Chapter 2! So, while I love the follows and favorites, I'd really like to see some reviews too, guys. They'd be much appreciated. Anyways, hope you like this chapter.
Rocky POV
We were able to catch a redeye flight so I'm sitting impatiently on the plane. It's a long way from Connecticut to California and the plane has just barely taken off. I can't help tapping my foot, willing this flight to go by faster. Then again, maybe it's a good thing I have all this time, so I can think about how I'm going to explain all this to Harmony. She's going to be heartbroken. Alyssa may have been hard to co-parent with but I never doubted how much she loved Harmony or that she was a good mother to her. This wasn't going to be easy.
"So what's she like?"
I jump at the sound of my mom's voice and turn to look at her, "Huh?"
"What's Harmony like?" She asks again.
I frown, "What do you mean?"
"What's her favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite movie? Favorite book? Does she have a special stuffed animal?" She replies.
"Oh, uh, well, her favorite color is orange and her favorite food is spaghetti. Her favorite movie is 'Aristocats' and her favorite book is 'Green Eggs and Ham'. And she has this stuffed bunny that I gave her the day she was born, she never goes anywhere without it." I smile.
Mom smiles back, "That's sweet."
I nod, "So what else do you want to know?"
"What's her favorite song? Favorite animal?"
"Her favorite song is 'Fallin for You' and her favorite animal is giraffes. Anything else?"
She thinks for a moment, "Hm…what does she like to do?"
"She likes to color and play dress-up but I think her favorite is playing outside, especially on swings. Oh, and she loves music and dancing." I answer.
"Of course she loves music. It's in her blood." Mom responds.
I laugh, "Yeah, that's true."
"Has she taken any dances classes?" She asks.
I shake my head, "Not yet. She really wants to but she's not quite old enough yet. Not for the ones we found anyway." I smile a little, "Maybe Ross and Rydel can teach her a thing or two."
She smiles, "I'm sure they'd love that."
We're both quiet for a moment before I finally say something that's been bothering me.
"What am I going to do with her during tour?" I ask quietly.
Mom looks at me, "Well, I assume you're going to take her with you. You can't leave her that long, especially not now, when she needs you most."
"I know but…what about all the traveling? She's only three; won't it be hard on her? Especially when she's stuck on a tour bus for long periods of time?" I reply.
"It might be a little hard in the beginning but I think she'll be okay. It might even be good for her to get away for a while. You'll just have to make sure she has plenty to keep her entertained. And it's not like you won't have plenty of help." She responds.
"Do you think the others will be okay with having her there?"
"I'm sure they will."
I sigh, "I hope so."
After while, I am able to lay my head back and get a little sleep. I wake up to see mom is asleep along with almost everyone else on the plane. We're getting close to California by now but I know it'll still be a while before we land. I think about trying to video chat Harmony but when I check the time I realize she is probably in bed. I end up scrolling through my Twitter and am hit with a flood of 'where's Rocky?' tweets. I had kind of expected it to be like that so I post 'Sorry I couldn't make it tonight. Personal emergency. Will explain later.' before logging off. I know that there is no way to keep Harmony out of the spotlight now. I'm not exactly happy about it, since that was the whole point of keeping her a secret, but all I can do now is make the best of it.
We finally make it to California and, even though it is late, I call the social worker as soon as we leave the airport. It's one of the times I'm actually glad for the different time zones, otherwise I would have had to wait till morning.
"Hello?" A tired voice answers on the third ring.
"Hey, Casey? It's Rocky Lynch. I was just calling to tell you I just arrived in Bakersfield to pick up Harmony." I say.
"Oh, okay. Great. Uh, how bout I meet you at her home?" Casey replies.
"Sure, that's fine. I can be there in about thirty minutes." I respond.
"Okay. See you then."
I hear a click and call ended flashes on the screen. I slide the phone in my pocket and turn to see my mom is on her phone as well, talking to dad probably. After a few minutes, she hangs up and I follow her into the taxi that has just pulled up. I give him the address and we ride in silence the whole way there. As soon as we arrive, I am out of the car, barely hearing mom tell the driver to wait. Casey's car is already in the driveway and she steps out when she sees us, a yellow folder in her hand.
"Rocky, I assume?" She extends her hand when I reach her.
I shake her hand, nodding, "Yes." I gesture to my mom, "This is my mother, Stormie."
She shakes my mom's hand next, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I only wish it was on better circumstances."
