Hannah and I had spent Sundayon the couch. A lazy day we hadn’t had together in a long time. We watched all her favorite musicals, ate popcorn that she actually let me butter, and stayed in our pajamas.
Intermixed with our movie binge, I had texts from Stacy, showing me the work on the school building and asking me my opinion on the wall colors, which reminded me of Brady who was painting walls for Chevelle.
The texts Brady sent came and went in between Stacy’s and were achingly sweet. He’d said he missed us, that he wanted to spend more time with us, and it felt right in a way I couldn’t shake.
By the time Nash phoned for his weekly video call with Hannah, I was half asleep, relaxed, and hardly paying attention to what she was saying to him.
“NaNa, guess what?”
“I don’t know, you tell me, BoPeep,” he said with a smile that he saved for my daughter.
“Brady O’Neil is going to teach me how to play ‘Money, Money, Money,’” she said, and my heart skipped a beat because I was pretty sure Nash and Dani didn’t even know Brady was in town.
“He is?” The surprise registered all over Nash’s face.
“Yep, and he’s coming to my party.”
“But I’m still going to be your favorite guest, right?” he teased, and I laughed when Hannah had to actually think about it.
They said goodbye, and Hannah handed me the phone. Nash immediately said, “I didn’t know you knew Brady.”
“I didn’t. He showed up on my doorstep to claim a box Grams had left him under his real name. I had no idea the famous Brady O’Neil was Grams’ prized student, Cormac.”
Nash frowned. “And now he’s teaching Hannah? Will he even be there long enough to do that?”
My heart that had been relaxed and at peace tightened back up. The worry of Brady leaving. The worry about what we would do when his celebrity lifestyle and the demands of his music career came back to hit us in the face.
“Tris?” Nash’s voice brought me back.
“Honestly, it’s just temporary at this point, but he brought music back into her life, and for that, I can only be grateful.”
“Don’t let him charm the pants off you.”It was said with a tease but also a note of caution. Nash was the protective older brotherI’d never had. He’d taken Darren’s request to watch over me more seriously than I’d almost been able to handle, until Dani had entered his world and brought clarity to his life. Dani had saved my relationship with Nash in many ways.
“When have you known me to be swayed by a pretty smile?” I asked him, and he chuckled. But the truth was, I had been swayed by Brady’s smile. It wasn’t pretty. It was wicked, and dynamic, and heart-searing.
I was glad Dani and Nash were coming for Hannah’s party. I missed them. But I was also nervous because they would be able to tell something was going on between Brady and me. All of my family would, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for the rejoicing or the recriminations that might come with it. I was grateful Darren’s parents weren’t going to be there, because I wasn’t sure I could handle their thoughts on the matter.They were in Japan where his dad had been stationed for the last three years. Their military life had never once stopped, not even after losing their only child to it.
All those concerns were pushed aside by a text from Brady, wishing me sweet dreams. For the first time since Grams died, I slept through the night, my alarm being the thing to jar me from my slumber instead of worries or nightmares.
I woke Hannah, and we got ready for our day.
While Stacy would normally watch Hannah for me, even though it was spring break, she and Jin were going to be at their charter school all week. Stacy’s parents had taken Kiran and Jalissa for a few days so Jin and Stacy could be on-site, working with the crews on the remodel. I’d debated shuttingLa Musicadown so I could help too, but Stacy wouldn’t hear of it. Plus, I had Hannah and no one to watch her.
It was frustrating to not be able to help the people who always helped me.
Hannah skipped and sang “Money, Money, Money” as we walked toward the store. When we turned the corner, there was a crowd outside the shop. I stared at the group, wondering what was going on and hoping it had nothing to do with William Chan and the foreclosure notice.
When we got closer, they whipped out cameras. While they were taking pictures, they started shouting questions at me. Atus. I could barely filter through them as I picked Hannah up and hugged her tightly to my body. Fear flew through me, not for myself, but for her and the aggressiveness of the crowd.Cameras were flashing, and the volume of their voices increased as I tried to shield her from it all.
Their questions finally started to register.
“Tristan, how did you meet Brady?”
“How long have you been dating?”
“Were you childhood sweethearts?”
My heart was beating at a wild pace. This was about Brady? How did anyone even know we’d started seeing each other? Had he posted something?
