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Her tongue peeks between her lips before she speaks. "From any other man, it might. Not with you, Adam. I feel it too. But…" I hold my breath and wait. "I'm a lot. Me. My world. My band. It's a package. I just want to make sure you understand, and you come in with your eyes open. My world isn't slow walks on the boardwalk by the beach and lounging around in the backseat of a car for half a day. It's noise, chaos, and constant touring. That's the world you'll be signing up for."
I nod. I know that world. Not at the Devil May Care level, but our family band Bluer Collar toured for years. It's a world I know well. "For you, I will." Music is life. Her life. Music, I understand. My desire to play in a band and touring are behind me. It feels like I've found my purpose. I'm a songwriter. A melody maker. We can both do what we love and thrive.
"For us, I will."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ariel
Say Anything.
Adam teed up the perfect moment for us. The perfect opportunity for me to come clean. To let him know about the Sunday showcase. To let him know about my plans to have one of them join the band.
But the moment was too perfect.
My stupid heart beat like a love-struck teen screaming, 'Don't ruin the moment!' Don't say the words that might have him racing for the hills. My declaration that he'll be stepping into my crazy, chaotic world is more than enough risk at the time.
So now I sneak onto my phone the minute he disappears into the rental car office to return the car.
"Dax!" I scream into the phone. "I only have two minutes. What's the status? Is everyone aboard?"
"Good evening to you, too." Dax's sass easily travels eight states and arrives fully intact. "Aren't you going to congratulate me?"
"Yes!" I pump my fist. "I knew you'd come through. When do you guys arrive?" This is happening. We're going to play on the main stage on Sunday. The Seaside Sunday stage. This is one of those band-defining concert moments.
My excitement is met with a defining silence.
"Dax?"
He clears his throat, and I brace myself. "I meant, aren't you going to congratulate me on pushing you to do the song? I saw the TikTok. It's incredible. And the response. You killed it.” I hear the pride in his voice, and normally, I'd be all in on diving in that pool and hanging out for a while. We're family. We all share in each other's victories. I should pause and mark the moment, but I have no idea how long it takes to return a rental car, and I can't have Adam appear mid-conversation.
"Thanks. Now about the band and the Sunday show. Where are we?" I fail in keeping the impatience from creeping into my voice.
"I have to ask once again. Are you sure you want to do this?"
His question puts me on my heels. My initial reaction is to ignore it and pivot back to mine. "Nothing's changed," I start and don't believe my voice. "We're still short a band member, and the brothers are ready. This is how we stay together, all of us."
"So, you've decided?"
I sidestep this question, so much has changed since our last conversation. "Don't worry about it. When you guys are here, I'll let you know the choice. When are you getting in?"
A deep exhale floats through the line, and I brace for the bad news. "I'll have to turn the screws. Only Santiago agreed. Everyone else said it's too soon. Too short notice. Norris is on the fence, but then he saw your performance and said you should take the Sunday slot for yourself."
"I'm not a solo artist. I have one song. I need my band."
"You want your band," Dax clarifies like a fourth-grade teacher.
"We need this. It's a Sunday showcase. It's the main stage. You don't know how many strings I had to pull." I plead like a college student begging for an extension for their research paper.
"I get it, and I'm on board. I'll always have your back. But I'm not the one with an anxious girlfriend waiting at home. I'm not the one who promised a wife that they'd be home for at least six months before even considering hitting the road. And I'm not the one talking about starting a family. I'll take another crack at it, Ariel, but our band family isn't our only family anymore."
"But you'll get them here, right? Dax, I need this." I realize how big an ask this is. The boys nearly attacked me when I had our manager extend our last tour by a month.
"Then let me get off this phone and apply the hard sell. If I move heaven and earth, you'd better be ready for us."
"I'll be ready. Hurry and get everyone here." I spot Adam exiting the rental office and give him a wave. "I got to go. Text me with updates."
I disconnect just as Adam reaches me. He takes my hand and leads me toward the boardwalk and the short walk back to my hotel.