"Me too." I respond.
She opens the folder in her hand, taking out a few papers, "So, I just need your signature in a few places, stating that you are accepting sole custody of Harmony, but first, I was unable to find a record of any visitation or shared custody agreement?"
"Yeah, uh, since Alyssa and I weren't married when we had Harmony, when we broke up she told me I could see her whenever I wanted so we didn't have to go to court over it." I explain.
She nods, "Okay, well, since there was no prior arrangement, we will have to perform a home inspection before she is allowed to live with you."
"Okay, sure, that's fine. Can I still take her tonight? My house is about two hours away so we won't be there tonight anyway." I ask.
"Yes. Someone will be at your home tomorrow for the inspection. I do still have one more concern, though." She says.
"What is it?" I frown.
"I have noticed you are in the middle of a tour with your band right now and I need to know what your plans are for Harmony during that." She replies.
"She's coming with me, of course. We'll only be traveling for a couple more weeks and then we come back for a while so she won't be gone for months or anything and I'll have plenty of help and she'll be in hotels a lot, not just on the bus." I answer.
She sighs, "Well, it's not exactly ideal, but it doesn't seem like she'll be unsafe so I guess I can okay that."
I let out a breath, "Great."
She holds out the papers and a pen, "I just need your signature and we'll be done here."
I nod and take them, signing where she tells me, before handing them back, "So, I can go pick her up at her grandparent's now?"
"She's not there, actually. That's why I wanted to meet here, since it would be easier." She answers, sticking the papers back in the folder.
"Wait, if she's here, who has her?"
"Uh, I believe Matthew picked her up." She says.
I clench my fists, "He has her?"
She looks nervous, "I'm sorry…I didn't realize that was a problem."
I don't say anything, just head for the door, not bothering to knock and going right in. He's sitting there on the couch in front of the TV, Harmony curled up next to him. I'm not surprised she's awake; she's always been a night owl. They both look up when the door opens.
"Daddy!" Harmony exclaims, jumping up and running to me.
I scoop her up in my arms, hugging her tight, "Hey, baby girl."
"What are you doing here?" She asks.
I look over at Matthew.
"She doesn't know." He says.
I shift her around so I can look directly at her, "Listen, sweetheart, some stuff has happened and you have to come with me now, okay?"
"Okay. But what about mommy?" She replies.
I sigh, "This isn't easy to tell you but…mommy was in an accident and…she passed away."
She looks at me, confused, "Mommy is…gone?"
I nod, "I'm really sorry, baby."
She starts to tear up, "But…who's going to take care of me?"
I brush away her tears, "You're going to come live with me and I'm going to take care of you."
She doesn't say anything else, just hides her face in my shoulder.
"Rocky?"
I turn to see my mom standing in the doorway.
"Oh, poor thing." She says when she sees Harmony.
"Yeah, she's pretty upset. Do you think you could go down the hall to her room and get some of her stuff together?" I ask, gently rubbing Harmony's back.
She nods and disappears down the hall.
Matthew walks up then, "So, uh, I know we've never been on the best of terms but…I really care about Harmony and it would mean a lot if I could keep in touch with her. I could call every once in a while, maybe visit her on holidays, y'know?"
I think about it for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, I think she'd like that."
He gives me a sad smile, "Thanks."
Mom returns a couple minutes later with Harmony's bag.
"Hey, you want to tell Matthew bye?" I ask softly.
Harmony nods and I let him take her from my arms.
He hugs her, "Bye, squirt."
She hugs back, "Bye-bye."
He kisses her head before handing her back.
"I'll come back in the morning for the rest of her stuff." I say as I take her.
He nods, "Okay."
I follow mom to the door, but stop just before walking out.
"I'm really sorry about Alyssa." I say.
"Me too." He replies.
I follow mom back out to the cab, noticing Casey has already left. Harmony clings to me the whole way to the hotel. I can tell mom wants to talk to her but she doesn't bother her. We get to the hotel and grab the few things we brought before tossing some cash to the driver and going inside to get a room.
I sit Harmony down on one of the beds and drop our bags on the floor next to it.
"You ready for bed, baby girl?" I ask, kneeling down in front of her.
She shrugs, not saying anything. I sigh and kiss her forehead before standing and grabbing my pajamas. I give her a long look before going to the bathroom. I'm surprised to find Harmony curled up in mom's lap when I come back out. Mom's slowly rocking her, and humming softly. I smile as I stick my dirty clothes in my bag before sitting next to them.
