“I wish,” she grumbled. “I’m a week from my due date and doing everything possible to go into labor. I want this kid out of me!”
I kissed the top of her hand and rubbed her huge and firm belly.
“You can have him any time today,” I said. “But I’m playing the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow, so if you don’t have him today, you’ll have to wait until after my show.”
“Ha ha,” she grumbled. “I’ll set a reminder on my phone. I mean, who cares that I’m miserable. Aiden has a show!”
Delilah poked me in the ribs and giggled. “Don’t anger the beast.”
“Shut up!” Sara snapped as she slid off the barstool.
“See,” Delilah said as Sara waddled out of the kitchen. “She’s going to go cry in her bedroom now.”
“I heard that!” Sara yelled. “I’m just going to pee!”
I burst out laughing and hopped up on the kitchen counter. My mother shook her head at me. I fully expected her to say something like ‘counters are for glasses, not asses, Aiden’, but she didn’t.
“What are you doing here?” I asked my baby sister. “Sunny went straight to the studio when we pulled into town. She’s probably pissed that you aren’t there.”
“That’s why Sunny has two assistants,” Delilah replied. “I already told her that I’m on baby watch until Sara delivers my new niece.”
“Nephew,” I corrected her.
“Whatever, loser. Anyway, I’ve been working my ass off while she’s been with you. I need a break. How’s Mona handling her first tour? She freak out yet?”
“She’s doing amazing, much better than you did your first time on the road with us,” I said. “Mom, can you make chicken fettuccini for dinner?”
“Yes, no problem. Whatever you want.”
“No!” Sara protested as she came back into the kitchen. “I can’t eat chicken. It’s gross. Besides, Superstar, why should Mom slave away in the kitchen when you have someone you pay to cook for you?”
“Since when don’t you eat chicken?” I asked.
“Since you left,” Delilah answered. Her annoyance with our big sister’s eating habits was prevalent in her irritated tone.
“But,” she cut her eyes at Sara. “Our brother has been on the road for months. I think he deserves a home cooked meal from his mother.”
Delilah’s snarky smile clearly indicated that she’d been up to her old ways, torturing our sister every chance she got. Some things never change.
“Shut up, Delilah.”
“Is that the best you can do, Sara?” Delilah teased. “Pregnancy drained you of all your wit as well as your sense of humor?”
“I’m gonna kick your ass as soon as I have this kid,” Sara replied angrily. “Just wait until you get pregnant.”
“Leave your sister alone,” my mother scolded, but she had a small grin on her face.
I haven’t seen my mother this happy in a long time. She’s still mourning for my father, but at least she has her three kids around ALL THE TIME to ease some of her pain.
Leaving my sisters to their petty argument, I went out to my studio. The first thing I did when I bought this mansion was turn the guesthouse into a professional recording studio. This place is my sanctuary and is the best place I’ve ever recorded. I love being able to look out the soundproof windows and glass doors and see my daughter playing on her play set with her friends. Sunny and I have had some really good conversations here, amongst other things.
Even though I have a lot of work to do on Erica’s next album and should start writing my album, I sat in the studio lounge and flipped through the channels on the fifty-inch television mounted to the wall. This is what I need right now. No kid, no girlfriend, no band…just me and my stuff. It feels good to be home.
***
A few hours later, a soft tap on the glass doors woke me up from a peaceful sleep. I motioned for Sara to come in. She sat next to me on the plush sofa and sighed.
“How’s your tour going?”
“It’s going well,” I replied. “I met this kid named Kameron in Detroit. He’s awesome. He’s eleven and plays the guitar. His dad died a few months ago in Afghanistan. I spent the day with him and his family and brought them to the show. Then we rode racehorses in Colorado. I wish I could have flown Kam out for that but we were only there two days. Other than that, it’s been a regular tour.”
“You’re such a softie when it comes to kids,” Sara giggled. “When did this happen?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Kids are cool.”
