“I’m sorry, that sucks.”
“Yeah, it does.”
“I get it though, about the wall. That’s how it’s been between me and my mom since she and my dad split.”
“How old were you when they divorced?”
“Seven,” I answered.
“Wow, so pretty young. Has your relationship gotten better with your mom at all since then?” I could swear I heard hopefulness in her voice, but I couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear.
“No, not really. In some ways it has, but I think that’s just because I’ve gotten used to it. Some relationships just can’t be healed if the other person never changes.”
“Oh. Is it okay if I ask why your parents got a divorce?”
“My mom cheated. She found someone else, but didn’t have the guts to just tell my dad. I think she wanted him to keep footing her bill as long as she could get away with it, or until she had the other guy sufficiently wrapped around her finger. I hated her for a long time for doing that to my dad, and leaving us, and that messed with me. Having those feelings. I’d always been closer to my dad, but she was still my mom, even if she hadn’t been acting like it for a while. There was a time when she was a great mom, but it was like she just started caring too much about other things, and not enough about actually being a family. So she found someone with more money who could give her everything she wanted.”
“Money can make people real assholes,” she muttered. “That might be a little hypocritical of me, and I’m not saying everyone who has it is an asshole, but sometimes I wonder if my parents didn’t have so much money, if our family would still have so many problems.”
“I know what you mean,” I told her. “My step dad is a real asshole. I used to play the ‘what if’ game too. Like, what if I had been a better kid, would my mom still have wanted to leave us? What if my dad had just bought the bigger house that she wanted? Would she have been happier then? What if my parents had stayed in New Hampshire instead of moving to Boston after Bas was born? There were so many of them, but all that did was make me more disappointed and angry, and I was an angry kid for so long.”
“How did you deal with it? Did it ever feel like too much?”
“All the time. It got a little better when Jax and her mom moved in a couple years later. Patty was so nice, and she always invited me and Bas to do things with her and Jax. She was the kind of mom that every kid should have, but sometimes even that would make me angry. I would think it was just so unfair that my mom couldn’t be like that, and that Jax didn’t have a dad. I would tell myself that at least I still got to see my mom some weekends and on the nights my dad had to work at the hospital, or would get called in, but mostly I just dreaded having to see her or go to her new husband’s house. I acted out a lot, in school and at home. It wasn’t until a high school band visited my junior high that everything changed. I saw that drummer just wailing on his kit and I went home that day and basically threw a fit until my mom caved and got me a drum set.
“The first time I held a pair of sticks in my hand I knew they belonged there, and then when I actually started beating on the drums with them, it was perfect. Of course I was terrible and had no rhythm, and it just sounded like chaos, but it was like my angry soul found peace and purpose. My life had felt out of control up to that point. Nothing I did could make the anger and bitterness go away, but with the drums, I could let it all out. From that moment on, every time I picked up my sticks I was in my own world. I was in control. In that place, nothing could touch me, nothing could hurt me. I was free. It’s still like that every time I play. Freedom. That’s what my music gives me.”
I felt her eyes searching me, trying to really see me. Something made me think that she did. She just sucked in a heavy breath and said, “I get it. I think I felt that when I was messing around on your drums before. It was incredible, and just like you said, nothing could touch me in that moment.”
I knew she did get it. She got me. Right now she was telling me that, and it scared the shit out of me. She’d spent all of twenty minutes, or however long, in my seat that day, and I felt like she understood me and was seeing me better than anyone maybe ever had.
I needed to steer this conversation in a new direction, and quickly, before I did something stupid. Like kiss her.
Bringing up the video game was the only tactic I could think of. It worked perfectly in that the intense moment passed, but I don’t know that I wanted to kiss her any less when I saw her eyes grow huge and excited as she made me relive and share every second of testing out that game. How is any guy supposed to resist a girl who claps her hands and squeals like a maniac while having some sort of panic attack/epileptic fit over a video game she’s excited about?
It was really damn hard.
Chapter 18
Mia
I almost fell out of bed trying to detangle myself from the sheets to get to my ringing phone across the room. Whoever was calling at five in the morning had better have a damn good reason. I didn’t have class until ten on Thursdays, so there was no reason for me to be up before nine.
I saw Sadie’s picture on the screen, but it didn’t lessen my irritation. I didn’t care if she was my favorite sister, she still better have a damn good reason for waking me up this early.
“Hello?” I croaked, not bothering to mask the sleep still heavy in my voice. I wanted her to know she’d disturbed my precious beauty rest.
“Two questions for you, how fast can you pack a bag and would it kill you to miss your classes the rest of this week and on Monday, and maybe Tuesday?”
That woke me up. If Sadie was asking me to pack a bag, it meant . . .
“Are you inviting me to Australia with you guys?” I’d been insanely jealous when I heard that Sadie was going down under for the weekend. The guys had shows and Sadie and Jax weren’t about to be left home this time. They’d been talking about it at lunch last week and Chris had also mentioned that he was looking forward to it during our adventures in babysitting, which both babies had survived, unscathed.
