CHAPTER THREE
TRAVIS

“Who’s ready to hit the road?” I cup my hands over my mouth to make my voice loud enough to carry over the sounds of our crew loading the busses. Griffin and Nash were blessed with the deep voices. Mine is a little higher, so I have to work to make it resonate. “It’s almost time, people!”

This is the first time our crew has been back since the shit hit the fan almost two years ago. It’s an emotional time, but it’s exciting and the energy is intense in all the best ways.

“Dude!” Devon, the head of our security team who’s been with us since the beginning, slings one arm around my shoulders. “Can you believe we got the whole family back together?”

“I’m not going to lie,” I try to fight the stinging sensation in the corners of my eyes, “there was a point where I didn’t believe we could pull it off.”

“I know, man.” He squeezes my shoulder, then pumps his fist in the air. “Am-uh-real-us!” he chants, pumping his fist in the air to the rhythm of each syllable. “Am-uh-real-us!” a few more members of our team join in. Griffin and London are on the other side of the lot, next to the main bus which they’ll be traveling in with Carter and baby Ava. I can tell Griffin is getting emotional. He’s doing that thing where he tucks his head down so we can’t see his eyes.

“He’s probably blubbering like a baby,” I say, nodding toward my brother. I’m not about cry. Nope. The rest of the crew comes out from their stations around the yard and joins in the chant. That does it. I snap like a damn toothpick. “You all are making me cry. Stop it!” I wail.

Adair smacks me on the back and sniffs hard. “You’re such a baby.”

“Shut up.” I wiggle my finger in front of his face. “Your nose is bright red, and your eyes are glistening.”

He rubs the back of his hand across his eyes and checks it. “They are not!”

“You had to check!” I point at him as I double over, laughing. “Lame.” As I scan the lot where our crew is going back to loading gear, bags, and everything else we’ll need to make each show happen, I realize something. The fans do not know who any of these people are. I grab my phone and hit the Go live button. “Hey, it’s Travis. I just wanted to pop in here to give you all a heads up that we’re about to hit the road, and to introduce you to some very important people in the Amaryllis camp.” I motion for the viewers to follow me, like they have a choice anyway, and head across the lot to the first bus. “First, there’s Vic.” I hop up into the driver’s cabin of the bus and tap to flip the camera around, so Vic’s face is in the frame. “Say hi, Vic.”

“Uh, hi!” he says, awkwardly waving at the camera. “I’ll get these guys to your cities safe and sound.”

“And he will because he’s been with us for years and we wouldn’t trust anyone else behind the wheel except Vic and his team of drivers.” I motion for them to follow again as I hop out of the cabin and land just in front of the steps. Devon is already organizing his team, and it looks like he’s in the pre-tour briefing. Perfect time to interrupt him, I think to myself. “Devon!” I wave him over. “Come here.” He jogs over, stopping just in front of me when I hold my hand up. “This is Devon, head of security and all-around awesome dude.”

A toothy grin crosses his face. “What’s up?” he screeches as he shreds an air guitar and gives the viewers a full-on metal headbang session.

“This guy is the one who makes sure we stay safe, and his team makes sure you all stay safe during our shows.”

“I’m also the one who has to share a bus with this guy.” He sticks his tongue out and does a fake gag.

“Hey, it’s not my fault my brothers got married and want to be with their families.” I spin the camera around and do a full three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the entire lot. “Look! There they are now. Griffin and London, Nash and Ainsley, Adair and Carly… Although, it looks like Adair might need to hitch a ride with us, Devon.” I can’t help laughing as Carly closes the bus door in Adair’s face. I wonder what he said… Knowing him it was something that he should’ve kept to himself. “Anyway… It takes a lot of people just to get us on the road. It takes even more to make the shows happen. In fact, I think I’ll hop on here again when we get to the first venue and let you meet the production crew. What do you all think? Should I?” A flood of heart and thumbs up reactions float across the screen. “Okay, we’ll do that.”

“Did you see something over there?” Devon asks, pointing to the other side of the fence. “I thought I saw movement.”

