Page 111 of The Drummer's Heart

“Okay, Uncle Atticus.” He flashed a wicked grin.

“If you appreciate your teeth, you won’t repeat that.”

CHAPTER 37

NICOLE

The show went on as usual in Minnesota that night, with unsuspecting audience members blissfully unaware of the drama that had gone down earlier today. The fact that the guys were performing amazingly as ever together was a testament to their professionalism.

Now that I didn’t have to hide their secret, I could feel fully thrilled about Ronan and Kenzie. It made me so happy that they no longer felt they had to hide. No one should have to live like that, especially since we’re never guaranteed tomorrow.

To the audience, it might’ve seemed like just another concert, but little did they know how important this show was tome. This was the performance where I’d decided to set my gender-reveal plans in action.

Emily sat next to me in the front row.

“You know when you’re doing it?” she asked.

“Yeah. At the point when they normally stop to talk to the audience.”

She clapped excitedly.

I’d snuck in a rolled-up poster board with the gender announcement on it. I planned to hold it up so Atticus would see it. Most likely, he wouldn’t notice at first, but I’d prepared Kenzie to take photos. There was also a videographer on staff tonight who’d be capturing the moment.

My anxiety grew as we got closer to the middle of the show. I was so tense, in fact, that I’d barely noticed all of the womenscreaming my husband’s name. Normally I cringed every time. As always, there were women in the audience pulling the usual shit, like throwing their freaking bras and underwear toward the stage. But I’d vowed not to let any of it ruin my night. Instead, to calm myself, I swayed to the music and let it vibrate through my body, closing my eyes and enjoying every second. When the baby started kicking, it just added to the magic.

Rubbing my stomach, I spoke to our unborn child, “We’ve come a long way, baby.”

When we finally got to the important time of the night, Atticus got up from his drum set. My stomach dropped.Is he leaving?Atticus went over to the front of the stage and said something to Tristan, who then handed him the mic and patted him on the back.

While the band often spoke to the audience during this middle part of the show, it was mostly Tristan and Ronan doing the talking while Atticus remained the elusive, mysterious drummer in the back. While he had a reputation for being the wildest one of the group, Atticus was usually the least vocal of the three.Though not tonight, apparently.

I sat on the edge of my seat, waiting to hear what he had to say.

As Atticus stood at the front of the stage, the crowd went wild.

Emily spoke in my ear, “What the hell is going on?”

“I have no idea.”

He finally spoke into the mic. “Good evening.”

Screams erupted again at the mere sound of his voice. It took several seconds for the noise to quiet enough for him to continue.

“I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. Minneapolis is always one of my favorite cities to perform in.” He took a deep breath in. “There’s someone in the audience tonight I want totell you about.” Atticus smiled before his eyes found mine. “You know me as Atticus Marchetti, the drummer for Delirious Jones. Because of you, I’ve had an amazing career, and I’ve felt the love, believe me.”

He began to pace. “For years, I had a reputation as this wild, single, out-of-control rockstar. That’s the part of me the tabloids have shown you. But that guy was never who I am.” He paused. “Before I was famous, I was Nicole Marchetti’s husband. She was the love of my life from a very young age. To this day, being her husband was the role I’m most proud of.”

A series ofawwsrang out in the audience.

“Most of you are probably surprised to hear I was ever married. Nicole and I…we lost our way around the time my career started taking off. We made mistakes. Mostly me. I’d been in love with her since I was a teenager, but I let the best thing that ever happened to me go. And ever since that day, I’ve hoped the universe would somehow bring us back together.”

He looked down at me again.

“In the time Nicole and I were apart, a lot happened in my life. I had a son.” As a few audible gasps could be heard, Atticus continued. “This is the first time I’ve ever spoken publicly about being a dad. For my son’s privacy, I’ve been okay with that. But tonight I feel like telling you about him because I’m so damn proud of my precious little boy who has to live a good chunk of his life away from his father. He’s almost three years old and enjoys a private life with his mother in New York. Even though I don’t deserve him, I have the sweetest, most forgiving soul for a child.”

Atticus closed his eyes briefly. “Even with that gift, these past few years, I’ve still felt like a huge part of my life was missing. And that missing piece was my Nicole. She was, and is the love of my life. And thanks to an angel named Mimi, Nicole and I hadthe opportunity to reconnect again last year. Not only is Nicole in the audience right now, so is our baby she’s carrying.”

As the audience reacted to that news with mostly cheers, my heart pitter-pattered.

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