Feel Like Makin' Love (Rock and Roll Trilogy #3)

by Stewart, Barbara

  “It’s time for him,” Nanny said. It was a soft emotional voice, but Carlee felt that she meant what she said.

  By the time they reached home, it was late, and they fell into bed and were fast asleep.

  They only had three days to spend with family before heading to Jacksonville, and they crammed in as much family time as they could.

  ~ ~ ~

  Devin Marshall met with Carlee, Matthew, and Thomas when they returned to Jacksonville, and the movie process began.

  They talked with Andy, and he told them Shirley was ready for them whenever they worked out the details. She would help with accommodations in Eleuthera when they were ready.

  ~ ~ ~

  On Friday, May 10, Carlee and Matthew boarded a plane for Atlanta. This was the last trip out of town that the OB/GYN would allow. They checked into the Hyatt on Peachtree Street, where the ceremony would be held the next day.

  ~ ~ ~

  On Friday evening, they went out for dinner and a stroll around the area. Returning to their room later, Matthew crawled on the bed to wait for her. When she joined him, his hands framed her face and he drew her near for a kiss.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” Carlee told him.

  “I wouldn’t have come without you. They could mail me my award if I win. I’m glad we could make this trip. The next couple of months will be hectic, getting everything ready at the house for our things to arrive.”

  “Our house.” She rolled into his arms and said, “Our child will grow up in a house full of love, and just one house. I waited so long for that, Matthew.”

  Matthew watched her; he could see she needed a moment. She was quiet and finally told him, “I was fifteen before I had a life-home and a devoted father. As good as that was – I want more for our child… Sorry,” she said, “I seem to reflect more now – the movie I guess.”

  “Carlee, Kylie will have the same family you have now. She’ll be loved as you are now, and you can ask for no greater gift than that.”

  She pushed back a little to look into his eyes. “I am so blessed that Papa took me to Six for dinner that night. I love you, Matthew.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The next morning, room service delivered pancakes, and they talked about the evening ahead. “I can’t wait to get all dressed up! I haven’t done that in a while, except for Paris, but this is even dressier!” she said looking at Matthew’s tuxedo.

  “I liked it best when you’re dressed down - the white shirt and black heels – damn woman! I keep reliving that night in my dreams!” He exaggerated a shiver as he said the words.

  “You just never know!”

  ~ ~ ~

  For the evening, she’d purchased a royal-blue tunic with rhinestones at the neckline and accented with the sapphire cuff bracelet and earrings Matthew had given her.

  “Dahling’ you look mah’velous!” he said coming behind her and nuzzling her neck.

  “Fernando, don’t let my husband hear you,” she laughed.

  “Let’s go!” They only needed to go downstairs to the ballroom, and as Matthew grabbed the door handle, Carlee’s phone rang.

  “Two minutes, it’s Papa,” she said and answered. “Well hello! We were just getting ready to go down for the awards ceremony.”

  “Hey love, I won’t keep you, just wanted to tell you there’s a contract on the flat. Tell Matt, ‘break a leg!’ I love you, can’t wait to give you a squeeze!”

  “Love you, Papa.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They entered the ballroom, and a young man escorted them to their seats. As they made their way, Carlee looked around at the beautiful room – crystal chandeliers and crisp white linens, crystal bowls of gold balls decorated the tables as centerpieces. As they approached, Diego Aceveda was there waiting.

  “Diego, this is Carlee,” Matthew said when they arrived at their seats.

  “Even more beautiful in person,” he said, taking her hand to kiss it.

  “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. This is an exciting evening.”

  Diego knew she was pregnant, so he ordered sparkling water, and when it arrived he made a toast. “Per il futuro e tutte le cose buone!” he said and added, “To the future and all things good.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The room filled, music played, and they dined on a lovely meal. Several other advertising people who worked on the layout for the ad joined them at their table, all of them excited to talk to about ideas for the upcoming ad campaign on women going through treatment.

