He backed up his SUV to the parking area so he could pull his guitars from the back. As he got out, he was grateful there was some security. The crowds had slowly moved down the street toward the hotel. It wasn't that far. Crystal Cove wasn't a very big town. And that's when it hit him. He hadn't even thought about being home in Crystal Cove.
He hadn't thought about visiting his old haunts where he had gone to high school. He didn't even think about visiting the football field where he had played games as a junior and senior. All of that had just faded away. It was an important part of his life. It's where he grew up. And he cared. He cared about it. But not today. He wasn't even sure at this point if he'd even attend the class reunion. He didn't want to take any time away from Mina and Gloria. He wanted to spend every minute with them. He had a lot to catch up on. So did they.
He opened the hatch to his SUV and two hotel employees rushed to help him. They carried his guitars. Normally, he carried his own. But today what he wanted to do was hold Mina and Gloria's hands as they entered the hotel together.
One of the staff members said, "We've got a back entrance for you to come through. And we've got a dressing room set up where you can all stay until you go out for the concert. Security hasn't quite finished setting things up out there. So they've asked that you stay in this room until you're ready for your appearance. Mr. Stapleton's assistant called. He's on his way."
Sean nodded, "Thank you. We sure do appreciate you taking the time to help us out with this. I know the hotel is full because of the class reunion."
"It's all right, sir. We do everything we can to help our guests out. And I'd like to say I'm honored to meet you. I'm a big fan. I've listened to every one of your songs. I love them. I saw your concerts when you were a cover band back in the day. Over and over, every time you were within a hundred miles, my wife and I came to see you. So thank you for the years of music."
Sean swallowed the lump in his throat. Oh, how he had always longed to hear things like that. He nodded, shook the man's hand, "Thank you for coming, for being a fan, for following us around. It's why we do what we do. It means a lot to me."
The man swallowed a lump in his throat and Sean made a mental note to get a copy of the DVD they just created, and send it to this guy. He looked on his name badge, saw his name, and he'd surprise him in the mail one day. He quickly made a note in his phone.
They were ushered through a back hall and to their room. When he opened the door, there were sofas, water, and drinks set up on a back bar, kind of like any green room in any TV interview, where they had things set up for the stars. Not that he considered himself a star yet, but he had always dreamed that one day he would be.