Page 35 of The Roadie
Reluctantly, Brett stood up, but Kira still didn’t move. Instead, she frowned and let out a small whimper. He tugged her to her feet, and she landed against his chest.
“I wish the tour wasn’t over.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his.
“Me too,” he said, stealing a kiss before turning and heading toward the doors.
When they stepped onto the asphalt driveway, she looped her arm through his and led him toward the mansion. It was an architectural masterpiece, with private access to the sandy beach and Atlantic Ocean. They passed through the massive double doors and down a long marble hallway toward the back of the house. Brett tried not to gawk at the ambience around him, but he couldn’t help it. Hard angles and gleaming marble demanded attention with their pristine beauty. Everything was ultramodern, chic and expensive.
Happy laughter and chatter grew louder as they continued down a long hallway which opened up to a grand family room. The kids were nowhere in sight, most likely in some designated play area with their nanny and Mason’s aunt, but everyone else was scattered around the large room engaged in conversation.
Damien marched toward Brett with a purposeful step and, for a moment, Brett thought they were going to have a confrontation, until a sly smile appeared in the corner of Damien’s mouth. It was barely big enough to notice, but it was there.
Damien nodded his head once. “You made it. You survived 30 days on the road with us. You’re all right.” He fist bumped Brett, then spun around and returned to his wife’s side.
Brett was a little surprised, since Damien was hard to read, but he was happy that the guy accepted him. He laced his fingers through Kira’s and looked around the room. “These people are really cool. I’m glad I got to know them. You never know what to expect with celebrities and rock stars, but these are the most down to earth bunch of people I’ve ever met.”
She smiled her beautiful beaming smile and fanned her hand across the room. “This is us. Right here. The Immortal Angel family.”
Traveling together over the last month brought him together with this group of people the way tours always did. He truly felt like he was now an extended part of this family, and he hoped to work with Immortal Angel again, if for no other reason than to be near Kira.
Forty-five minutes later, a stretch limousine pulled up to the mansion in order to take Brett and Kira, Audra, Jimmy, Mason and Mason’s Aunt Mary, from Long Island to New York City. They all piled into the car and filled the spacious interior. Jimmy and his son sat directly across from Brett, tapping their fingers on the seat between their knees, both wearing matching dimpled smiles.
Brett joined them by tapping the same beat onto his knees, which caused the pair of Wilder drummers to turn their eyes on him in unison. Brett wasn’t a drummer, but he could hold a steady beat and play a few songs.
Mason’s smile widened, and his mouth hung open with excitement. “When we get home, you should come over and play with my dad and me.”
Brett was honored, but it was an intimidating offer. “I really don’t play that well. I’d love to hear you play, though. Where do you practice?”
“At home. In the drum room.” Mason said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world to have a drum room in your house.
“Jimmy and Audra turned their two apartments into a duplex when they first got married,” Kira explained. “I’m down the hall in a three-bedroom.”
“Will you come by? “Mason asked, enthusiastically.
“Sure. I’d love to.” Brett was really looking forward to seeing the talent and aptitude that this kid possessed in person. Plus, it would give him extra time with Kira.
Trump Parc came into view as the limo turned onto 6thAvenue, and Kira looked up at her building. She was home. She thought about the way Brett engaged in conversation with her family, how well he got along with the kids, and the comfort level and camaraderie between them warmed her heart. She fell for him this last month on the road together – hard. She had thought it was just going to be fun, and it was, but it turned into something so much more. Her chest ached because she didn’t want to say goodbye. Not again. It felt as if she had just left him in Chicago, only this time it would be twice as hard. “This is us,” she said, with a sigh, as the limo pulled up to the curb in front of the luxury apartment building.
The doorman was already on the sidewalk with a luggage trolley when they stepped out of the vehicle. Brett instinctively grabbed some of the suitcases, which made her smile.
He caught her watching him and stepped back to let the doorman do his job and returned to her side. “Old habits.” When they stepped inside the lobby, he paused to look up at the large crystal chandelier, then down at the marble flooring and the stately furniture. “So, this is what Trump Parc looks like. Pretty fancy. How long have you lived here?”
It felt like a lifetime ago since Kira and Audra bought the side-by-side penthouses. She looked to her sister for confirmation. “Six years ago?”
Audra nodded. “That sounds about right.”
The elevator stopped on the top floor, and they all walked down the hallway together until they got to Kira’s door. She waved to her family as they headed to their apartment at the other end of the hall, but Mason hung back.
“You’re gonna come by and watch us play the drums, right?” Mason asked Brett.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Brett answered.
Kira ran her hand over the back of her nephew’s head, smoothing his light brown hair down. “Give us a half hour or so to settle in, Mase, then we’ll be over.” She unlocked her apartment door, and the feeling of home enveloped her the moment she stepped inside. “Welcome to my apartment,” she told Brett. “God, I missed this place.” She saw the wide-eyed wonder in his eyes as he took in the opulence of her apartment with its ultra-modern furniture, state-of-the-art electronics and marble flooring. These are things she took for granted. Their financial situations were drastically different. She wasn’t ashamed of her wealth, but, for a moment, she wished she didn’t have so much. “Make yourself at home. I’m very unpretentious. Don’t let all of this fool you. It’s just how I grew up.”
“It’s hard to remember sometimes that you’re part of the Abelman dynasty. You’re so relaxed and chill.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and stared into her eyes. “That’s one of the things I love about you.”
Love?Her heartrate accelerated, and she held her breath for a second before he kissed her so hard her knees buckled. When their lips parted, she realized that he said he loved characteristics of her personality, not that he was in love with her, and her head descended from the clouds.
“Do I get the grand tour?”