Harmony lifts her head to look at me before crawling out of mom's lap and into mine. I hug her close and kiss her head.
"I love you so much, baby girl." I say softly.
"I love you too, daddy." She replies.
She finally falls asleep a little while later and I tuck her into bed before lying down beside her.
"You think she'll ever be okay again?" I ask mom softly, so as not to wake Harmony.
Mom sits up in her bed, "Well, this is all a lot to process, especially at her age. But she'll be okay, eventually. Just give her time."
"I hope so." I sigh, "I hate to do it but I think I'm going to have to ask the guys if we can push the next show back a few days. There's still so much I need to take care of here plus I want her to be able to go to the funeral."
"I'm sure they'll understand." She responds.
I stay awake for a while, just staring at the ceiling, but finally fall asleep sometime later. The next morning, I decide to leave Harmony with mom while I go to get her stuff. I end up calling and renting a car, figuring it'll be easier than messing with cabs until I get home later. On my way to the Alyssa's, I call Riker.
He answers right away, "Bout time you call."
"Sorry, it's been a little crazy." I reply.
"How is she?" He asks.
"She's upset and I think a little confused. I'm not sure she totally understands everything." I say.
"Well, she's only three. That's to be expected." He responds.
"Yeah, I guess." I reply.
"So, when are you going to be heading back?"
"I'm not sure yet. That's actually part of why I called. I'm going to need a few days to get things sorted out plus I want Harmony to be able to go to the funeral. Is there any way we can push the next show back just a day or two?"
I can hear muffled talking in the background and I assume he's covered the phone to talk it over with everybody else. He comes back on the line a few minutes later.
"Okay, I think we can push it back about two days, but no more or it's going to mess with the rest of the schedule." He says.
"Okay, I think I can work with that." I reply.
"Good. I know Harmony needs you right now but so do we." He responds.
"I know." I pull into the driveway, "I've got to go, I'll talk to you later."
"Later." He says before hanging up.
I drop the phone on the passenger seat and get out, going to the door. I knock and Matthew answers a moment later. I notice he looks pretty rough, but I'm not really surprised.
"Morning." I greet.
"Morning." He replies, stepping aside so I can go in.
I notice there is a stack of boxes inside the door.
"I couldn't sleep last night so I went ahead and started packing her stuff." He explains.
"Is this all of it?" I ask.
"Pretty much. Her bed, dresser and toy box are still in there but they're all empty. I didn't know if you'd want them or not." He answers.
"She'll probably want her toy box but the dresser and bed aren't a big deal. She's about ready for a bigger bed anyway and we have dressers at home she can use." I respond.
He nods, "Okay."
Matthew helps me carry the boxes out and then I grab the little toy box out of her room. I close the trunk and turn to look at him.
"Thanks for the help." I say.
"No problem." He rubs the back of his neck, "I, uh, talked to Alyssa's parents right before you got here and they're making the arrangements today and plan on having the funeral the day after tomorrow. They want to get it over with quick."
I nod, "Okay. I guess I'll see you then?"
"Yeah, see ya." He says.
He watches as I get in the car and back out of the driveway. I get back to the hotel to find Harmony up and dresses in a pink frilly dress, sitting on mom's lap while she does her hair.
"Morning, sunshine." I smile as I walk into the room.
She smiles back, "Morning, daddy. Grandma is doing my hair like a ballerina!"
It's a relief to see her smile. I notice mom smiling as well when she hears her call her grandma. I start gathering up our stuff so I can take it down to the car.
"Are you guys about ready? We have a long drive ahead of us." I ask.
Mom slides one more pin into the bun on Harmony's head, "I think so. Have you called Casey yet to see when they'll be at the house?"
"Not yet. I was waiting till we were on the road so I'd have a better time estimate." I reply.
Mom nods, "Okay. Well, you better call now then."
Harmony slides off her lap and runs to the mirror to inspect her hair. I laugh a little at her before grabbing our bags and carrying them down to the car. Mom and Harmony meet me down there a moment later. Mom gets in the front while I scoop Harmony up and strap her into the car seat before getting in myself.
Mom ends up calling Casey for me once we get on the road. It's a quick phone call and then she is talking to dad.
"Can I talk to grandpa?" Harmony asks from the backseat.
Mom laughs, "Sure, honey. I'm putting Harmony on, Mark."
