“You know what Madison? You’re always so quick to judge everyone else’s life, but you never take the time to look at your own.” Glenn was now standin’ and walkin’ towards me all high and mighty. “Why haven’t you married Kayla yet, Madi? I mean come on now, y’all already have a kid together, and you asked her and put a ring on it, so why is it that Madison Raine can’t find it in himself to marry the supposed love of his life?”
“That’s none of your business, Glenda.” I growled.
“Well if ya wanna come at me and my relationship, then I have every right to come at you about yours. That girl has been sittin’ by just waitin’ for the day that you say that you’re ready to do it. Man, I’m sure she would even marry you in front of the Justice of the Peace over the damn phone if you asked her to. I mean, what’s holdin’ ya back?”
I pushed my hands roughly back through my hair in aggravation. As much as I hated to admit it, Glenn had a good point. Although with one very big difference…I would never cheat on Kayla, and he was all but ready to cheat on Cami.
Chapter 3
Kayla
I made sure Mia was completely occupied in her playroom before heading back out to the living room where Cami was currently waiting for me. The minute I walked in, I plopped myself down on the couch just staring in Cami’s direction. After about a half a minute, I just couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Are you seriously just going to sit there?”
“Man, you’re pushy, Kay. Anyone ever told you that?” A small smile formed on her lips, and I could tell that she finally felt comfortable enough to start talking. “First of all, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t come to you the minute I thought I was pregnant, and I’m sorry that I acted like such a brat just a bit ago. I guess I’m just freaking out a bit. They told me I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant, and shouldn’t even try for at least five years, and it’s only been a year and a half, barely.”
I reached out for Cami’s hand, cupping it in mine reassuringly, “Cam, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. They just wanted to give you the worst-case scenario. I know you’re still at a point where it could end, badly, but you can’t think like that. Obviously this happened for a reason.”
“I know. I know, but it’s still so damn scary. I mean, so many things could go wrong. And to make matters worse, Glenn and I aren’t exactly in the best place right now. I’m not even sure he wants kids anymore.”
“Wait! What?” I shook my head in disbelief. “He’s always talked about having kids with you. I mean, for crying out loud, y’all were going to adopt, twice now.”
“Yeah, that’s the other thing. So I chalked up the first time to bad timing. Maybe we weren’t ready then, and the mom got scared and realized she wanted to keep the baby. I get it. I know that’s got to be the hardest decision anybody would ever have to make. But when it happened again, well, I got suspicious. So I called our adoption attorney.”
Cami’s head fell limp, and her body began to shake as tears began streaming down her face. I reached out for her chin, pulling it up so she was looking me in the eyes. “What happened, Cam?”
“H…he called her. The mom didn’t change her mind this time, he did.”
My hand dropped from Cami’s chin and into my lap. I was baffled. Why would he do this? There had to be a logical reason, there just had to be. “W…why?”
“He claimed that we had changed our minds about having kids all together, but if we changed our minds in the future, we would get a hold of her.” When Cami lifted her head up to look at me, all I could see was anger and rage replacing the love and adoration she once felt for Glenn.
“What the hell? I can’t believe he would do that to you. And he never once brought it up to you?” Cami just simply shook her head. “What a piece of work that guy is, but wait. Didn’t you guys receive a letter from the adoption agency telling y’all about the mom changing her mind?”
Cami nodded, “That’s the most sickening part of all of this. Instead of him coming and talking to me the way married couples do, he went to extreme measures to make it look like it was the mom, and not him. I don’t even know what to say to him. I haven’t spoken to him in almost two weeks, and we usually talk every night before I go to bed. I want to physically hurt him.”
“Okay, so not to change the subject, but how did you end up pregnant then? Have y’all been having sex?”
“Just once, right before they left on tour. Apparently that’s all it takes these days.” She joked, and I smiled as a show of support, given that she was able to joke about her current situation. “And damn woman, y’all need to empty your trash more often, that test is from two weeks ago.”
“Shut up! I really do need to start emptying it more, but I’m the only one here besides Mia, and well, she doesn’t use the bathroom trash can.” I laughed. “Two weeks ago huh, and they left what, almost two months ago?”
“Yeah, about then.”
And that’s when it hit me. Joey. “Hey Cam, have you or Glenn spoken to Joey since his whole run-in with that nutball?”
“Now that you mention it, no. Well, at least I haven’t. I don’t know about Glenn.”
“Weird.” I muttered.
“Yeah, but he was off to training camp, and I know he was planning some big thing for Diem. Maybe they just got super busy. You know Joey, he’s a flake.”
“True. Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’m sure he’s just busy with the team and all.” I shrugged my shoulders to show Cami that I wasn’t worried, but deep down I was starting to freak out just a bit. It wasn’t like Joey to not get a hold of me at least once in the last two months. Oh well, I’d make a mental note to look into it later.
“Well the season starts in a couple of months. I’m sure he’ll call all of us to remind us of exactly when his first game is so we can all watch him on the big screen.” Sarcasm laced every word she spoke.
