Alcohol You Later (70)

Definitely worse.

“Dammit, Ava,” I growl. “Come here so I can fix your bows.”

“Dammit, Aba,” Alex jeers.

I send him a pair of warning eyes that don’t phase him one bit as I straighten out the tulle of his sister’s pink tutu skirt and tighten up those piggies. I’ve just put the bows back in when there’s a knock at the door.

My nerves should be bubbling over, but I’m so anxious to get out of this room with these kids that I forget for a moment where it is that we’re headed.

“Thank God,” I huff, pulling the door open.

“We’re ready for you.” Anika wastes no time taking Alex by the hand. I must say he’s looking mighty handsome in his little blue jeans and cowboy boots. He couldn’t look more like his daddy if they’d cloned him.

“Let’s get this over with,” I mutter, swooping Ava up into my arms.

As we march down the hall, the fear starts to kick in. My ears buzz, and everything sounds as if I’m under water.

“You’ll do fine.” Anika gives me one of her rare sympathetic smiles. “Just focus on Nick and the kids. Block the rest out.”

“Yep,” I say, my pulse thrumming wildly. “No big deal.” We’re just about to walk out on in front of thousands of screaming fans. Have video clips and images of this moment plastered all over every entertainment news outlet on the planet.

I’ve totally got this.

I set Ava down, taking each of the kids by the hand. I suck in a deep breath and, putting one foot in front of the other, begin the walk to center stage.

The crowd goes crazy when they see not one but two miniature versions of their favorite drummer. It’s so loud, I can’t hear myself think.

Once Nick’s face comes into focus, I catch my bearings. The love in his eyes—the way he looks at us like the most precious gift as we approach—replaces some of those nerves with butterflies, and suddenly I’m floating.

“Guys,” he says, tapping the mic, his gaze still fixed on us as we come up beside him. “I promised you all a surprise before the show, and here they are.” He bends to lift the children, effortlessly holding one in each arm. He’s such a giant of a man, with a commanding presence. But right now he just looks like a big old teddy bear. “I’d like to introduce you to my children, Ava and Alex.”

“Wave,” I whisper to the babies. “Say, hi.”

“I Aba,” Ava announces, and I swear the entire place swoons in unison. She hits the mic with her finger a few times the way she just saw her daddy do it, and a chorus of laughter ensues.

Nick smiles at his little girl.

“First, I want you all to know that I have not been hiding my kids. I only met them myself a little over a month ago, and you’d be hard pressed to find a father prouder than I am of these two.” He presses a kiss to the tops of each of their heads. “Their mother, unfortunately, is no longer with us.”

That announcement seems to suck the air from the room, like the entire audience is holding their breath.

“She was sick,” he continues, “and wanted what little time she had left to spend with her children out of the public eye. So, she kept them to herself until after her passing, at which time her family broke the news to me.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “It was a huge shock, as I’m sure you can imagine. But I understand why she made the choice she did.” His throat clears. “And that’s why I’ve chosen to speak out rather than release a generalized statement. I want everyone to see and hear from me that I hold no grudge toward the woman who gave my children life. She loved them, and they love her. And I’m choosing to respect her decision. I’d love it if you all could do the same.” He pauses briefly. “I’d also like to clear up the rumors surrounding our recent trip to the hospital. Ava, here, had a fall and ended up with a minor concussion. That’s it. Anything else you’ve read was fabricated for ratings.” He bounces the little girl in his arm. “As you can see, she’s perfectly fine.”

He turns to the left, where the rest of the band are huddled, and jerks his head. As if waiting for the signal, Lyle and Rhett walk up, each grabbing a baby.

“Now that we’ve gotten that part out of the way, there’s one more thing on the agenda before we get this party started.”

Every hair on my body stands on end when he turns from the crowd to face me.

“What the hell?” I hiss, because I was under the impression I just had to stand here and look pretty.

“Raven, my dude, my pretty girl…” he says, dropping to one knee.

My heart leaps into my throat as an almost eerie silence falls over the room.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This cannot be happening. My hand lifts of its own accord, covering my mouth and nose. I can’t breathe. Every part of me is shaking.

“You’ve been by my side, putting up with my shit for years.” He chuckles, shaking his head as if he can’t believe it. “And when this bomb dropped, and it felt like my world was imploding, you were the only one I wanted. The only one who could help me make sense of it.”

I nod, blinded by bright lights and tears.

“I love you, Raven, with every fiber of my being.”

“I love you, too,” I rasp.

“I told you that I couldn’t do this by myself, and you assured me I wouldn’t have to.”