Текст книги "My Kind of Forever"

Автор книги: Heidi McLaughlin

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

M y mouth is parched and my throat hurts. My hands seem heavy as I try to move them. As I open my eyes, I squint even though the lights aren’t very bright. My tongue darts out to wet my lips, but they’re still dry and feel chapped.

“Here.” I turn to the sound of the voice. It’s Harrison.

“Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital, mate.” It’s good to know that JD is here as well. I wonder where everyone else is.

Harrison brings a straw to my lips and I suck greedily, taking all that I can to wet my mouth and soothe my throat.

“What am I doing here?”

“There was an accident,” Harrison says as he puts the plastic cup back on the track. He’s sporting a beard and I’m not sure I like it. I slowly move my head to look at JD and find that he has one too.

“What happened?”

“An eighteen-wheeler lost control and hit the bus. You were sitting up front, talking to the driver when it happened. You were thrown to the back of the bus, breaking your back. You’ve been in a medically induced coma for six months.”

“What? What about…” I can’t imagine what Josie must be going through and for me to be hurt in the same type of accident as Mason; her mind must be going crazy. Why isn’t she here? Where are my kids? The last thing I remember is Paige being born.

“You need to calm down. You don’t want to accelerate your heart rate,” Harrison says.

“What town are we in?”

“Some rinky dink place called Beaumont.”

Harrison doesn’t smile when he says it, but I know he’s happy. I’m happy. I smile at him, but his expression doesn’t change.

“You love it here, don’t lie.”

“No, I don’t. The sooner we get back to Los Angeles, the better.”

“What are you talking about? Where’s Josie? Where are Noah and Paige?”

“Who the hell are Josie and whoever else you said?”

I look from Harrison to JD, who shrugs. “I gotta get out of here and find my wife. Where are Katelyn and the kids? Jenna and Eden?”

They shake their heads and push me down on the bed. I start to hyperventilate, needing air.

“Maybe the accident did damage to his brain.”

“Liam, calm down. Sam is right down the hall getting coffee. She’ll be here in a minute.”

“I don’t want Sam,” I cry out. “I want my wife.”

“Sam is your wife.”

I wake with a startle. Someone is sleeping next to me and there’s a crying baby somewhere in the house. I turn away from the person and look out the window; I’m in Los Angeles. Tears prick my eyes. I just had the best and worst dream of my life and now I’m back to square one, except I don’t remember marrying Sam or having a child with her.

I want to cry. My dream was so vivid, so clear. My life was good. I made my amends with people and started living again. The cries get louder, stirring a sleeping Sam next to me. Something tells me I’m the one who should get up, but I don’t want to. I want to go back to sleep and remember Beaumont, Josie and the children we had.

“Liam, Paige is crying.”

“Wh… what?” I roll over at the sound of the voice I remember so clearly. Even through the darkness I can see her bright blue eyes shining up at me.

“Are you real?”

“Yes, and so is our daughter. Go get her, please.”

“I fucking love you so much.” I kiss her on the lips, trying to savor the moment, but my princess is down the hall needing her daddy so I must go to her.

“Hi, Princess,” I say when I approach her crib. Her blue eyes, wet with tears, look up at me and she pouts her tiny mouth. She lets out a quiet wail, telling me that she needs me. I hope that someday she realizes how much I need her.

“Did you have a nightmare?” I ask as I lie her down on her changing table. I hand her a little rattle to keep her occupied while I change her diaper. “Daddy did, and it was bad. I dreamt that it was me who was in an accident and not your Uncle Mason, and when I woke up in my dream, I didn’t have you, mommy or Noah. When you started crying, I woke up again, but I was confused about being here so I thought I was only dreaming about having you.” I pick her up and kiss her rosy cheek, holding her to me. She snuggles into my neck and tries to seek out the milk wagon. I make sure to put her pacifier in to keep her quiet for the walk to the kitchen. By the time we get there, she’s sound asleep.

The white lights from the Christmas tree sparkle against the darkness of the room. I stand in the large picture window that overlooks Hollywood. The city lights illuminate the valley, making it look alive. Paige is barely four months old and being plagued by an earache. Her first airplane ride didn’t go as planned. Nick calls it an ear barotrauma. I heard the word trauma and freaked out on him until he called it an ache. An ache I can deal with.

We are in Hollywood for a few reasons. We decided to spend Christmas here and Yvie and Xander are getting married on Christmas night at Harrison’s pad. I’ve taken to calling it a pad because he yells at me each time I say condo. Earlier in the fall he was able to buy the upstairs “apartment” and convert his into a two-story, giving him and Katelyn more room with the kids.