“Yes, if you can manage it with your classes.”
“Screw classes, I’ll make it work.” I could email my instructors for the reading and any assignments and get the notes from someone in class. I’d already had to do that the few times I’d missed classes.
“Okay, awesome. I feel bad that I didn’t invite you sooner, I just didn’t think with school . . . well it was actually Chris’ idea. He suggested you could help Jax with Abel to make it easier on her and Ky. They’ll pay for all of your expenses if you will.”
“Hell yeah. I don’t mind watching him, especially not if I’m getting a free trip to Australia out of it.” And more chances to spend time with Chris. This was his idea. That had me smiling even more, even if he had only suggested me as a babysitter.
“Then pack your swimsuit. Plane leaves in three hours. We’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
I hung up with her and immediately dug my luggage out of my closet and started throwing stuff in. It had to be spring or almost summer time there right now, so I filled my bag with shorts and dresses and every cute, flirty outfit I had. I tossed in a bunch of sandals.
I was going to Australia! With a famous rock band! I squealed a little and started jumping up and down. The excitement was a little too much. I couldn’t even think clearly enough to make a list of what else I needed to pack.
I grabbed my cell and pulled up Kris’ number and hit call.
“What the fuck Mia? It’s not even five-damn-thirty in the morning. I don’t have to be up for another two hours.”
“I’m going to Australia!” I yelled into the phone.
“Good for you, and this couldn’t wait until this afternoon?”
“No, I mean like I’m going right now, well not right now, but in a couple hours. I’ll be on a plane this afternoon, and guess who I’m going with?”
“I don’t know, Channing Tatum,” he said sarcastically. “It better be someone good to have y
ou this fucking excited this early in the morning.”
“No, even better than Channing!”
“Must be my drummer alter ego.”
“Yes!”
“Well shit, how did that happen? I thought he was dating someone.”
“Well, technically I’m not going with him. It’s the whole band, and my sister and Jax and Abel, but it was Chris’ idea to invite me. I don’t think his girlfriend is going. Sadie didn’t say she was going. No, I don’t think she’ll be there.”
“In that case, I can practically hear the wedding bells,” he said dryly. “Make sure you send me an invite, and a post card, and tell Nemo hi for me if you find him.”
“Shut up. You’re an ass. You should be excited for me.”
“Maybe I would be if you hadn’t woken me up, or if you were calling to invite me to fucking Australia.”
“Boohoo, you couldn’t go anyway, you have hockey,” I reminded him.
“Whatever. I’m going back to bed. Call me when you land safely and have fun.” He hung up before I could say anything else.
The call had calmed me down enough that I was able to write out a list of what I still needed to pack. I didn’t think I had forgotten anything as I checked things off. Shower stuff, camera, extra memory card and the charger pack, a non school related book, (no way was I studying on this trip) two bikinis, sunscreen, my passport, sunglasses and my laptop and charger.
Seeing that I still had some time left, I decided to run down to the bookstore and grab some snacks for the plane. Sadie hadn’t said whether we’d be flying commercial or private, and no way could I survive that long of a flight without quality junk food. Kris would have smacked me if he had seen me collecting bags of chips and candy and cookies. He thought that just because he was on a healthy diet for hockey that it meant I should be too. I worked out with him, that was enough for me. It just meant that I hid my junk food stockpile when he came over. If he ever saw it, I knew he would make me run extra.
Thinking about being on a beach in a bikini had me wanting to thank him though. My body was the most toned it had ever been thanks to his workouts the past month. I’d always been small, but now I actually had some muscle definition.
Just a few minutes before six-thirty, there was a knock on my door.
“Hey,” Chris smiled when I opened it and my heart did this annoying little pitter-patter thing. He had a hat pulled low and sunglasses on, probably to keep from being recognized. Not that very many people were up at this still awful hour. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I let him in and he helped me grab my bags and carry them down to the elevators. When we stepped outside, I saw the waiting car and a huge grin split my face. “That’s what we’re riding in?” It had to be the nicest, luxury SUV limo I’d ever seen. All sleek and black with dark, tinted windows and big enough for at least ten or fifteen people.
He laughed, but continued toward the car. “Oh yeah. The label’s all about style.”
“I guess,” I muttered under my breath and followed after him.
It wasn’t my first time in a limo, but it was by far the fanciest limo I’d ever been in. Everything on the interior was just as black and sleek as the exterior. There was one long, curving bench that wrapped around from the back down one side. On the opposite side was a bar and flat screen TV. It looked like most of the guys had helped themselves to the bar.
I took a seat next to Sadie, and after Chris tossed my bags in the back, he climbed in and dropped into the empty space on my other side. Even with seven of us and a baby, there was still plenty of room. It made the drive through Boston to the airport comfortable and relaxing. If I thought that was nice though, it was nothing compared to the private jet. Talk about style, and the seats were big, plush recliners that I knew I would have no trouble falling asleep in.
