Music of the Heart (Runaway Train, #1)(94)

Abby nodded.

“Thank you,” he murmured. Swiping his cheeks, he turned his attention to me. “May I have a moment with her?”

“Sure. We really have to be going anyway,” I replied.

“Nice meeting you,” Yuri said.

“You too,” Abby replied while I nodded.

As we walked away, Abby took my hand in hers. “Who the hell is that guy and what did my mom tell you about him?” I demanded.

“It was something she wanted just between us—a girl’s thing.”

I skidded to a stop. “Please tell me that dude isn’t my real father or something like that!”

Abby’s blue eyes widened. “No, no, of course it’s nothing sordid like that!”

“Tell me,” I growled. When she shot me her infamous ‘Don’t you dare use that tone with me, Jake Slater’, look, I grunted in frustration. I hated begging, and she knew it. “Please.”

“Okay, since you asked nicely, I’ll fill you in on the way to the concert.”

The idea of a benefit concert in my mother’s memory had been Abby’s idea. She wanted it to be a hometown crowd for those who knew and loved my mom as well as me. All proceeds would go to cancer research and the American Cancer Society. She organized everything from having us perform in the park behind the high school where both my mom and I went to school. It would also be the opening of our newly billed act, The Crossroads Tour, where Jacob’s Ladder and Runaway Train teamed up together for a North American tour.

After performing with her brothers, Abby and I would be singing several duets before Runaway Train came on, including I’ll Take You with Me. It had been bittersweet when the song shot to number one on the Billboard Top 100 the day of Mama’s funeral. Although everyone was heralding it as the most emotional break-up song of the year, I knew the truth. It was about immense heartbreak and suffering—just not the kind they thought.

Since we were performing in a park, we had to get ready in our tour buses. My first order of business for our upcoming tour was to ensure that Abby and I had our own bus, so we could be alone without interruptions. Always thinking of someone else, Abby had insisted that we share it a lot with Brayden so that he and Lily could have more family time. Until then, I planned on christening every square inch of it with her when we got on the road. Tonight, however, there was no time for funny business.

Besides organizing the venue and bands, it had also been Abby’s idea for everyone to dress-up, so to speak, in respect for my mama. The guys from both bands were wearing black dress pants, black shirts and black ties. A single pink ribbon for Breast Cancer awareness was pinned to our lapels. Although strapless, Abby’s black dress came to her knees and met the tops of her black cowboy boots. Wrapped around her neck were my mother’s pearls. She wore them often, and every time she did, it made my heart ache with both pleasure and pain at the bond the two amazing women in my life once shared.

A stylist was still working on my hair when they came to escort Abby to the stage. After what had happened with Bree, I insisted on two bodyguards each and every time. She leaned over the chair to kiss my cheek. “See you in a few, babe.”

“Bye Angel,” I replied.

As soon as I was finished, I headed to the wings so I could watch Abby perform. I never got tired of watching her work a crowd. She was truly amazing in every aspect of her life. After singing several songs of her brothers’ hits, Abby sat alone on the stage with her guitar. “This song is for all of you out there who know the pain of loss and the anguish of grief.” She then began strumming the opening of Pink’s Beam Me Up. Her voice filled the stadium and warmed my soul. It meant so much that I had someone to share my grief with. Abby hadn’t known Mama long, but she still loved her. Having my Angel stand by me in the darkest, most hellish times of my life meant everything in the world.

Glancing over my shoulder, I grinned at the guys. “Damn, she’s amazing, isn’t she?”

With one arm wrapped around Lily’s waist and Melody in the other, Brayden smiled. “She gets better and better every time I hear her.”

AJ nodded. “But I still don’t know what the hell she sees in you.”

“Douchebag!” I shouted before ruffling his hair.

“Hey man, don’t be hating on the hair!” he countered smacking my hand away.

Rhys rolled his eyes at our antics and went back to texting on his phone. I knew he was fighting his nerves because his parents were in the audience. They’d flown up in his dad’s corporate jet. Like the true angel she was, Abby had called to invite them. She had also gone on and on about what an amazing son they had and how proud they should be.

As Abby finished up the song, I adjusted my guitar on my shoulder, so I could head out to join her. We’d planned to sing several duets together, including I’ll Take You with Me. But Abby surprised me by abandoning her stool and handing off her guitar to a technician. She then went over to the piano and sat down. “There’s one more song I’d like to do tonight before Jake joins me. It’s another song by one of my favorite and most inspirational singers, Pink. It’s called The Great Escape, and it’s for anyone who has hit rock bottom and is thinking about making an escape.” She glanced up from the microphone and met my questioning gaze. “But most of all, this one is for you, babe.”