“Give him a break, this is huge for him. And I don’t want to watch his lame ass on TV, he better be sending some tickets our way.” We both let out a much-needed bout of laughter.
“Hey, Kay?”
“Yeah, love?”
“Thank you for being there for me. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”
I could see the tears welling up in her eyes again, and I slapped her leg…hard. “Knock that shit off. No more crying today.”
“Fine, but you don’t have to get physical. Hey Kay, how are you and Madison doing?”
This was definitely not the question I was expecting. “We’re fine. It’s hard with him being so far away for so long, but we’re managing.” I knew the minute the words came out of my mouth that Cami would catch onto my lies.
“You’re full of shit.” She said very matter of factly with a glare in her eyes. “How’s it really going?”
I was just about to confess all my deepest darkest secrets to her, but fortunately for me, before I could damn myself to eternal damnation, the phone rang. “Hold that thought.” I smiled as I ran to the kitchen to pick up the landline. “Hello?”
“Hey gorgeous, how’s it going?” The voice on the other end was exactly what I needed to hear at that very moment. Not only did it calm my nerves, but it instantly stopped my mind from racing.
“Hey, I have company over. Can I call you back in a bit?” I was trying to keep my voice down so Cami wouldn’t hear me.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I go to work at six.”
“Okay, I’ll call you before you go in.”
“K, bye.”
“Bye.”
“Who was that?”
I jumped about a mile out of my shoes as Cami snuck up on me, scaring the life out of me. “It was Madison. I just told him I’d call him later.” I could tell by the perplexed look on her face that she wasn’t buying a single word I was selling.
“Um…sure. Although the inflection in your tone as you spoke to him, was one I don’t think I’ve ever heard. Who was it, Kay? Because I know it wasn’t Madison, especially given that it is oh
all of about nine o’clock in Dublin, which means they’re busy puttin’ on a show right now. So I’ll ask one more time, and if you lie to me, I’m out of here. Who was it?”
Suddenly I was dreading what I needed to tell Cami. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was going to unleash all her pent up rage on me, and I wasn't prepared for that right now. I glanced behind me, and then down the hall, making sure that Mia was still happily playing with her toys, and when I turned back around to face Cami, I lost it.
Chapter 4
Madison
I drowned out the entire crowd as we finished out our last concert in Ireland. It was a surreal feelin’ to have so many fans on the opposite side of the world cheerin’ for us every night. It was everything I had ever wanted in my life. It was literally my dream comin’ true, but deep down there was something that just didn’t feel right. I wasn’t sure if it was bein’ away from my girls, or if it was the fact that I was finally willin’ to admit that I was terrified of the next step…goin’ home.
I put every ounce of energy I had left in me into our last song. The crowd roared louder, and my voice went higher, pullin’ the crowd into my emotions as much as I could. And when the last note dropped, and Bryce strung the last string on his bass, the lights went down, and in the complete and utter darkness, I could feel the roar of the crowd vibrating to my core. It was a feelin’ that not many get to feel, and I consider myself blessed to be part of such an elite group of people who did. It was a liberating experience.
The lights came back up, and the four of us bowed in front of what looked like a million people with lighters and phones held high, just for us. We waved and thanked the crowd as we ran off stage, and I let out a sigh of relief that we would be headed home in just a few short hours. We weren’t expected home for another week, but a few of our other shows were gettin’ rained out, so we decided collectively that we should just call the rest of the tour. Lucky for us, the record execs agreed.
A couple of hours later, as we all boarded the plane that was takin’ us back to our loved ones, I opted to sit as far away from Glenn as possible. It definitely helped that we were in first class on a plane that only had ten other people on it besides us. I silently made my way up to my seat, dropped my bags on the seat next to me, and set in for the long ride home. As I slid my headphones over my ears, and my sleepin’ mask over my eyes, I let the sound of the engines lull me into a peaceful sleep. Of course my mind was racin’ about a million miles a minute, but in between questioning my life, my decisions, and my love for Kayla, I found myself gettin’ some of the best sleep since I’d left home.
And I would’ve continued to get the best sleep, but every twenty minutes I was bein’ startled awake by turbulence, and of course…Glenn. If his singin’ weren’t enough to make my ears bleed and wish I were dead, then his drummin’ against every surface near him would most definitely do the job. It was like he had no respect for anybody but himself. Who was I kiddin’, obviously given what happened in Dublin, he most definitely had zero respect for anybody but himself. Part of me wanted to walk over to him and put him in his place, for good this time, but the other part thought that maybe gettin’ himself into trouble with Cami is what he needed. A swift kick in the ass to be more precise.
Before I could get up and beat the ever livin’ crap outta Glenn, Brandon was plopping himself down in the seat next to me. “Hey bro, what’s up?”
“Nothin’, just contemplating how many ways I can kill Glenn without anybody noticin’.”
“Oh, this could be fun.” Brandon sat back and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared in Glenn’s direction. “Not that I don’t enjoy this and all, but why are we wantin’ to kill Glenn again?”
