Page 102 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
“No. It’s okay. She’s so excited. But I don’t know if you’ll be able to actually take her up there. Usually at intermission Grace and the stage crew are crazed.”
Brett hoisted Adeline into his arms. “That’s okay. If we can’t get onstage, we’ll find other things to look at. Right, monkey?”
“This place is so shiny and bright! I want to see it all!” Adeline said. “Daddy, are you coming with us?”
Carson put a hand on her back and said, “You know it, baby.”
“Adeline, do you have to use the bathroom first?” Tawny asked.
Adeline shook her head.
Sophie and Brett’s sisters-in-law went in search of the ladies’ room.
“That was magnificent,” Tawny said as they entered the luxurious bathroom. “Did you hear Adeline giggling?”
They each headed for a stall.
“Your daughter kills me,” Amanda said. “I can’t wait to have babies.”
“I can’t wait to get Dylan home tonight,” Tiffany said. “The man has been feeling me up since the lights went down.”
“I thought I heard a few deep sighs,” Tawny said.
Four flushes later, they washed their hands and primped in the mirror.
“Did Mick tell the guys he reached out to their father last week?” Amanda pulled a brush from her purse and ran it through her hair.
The girls shrugged and murmured their uncertainty.
“I know Brett’s been talking with their father, but he didn’t mention anything about Mick doing the same,” Sophie said.
“Well, then, don’t say anything, please.” Amanda put the brush back in her purse. “But I think what Brett did has made a world of difference, at least for Mick.”
“For Carson, too,” Tawny admitted. “I wasn’t going to say anything because Carson’s so private, but I know they talked yesterday, and Carson said he thought it was a good beginning.”
They all looked at Tiffany, who said, “Do you even have to ask? It’s Dylan. He went to see his father the very next day, had breakfast with him last weekend, and he talked to him before we left tonight.”
All the girls laughed.
“And we have Sophie to thank for it,” Amanda pointed out.
“All I did was fall in love. This was all Brett, and I don’t think it had as much to do with me as it did with our visit with my family. He definitely changed when we were there. It’s like he needed to remember that all families weren’t doomed to unhappiness or something. I don’t know, really, but I couldn’t be happier. He hasn’t been to a musical since they lost Lorelei. Have you guys ever thought about how much love our guys had for their little sister?” Her eyes teared up, and she tried to blink away the wetness. “Seriously. Their hearts are so big.”
“Their love is so big,” Tiffany said.
Sophie fanned her face. “Okay, we need to stop. Seeing Brett with Adeline is enough to make my ovaries explode, but thinking about them with Lorelei is like that old coffee commercial where the kid finally comes home at Christmas. Instant tears.”
They hugged and checked their hair one more time before heading back into the theater, which was already dark.
“Did we take that long?” Sophie whispered as they walked down the aisle toward their seats. “Uh-oh. Looks like Brett and Carson got lost with Adeline. Should I go look for them?”
“No. You know Carson. He has to understand every little thing,” Tawny said quietly. “They probably stopped to talk to the lighting guy or something.”
They took their seats, and Sophie hoped Brett made it back with Adeline in time for her to see the show.
The curtain went up, and the stage was pitch-black. A spotlight bloomed to life, illuminating a piano on the left side of the stage. Carson and Adeline walked out of the darkness, and Sophie gasped. “Tawny! Look!”
Adeline faced the audience and waved. “Hi, Mommy! Hi, Uncle Dylly! Hi, Uncle Micky! Hi, Aunt Tiffany and Aunt Amanda! Hi, Sophie! Look at me! I’m onstage! And I’m gonna play a song!”
Sophie’s eyes filled with tears, knowing Adeline had the best uncle in the world for Brett to have set this up for her. Carson looked proud as he guided his daughter over to the piano and sat beside her.
