73. Chapter Seventy-Three
Asudden knock at the door causes me to jolt awake.
“We’ll be landing in thirty minutes, Mr. Williams,” announces the new air hostess, using that detested name of mine.
When I don’t respond, she knocks again.
“Fine, I got it,” I grumble, amazed that I managed to sleep through the entire flight. But then again, it’s not surprising considering the lack of sleep at Poppy’s old apartment and then the events from last night. I desperately needed to catch up on two days’ worth of sleep.
Rushing through a shower, I quickly get into my seat, ready for the plane to land, all the while glancing at my phone. My phone buzzes, and a message from Kit appears, informing me that a car will be arriving soon to pick me up. The message also includes a list of tasks that I need to attend to. However, I momentarily set those thoughts aside as I fixate on a photo Poppy sent me. It captures her and Alex happily enjoying breakfast in the kitchen, and I’m completely absorbed in the moment. My heart yearns to be back home with them.
As the plane starts descending, the roar of the engines fill the cabin, and soon we touch down onto the runway, jolting slightly. As I disembark, I make my way towards the waiting car, its engine humming softly.
In no time, I’m at the hotel, in the elevator, keen to get to my room.
Stepping out of the elevator, I am greeted by the heartwarming sight of my bandmates lounging on a spacious couch in the hallway, each one absorbed in their phone. The sound of the doors opening immediately captures their attention. I can’t help but notice the genuine smiles that appear on each of their faces as they turn to look at me.
Theo is the first to get up. He puts his phone away and comes towards me.
“Finally, you’re here!” he says, giving me a brotherly hug with a friendly slap on the back. “How was it?”
“It was great,” I tell him.
“Good to hear,” Theo replies, stepping aside to let Nate and Ace take their turn.
They each give me a heartfelt hug, their embraces filling me with a profound sense of camaraderie before we all begin our journey down the hall toward my room. As we make our way there, they pelt me with questions, eager to know everything.
“What’s the little guy like?” Nate asks.
“He’s amazing, the most remarkable kid I’ve ever met,” I reply, sliding the card into the door lock and patiently waiting for the green signal before pushing it open. “He has a real passion for animals. He and Theo will instantly connect.” I walk in, casually tossing my belongings onto the generous queen-sized bed as the guys make themselves comfortable on the couch.
“Perfect. He can join me when I watch the documentaries,” Theo says with enthusiasm.
“Yeah, he’ll enjoy that.”
“How did the move go?” Ace inquires.
“Poppy’s stuff hadn’t arrived by the time I left,” I answer, walking over to stand in front of the three of them. “You wouldn’t believe where they were living; it broke my heart.” I glance at Ace. “Do you remember that burger joint we used to go to?”
He nods.
“It was two blocks past that.”
“Damn,” Ace says, shaking his head.
“What does that mean,” asks Theo.
Before I get a chance to respond, Ace cuts in. “That area is pretty rough. Xander and I would always avoid it when we were younger because of the neighborhood.”
“Yeah, but Poppy seems strong,” Nate comments.
“Yeah, she is,” I say, pulling out my phone to show the photo Poppy sent earlier today. It hits me that I’ve become one of those guys who excitedly talks about their family. But honestly, I don’t fucking care. These two people have become my everything. And hey, if the guys weren’t interested, they wouldn’t have asked.
I hand the phone to Ace, who takes a moment to study it. “Fuck, he looks like you,” he remarks, passing the phone to Theo, sitting beside him.
Nate leans in to get a better look.
“I know, but I see bits of Poppy in him too,” I say.
I keep my eyes fixed on Theo as he studies the photo, half expecting a playful remark from him about Poppy. It’s his way of playfully trying to provoke a reaction.
“You know, you once said you never really noticed Poppy until you got to know her. That’s crazy, man. She’s absolutely stunning. I definitely would have noticed her,” Theo comments.
”You notice everything that walks on two feet,” Ace points out. “Poppy went unnoticed in school. We were more into hooking up with the easy girls. And then Xander just stopped. You know, I always had a feeling something was going on between you and Poppy, but I wasn’t sure what it was back then.”
“I know you did. I didn”t say anything because I wasn”t sure what it was.” Theo hands me my phone. “So, what’s been happening while I was gone?” I ask. “Kit messaged me to let me know that we have a new band manager.”
The three guys exchange a look as if silently communicating with each other.
“What?” I ask, but before anyone can respond, there’s a knock on my door.
“I’ll get it,” Theo says, hastily getting up from the couch, as though he’s trying to avoid answering my question.
“Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?”
The door opens, and I hear a female voice. “Good, everyone’s here.”