  “Carlee, thank you for agreeing to do this. It means much to me - me Madre,” he said in his heavy accent. He placed his hand over his heart and then leaned to kiss her cheeks.

  Finally it was time for the ceremony to begin. Awards were given for television advertising, on-air ads, press awards, as well as billboards and posters. Matthew received the award for billboard advertising and print advertising for Scarlett Poppies. Diego received an award for each too. Matthew received the award for best photography for the ad. Both Diego and Matthew earned the Silver Epic Award for best overall design and presentation - an achievement that brought worldwide acclaim.

  ~ ~ ~

  Back in Jacksonville, Matthew and Carlee were busy making preparations for the exciting time ahead of them. Everything was in place for the floors as well as the paint. They were also anxious for Andy and Geni’s arrival. They would return on August 1. Matthew was juggling schedules for the arrival of their furniture and belongings from London and moving everything around in anticipation of the floors.

  ~ ~ ~

  In London, Andy and Geni had been searching the internet for possibilities for a house for them. They found several that they would look at when they arrived, but their real interest was in a house a block away from the Davis house, on the same street. It was a single level with a pool, something that Andy had on his wish list. They’d made arrangements to view that one as soon as they were back in the states. Geni knew the owners and had been in the house. She was excited about the big kitchen, but she wanted Andy to see it before she shared her feelings about it.

  ~ ~ ~

  These were exciting times. The Cancer Foundation was using the shaved- head photos of Carlee, and with Johanna’s permission, the ones of Carlee and Kyliejo together.

  Carlee signed up for three on-line classes through Flagler College to finish her degree, and was volunteering for Butterfly Camp, even though she wouldn’t be able to attend. She worked with volunteers on projects for the kids. Andy, Geni, and Nathan were going, and Andy was working on a large screen projection system for the main hall where everyone gathered in the mornings. Carlee would do a session from home, telling her personal experience and her story of Kyliejo.

  And Johanna was coming to camp.

  ~ ~ ~

  By the middle of July, pre-production on the movie was in full swing. The screenplay was complete, and they were beginning the auditions for the cast. Thomas picked Carlee up on mornings that Matthew wasn’t available and took her to work with him. Devin rented an apartment to be able to stay in Jacksonville when they were working. He’d flown to Eleuthera and worked with Shirley on what they would need, and Carlee and Andy were both happy that they were compensating her well for her work.

  ~ ~ ~

  For over a week, Thomas, Carlee, and Devin had gone through headshots of actresses to play Beth in the movie. Carlee was afraid she’d be emotional, but Thomas and Devin made it easier by going through them, giving their comments before Carlee looked. They had it narrowed down to ten, and Carlee was happy with the choices.

  Up next was going through the same process for the actor who would play Andy. Carlee stopped them at the first picture. “If he can act, that’s Papa.”

  “We probably ought to pick a couple of others in case he can’t,” Thomas laughed.

  ~ ~ ~

  Scripts were in process, and Carlee was reviewing them with Devin. She loved the storyboards; they gave her an idea of what was ahead. She went to work with
Thomas each day and worked on her classwork until the end of the day or whenever Matthew came to get her.

  Andy and Geni were busy packing and preparing for camp. Their journey would begin August 23, and Carlee felt anxious to see Johanna.

  Andy brought Nathan on board to work with him to oversee all the musical aspects, and they’d been talking back and forth for weeks. Devin wanted to have real Traveler music and the movie Traveler to lip-sync. Carlee was on a conference call with Devin, Thomas, Andy, and Nathan and was happy to hear Andy’s reply to that. “If the band in the movie can’t pull it off, you didn’t pick the right band. No lip-sync. Nathan and I will work with them. We can get the rest of the band together too.”

  It was all very emotional and exciting, all at the same time.

  ~ ~ ~

  Matthew was busy coordinating moving his mom’s furniture to rooms in the house that wouldn’t be used immediately, after the floors were done.