Almost as soon as we were in the air, I kicked back and slept through the entire flight to LA, that’s how comfortable the seats were. After our quick stop, we were back in the air and passed most of the remaining fifteen hours of flight time playing games and watching movies, until slowly everyone started turning in to catch up on some sleep before we landed.
It was just after five in the morning in Brisbane when we touched down. There was another fancy limo waiting to drive us to our resort right on the Gold Coast where we would spend one day before moving on down the coast to Sydney and then Melbourne. This was my first trip to Australia, so I spent most of the hour drive with my nose plastered to the window, getting more and more excited the closer we got to the beach.
Our hotel was an impressive structure, towering seventy-seven stories high, right on the beach. The views provided by the floor to ceiling windows in the suite I was sharing with Ace and Sadie, were spectacular and I decided right then that I never wanted to leave Australia. I couldn’t imagine that just three full days here would be even close to enough time.
“So what’s first?” I asked Sadie once we had settled into our room. As sleepy as I was, more than anything, I just wanted to get out there and start exploring.
“We’re going to meet everyone downstairs and find somewhere to grab breakfast and we’ll go from there. I know Jax has some ideas from when she and Ky were here on their honeymoon, so we’ll make a plan while we eat.”
I changed out of my flight clothes, opting for a pair of linen capris, a lacy tank and a soft, lightweight sweater that would be perfect to guard against the ocean breeze. Thankfully my hair had survived the flight without going too flat, so after a quick brushing and shaking out, I was ready.
We met everyone down in the lobby and then found a popular café right off the beach that was just opening up. While we ate, we came up with a plan for the rest of the day.
“The guys have to be back in Brisbane by five thirty, so that gives us roughly eight hours to sight see or shop before the car will be here to drive us back into the city. I was thinking that once the car drops them off at the venue, us girls can grab dinner before the concert,” Jax suggested.
We nodded our approval.
“So then, we just have to figure out how much we can fit into today before then. I was thinking they would really like the Treetop place,” Jax turned to Ky, who was preoccupied with Abel, but looked up when he realized she was waiting for his opinion. He agreed that they’d had a lot of fun doing it on their honeymoon, and then explained that it was a high ropes course through the rainforest at Mount Tamborine. It sounded like fun to me, and everyone else agreed enthusiastically, except for Chris. He didn’t object, but he seemed less excited than everyone else.
“After that, we should have a little time left to come back here and everyone can do their own thing, if anyone wants to try surfing, or do any shopping or just lie on the beach.” Jax looked at the rest of us for our approval, and everyone nodded. We had our game plan, and I for one was freakin’ excited.
Ky called for another car to take us inland to Mount Tamborine. It was lush and beautiful, but so different from the rainforest back in Washington. The different courses spanned through nine acres of the forest. I was bouncing on my toes animatedly when we were out of the car and looking up at the wires and ropes running above our heads.
As we were harnessed up, we listened to the instructors describe the challenges we would be guided through, from ladder climbing, to hanging from trees, traversing wire and ropes courses, as well as suspended bridges and whizzing through the trees on ziplines that they called flying foxes. There were over a hundred different tree-top challenges for all levels and the courses were go at your own pace, but I could see why Ky said we shouldn’t wait for later in the day to do this. The guy helping me into my harness said that it would take about three hours if we wanted to complete all six courses.
I was totally up for taking on that challenge and the rest of the group seemed to have a ‘bring it on’ attitude as well. Except for Chris again. He was oddly quiet while everyone else chattered excitedly.
Once we were making our first climb up
into the trees, it didn’t take long to see why. They lined us up to go through the course one at a time. Ky was taking the lead since he’d been through before and I was bringing up the rear, with Jaxyn on the ground, baby Able strapped to her back and her camera dangling from her neck so that she could walk along below us and take pictures. Chris was directly in front of me and I watched the way his hands tightly clenched the rungs as he made his slow ascension.
The higher we moved, the slower he was going, and when he finally reached the top of the platform, he maintained a very firm hold on the trunk. When I climbed up next to him, I laughed.
“You’re afraid of heights?” I asked disbelievingly.
“I’m not afraid of heights,” he shot back. “I’m just not the biggest fan of them, and this is really fucking high.”
“Whatever, you’re afraid of heights.”
“Watch it, or I’ll throw you over the side and see how you like heights then.”
“You’d have to quit hugging that tree first,” I smirked, earning myself a glare from him. The guy wearing a blue shirt, marking him as one of the safety guides, was sending everyone out onto the first challenge, one by one. Ky had already made it across the first one, which consisted of several short log type bridges suspended by ropes that swung a little with each step you took. He was onto the next, a simple double tightrope. That one had a thick cable for your feet and a second at head level for your hands to hang onto.
Ace was half way across the first and Chris was eying them both nervously as Sadie and then Spade moved out. He was next. Very slowly and cautiously, he let go of the tree and made his way over to the guide who attached his harness to the overhead rope. I was trying to hold in the giggles, but it was hard.
Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) Page 17