“That’s ‘cause you’re a big kid. How are things going with Sunny?”
“Fine, I guess.”
“Was she mad about those pictures of you at Hooters?”
I started laughing. I completely forgot that Sara reads the gossip blogs now. She usually has her nose in medical books and journals, but like Delilah, she always wants to see what the world is saying about her brother.
“She’s still mad about that,” I admitted. “Even though she’s trying her hardest to act like it’s not a big deal, I know Sunny and she’s pissed.”
I can’t control what people, especially my fans, post on Twitter and Instagram. I like to party and people like to party with me. Sunny knows that nothing happened with those Hooters girls. She’s just upset that I refuse to sit on my tour bus watching Netflix because I’m in a relationship. She wouldn’t be mad if she had been there like she was supposed to be.
“You have a knack for pissing that girl off,” Sara said wearily. “You finally got her, Aiden. Don’t mess up your own happiness.”
“I’m not,” I assured my sister. “Sunny and I have been through a lot, but we both want this. We’re going to be okay.”
“Where is she? Why isn’t she here?”
“She’s working. She’s designing a line for Fashion Week. Where’s your husband?” I countered.
“Still at the hospital. He’s been working late so he can afford to take a few weeks off when the baby comes.”
Sara never complains about Tahir to me. I don’t know if it’s because they never have any problems or because she doesn’t want me to interfere in her relationship, which I will if I think that someone is trying to screw over my sister.
“I bet you can’t wait to get back to work.”
“Hell yeah,” Sara smiled. “I miss the hospital.”
“Whatever happened to you opening your own practice?”
“I help more people in the Emergency Room than I ever could if I had my own practice,” Sara said. “Once you finish medical school, priorities change. You’re exposed to so much. I only know a few people who are practicing what they said they wanted when we first started school.”
“Have you found a nanny yet?”
Sara shook her head. “Mom says we don’t need one. She’s going to keep the baby when I go back to work since you’ll be home and Sunny said Jess is coming back.”
I don’t remember ever agreeing to having Summer’s nanny back in the picture but since I’m not the one who pays Jess, I really don’t have a say. I didn’t think Mom keeping Baby Tyler was such a great plan either. Even with Jess around, my mom already takes care of Summer most of the time. Adding in another grandchild may overwhelm her. What if Delilah has a kid? Is Mom going to watch all three grandkids?
I made a mental note to talk to my mother about that. I didn’t bring my family to California so that our mother could be our permanent sitter. She’s supposed to be out meeting friends and doing whatever women in their fifties do. Maybe she could start dating. I don’t know. What I do know is that she’s supposed to be living her life, not raising our children.
***
I arrived at the Hollywood Bowl alone in my Maserati. Roxy wasn’t thrilled that I wanted to drive my car, but something told me that I should. Besides, I was home. Why would I stay on the bus? At least I was on time. For that, she should be grateful.
The doors hadn’t opened yet, and there was a line of about two hundr
ed people standing outside. Some were taking pictures under the marquee that read:
LIVENATION PRESENTS:
AIDEN TYLER
THE PLEAD THE FIFTH TOUR
TONIGHT 8:00
I pulled my car to the curb and jogged across the street to a group of five excited girls getting ready to take a picture
“Hold on,” I said to the guy holding the camera. “Can I get in this picture?”
The group of college-aged girls screamed in unison when I joined their picture. It took a couple of minutes for them to calm down enough to get a decent shot. After them, I took about fifty more pics.
Interacting with my fans is my favorite part about being a musician. Concert tickets aren’t cheap. These people deserve to have a memorable concert experience from beginning to end. Besides, musicians don’t get many opportunities to interact with the people who support us, who give up their hard-earned money to buy tickets, albums, and tour merchandise. We’re always being rushed to one venue after another, harassed by paparazzi, or escorted past the fans in order not to cause a riot. Whenever I see an opportunity to show a little appreciation, I take it.