Everyone is here with us, except for Nick and Aubrey. They flew to Africa to see Aubrey’s parents, who are on a Mission, and introduce them to their son, Mack. He’s a cute baby with blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Aubrey. Josie says he’s going to be a looker when he’s older and I tell her as long as he’s looking away from Paige, I’ll be happy. Nick thinks I’m joking, I’m not.

After Paige was born, and we brought her home, life became crazy. The guys, with the help of Jenna, Katelyn and the grandmas, all busted our asses to get Paige’s room ready. We put up a fresh coat of paint, new curtains and those clingy things for the walls to make her room into a castle. Not to mention all the new furniture that didn’t come assembled, even though I tried to bribe them. Harrison, JD and I spent twelve straight hours screwing in nuts and bolts while the girls shopped. Truthfully, it was the longest day of my life – not because I was putting a crib together, but because I was away from Josie and Paige for the day.

I’ve come to realize I’m the over obsessive dad. If you have a cold, don’t come over. If you haven’t washed your hands, don’t touch my daughter. If you smell, haven’t showered or your clothes are dirty, stay far away. Those are the things that concern me the most. I’m working on watching my language around her as well, but that seems to be the hardest part of all.

Paige wiggles in my arms, letting out a faint cry. I pat her bottom to lull her back to sleep. I’m the midnight feeder, the one who gets up with her if she wakes up at night, and the one who takes the late shift when the kids are sick. This is my time with them, especially with Paige. When Noah’s sick, he lies on the couch and I sit next to him, but I’m there to help when needed. It’s actually my favorite time with them, the one on one. It’s at night when I can clear my thoughts, and when I’m holding Paige in my arms, the lyrics flow. She’s my inspiration, my reason for being.

After she was born, I took a hard look at my life. Josie and I sat down and hammered out a plan... for now, the music stays and Josie is happy with that. Before Paige was born we said we’d spend summers in Los Angeles, but now that JD and Jenna have moved here permanently, I have a feeling her stance might change.

Josie’s hesitation is her parents, but since they’re retiring they’re willing to travel. My hesitation is Noah. He’s going to excel at Beaumont High and part of me would like to see him do it in my number. I’d like to see his name next to mine in the record books. Ultimately, I’m letting him make the decision. If he wants to stay, we’ll stay and make everything work. I wouldn’t be the only musician in the world to have two houses.

After the first of the year, my mother is moving into her former home. I own it, and will continue to until her divorce from my father is final. Apparently, my mom could live with the mistreatment and emotional abuse, but would not live with adultery. I don’t blame her. The money she was left by her father is in my name as well, something my father will never be able to touch.

I have no qualms about setting my mother up. We’ve made amends, and she’s been a rock for Josie and me. It pains me that my father destroyed such a beautiful light. I have no doubt my mom would’ve reached the highest peak of stardom, although if it weren’t for meeting Sterling, I wouldn’t be here today.

Shortly after Paige was born, I sat down with Josie and asked why the name “Betty”. She finally confessed that during our issues earlier in the year she had gone to the attic and found a box full of stuff that had belonged to my grandparents, a box I didn’t know about. I spent an hour going through the contents, learning about whom my grandfather was and how much he loved not only my grandmother, but my mother as well. And I forgave Josie on the spot because if she hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t have felt connected to my grandma enough to name our daughter after her.

The band has a new manager and record deal with Capitol Records. We’ll be back in the studio once the holidays are over and looking to go on tour by the end of next year. Josie and the kids plan to join me once football is over, but only until baseball season starts for Noah. His sports life is important to me.

Our manager is just like Sam, but nicer and missing the evil bone. The wives balked at first, but once they got to know Mira, they brought her into their fold. I do think, however, that it’s a case of “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”.

The light behind me comes on and I turn and see Noah eyeing the tree. I smile and look down at the presents pouring out from underneath it.

“Santa came,” he says. Over the past few months, he’s changed. He’s grown a few inches and has started keeping his hair short like me.

“He did.”

“Do you think any of those are for me?”

I shrug and rub my hand on Paige’s back. “I don’t think Paige can open any yet so I’m willing to bet most are for you.”

“Awesome. I’m going to go wake everyone up.”

I look at my watch and realize Paige and I have been up for five hours, just staring out the window, reflecting on life. It was the fastest five hours of my life.

As soon as Josie enters the room, she comes over to kiss Paige, even offering one up for me.

“Merry Christmas,” I say against her lips.

“Merry Christmas.”

Paige takes this opportunity to wake-up and as soon as she sees Josie, it’s a full on whimper. She doesn’t need dad anymore because the milk wagon is in town. I hand her over to Josie with a kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll make you some tea.”

