Page 116 of The Drummer's Heart

“One of the biggest complications we’ve faced has been the bicoastal nature of our group. While Ronan and I have been firmly based in L.A. when we aren’t touring, Atticus has had to divide his time between L.A. and New York to make things work for his family. He’s recently made the smart move to relocate to New York, which means he’ll have to travel out to L.A. a fair amount for recordings and other band business.” He pointed his thumb over at Ronan. “This guy and I have discussed it, and we feel it will be in the band’s best interest…if we also both relocate to New York.”

I heard a collective series of gasps. One of them probably came from me.

Holy crap. Definitelyhadn’t seen this coming.

Tristan smiled. “Emily and I are not only here visiting, we’re house hunting.”

“Are you serious?” I finally managed to say.

He nodded. “Moving our operations to the East Coast will make things easier for everyone.” He turned to Ronan. “I’ll let Ronan speak for himself regarding his plans, though.”

Ronan stood and cleared his throat as Kenzie blew him a kiss. “As you know, Kenzie and I will be taking a trip this year, but what we haven’t told you is that we’ll be traveling around the country in a van—and living in it. My girl has always wanted to experience more of America, and what better way to do that than together? We also plan to film a lot of it, documentary style.” He smiled over at her. “Don’t worry. It’s a damn nice van with many amenities. But after we come back at the end of the year, we, too, will be moving to New York, not only to be closer to Tina and the boys, but to you guys.”

My eyes met Tristan’s. I knew him like the back of my hand, and I knew he loved L.A. He was making this sacrifice forme, even if he’d made it sound like an easy choice for the band. His doing this made it easy for Ronan to follow suit, which was a good move for him, especially since Kenzie didn’t want to live in L.A., away from her family long term. My man was sacrificing his life as he knew it for his two best friends. And I loved him for it.

“Well, this was unexpected,” I told him as I approached.

“I know. But it’ll be great.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “You’re really okay with this?”

He nodded.

I pulled him into a hug. “I love you, man.”

“I love you, too.” He patted my back. “Don’t forget—it all started here on the East Coast. Why not end it here, too?”

***

After everyone left that night, I turned on the electric fireplace for Nicole and me so we could decompress after the party. Christian was snug like a bug in a rug in his new bedding, and Nicole had managed to get Adele down after a feeding.

It was one of those rare moments of peace that you never took for granted as a parent.

“Well, today was certainly chock full of excitement.” She kicked her feet up on my knee.

Leaning my head back against the couch, I sighed. “I can’t believe how well everything is coming together. I feel so damn blessed.”

“Me, too. Emily is really excited about moving here. I was glad to hear that because I know she liked her marketing job. But apparently, she has some leads here that seem promising.”

I shook my head. “I still can’t believe he made that decision. He’s making it seem easy, but I know it was a sacrifice.”

“You’re blessed to have true friends, you know. We both are.”

“Yeah, they’re family at this point.”

She smiled. “I agree.”

I noticed Nicole was holding an envelope. “What’s that?”

“Well, you’re never gonna believe this…” Her mouth curved into a smile. “It’s a letter from Mimi.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

She handed it to me. “Look at the front.”

To be given to Nicole and Atticus after I pass away, was written in cursive.

“Where did this come from?”

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