I shrug. “I don’t see anyth—” A bright flash interrupts me mid-sentence. Groan. “What do you know? It’s the press, again.” I make a deadpan face in the camera. “Have I mentioned I hate being tailed by click-bait hunters?” Devon makes a slicing motion across his neck and his eyes go wide. Okay, maybe that isn’t something I should say on our social media. “We love sharing our lives with you all. It’s just that sometimes we need a little breathing room.” Hearts and likes fill the screen again. They get it. “Anyway, I’ll see you all in a couple of days. Get ready!” I throw up the rock horns and stick my tongue out before tapping the end button. “I can’t see anything, man,” I say as I squint and try to peek through the gaps in the fencing.

Devon shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. There’s a no trespassing sign posted at the end of the drive. I’m going to get a couple of my guys to run them off.”

“Thanks.” I stuff my phone back in my pocket. Adair has his onboard bag slung over his shoulder and is making his way across the field, too. “Your bus is that way.” I point to the one at the end where he and Carly were standing just a few minutes earlier.

He snorts and adjusts the strap over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m aware of that.”

“What’d you do?” He’s never been one to keep his mouth shut when he should.

His mouth twists into a pout-scowl that’s right on-brand for him and his brooding rockstar persona. “I told her I wasn’t ready for a kid.”

“I mean…” The image of Adair trying to be a parent is almost laughable until I realize the hell that poor little child would have to endure as it tries to raise Adair. “You don’t seem like you’re ready to take on that much responsibility. You’re barely pulling off being married,” I snort. I didn’t mean to. I tried to hide it. He caught it.

“Shut up.” He slugs me in the arm in that brotherly, get-out-of-my-business kind of way. “We’re doing just fine in the marriage department.”

I just nod and wave my hand for him to go first up the steps leading inside my bus. “Then why are you loading onto my bus and not yours and Carly’s?”

He pauses mid-step and slowly turns around. I cringe, fully expecting his fist to connect with some part of my body. It doesn’t though, so I peek out of one eye to find him just staring straight ahead. “Being an adult sucks.”

“True,” I admit. “Have you tried it yet, though?”

That’s the one that gets him. He pops me in the arm and stomps the rest of the way into the bus, slinging his bag onto the top bunk that’s perched in the center section separating the living area from the private quarters at the back, which I plan on using as a recording studio while we’re on the road. “This one’s mine,” he says.

“Fine.” I roll my eyes and drop my stuff on the bottom bunk. “Devon can fight you for that one.”

“Nah.” Devon’s voice comes from the living area just behind us. He throws his stuff on the bed on the opposite wall of the bunks. “This one’s fine for me.”

Adair scoffs. “What are you doing in here? Don’t you and Casey want to claim the private quarters in the security bus?”

Devon shakes his head. “She’s not able to make it for the tour, so it doesn’t matter where you all put me. I’ll sleep anywhere.”

“Trouble in paradise over there too?” Adair asks.

“No. She’s eight weeks pregnant and we don’t want to take any risks. Keeping her at home and safe is top priority.”

“Dude,” I screech, giving him a very manly bro hug. “Congratulations! Oh, shit.” I feel like an asshole all of a sudden. “You can assign someone else for the first leg of the tour so you can be with her.”

He pats me on the shoulder with a slight grimace on his face. “We’re good. Her mom is staying with her until we get back into town, and then I’m going to assign Jason or Liam to oversee the second leg depending on how they perform during this one. That way I’ll be there when her appointments are closer together and to make sure I don’t miss the delivery.”

“Respect.” I hit my chest with my fist and give him a nod of approval. “But if you need to—”

“You have my word. If there’s any issue at all, I’m out but I’ll make sure you have someone to cover for me.”

I’m not even worried about the coverage. Devon’s never let us down and I don’t see that trend changing. Adair’s scowling at his phone when I turn back around. “What crawled up your ass?”

“At first, I didn’t think it was a big deal, but she’s serious about it,” he sighs and throws one arm over his forehead. “Ugh!”