In the kitchen, I start coffee and hot water for tea, and I plate up the pastries we ordered for breakfast. I carry those into the living room first and am greeted by Mrs. Preston who is getting the coffee and tea trays ready.

“Merry Christmas, Liam.”

“Merry Christmas.” I kiss her on the cheek and even though I’ve known her half my life, I can’t bring myself to call her by her first name. The same goes for Mr. Powell.

I follow her back into the living room with the drinks and see that everyone is awake. I put on my Santa hat, as is tradition, and take my position next to the tree, grabbing the first present.

“To Grandma Bianca, from Noah.”

My mother beams when I hand her the present and wastes no time tearing into the box that he wrapped for her. Her eyes tear up the moment she lifts the lid, pulling out the same picture book that I got on my first Christmas with Noah.

“My mom helped, but I thought you’d like to have some pictures of me when I was a baby so they could go next to Paige’s.”

I don’t believe there’s a dry eye in the house when she pulls Noah into her arms and tells him that she loves him.

“To Josie, from Santa.”

I hand her the Tiffany blue box and sit back and watch. More tears are flowing when she pulls out two new bands for her wedding ring: One with Noah’s birthstone and the other with Paige’s. She slips them on her finger and holds her hand out for everyone to see.

“Thank you, Liam.” She leans forward, asking for a kiss that I’m all too happy to give to her.

“To Grandma and Grandpa, from Noah and Paige.”

I hand them a box and give my mom the same one. The grandparents tear into the box and all three squeal with delight when they pull out their all expenses paid trip to Bora Bora.

“You guys shouldn’t have,” Mr. Preston says.

“I know, my piggy bank is empty now, Grandpa.” Noah has everyone laughing with his joke.

“You guys will have fun, you all deserve it,” I say.

The next present I pull out is for me, from my family. I shake the box first, earning an eye roll from Josie. I know I’m hard to shop for, so I know anything they can find me will be the best gift ever. I unwrap the box and lift the lid. Inside is a black box with my name engraved.

“We thought you could use one like your grandfather.”

I run my hand over the top, feeling the smooth wood. “Wow, thank you. I love it.”

“Open it,” Noah says and I do. Inside are two pictures. The first one is of Mason and me in our football gear and the second is of Josie and me with the kids about a month ago. It was our attempt at a family photo with a newborn.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m sort of speechless.”

“Well, that doesn’t happen often,” Josie says, as she shifts Paige to burp. I mouth “thank you” to her because I know this was her idea. I set my box aside and compose myself. It’s been an emotional day, all starting with the nightmare I had.

“Well, I guess that’s it. We should probably shower and head over to Harrison’s.”

Noah throws a pillow at me and pretends to pout. I hand him his first gift and he rips into the paper, letting it fly everywhere.

“Sweet, a new glove! Thanks!”

And that is how the morning continues with Noah opening everything under the tree aside from a few other gifts we bought each other. Paige, of course, had her fair share of presents as well.

There are two-dozen white chairs decorated with pink tulle facing the trellis, which is facing the ocean. Flowers hang from the top, creating a cascading arrangement, and candles are lit. It is Noah’s job to make sure the candles don’t blow out. Why Yvie wanted to get married on the beach, on Christmas, is beyond me, but here I am, escorting people to their seats.

The ceremony is simple, but from what Noah has told me, the reception will be “off the hook”. As long as everyone is having fun, I’m down for anything. When I’ve seated the last guest, I rush into the house and make sure Xander is ready.

Xander and Yvie surprised us all. He had gone to see her for Valentine’s Day and said he knew then that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He just didn’t know how to make it work. Yvie was having the same thoughts, but had taken the steps to end her tenure on Broadway. During one of his visits, they were at the top of the Empire State building and he got down on bended knee, and asked her to marry him. She said yes and quickly asked if he’d renovate the second floor of the gym for a dance studio. He came back to Beaumont and started on it immediately, only for Yvie to be offered a job in Los Angeles. After a long discussion, they decided to move to California, but keep the gym open in Beaumont until the right buyer comes along. This is partly the reason why JD and Jenna have moved out here, to be close to Xander.

“You good?” I ask him. He nods and straightens his bowtie. It’s my job to make sure I get him out of the house without seeing Yvie.

“All right, the coast is clear,” I tell him and JD, who is his best man as well as Lindsay, Yvie’s friend from New York, who is her maid of honor. Harrison has the duty of walking his sister down the aisle. I swear he cried when she asked him. Peyton and Elle are the flower girls and Quinn is responsible for the rings. The poor kid has been sitting in the corner for over an hour, afraid to move because he thinks he’ll lose them.

Once I have the guys in place, I run back in and tell Tess that we can start. The Justice of the Peace is under the trellis, waiting. I sit down at JD’s keyboard and start playing the song I learned for the wedding. This was my gift to Yvie. I thought this would be better than some recording playing on an iPod.