I took pictures and talked to as many people in line as I could before getting back into my car and driving around to the back of the venue where security escorted me to my dressing room.
Sunny, Roxy, and Mona were already there.
Sunny was fussing with Shane as usual, so after giving her a quick kiss, I made sure to avoid that conversation.
“You were outside with the fans?” Mona asked, but it didn’t really sound like a question…more like an observation. “You’re trending on Twitter now.”
“I’m not even going to pretend to know what that means,” I said, grabbing a beer out of the mini-fridge.
“Considering the hashtag is Aiden rocks, I’d say it’s a good thing.”
Roxy looked up from her phone and frowned sternly at me. “How many times are you going to ignore me when I tell you to learn Twitter?”
“When do I have time to learn Twitter? Besides, it’s so dumb. Delilah is always tweeting stupid shit. No one cares what I’m doing every minute of my day. They especially don’t care what the hell I’m eating. I’m on Instagram. That’s enough.”
“Well, aidentyler.com has over a million followers,” Mona said. “And all I tweet from that account are tour updates and pictures. If you had a personal account, you’d probably break Twitter. Your fans would love to hear directly from you.”
“Exactly,” Roxy added in her two cents. “Your colleagues are doing great on Twitter. They have over three million followers. You need to jump on this social media train, buddy. Even the damn President has a personal Twitter account. Are you busier than Barack Obama?”
I threw my hands up in defeat. “Fine. I’ll do a Twitter. What do I have to do?”
Mona eagerly located her MacBook and spent the next twenty minutes setting up my account and giving me a tutorial. She even downloaded the app on my iPhone. When Sunny saw what we were doing, she logged on and followed me.
“Ha! I’m your first follower,” she laughed.
“That sounds lame as hell.”
She kissed my forehead. “Welcome to Twitter, babe. You’re going to love it.”
“I’m going to tweet that you’re on Twitter now with your handle,” Mona said. “Watch how many followers you get.”
Three minutes later, Sunny, Mona, and I were leaned over Mona’s laptop watching my Twitter followers grow by the second. When it reached a thousand in ten minutes, I took a picture of me and my girls and sent my first tweet.
Chillin backstage at the Hollywood Bowl w/ my girls getting ready to melt 17000 faces off. U ready? #aidenrocks
My phone started going crazy with alerts coming in so fast that Mona had to change my notification settings.
@aidentyler Aww! Wish I was there
@aidentyler HAVE A GREAT SHOW!
@aidentyler I’m in the 3rd row w/ @IAMBATMAN & @cjluvstheblues Say hi to us #aidenrocks #summertour
@aidentyler WOW! You look HOTTTT
@aidentyler Glad ur on twitter now! R U gonna live tweet the show
I looked at Mona. “How do I reply?”
“First,” she said, “do not get into the habit of replying to everyone. People who tweet celebs never expect a reply anyway. If you try to reply to all your tweets, you’ll be on Twitter all day. You should use Twitter very casually.”
“Makes no sense,” I grumbled. “You wanted me on here; now you’re telling me not to use it.”
Before Mona could reply, my mother’s picture popped up on my screen. I answered the call.
“Are you stuck in traffic?”
“No, honey,” she replied. “We’re not going to make it. We’re on our way to the hospital. Sara’s in labor.”
“No!” I yelled. “Are you kidding me?”
“Calm down, Aiden. It’s early. Her contractions aren’t that close. We’re just going in because Tahir wants her there with him.”
“I’m coming,” I insisted. “I’m not missing this. I’ll call you right back.”
When I hung up, Roxy was shaking her head at me.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“But my sister is in labor! I have to be there!’
“Sara texted me,” Roxy showed me her phone.
“Everything’s fine,” I read out loud. “We’re just going to the hospital because Tahir is at work. Do not let Aiden stop his show under any circumstances.”