Stepping inside I see a tall woman wearing six-inch heels, a tight-fitting dress, cleavage spilling out over the top, and her long red hair cascading down over her large tits. While she is undeniably attractive, but her heavy makeup is not to my taste. I prefer the natural look that my princess possesses. Scanning the room, her eyes lock on me, and with confidence, she strides over.
I can”t help but notice the way her eyes slide over me like a predator sizing up its prey.
“Oh, great! We finally have the chance to get to know each other. I’m Veronica. But you can call me Ronnie,” she says, pausing for a moment in front of me. Then, she turns her attention towards the couch where Theo has just settled back down. “I guess you could say that I’m already acquainted with some of the other band members. Well, at least two of them,” she adds.
I glance over to see Ace is purposely not making eye contact with her. He focuses his attention on everything else but her. It’s clear he’s already fucked her. Similarly, I notice Theo’s not flirting or saying anything offensive, which leads me to believe that he, too, has already crossed that line.
She turns her attention to me again, staring up at my face. “Wow, it”s no wonder women are obsessed with you.” She reaches out her hand and gently glides her finger down my chest, pausing halfway. “You truly are a looker, aren’t you? And that mouth of yours, I bet it can do some amazing things.”
Who the fuck is this woman? “Remove your finger now before I fucking break it,” I warn her.
She keeps her finger there, testing my limits.
”What the fuck do you want?” I say, shoving her hand away.
She smirks, like it”s all just a fun game to her. If this bitch was a dude, he”d get punched in the face for trying to mess with me like this.
“Now that you’re done playing house, we need to talk,” she declares, turning away. Her smart-ass comment really pisses me off.
All the guys immediately glance my way. Right before I can tell her to fuck off out of my room, Nate speaks up.
“You don”t know shit about anything, so shut your mouth. I’ve already told you we don”t need a band manager,” he says, shooting Ace a look, who stays silent.
Don’t tell me he’s back to being a pussy again like he was with Reg.
When she sits on the armrest next to Nate, he jumps up and shifts to the end of my bed, like he”s trying to put some distance between them. His behavior makes me wonder if it was just Theo who fucked her.
“We have sound check in a few hours,” she says, her eyes once again checking me out.
“Yeah, we’re aware. This ain’t our first fucking gig,” I tell her.
“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” she remarks with a grin. “I like that.”
“Is there anything else? If not, then get the fuck out of my room,” I say, opening the door for her to leave.
She gets up and strolls over, not taking her eyes off my face. “You’ll come around. They always do. Just ask your bandmates,” she smirks, her hand skimming over my chest as she walks out.
Closing the door behind her, I walk back into the room and halt in front of the couch. “What the fuck happened while I was away?”
“It’s great to have you back, man,” Nate responds.
I give him a quick glance.
“Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t fuck her, even though she was keen on it. It was these two assholes that were thinking with their dicks.”
“Ace,” I address. “Theo.”
They both look up at me.
“I’m sorry, man. You saw how she was,” Ace says. “Plus, I needed to get laid.”
“So, what? Now that your dick’s been taken care of, you”re back to letting them walk all over us.”
“No. I’ve talked to her several times about stuff, but she... well, she just won’t listen.”
“How many times have you fucked her, Ace?” I ask.
He gives me a look but doesn”t say anything.
”Answer the fucking question, Ace.”
”Three.”
”Theo,” I say, turning to look at him.
”Just the one time.”
”Yeah, but she keeps showing up and trying to get him to go with her. I straight up told her to fuck off and stop bothering us,” Nate says from over on the bed.
“She’s acting more like a groupie than a band manager,” I state, before I turn my attention to Ace. “Give Lionel a call and tell him we don’t need her.”
Ace gets up and pulls out his phone. All of us watch him as he dials Lionel’s number. As it starts to ring, he walks over to a quieter spot to deal with the call.
“Has this been happening since she arrived,” I say, looking at Nate, seeing he’s the only one who will give me answers.
“Yep, pretty much. When she showed up and introduced herself, we were in Ace”s room, chatting about stuff. She was flirting with Ace all night, just like she did with you then, and when things got intense, Theo and I bailed.”
I can hear Ace talking in the background.
“This crap needs to stop right now. If you”re looking for some action, there are plenty of groupies out there. Ronnie, or whatever the fuck her name is, is off-limits, okay? We can”t deal with another band manager making a scene in the media.”
Ace walks over to us. We all give him our attention.
“What did he say?” I ask.
“She stays. As long as we”re here on this tour, she ain”t going anywhere.”