Lindsay comes out first, and according to Josie, she’s wearing a light pink chiffon (whatever that is), off the shoulder dress. Apparently, just calling clothes by their name isn’t okay. Me, I’m in a black tux made by Armani – that is something I do know.

Once Lindsay is in her spot, the twins walk out and start dropping rose petals for their aunt. They wave at me when they walk by and I notice that their dresses match Lindsay’s. As soon as they get to the front, it’s my cue to play the Wedding March.

When Harrison and Yvie step out, I get choked up. She’s been like a sister to me and I couldn’t be happier to see her finally settling down with an amazing guy. I let the music trail off when they reach Xander, who stands there patiently waiting for his bride. I know what that’s like. It’s pure torture. I quietly take my seat next to Josie and kiss her on the cheek. Paige is sleeping in her arms and wearing a dress very similar to Lindsay, Peyton and Elle.

“Who gives this woman to be with this man?”

“Her family does,” Harrison says and I want to stand up and say ‘damn right’, but I bite my tongue. I’ll do that later.

Harrison kisses Yvie on the cheek and shakes Xander’s hand before taking a spot between his mom and Katelyn. I pat him on the shoulder and remind him he has two daughters, he better get used to it.

“We are gathered here today to witness the union of Yvie James and Alexander Knight. The meaning of true love is different for each of us. We can find it in a friend, a lover and if you’re one of the lucky ones, your soul mate. It’s what you do with that love that carves a path for your future. Yvie and Xander have taken their love for each other and shared it with the rest of you today.”

His words give me pause. I hadn’t realized that the love I have for Josie has been carving our path, but it makes sense.

Yvie and Xander exchange their vows and Quinn delivers the rings like a champ. Once they kiss, I’m out of my seat and back at the piano to play their song as they come back down the aisle. When Yvie gets to me, she presses her lips against my cheek. “Thank you, Liam.”

I continue to play until all the guests are out of the area. The reception is at the marina, not far from here, and most people are on their way there by the time I get the piano put away.

“Are you ready?” Josie asks me as I take Paige from her.

“Yes, let’s go party,” I say, holding my daughter’s arm up in the air and waving it around gently. Josie rolls her eyes, but she loves me so it’s okay.

The reception is huge, with all their college and work colleagues. I can see why they kept the ceremony to just family; the beach isn’t big enough to accommodate everyone. It’s a slight exaggeration, but we’d probably need three hundred chairs.

Dinner is served, champagne is flowing and I’m not drinking. It’s not some new lease in life, but out of respect for my wife and the fact that she’s breast-feeding and didn’t pump beforehand. However, being that I’m Liam Page, I can still have a good time.

“Uncle Liam, we’re ready,” Elle comes over and tugs on my jacket. Just like at my wedding, the kids have put together a musical number for Yvie and Xander. Harrison and I are helping them get set up and making sure everything is tuned properly.

“Okay, Elle, do you remember your lines?”

“Yep, I know them.”

“Noah, are you good?” He gives me thumbs up.

“Quinn?”

“I’m good, Uncle Liam.”

That leaves Peyton, but Harrison is taking care of her.

“This is for our Aunt Yvie and Uncle Xander,” Elle says into the microphone. Once the music starts people start moving in their seat. As soon as Elle sings the first verse to Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, Yvie and Xander are up dancing. Once they start, everyone joins in. I want to dance with Josie, but I need to be available for the kids in case something goes wrong.

The whole room is cheering loudly for the kids as they finish the song. They all bow and run off stage. One song a night is all they’re good for.

“That was awesome,” I say to Noah when he gets off stage.

“Thanks. I really like playing.”

“Me too,” I tell him.

The DJ starts in with his music and Noah asks Josie to dance. I take Paige from her who is wide awake and watching everything around the room.

“Someday, this will be you,” I tell her, earning a punch to the face from her flying hand. She starts to whine, so I stand and move back and forth with her for a bit until I decide that if I’m going to dance, I’m dancing with my daughter on the floor so everyone can see her.

Paige and I move out on the dance floor and stand next to Noah and Josie. Paige and I move to the music and she coos when she sees her mother and brother doing the same. There’s no shortage of love in this family, that’s for sure.

When Purple Rain comes on, Josie and I freeze. I pull her to me with my freehand and tell Noah to join us. This may not be the appropriate family song, but it’s a song that has deep meaning for Josie and me.

We sway to the music and I steal kiss or two from my wife, who has her chin resting on my shoulder. Our son has his arm around his mother and I hold our daughter in my arm. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m certain this is what my kind of forever looks like.

Read other books by Heidi McLaughlin