Kylie’sfeet met the ground as she reached out to playfully shove Ty. “The bus isbarely big enough for all of us, and you want to add another baby to the mix?”
“Aw,come on, Ky,” I wrapped an arm around Devin’s shoulders. “You’re gonna let thebig guy down. Plus, you’re in the rare position of having travelingbabysitters. Don’t you wanna take advantage of that?”
“He’sgot a point, baby,” Devin agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “There’s three ofthem, so we should have at least three kids, right?”
“Couldadd a keyboardist, and then there’ll be four,” Chad suggested with a shrug.
“Great!”Ty laughed, clapping his hands. He took Kylie and Devin each by an arm andnudged them together. “Go on. As you were.”
“Ihate them,” Kylie mumbled with a lighthearted giggle, and Devin laughed as heshoved Ty away. “Maybe you guys can focus on your own love lives instead offocusing onours, okay?”
Igroaned and rolled my eyes. “Hard not to focus on yours, when you flaunt it allthe goddamn time,” I teased, leaning in to kiss Kylie’s cheek before grippingDev’s shoulders in my hands. “Come on,” I grinned. “Last night of the tour, dudesand dudette. Let’s party.”
“Party?”Ty scoffed. “Sebastian, man, you go ahead and have fun. I need to pass out forthe next twelve hours before my flight back home tomorrow.”
“Dev,Chad?” I extended my arms to my friends, hoping one of them would accept theinvitation.
“Skypin’with my girl tonight,” Chad muttered with a shrug, and Dev shook his headbefore replying, “We’ve spent the past three nights doing nothing but work; Ineed to relax.”
Ilove these guys. After years of making sweet music together, they are theextended family I always wanted, and there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for them.But fuck, they make it difficult to live the life of the carefree bachelor.
***
“Youheading to bed already?” Devin asked, hoisting his daughter Olivia onto hiship. “Not gonna pick up some chick to keep you company?”
Hewas teasing. My casual coupling had been kept to a minimum since touring withthe Partridge Family. Usually only when we were stationed in one spot for a fewdays, and I had the time to make a connection with someone, in a hotel. Olderage and touring with a married couple had done that to me—made me crave a connection.
Iheld a hand up on the way to my bunk. “Already got Miss Right over here, bro.I’m good.”
Kyliethrew her head back as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle ofbreast milk. Just another fun thing I’d learned to live with.
“Canyou remember this is afamily busandnota frat house?” sheasked.
“Familyshares stuff, Ky,” I reasoned with a shrug. “And I just wanted you guys to knowthat I won’t be lonely tonight.”
“I’msoglad,” she chided with a roll of her eyes. “Remember Livy isn’t farfrom talking. Last thing we need is for her to start repeating some of thiscrap.”
Thebathroom door opened at the end of the hall and Chad emerged with a magazine inhand.
“Yo,speakin’ of crap,” he announced in his Texan accent, “I’m warnin’ y’all rightnow: that bathroom is filled with toxic fumes and you might wanna keep yourdistance.”
Devin,Ty, and I erupted in a chorus of laughter while Kylie huffed a groan.
“Chad,”she whined. “Did you at least spray the air freshener?”
“Youasshole,” Ty groaned with a grin, slumping further into the couch. “Itoldyouto stay the hell away from those nachos. They looked fucking nasty.”
“It’sthe IBS, guys. I can’t help it.” Chad rubbed a hand over his stomach while Ibit back an immature laugh.
Withthe bottle in hand, Kylie took Olivia from Devin’s arms. Her walk down the hallwas interrupted by a dry-heave, and Chad’s cheeks flared with his suppressedchuckle.
“Ithink Daddy and I need to have another girl,” we heard her muttering to Olivia,and the three of us turned to Devin with suggestive grins. “We need to up theestrogen in this place,” she added as the bedroom door closed at the end of thehall.
“Soundslike she’s on board with our plan for the second one,” Ty laughed, waggling hisbrows and nudging Dev with the toe of his boot.
“Yeah,yeah,” Devin groaned, flopping down next to Ty. “You should bring your wife anddaughter on tour with us. Ky would appreciate the company.”
“Iwould if Carrie didn’t have school,” Ty mentioned with a sigh. The lonely liltto his voice was evident, and I pursed my lips sympathetically with my owndistant ping of longing stabbing at my heart.