I let my shoulders drop in defeat, “I dunno, man. I guess there isn’t a great reason, just a lot of good ones at this point in time. Anyway, so how are you doin’? We haven’t really had a ton of time to catch up. You and Bryce have been all over god’s creation chasin’ every piece of tail that walks past ya.”
“Me, I’m doin’ great. This tour has been amazin’. Seriously, never in a million years did I think that we’d be tourin’ the world, playin’ our music for everyone to hear. It’s surreal.”
I chuckled, not only because he was right, but also because I wasn’t even certain that Brandon knew what the word surreal meant until now. “It most definitely is. Did Bryce have a good time?”
“You know Bryce, he can make anything a good time. We met a lot of really cool chicks. I know we’ll probably never see them again, but they didn’t have to know that.” Brandon threw his head back in laughter, and I couldn’t help but laugh right along with him. I was definitely lucky to have these guys in my life, no matter how often they make me want to hurt them.
“Well, dude,” Brandon smacked my leg, and quickly jumped out of his seat before I could hit him back. “I’m off to my seat. See ya.” I could hear his menacing laugh the entire walk back to his seat. I’d make sure to add that to the list of all the reasons I would like to hurt him as well.
Glenn was finally startin’ to settle down so I placed my headphones back on my head. As much as I willed myself to go back to sleep, it just wasn’t happenin’. So I decided to do somethin’ that I’d never done before. I rummaged through my backpack, and a small smile spread across my lips as I pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. I wasn’t exactly sure what I had to say that would constitute writin’ a letter, but if anything, this could be the start of a new tradition for Kayla and me.
My Dearest Kayla,
I wrote and wrote until my hand felt as though it was gonna fall off. Just when I thought I had nothin’ left to say, I found even more. It may not have been the best love letter ever written, but it was straight from my heart, and only intended for her. I could only hope that she would see the effort and love that I poured into it. I folded the letter, and tucked it tightly into the inside pocket of my leather jacket. I glanced over where Glenn was sittin’ and saw that he had finally passed out, and I took that as my cue to run to the bathroom real quick.
When I was headed back to my seat, I caught sight of someone sittin’ where Brandon had previously been sittin’, and sure enough, there was Glenn all bright eyed and bushy tailed, just waitin’, for what I had no idea, but I guess I was about to find out.
Chapter 5
Kayla
“Are you going to answer me?” Cami’s voice echoed through the vast empty space that was my living room, and I was almost scared to answer her question, because I knew damn well she wasn’t going to like the answer.
I took in a deep breath, and let it all out. “It was...Mike.” I glanced up at Cami to see what her reaction was so far, but if she was pissed, her face most definitely wasn’t showing it. I took this as my cue to continue. “I promise it’s not what it looks like.”
“That’s what guilty people say.” Her stoic expression was literally killing me.
“It’s not, Cam. We’re friends, that’s all.”
“Since when? Because as far as I knew, you guys have never spoken unless I’ve put you in the same room together.”
“It started a while ago. I needed someone to talk to, and things with Joey were weird, and you were busy fightin’ for your life. Not only did I need him, but he needed me. He was in a bad place, and we found solace in one another. I’ve never crossed that line though, Cam, I swear it. And neither has he. We just…talk.”
“I knew something was going on.”
“What? When did you think that?” I was silently praying that she hadn’t mentioned anything to Glenn or Madison.
“At the party that Joey crashed. I saw the way you two were talking and looking at each other, but I could never put my finger on it. Well, I never thought my brother and my best friend would be doing anything behind my back, but I guess I was wrong about that too.”
I reached out for Cami’s hand, but she jerked it back. “Cam, nothing is going on behind your back. Do you really think I would do that to
Madison?”
“Apparently I don’t know you like I thought I did, so who knows.”
I flinched as she spoke, her words cutting through my heart like a knife. How could she think so little of me? “That’s not fair! You can’t be mad that I found a friend in your brother. He respects me, and he respects my relationship with Madison. Why are you so mad?”
“I told you. I don’t believe it is as innocent as you claim. I know my brother, and I know…”
“Me?” I bowed my head hurt and disgusted that she would really think so little of me that I would jeopardize everything I have with Madison.
“I think I should go.” Cami stood and gathered her purse. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about, well, you know what. I would like to tell people when I think it’s right. And don’t, under any circumstances, tell my brother.”
Before I could even respond, the door was slamming shut, and I was left sitting all alone. A stray tear fell from the corner of my eye, but I refused to let anymore fall. As sad as I was and as much as I wanted to break down right then and there, I had a cute little girl suddenly calling out for me, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t about to plaster a happy smile on my sad face for her.
“Coming, baby.” I pushed myself up off of the couch and started to make my way down the hall to Mia’s playroom when I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t spoken to Madison all day today. Just another thing to add to the long list of disappointing things I’d done today.
“Momma, Momma, you’re here.” Mia’s arms were high above her head just waiting for me to pick her up, and without hesitation, I did just that.
This Family of Ours (Raine #6) Page 2