Chapter 30
Thirty
STONE
The rest of our week in Chicago goes by in a blur.
As does Minneapolis. Hazel loses herself to the world she’s writing every night.
I spend the time she’s working either polishing lyrics or working on the music with Xan and Tobias.
Between the three of us, we damn near have enough material for a double album.
I watch Hazel closely as time passes. Even though she’s working, laughing, existing as normal, I feel that she’s off. Between the bullshit with her dad and Greg, she’s lost the spark that came alive the first few weeks of the tour.
She shows up for her readers with the same gorgeous smile and irresistible wit.
As she’s gotten comfortable with fan interaction, they’ve become even more obsessed with her work.
A few moments from the signing in the romance bookstore in Chicago have gone viral on social media, rocketing her numbers back to the top of the charts.
Even with all that, though, I’ve found her silently crying several times. It fucking guts me to walk into a room and see her staring out the window with tear tracks running down her cheeks. Which is why I’m flying in a surprise for her in Kansas City.
I look down at my phone and open the flight tracking app to watch the progress of the private jet carrying the three most important people in Hazel’s life. When I shared my idea with Sierra earlier this week, she was immediately on board with surprising Hazel with Barbara and Beverly.
When they get within twenty minutes of arrival, I sneak out of our suite with Adam.
Hazel’s so deep in writing she probably wouldn’t notice the fire alarm blaring, so it’s not hard to do.
In the lobby I go ahead and check them into the Presidential suite of the hotel, so they don’t have to do a single thing on this trip.
The executive airport is right downtown here, so we only have to cross the river to get there.
The drive takes mere minutes. Nerves flutter inside me the closer we get, I haven’t met the parents of anyone I’ve dated since I was a teenager taking prom photos with my date.
Knowing how close Hazel is with her mom and grandma ramps up the pressure.
The driver waits at an automated gate as the plane pulls up. Once the engines are off, we drive up and the stairs are lowered. I swallow nervously and push my door open.
A small, dark haired woman emerges first. It must be Beverly, she favors her left leg, and I rush to offer her my hand when she gets to the bottom two steps.
“Hello, I’m Tyler.” I flash a smile at her when she places her hand in mine, and I help her down to the ground.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Beverly,” she confirms my thought. “Hazel’s grandmother.”
“Pleasure is all mine.” Honestly, if it weren’t for knowing that she’d recently had her hip replaced, I might not have even realized she was Hazel’s grandma. She looks fantastic for being a woman in her eighties.
“Hi,” I tell the next woman who fills the doorway. “I’m Tyler.”
She takes my hand. “Hello, Tyler. It’s nice to meet you after hearing all the good things Hazel has told us. Thank you for flying us out to surprise her.”
“No thanks necessary.” I walk them over to the limo. “How was the flight?”
“Incredible. It was the best flight I’ve ever taken,” Beverly says as she slides across the seat.
“The only flight you’ve ever taken,” Barbara says with a smile. “Have you set everything up with the owner of the bookstore?”
“Yes, Carley, the owner, has been absolutely incredible. The signing is in a separate event space down the street, so we’ll just put you in the front row of the audience while I distract her with a private shopping spree.”
“Oh, I like you.” Beverly pats me on the knee. “Spoiling our girl the way she deserves.”
“You mentioned she’s been down lately?” Barbara asks softly.
I nod. “Chicago was rough for her. Greg flew out to surprise her, I guess.” I don’t know whether or not to mention her going to see Elliot. “When she wasn’t over the moon to see him, he said some nasty things. She hasn’t opened up about it to me.”
“That little twat is such an insecure piece of shit.” Beverly looks at Barbara and points. “I always knew he was bad news for her.”
“Mom,” Barbara says with exasperation.
“No, I’m serious. I’d like to see him come around when I’m there.” She lifts her cane menacingly. “I’d shove this so far up his ass he’d be choking on it.”
I couldn’t stop the grin from forming on my face if I tried. “She’s equal parts both of you.” I look back and forth between the two women who had the most influential hands in raising Hazel. “No wonder I’m so obsessed with her.”
“As you should be.”
We pull up to the hotel and wait until I get the all clear from Jade that she’s got Hazel distracted in our suite.
I’d hate for the surprise to be ruined because Hazel walked out of the room for something.
Adam and I handle their luggage as we escort them up to the suite I booked.
It’s on the same floor as us but down a different hall and luckily there are two separate banks of elevators.
The two women are shocked speechless by the room when I usher them inside. There’s a gorgeous view of the Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts and the grounds around the incredible piece of architecture as well as a view of the World War One monument and museum.
“I didn’t realize Kansas City was this pretty,” Barbara says as she joins me at the window.
“It definitely feels like a hidden gem. I’ve heard the acoustics in the performing arts center are incredible. I’d love to get my violin out on that stage.”
“You play the violin?” She pulls her eyes from the view and up to me.
“I do. Xander, one of my bandmates, and I went to Juilliard. We each play multiple instruments.”