She hands the phone back to Harmony and we laugh at her chattering away to him for a few minutes before she finally hands it back. Mom talks for a few more minutes before hanging up.
"I can't believe how quickly she's taken to calling you guys grandma and grandpa." I say.
"I know but I'm certainly not complaining. It's so sweet." Mom replies.
"Yeah, it is. I don't think she really understands what's going on, though." I say quietly.
"Probably not but maybe that's best for now." Mom shrugs.
"Maybe."
"Are you talking about me?" Harmony asks.
I laugh, "No, we're not talking about you, little eavesdropper."
"I'm not pea dropper." She huffs.
I can't help laughing again, "Not pea dropper, eavesdropper. It means someone who listens to other people talking."
"Oh. Well, I'm not that either." She retorts.
"Of course you're not, sweetie." Mom says, trying not to laugh.
Harmony talks almost the entire car ride, only really being quiet after we go through a drive-thru for breakfast, but she's back to chattering as soon as she's done eating. I'm not surprised though, she's been a chatterbox since she was born. We finally make it home and there is already a car in the driveway waiting for us. An older guy climbs out as we pull in. I get a Harmony out of her seat and carry her up the driveway, mom following.
The man extends his hand, "Hello, I'm Jacob. You must be Rocky."
I nod, shaking his hand.
He smiles at Harmony, "And who's this little cutie?"
Harmony grins, "I'm Harmony Reagan Lynch."
He shakes her hand, "Well, it's nice to meet you Miss. Lynch."
She giggles, "You too."
Mom shakes his hand next, "I'm Stormie, Rocky's mom."
"Nice to meet you." He says then turns to me, "So, are you ready?"
I nod, "Yeah."
He follows into the house and we show him all around. I listen as mom explains will Harmony will sleep, something I hadn't exactly thought about yet. He seems pleased and gives us the okay for her to live here before leaving. We spend most of the afternoon carrying Harmony's stuff in and putting some of it away and making room for her bed next to mine in dad's office. After that, it is re-packing clothes and toys for her to take on tour. By evening, we are all tired and starving. We take Harmony out for pizza and then come back and watch cartoons until bedtime.
The next day, I take Harmony to get her passport so she can go out of the country with me and then we take her bed shopping, which proves to be a rather difficult task. She's extremely picky so it takes us half a day and five furniture stores before we find something she likes. She ends up with a pink twin-size bed with ballet slippers engraved on the headboard. Mom surprises her with a new ballerina-themed bedding set, which she loved. We have the bed and mattress delivered but I, of course, get the task of assembling it all while mom and Harmony color in the living room. With two beds this room is a tight squeeze but it'll work.
The next day comes too fast. I take my time getting Harmony up and ready. I try to do her hair but she's not happy with it so she takes off to find mom to fix it while I get ready. In the back of my mind I think she is probably taking to mom so much because she is looking for a mother figure now that her's is gone. It's sad in a way, but I'm just glad she seems to be okay.
I finish getting ready then load up the car. We have to leave for the airport right after the funeral so there won't be time to come back for anything. We pile into the car and grab a quick breakfast through the drive-thru before starting the long drive to the funeral home followed by the cemetery. I hang around for a little while after, letting Harmony visit with Alyssa's parents, before we have to leave. As we drive to the airport, I notice Harmony is being very quiet. I don't ask her about it though, figuring she's probably upset after the funeral.
"Listen, Harmony, when we get inside, you need to stay with me and grandma and hold one of our hands the entire time, okay?" I tell her as we are getting out of the car.
She nods, "Okay."
I watch as she grabs mom's hand and we walk inside. Mom takes her over to sit down while I check our luggage. I go back over to find mom on her phone, talking to dad again I assume, and Harmony lying in the floor at her feet, coloring.
"Harmony, don't lay in the floor. It's filthy." I say.
She huffs but gets up and picks up her stuff before climbing into my lap. She stays there until it is time to put her stuff back in her bag and get on the plane. I strap her into the seat between me and mom and I notice she has a death grip on her stuffed bunny.
"Scared?" I ask.
She nods.
I take her hand, "Don't worry, I've done this tons of times, there's nothing to be scared of."
"What if we crash?" She whimpers.
"We won't crash. Just wait, once we get in the air, you'll love it." I assure her.
