Page 39 of The Roadie
“I love you too.”
There were no goodbyes. The verbal declaration that they loved each other was the perfect send off. She watched him go through the revolving door, wheeling his small suitcase and carrying his duffle bag over his shoulder. He paused to blow her a kiss, and then he was gone.
The ride home was filled with such bittersweet emotions that it left Kira’s head reeling. She was dizzy with newfound love and excited to finally experience what everyone around her had. She wanted a partner in life. Companionship. Someone who shared her crazy passion for music and her insane schedule. The only thing Brett didn’t share was her geography. He traveled for his job. She traveled for hers. Could they possibly coordinate a life together? It sounded so freaking absurd now that she thought about it. With her thoughts spiraling, she leaned her head back onto the leather seat and stared up at the roof of the vehicle. Tears welled in her eyes and threatened to fall, but she inhaled sharply to keep them at bay. She was not going to let them dampen this wonderful moment that she waited a lifetime for. Her hand fell onto the empty seat next to her, where Brett had sat less than 15 minutes earlier, and she felt his presence. She immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket. Suddenly giddy, laughter floated from her mouth as she texted him.
KIRA: We’re in love! ♥♥♥
BRETT:♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
BRETT: I’m booking a ticket back to New York as soon as I get home.
KIRA: I’m booking a ticket to California as soon as I get home. Hope we don’t miss each other!
BRETT: Not a chance. Boarding now. Call you in a few hours. I ♥ you.
KIRA: I ♥ you too!
She tucked her phone into her bag with a crazy smile on her face, feeling on top of the world and ready to conquer the long-distance gap in their lives. When she got home, she went straight to Audra’s apartment and burst through the door. Throwing her arms up toward the ceiling, she exclaimed, “We’re in love!”
Audra, who had been reading something on her iPad, jumped and almost dropped the device. Once she recovered, her face lit up and her mouth opened into a giant oval, then she wrapped Kira in a suffocating hug. “I’m so happy for you! You and Brett are perfect for one another. Is he moving here?”
The smile on Kira’s face wilted slightly, but that’s all it took for her sister to immediately react.
“Nooo. No. No.” Audra cupped Kira’s chin in her hand. “Put that beautiful smile back on your face. This is wonderful. You’re in love!”
“Who’s in love?” Jimmy asked, as he passed through the room with Mason, dueling with a pair of drumsticks.
“Aunt Kira and Brett,” Mason answered. “EvenIknow that.”
His statement put the smile back on Kira’s lips. “Is it that obvious?”
He flashed the signature Wilder smile. “Everyone knows it, Aunt Kira. You two are all starry eyed like in one of those romance movies Aunt Mary always watches.”
Mason was comparing her relationship with Brett to a fairytale love story, and it made her heart bloom.
Jimmy walked up to her, and she expected a hug. Instead, he stuffed the drumstick in his back pocket and played a happy beat on her upper arm with his hands. “Congrats. Glad to hear it. It’s about time you settle down and have some babies.”
She was shocked at the statement, but then her heart melted, and her smile turned dreamy. The fantasy she had in the drum room yesterday returned, and she imagined that she and Brett were married, living across the hall with a couple of kids. Mason’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she wondered how long she’d been spacing out.
“That would be really cool. But I think you two,” Mason motioned to his parents with the drumstick, “are the ones who need to have some babies.”
Audra and Jimmy turned to one another with wide eyes, unsure how to answer. Before they had a chance to say anything, Aunt Mary entered the room.
“What’s going on?” Aunt Mary asked. “I heard some happy congratulations.”
“My sister is in love!” Audra announced, similar to the way Kira announced it when she walked into the apartment.
Aunt Mary’s hands went to her cheeks. “Oh, my! I’m so happy for you, dear. That boy is very nice. He could use a shave though,” she teased. “Do you know that he brought me a cup of tea and a sandwich when we were on the bus one day? He brought it all the way upstairs for me!”
Kira cocked her head to the side. “No. When did he do that?”
“In Charlotte. Everyone was still at the venue and he came back early. I was downstairs ready to make myself something to eat when I heard a ruckus upstairs. It was Tessa arguing with the boys because she wanted to watch one of her Disney movies and they were playing video games. So I went right upstairs and left everything on the table. Next thing I knew he was in the playroom holding a tray with a sandwich and a cup of tea. He even brought cookies and milk for the little ones.” Aunt Mary’s hand went to her chest. “I was touched that he went out of his way like that. He seems like a real family man.”
Kira had no idea that he’d done that. It reminded her that there were still so many things she didn’t know about him. Like his relationship with his brother or his life in California. She bit her lip and scrolled through her phone. No message from Brett yet. She wondered if he was going to tell his brother that he was in love with her. Or his friends. She wondered if he was as close to his brother as she was with Audra, and if he was as close to the guys from Bulletproof as she was to Immortal Angel. She didn’t know the answer to any of those questions, and she wanted to. She wanted to know it all. He knew so much more about her life than she knew about his, and it bothered her. When he called, she’d tell him so. Then she remembered her text in the car. Smiling secretively, she excused herself, slipped into the bathroom for privacy and booked a flight to California for the following weekend.