“So, what’s the issue, exactly?” Devon asks.

Adair grunts.

“Carly wants a kid. Adair doesn’t.”

“I just think I’m too selfish to be a parent. I’m not sure I could even do it without fucking it all up.”

Devon nods and tries to hide a laugh. “Yeah. That checks out.”

“Okay, so let’s say that’s true.” Nash isn’t here to be the voice of reason and Griffin isn’t here to reassure him, so that leaves me… “Are you happy with that? Do you want to change it?”

He throws his phone down on the bed and laces his fingers behind his head letting it thump against the black leather padded headboard attached to the wall. “I don’t know.”

“Then that’s what you need to figure out.” Devon’s eyes narrow as he tilts his head just slightly. “If you are truly happy with your current situation then by all means, continue; but if you’re thinking you might want to change how much of a pain in the ass… I mean,” he can’t keep the laughter back anymore as Adair launches a black and red print pillow at his head. “Do you, boo-boo.”

“Damn it,” Adair growls from the top bunk. “I hate you guys.” He flops over on his side so his back is facing us.

“It’s kind of difficult to take you serious while you’re perched up there. It’s like we’re kids sharing a room again.” My mind keeps going back to the days before we lost our parents and Adair would throw a fit for whatever stupid reason, he had that day. We shared a room then too. It wasn’t any easier than it is now. I remember one time it was because our parents wouldn’t let him get his nose pierced, so he ditched school early and had a friend do it for him… at ten.

“It’s a good thing I’m not too concerned about your opinion then, huh?” He hops down and stomps into the mini kitchen, flinging the refrigerator door open. He always does whatever he wants. This time won’t be any different. I hope, for their sake, he can find a way to get over himself and find a way to meet Carly in the middle. Cans rattle and plastic bottles crackle as his hand slides between them, eventually landing on the one he’s looking for. “How’d you know I was going to be on this bus?”

“I didn’t.” I did. No one can stand being in the same room with him for more than a few hours—not even Carly. I fully expected her to kick him out, but I thought we would have been on the road a while first. “Lots of people like the pineapple soda.”

“No, no they don’t.” Devon shakes his head.

Our driver, Barry, climbs on board and belts out his disapproval. “Gross!” He cringes and gags as he points at the can in Adair’s hand. “How can you drink that stuff?”

“It’s delicious.”

“It’s syrup in a can,” Barry deadpans as he takes his spot behind the wheel. “They’re about to give the signal. Are you all ready to hit the road?”

“Let’s do it!” Devon and I echo each other while high fiving in true eighties movie montage fashion. Adair just grumbles and flops onto the sofa. “Okay, Mister Pissy Pants. Get your head right.” He’s going to drain the life out of me if he stays like this for this entire tour cycle.

He grumbles again.

“I’m not sharing this bus with you for the next ninety days just so you can be a grump and suck all the creative energy out of the air.” I wave my hand around in the air over my head to amplify my point. “You need to figure out how to fix things with you and Carly, and you also need to figure out how to quit being such a dick all the time.”

“Hey!” he stands up with his fists balled up like he’s going to do something and just as he does, Barry hits the gas pedal, causing Adair to fall backwards, landing on his ass back on the sofa. 

“Sorry, sir,” Barry says through a muffled chuckle.

Devon takes a spot across from Adair, stretching out and putting his feet up on the sofa next to him.

“Gross, dude.” Adair cringes and slaps at Devon’s feet. “Those things stink.”

“Oh,” I say, raising my hand. “That was me.”

“Ew.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to make up with Carly at the next stop? I can do this all night,” I grunt while making a face like I’m pushing really hard. That makes him cringe. He jumps to his feet and stalks back to the center section of the bus where the beds are.

“I’m staying in here for the rest of the drive,” he yells, from his bunk.

I can’t believe that worked.

Devon gives me a high-five as we both settle in, pulling out our phones to distract ourselves for the rest of the drive—or at least until the first stop.