Annoyed, I plop down next to Theo on the couch.
“But that’s not all,” he says. “Lionel offered a chance to get our songs back.”
For a moment, I set aside my irritation and lean forward. “Wait, what do you mean by getting our songs back?” I inquire, pressing for more information.
Ace gives us all a look before answering. “He”s got a new contract ready for us, meeting all our demands. The only catch is we have to sign it before the tour ends. Once he emails it, I’ll have Anita give it a thorough review.”
I take a moment to reflect on what Ace has just disclosed. I want my songs back, they are mine, not theirs. I’m the one who bled my soul out when I wrote those songs.
”We need to shut down this thing with Ronnie right now,” I say to Ace. “You saw the fucking chaos that Reg caused. We can”t have another band manager causing scandals, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ace says.
“So, how do we handle her?” Nate asks. “If we”re stuck with her until this tour is over, we better figure out a plan because that bitch has zero sense of boundaries.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, dialing Kit’s number. As I do, my brothers watch me and I can see the puzzled expressions on their faces, wondering what I’m up to. After two rings, Kit finally answers.
“Hey Kit, what’s up?” I inquire.
“Not much, why? What do you need?”
“Could you come to my room and bring Neil with you?”
“Sure. We’ll be there soon.”
I end the call and set my phone on the couch next to me.
“What’s happening?” Theo asks.
“We need to come up with a plan to keep her away. Who better than Kit and Neil?”
“What kind of plan?” Nate asks.
“Let’s see if Kit can change our schedule.”
“And Neil?” Theo asks.
Hearing a knock at the door, Ace wastes no time in opening it for Kit and Neil.
”How was your trip back home?” Kit asks as she walks in and sees me sitting on the couch.
”It was fantastic,” I answer.
”And how about meeting the little guy?” Neil asks, stepping further into the room.
“It was fucking awesome. I was scared shitless at first, but damn, it was worth it,” I admit, knowing about Neil’s effort to reconnect with his son.
”That”s great, Xander! I”m happy for you,” Neil says, smiling.
”So, what do you need help with,” Kit asks, always ready to get things done.
”Our new band manager,” I say.
”Yeah, what”s her deal?” Kit says with a smirk, and I think she”s aware of our problem.
“We need to give each other some breathing room. Sadly, she”s sticking around until the tour”s done.”
“So, what are you thinking?” Kit asks.
“Any chance we can change our schedule and let her keep running to the old one? Can you make it work?”
Kit grabs her phone and starts tapping away. “Let me check. Tomorrow, you guys have two radio interviews, both by phone, so that won’t be an issue. You can do them from wherever you are.” She bites her bottom lip and taps on another screen. “I can reschedule that; it’s not a problem. And those two should be fine. Yeah, I think we can do that,” she says, looking up. “The only thing that might be a problem is the meet-and-greet after the show. I can also see about moving sound check forward by an hour?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
Kit presses a button, shifting her phone to her ear she moves to one side.
”So, what do you want me to do?” Neil asks.
“Do whatever it takes to distract her.”
“Sorry, boss, she”s not really my type. If you”re asking me to fuck her, that”s definitely not happening.”
I grin at the big fella, respecting that he has standards. The other guys laugh out loud.
“He’s better than you two idiots,” Nate says, giving Ace and Theo a look.
“I don”t want her anywhere near us. We can’t stop her from being in the greenroom tonight, but let’s make sure she’s not in the same car when we get picked up later. That sort of shit. Just take care of those sorts of details,” I tell them.
”Yeah, I got this,” he says with a smirk, like he might actually have fun.
Kit returns, stashing her phone in her pocket. “The guys are already there if you wanna do sound check now. Everything’s ready.”
I look at Theo, Nate, and Ace, and they all nod, telling me they”re good to go. “Yep, sounds good.”
“Sure,” Kit says. “Just give me five minutes to sort out transportation. When you”re ready, go out the back and someone will be there.” Kit taps her phone, makes a call, and leaves the room.
What I truly admire about Kit is her exceptional professionalism. She avoids unnecessary drama, unlike some people. She remains unaffected by the starry-eyed effect that newbies often succumb to when they join the label and meet us. It’s as if she sees us as real people, just like Neil has done over the years when I take my late-night walks to clear my mind.
“Do I stay here and keep an eye on Ronnie, or come with you guys for sound check?” he asks.
“You should come. That way, she won’t suspect anything,” I suggest.
“Will she give Kit a hard time when she finds out things have changed?” Theo asks.
“Don’t stress over Kit,” Neil says, looking at Theo with a grin on his face. “I”ve seen big guys totally lose it when Kit gets in their faces. She may be tiny, but she packs a mean punch. The new band manager doesn”t stand a chance against her, believe me.”
