“No, I’m just a guy who wants to make a difference.” He narrows his eyes at me. “Did you always want to be a famous rock star?”
“No, never. I didn’t discover music until we got adopted. Then it was how we bonded with Emilio and Marta. We never looked back.”
“All your sisters are having babies. Do you think you’ll keep touring the way you have?”
“I doubt it. I think they’re ready to settle down. We’ll probably play special events, and keep recording music, but we’re going to stay off the road. Besides, babies on a bus are not always this much fun.”
Anna leans against my leg. “Can we have a picnic when we get to the park?”
I brush her bangs back from her forehead. “I don’t see why not.”
We let the kids play for about an hour, and then we have a quick lunch, while Alex and Mel keep a watchful eye on all of us. When we start to attract too much attention, we get back on the bus, set the kids up again, and off we go. We stop two more times, letting the kids walk around and get all their silly wiggles out.
By ten o’clock that night, I’m still wide awake, but we’re pulling over so we can put the kids to bed. They’ve been buckled up all day, but we can’t buckle them up while they stretch out to sleep, so we have to stop.
Now, the kids are all asleep in their pull-out beds. Chase is in his portable crib, and Roxy is in hers. We parked in a hotel parking lot, and Mel and Alex will get a room at the hotel for the night.
“Good night,” we call to them as they walk out the door, closing it softly behind them.
“What do we do now?” I ask Mick.
Suddenly, he grabs me and pulls me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me. “I don’t think I told you thank you for doing all this. So, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, my face pressed against his chest. I lean back a little. “You’re squishing me.”
“Oh, sorry.” He takes the baseball cap off his head and puts it on the counter next to us. Then he takes mine off. It’s easier to fly under the radar when no one can see your face. He grabs for my ponytail holder and tugs my hair free.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Helping you take your hair down,” he says as he spreads my hair out around my shoulders. “Thought you might like to shower before bed.”
“Do I need to shower before bed?”
“You normally shower before bed,” he says slowly. “I was just helping you.” He holds his hands up like he’s surrendering to the cops. “And I like playing with your hair,” he mutters. Then he laughs. “Wring all my confessions out of me! God!”
I hitch my hip on the counter. “You like playing with my hair?”
His eyes drag from the top of my head down to my feet, taking a slow path that sets my insides aflutter. “And all the rest of you.”
I nod. “Uh-huh.” He’s not usually so brazen. “What has changed?”
“What do you mean?”
“A few days ago, you zoomed out of the shower when I came in it. And now you’re putting the moves on me.” I point my finger at him. “Admit it.”
“Oh, I admit it.” His eyes do that lazy slide down my body again. “And I fully intend to put all the moves on you.” He steps closer so he can whisper in my ear. “So, go take a fucking shower so I can kiss you wherever I want.”
We have some unfinished business between us—namely, his ex, who everyone thinks I should know about. “Are we still BFFs?” I ask. “Just checking.”
His eyes narrow. “I think so.”
“But BFFs don’t sleep together.”
“I’m pretty sure my mom and dad are BFFs. And although I really don’t like to think about them bumping uglies, I know they’ve done it at least twice, since Ryan and I exist.”
“So, BFFs do more sometimes, but when? When do you know it’s the right time?” I drum my thumb lightly on the counter.
“You doubt now is the right time?”