“What else do you play?”
“Piano, saxophone, and I’m decent with a banjo and mandolin.”
“Impressive.”
“Don’t give me too much credit. I dropped out to start a rock band.”
“Be that as it may, it doesn’t take away from your talent. Or your other impressive qualities.”
I’m not sure what she means by that. My confusion must be obvious because she continues after a beat.
“You seem to understand Hazel better than most ever have. I appreciate how much you obviously care for her.”
“It’s impossible not to. She’s an amazing person.”
“That she is.”
“Speaking of her, I should probably head back to our room. Jade will come get you when it’s time to leave for the signing. I have reservations for dinner afterwards, too.”
“That sounds great, thank you.”
As I walk down the corridor, I can’t stop thinking about how kind they were. Her grandmother’s words about Greg bring a smile to my face, too. I’m glad to know we’re on the same page about him. Not that I’m too worried.
Hazel is sitting facing the windows with her headphones on as I walk into our room.
Jade looks over at me, her eyebrows raised, silently questioning if everything went well.
I give her a reassuring smile and put my finger to my lips.
She returns the smile and grabs her laptop, silently exiting the room.
After she’s gone and the door clicks into place, I cross the lush carpet and come up behind Hazel. She’s lost to writing and normally I have enough self-control not to interrupt her. But not this time.
I lean over her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I can barely make out the sound of the music she’s listening to. It’s a pop album she favors when she’s writing happy parts of the story. Watching how music adds to her writing process has been one of my favorite parts of this tour.
I’ve always known the power of music to heighten lived experiences.
People listen at work and in their cars to pass the time.
Music nourishes the soul in good times and in bad.
But I’ve never given much thought to how other creatives use it to help focus the stories they tell with their chosen mediums.
She smiles up at me, and it finally reaches her eyes. I feel like I’ve been waiting a thousand years for this smile when in reality it’s only been ten days.
“How’s it going?” I ask when she pulls her headphones off.
“So good. I’m in the part of the story where everything is just flowing so fast. I wish I could download the thoughts from my brain straight onto my computer without trying to funnel them through my fingers first.”
“Love that.” I run my nose along hers as my fingers slide into her silky strands of hair.
She lifts her lips to mine. Her lips part, tongue flicking against my lips in invitation. My hand grips the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling until I have full access to deepen the kiss. Warmth blooms in my chest, spreading through my limbs in tidal waves as she gives in to me.
It’s love.
I break the kiss but don’t move away. My eyes sting as I look down at her. She cups my face, concern creasing her forehead as she watches me come to the realization that I’m in love with her.
“Are you okay?” she asks quietly.
“Yes,” I rasp, fighting to stay steady and not blurt the thoughts out while I’m overcome with emotion. I clear my throat. “Are you excited for the signing today?”
“Yes, Sierra said the staff at the bookstore here seems amazing. I can’t wait to meet them.”
“I’m glad you’re excited. I actually have a little surprise for you before the signing so make sure you’re ready to go an hour earlier than usual.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not going to tell you, little Archer. It’ll ruin the surprise.”
She pouts. “What if it’s a bad surprise?”
“It’s not,” I say with a laugh. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
“Want some company?” Her eyes gleam.
“Hell yeah.” I pull her out of her chair. “As if it’s even a question.”
“I have surprises for you,” I tell Hazel as she stands in front of the mirror checking her outfit for the fiftieth time.
“Surprises plural?” She turns and looks at me over her shoulder.
“Yes. We need to leave now so we don’t miss any of them.” I tug on her hand. “You look beautiful, let’s go.”
“Fine, fine,” she mumbles. “Let me grab my purse and slip my shoes on.”
I’m practically vibrating with excitement, and she’s definitely noticed.
I can’t wait to see her face when she walks onto the stage and sees her mom and grandma.
I’ve never wanted to make someone happy in this way before.
Maybe that makes me an asshole because my motivations have never been purely selfless until now.
“You are really pumped about whatever the surprise is,” she says with a smile as we descend down on the elevator.
“You will be, too.” I grab her hand and pull her through the lobby and to the car waiting for us at the curb.
“No security?”
“Nope. They’re coming after the first surprise.”
“Aren’t you worried about getting swarmed?”
“No. From what I understand, the people here are pretty low key about celebrities. I have some friends who have done the big fundraiser that they do every summer for the local children’s hospital.
None of them have ever been swarmed by people when they’re out to dinner or anything.
Plus, it’s truly not a concern for what we’re doing now. ”
“I forget you’re famous sometimes.” She rests the side of her head against the leather seat and looks up at me. “You’re so normal and nerdy.”
“That’s actually an incredible compliment. Thank you.”
She presses her lips to mine in a sweet kiss, and it takes everything inside me not to blurt the three little words living rent free in my heart since I realized how I felt.
Logically it’s only been weeks since the tour began.
But the close quarters are essentially a fast forward button on my feelings.
“We’re almost there. Close your eyes.”