“Shit, I’d love to see that,” Theo remarks.
“Yeah, same here,” Neil laughs, right before he walks out the door.
Now that it’s just the four of us, I face the guys. “Both of you, stay the fuck away from her,” I tell them, looking directly at Ace and Theo. Their heads move simultaneously, nodding in unison.
Sound check goes well. Ronnie is a no-show. It’s incredible how refreshed I feel after just a five-day break and coming back to what I truly love. When I’m lost in the music, taking it all in, and feeling like I’m on top of the world. With everything I have now, my life feels whole and complete. However, even though the music brings me joy, it can’t replace the deep longing I have for those two special people who own my heart. I wish they were here with me.
While the sound team is busy fiddling with buttons and cables during breaks, I daydream about the other side of the world. I wonder what Poppy and Alex are up to—maybe they”re unpacking now that the movers are done. Is Poppy”s old green car in the garage or out front?
Once sound check is finished, Ace proposes that we all go out for a bite to eat. We’ve never really chilled with the crew before, but I’m really enjoying getting to know them. Kit finds a spacious venue that can comfortably fit all seventeen of us. Since it’s only four in the afternoon and the restaurant isn’t busy, they happily close their doors, allowing us to have our gathering in private.
As we wait for our food, I feel the need to call home and check in. Sadly, the time difference prevents me from doing so.
While glancing at my phone, I notice a missed call from Poppy, which must have occurred during soundcheck. I listen to the recorded message. I hear Poppy and Alex saying goodnight and telling me they love me. The message is so touching, it brings tears to my eyes. When I look up, I see my band brothers have been watching me the whole time.
”How does it feel to have it all?” Nate asks, beer in hand.
“It’s fucking amazing,” I respond, placing my phone face down on the table. “But there”s this feeling that something is going to go wrong like I”m gonna fuck it up. Or some higher power comes and tells me I don”t deserve any of this.”
“But you deserve it, man,” says Theo.
“Thanks, bro. Maybe you should try it,” I say.
Theo steals a glance at Nate, and in that moment, an unspoken conversation flows between them. Doubt creeps into my mind, making me wonder if I said something inappropriate.
”We had someone just like Poppy,” Nate says. “You know, someone who was a big deal to us in the past. Sadly, she”s no longer around. She died.”
“Fuck man, I’m sorry,” Ace says.
I’m speechless. The idea of Poppy not being in this world would destroy me. My heart goes out to them. I look at Theo and see him with his head down, focused on his glass, wiping away the condensation with his thumb.
All I want is to hug the clever jokester and say sorry. The same goes for Nate, but I don”t want to cause a scene and make people notice our intense conversation. There”s so much noise and laughter from the other tables. I don”t want to be a buzzkill.
”What was her name?” I ask, curious to learn more about the girl who was so important to them.
Theo glances up at the sound of my voice and replies, “Bianca.”
Nate places his beer on the table and grabs his phone. Within seconds, he hands it to me, eager to show me the girl who held such significance in both their lives. As I look at the screen, I see a younger Nate with longer blonde hair. Theo looks the same, just with a more youthful, almost teenage-like face. Between them stands a beautiful girl, her dark hair cascading in beautiful waves. What grabs my attention are her dark brown eyes and a smile that just radiates pure happiness. They all smile together in a selfie. The smile on Nate’s face in the photo is unfamiliar to me, unlike any I have seen from him before. Could this be the reason why he”s so serious now? Perhaps life’s challenges have taken its toll on him, weighing heavily on his heart.
“Music was her thing,” Theo says. “She absolutely loved it. One of the most talented guitarists I’ve ever come across. No offense, Ace,” he says, directing his gaze toward Ace.
“None taken, man,” Ace replies.
”I thought you knew, Xander,” Theo says, giving me a look. “I told Poppy about Bianca at the zoo.”
“Nah, she didn”t say a word to me. Bianca was stunning.” I pass Nate back his phone.
”Yeah, she totally was,” Nate says, gazing at the photo before he turns off his phone and shoves it back in his pocket.
We take a moment to sit in silence, enjoying our beers, as the sound of laughter comes from the other tables around us. It”s great to see everyone gathered here, instead of the band always being isolated, like when Reg was in charge.
Once the food arrives, the talk switches to the wild adventures the guys have had in New Zealand. Theo”s cracking up as he describes Nate and Ace”s epic disguises for their adventure. They all go into detail about their trips, sharing the incredible sights and unforgettable experiences they had together.