  “Matthew, I have a silly idea, but it’s something I want to do,” Carlee told him as they rode home one evening. “Music is such a part of us, when the old flooring comes up, I want to write lyrics on the floor before they put the new stuff down.”

  “I love that idea! We can make a map of where certain lyrics are and go there to celebrate something that means something special to us. I want “Crazy Love” lyrics all over the floor in our bedroom!” he laughed.

  ~ ~ ~

  On August 1, Matthew and Carlee were at the terminal waiting when Andy and Geni came through. Andy went straight to Carlee and started singing to her belly, “she’s my sweet lil’ thing, she’s my pride and joy, she’s my sweet lil’ baby…”

  “How’s my belly bean?” he asked when he finished singing, squeezing Carlee in a hug.

  “Belly bean?” Carlee roared with laughter.

  “I love that!” Matthew laughed as they made their way to baggage claim to get their bags. “We’ve sure missed you two! The guest room is waiting! Wait ‘til we tell you what we did under the flooring!” Matthew laughed.

  “Tell us now,” Andy laughed.

  “Can’t,” Carlee said. “It’s more like show and tell.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Andy took their bags to the room upstairs where they would sleep. When he came back down, Carlee took his hand and led him into the family room. She stepped around a moment to make sure she had the exact right spot as Matthew got the music ready.

  “Dance with me, Papa,” she said. He wrapped her in his arms as Nat King Cole sang “Unforgettable.”

  “Well, this is a nice surprise,” he said holding her hand to his cheek.

  Geni watched and loved what she was witnessing.

  “Papa, we wrote song lyrics on the subfloor under the flooring. Right beneath our feet are the words to this song!”

  “What a lovely idea!” Geni clapped. “Show me another spot, Matthew!”

  He led her to the spot between the kitchen and dining room when “Brown-eyed Girl” began to play. “There are more all over the house. We made a map so we’d always remember.”

  Matthew looked over where Carlee and Andy had sat down on the sofa. Suddenly, she grabbed Andy’s hand and placed it on her belly. “Matthew, come quick! She’s moving! She likes the music!”

  As Matthew joined them on the sofa, and Geni came to where they were, Carlee looked at Andy and saw that he was crying.

  “Papa?”

  “I’ve just never experienced anything so beautiful. First the dance, and then the flutter of new life; I’ve never felt anything like that before.” He put both hands on her belly, leaned close, and started singing.

  In my world

  It’s you and me

  In my world

  You’re all I see

  You’ve taken me to a new place in the world

  The world I share with you

  You’ve shared a beauty never known

  To me, in the world I share with you

  The more he sang, the more movement there was, and the tears from Andy flowed freely.

  Carlee knew this was his way of sharing Beth with her and the baby, and she cried too.

  ~ ~ ~

  Everything was falling into place; filming would begin in Eleuthera the following week. There would be a huge cast party for everyone to meet. But all of a sudden, the closer it got, the more Carlee dreaded it.

  “I don’t want to see any of it until it’s done,” she told Matthew. “Thomas and Devin said I could, but I think I need to wait until it’s a finished product, or close to it. I need to visualize the whole story, not bits and pieces.”

  “Whatever you need,” Matthew told her and made a note to call Thomas.

  ~ ~ ~

  They’d chosen Sierra Knight, a ‘pixie’ of an actress, to portray Beth, and modern-day rocker, Kent Brisson, would be Andy in the movie. With the cast in place, and scripts, directors, sound, and lighting techs on board, they were ready to go, and filming would begin in Eleuthera in two weeks.

  ~ ~ ~

  There was a contract on Matthew and Carlee’s flat, and he was making a trip to London. He and Carlee met with the doctor, who assured them that nothing would happen while Matthew was away. They coordinated his departure with Johanna’s arrival, and when they arrived at the airport, Johanna had a travel companion. When Carlee looked up, she saw Hatchet with her.