She doesn't look convinced but doesn't say anything. As soon as we take off, she closes her eyes tight, squeezing my hand and her cat. She calms down when we get in the air, like I predicted. She even climbs over into mom's lap so she can look out the window. I smile and take a picture of them. I stare at it for a moment before hitting the button to post it to Twitter with the caption 'someone special is joining the tour'. I wonder if anyone will make the connection. We land in Massachusetts a few hours later and she gets nervous again until the plane is on the ground.
We gather our bags and load them into a taxi that mom gets into as well so she can go on to the hotel. Harmony and I get in a different taxi to head straight to the venue to meet up with the band.
"Do you think they'll like me?" Harmony asks quietly.
I put my arm around her, "They're going to love you."
She looks up at me, "Really?"
I nod, "Yep."
She smiles, "Good." She goes back to playing with her bunny for a minute before looking up at me again, "When we get back to your house, can we go to the beach?"
I smile, "Of course we can. And it's our house, not just mine."
She nods and goes back to playing. We make it to the venue a few minutes later. I pay the driver and scoop Harmony up, carrying her inside. The band is just getting ready to do sound check when I walk in.
"Finally!" Ross says when he sees me.
I roll my eyes as I put Harmony down. She looks around then wraps both arms around my leg, hiding her face.
"So this is the little cutie we've been hearing so much about." Riker says as we walks up.
Harmony peeks at him but then quickly hides her face again.
Riker kneels down next to her, "Ah, a shy one. Well, you know what happens to shy people around here, don't you?"
She shakes her head, still not looking at him.
"They get…the tickle monster!" He starts tickling her, causing her to giggle like crazy.
"St-stop!" She squeals.
He stops, smiling.
She smiles back, "You're my uncle Riker, right?"
He nods, "Sure am."
"Good. I like you." She says.
He laughs, "Well, I'm glad. I like you too."
She grins and stretches up to kiss his cheek. He smiles and stands. He starts to say something but is interrupted.
"Oh my goodness, she is adorable!" Rydel squeals, coming over to kneel in front of Harmony, "Hi, sweetie."
"Hi." Harmony says, waving at her.
Rydel extends her arms, "Can your aunt have a hug?"
Harmony nods and runs into her arms, hugging her tight.
Rydel hugs her back, "You are just so precious."
Harmony pulls away, smiling, "I know. Daddy tells me that all the time."
Rydel laughs, "Well, he better."
Ross, Ratliff, and Ryland walk up then.
"Wow, in the pictures she looks like Rocky, but in person she could be a mini Rydel." Ratliff says.
Ross nods, " I was just thinking the same thing." He kneels in front of her, "Hey, remember me?"
Harmony nods, "You're my uncle Ross."
He smiles, "Yep. Does that mean I get a hug, too?"
She grins and throws her arms around him.
"Hey, what about me?" Ratliff asks, holding his arms out.
"Yeah, I want a hug too." Ryland says, doing the same.
Harmony hugs them both, then stands back, looking at them.
She points at Ryland, "Uncle Ryland?"
He nods, "Yep."
She turns to Ratliff, "And uncle Ratliff?"
Ratliff nods, "Or Ellington. Whichever you prefer. Just remember, I'm you're favorite." He winks.
Harmony giggles, "You're funny."
"Okay guys, we really need to get sound check done." Riker says.
"Is dad here?" I ask.
Riker shakes his head, "Not yet. He was going to wait for mom at the hotel then come later."
"Oh. I was going to leave Harmony with him." I reply.
"I can keep an eye on her." Ryland offers.
I look at him, "You sure?"
He nods, "Yeah."
I turn to Harmony, "You okay with hanging with uncle Ryland for a little bit?"
She nods, "Yep."
"Alright then. She's got a bunch of toys and stuff in her backpack so all you should have to do is keep an eye on her, make sure she stays out of trouble." I tell him.
He nods, "No problem."
I start to follow everyone else on stage, but stop, suddenly remembering something. I grab a set of headphones and go back over to Harmony, putting them on her head.
"What are these for?" She asks.
"So the noise from the speakers doesn't hurt your little ears." I answer, "Be a good girl for uncle Ryland." I kiss the top of her head before running back to the stage.
I'm caught a little off guard when I see the small crowd in front of the stage. I had forgotten this was a VIP event so we would be doing a Q and A session. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal but I knew what they would all ask; where was I the other night and who was the little girl I posted a picture of. I knew this was coming but I'm still not sure I'm prepared for it. But I guess ready or not, I'm going to have to come clean.
Well, there it is! Let me know what you guys think! Stay tuned to find out how the fans react to Rocky's secret!