I handed the phone back to its owner. “Doesn’t matter,” I said. “You can’t expect me to play a good show with my sister stuck in my head the entire time. We both know that shit’s not gonna fly. Call it, Roxy. I’m not playin’. I’m walking out of here in five seconds so you’re not going to have a choice but to cancel the show. This is a medical emergency.”
“No it’s not.”
Roxy looked around the room at Mona, Sunny, and Shane. “Can you three give me a minute alone with my client?”
Neither of them argued. They simply filed quietly out of the dressing room. Roxy sat next to me and put her hand on me knee that was shaking uncontrollably.
“I know how you feel about your sisters, and I understand that this is an important time for your family. I understand that you want to be there, Aiden. I need you to think about what you’re asking me. I need you to think about what’s going to happen if you walk out on seventeen thousand fans, your band, your friends, and completely ignore your contract so you can go sit in the waiting room at UCLA Medical Center for who knows how long.”
I shook my head at the same pace my knee was shaking. None of that matters. My sister is about to give birth to her first child. There’s no way in hell I’m missing that.
“We can reschedule the show,” I said.
“Really? You think it’s that simple to reschedule a show at the Hollywood Bowl?”
“Roxy! This is important!”
“Aiden,” she replied calmly. “Delilah promised to send me regular updates and your set is only two hours long. You’re not going to miss anything. And if, by chance, something happens, I’ll stop the show and come get you off stage. I’ll have your car ready and running. I’ll even get us a police escort if necessary. We can be at the hospital in fifteen minutes, okay?”
I didn’t say anything. Of course what she was saying made sense. Of course, she would try to keep me calm. That’s her job.
“This is super important to me, Roxx. I know it’s just my sister and not my kid being born, but she’s having a baby. I want to be there to share this moment with my big sister. No one was with me when I found out about my child.”
I’ve forgiven Sunny for not telling me about Summer before she was born. I was there with Sunny when she gave birth; however, I thought I was just being there for her. I had no idea that I was becoming a parent too. She took that moment from me, but what’s done is done. It won’t happen again.
“You trust me,” Roxy continued. “Y
ou know I’d never do you wrong. You know I always have your back. If Sara’s contractions become less than seven minutes apart while you’re out there, I will stop the show. I will not let you miss the birth of your niece or nephew. I promise you that. You know me, Aiden. Have I ever lied to you?”
“Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll play. But…”
“No buts, Aiden. If the situation changes, we’ll leave. I promise.”
I believed her and felt a little better when my crew came back into the room. While the opening act performed, Sara and Delilah kept texting me. For the hour and a half we waited, Sara hadn’t made any progress. By the time the house lights dimmed and I strapped on Dee-Dee, I was happy that I’d listened to my manager. Sara’s contractions were so sporadic that Tahir hadn’t even admitted her yet. They were just chilling in the doctors’ lounge.
“Hello LA!” I yelled into the mic after the first song.
The crowd roared. I felt their animated energy wash over me in waves, a strong indicator that this show was going to be epic. The more hype the crowd is, the better I play. I took my phone out of my pocket and held it up.
“So, today I joined Twitter and I’m supposed to say hello to…” I looked at the names in my timeline so I wouldn’t get them wrong.
“Aiden fangirl 3-1-0-3, I am Batman and CJ loves the blues who are sitting in the third row. What up, tweeps? And no, I won’t be live tweeting this show…whatever the hell that means.”
I waited until the laughter and cheers died down.
“Before we go into the next song, I need to apologize in advance if I seem a little distracted. My big sister is in labor and my little sister is keeping me updated via text. So if I keep checking my phone, now you know why. I’m going to be an uncle!”
The crowd erupted in loud cheers and applause as I started the opening chords to my very first single, “Life Unexpected.” The band, the crowd…everything was flawless. I was able to forget about the Sara situation and get lost in my music. My fingers glided over my guitar strings like I didn’t have a care in the world.
Love Notes (Friends Lovers or Nothing Book 4) Page 14