  “Oh, my word! Let me look at you,” Hatchet yelled. “Gorgeous! The pregnant glow looks so good on you!”

  “I can’t believe you are both here! I’m so jealous; first time in thirteen years I’m not able to go. You’ll both love it!” She cried hugging them.

  “I’m not going to camp!” Hatchet laughed. “I’m staying with you while the hubs is away. You’re stuck with me until Johanna comes back so we can journey home together.”

  “WONDERFUL!” Carlee shouted, and Matthew loved the smile on her face.

  “I love you; behave while I’m away. I’ll see you Tuesday night.” He hugged Carlee and started toward the gate and then turned back to hug Hatchet. “Take care of my girls.”

  “My pleasure!” Hatchet replied, slipping her arm around Carlee’s shoulder.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nathan came in on Thursday night, and the group departed for camp on Friday. Carlee and Hatchet attended the embarking party, and the kids who had been to camp with Carlee before were happy to see her.

  “I love you all so much. I hate that I’m not going to be there with you!”

  “But you’ll see her every day,” Andy told them.

  “Have fun, caterpillars,” she shouted as they boarded the busses. “I’ll see you butterflies when you get back!”

  ~ ~ ~

  Carlee and Hatchet settled in for their time together. Matthew called daily, and Carlee had a date with the big screen at camp each morning. The kids who knew her loved seeing her pictures with her head shaved and seeing her with the head full of the curls that were growing back. And every morning when she disconnected, she cried.

  Matthew would return late on Tuesday, and while they ate dinner on Sunday evening, Carlee said to Hatchet, “Thank you again for being here. With Thomas and crew being in Eleuthera, I knew I would feel sad.”

  “Lots of changes for you right now.”

  “Speaking of changes, can you help me with something? I’d like to accomplish one thing before Matthew gets back.”

  “Whatever you need.”

  Carlee led her to the room that would soon be a nursery. Matthew had already assembled the crib and dresser. He’d painted the room a soft yellow, but everything was in the middle of the room.

  “Furniture-moving?” Hatchet asked.

  “No, arts and crafts!”

  “Crayons?” Hatchet laughed.

  “Découpage!” She went to the closet and pulled the stack of butterflies that she and Kyliejo had colored during her stay in the hospital. “I want these all over that wall.”

  “Lovely,” Hatchet said, and they both started to cry.

  ~ ~ ~

/>   They ran out to get the supplies they needed, and when Brian and Malia stopped by that evening with Taco Tico for dinner, the wall was covered.

  “Oh Carlee! How absolutely beautiful and appropriate! Does Matthew know?” Malia asked.

  “No, it’s a surprise!” She sat down to rest in the rocking chair that Andy had gotten them for the baby’s room. Brian moved the crib and the dresser where she wanted them, and as she looked on and directed, she started to cry.

  “What is it, love?” Hatchet asked.

  “There’s one more thing, but I’m afraid to do it just now.”

  “Show me,” Malia said.

  Carlee rose from the chair and pulled a flat envelope from the closet. She started to lay the letters out on the changing table and suddenly Kylie Elizabeth was spelled out before them.

  “Oh love, the wee one and your mama,” Hatchet said and Carlee nodded.

  “Where do they go?” Brian asked, grabbing the letters. Malia helped him put them where Carlee indicated.

  “It’s a beautiful start!” Malia said when they were done.

  ~ ~ ~

  Camp wasn’t the same experience for any of them this year. Carlee’s absence was forefront in all of their minds. Everyone loved the daily visits, especially Andy, Geni noticed. It was his opportunity to make sure she was OK.

  Ronnie latched onto Geni the moment she saw her. “Look how beautiful you are!” She said, lifting soft blonde curls. She watched Johanna out of the corner of her eye. Ronnie and Kyliejo would have been about the same age, and she wondered how she would react.