Page 94 of Broken Chorus

“That you let us help you the same way you’re helping us,” Aaron said, drawing twin smiles from Declan and Cade.

“Consider it a done deal my friend,” Cade remarked, fist bumping him.

For the first time since Blissfully Immune fell apart, Hawk found himself certain that whatever the future held, it would be as epically amazing as the past…maybe even more so.

Chapter 22

In Neon's Glow

“Pretty!” Dani declared as she stared out the window at all the neon paint, glow sticks and brightly shimmering jewelry adorning the people in the crowd.

“It is, isn’t it,” Hawk asked as he held her on his lap while Aaron carefully fitted her new pink harness and backpack over her waterproof wings. “But it can also be very scary, which is why you need to wear this whenever we’re outside of the RV andnever try to fiddle with it or take it off, or it will make that loud, scary sound that hurt your ears.”

She nodded solemnly at hearing that. “I no like it or the door one.”

“We know, sweetheart,” Aaron said as he adjusted one of the straps, “We didn’t think you would. That’s why we had you all listen to them when we bought your packs and installed the door alarm, so you’d know what it sounded like.”

“And do you remember what you’re supposed to do if you ever hear one of them go off?” Hawk asked.

She nodded solemnly.

“Freeze and no move until you get me.”

“That’s right,” Aaron said. “Because it will only make that sound if you are too far away from one of us.”

“Then why do we need to have leashes on?” Liam asked as Kelly adjusted his pack to make sure that it was snug.

“You see out there?” Kelly asked as he pointed out the window.

“Uh-huh.”

“There are a lot of people out there and the three of you are very small. It’s hard to see small people in an ocean of big bodies,” Aaron explained. “We want you to enjoy the bubbles and the splash pad, but we don’t want to lose you in the process. This way you stay safe and still get to have fun before we perform.”

“Yey!” Ella squealed, doing a little wiggle in her seat as Cade helped her into one of the three specially designed packs that Aaron had rush ordered for the kids in order to make it possible for them to enjoy a night at Rocktoberfest.

They planned to roll out in the morning, to beat the chaos of folks leaving after the end of the final day. More than that, Hawk wanted to give the kids the opportunity for more child friendly activities. Aaron had been on board with that and a second RV for just them and the children. Neither had expected the restof the band to be okay with leaving the desert before the final encore. Hell, they’d been one of the last bands to leave the year before and they still hadn’t seen everything they wanted to. Kelly had been infatuated with one of the fire dancers and shared a few sizzling nights with him, while he and Aaron, well they wouldn’t be participating in any of the drunken antics they’d gotten up to the year before.

One look at the bright smile on Aaron’s face and the conspiratorial grin he wore as he whispered something to Dani, but only after turning to wink at Hawk, let him know they were cooking up something, and damn he was totally okay with that. Better than being half-dragged, half-carried back to their tour bus by an equally drunk Aaron, who’d dropped him on a cactus, then laughed so hard after tripping backwards over a tumbleweed, he pissed himself. Both had been in rough shape the following morning, and Hawk remembered Aaron being annoyed, but unwilling to discuss what was wrong.

Days later and several hundred miles away, Hawk recalled wondering if they’d even had fun that night. He’d asked Aaron, who’d shrugged and told him it was just another night. That should have been enough to stop them there and send them straight to rehab, hell it should have been enough to stop him, when days later, a brooding Aaron had blown up at him for bouncing some random guy on his cock while calling him by Aaron’s name.

Dunno if you were too drunk to notice or just didn’t give a shit, but I was right there, fucker. The least you could have done was wait until I’d left.

Hawk hadn’t known how to answer that, mainly because he didn’t know if he’d thought he was fucking Aaron and never realized it was someone else, or had deliberately picked up the guy because he looked like Aaron.

Either way, they’d still been recovering from the damage that had done to their relationship when Arden died and none of the who hurt who bullshit mattered to either of them.

I wasn’t jealous, fucker, was just pissed that I meant so little to you that you couldn’t tell the difference between me and some rando, even when you’re holding one of us in your arms!

Not one of his finer moments, and yet there Aaron was, excited to spend all the time he could with Hawk and the kids.

How’d I get so lucky?

How stupid do I have to be, that I almost threw this all away?

Aaron caught Hawk watching him and smirked, then flicked his tongue out the way he’d taken to doing ever since Hawk had demanded he put it to good use if he was gonna do that. Now Aaron only seemed to do it when there were too many people in the room for him to do anything but laugh at Hawk ‘cause dammit, the man knew what that simple little gesture did to him and how it sent his thoughts spiraling straight into the gutter.

Aaron had been the one to suggest that the rest of the band leave him at the campgrounds with Hawk and the kids and head to Rocktoberfest in time to see the opening acts. He hadn’t wanted them to be robbed of any part of the experience, but he’d had no desire to miss out on the fossil and gemstone dig he’d helped Hawk plan for the kids.

---