I really, really like this chapter. You guys will meet her Mom and "Dad" (Tom) and get some insight in to what she grew up with. I'm really anxious to find out what you guys think of it.
There's also some really important convos between Jackson and Rhiannon. Good stuff, people!
MUCH LOVE to my Beta, Tima83, and my pre-reader, Starchick7003, for all that you guys do.
~o.O.o~
Chapter 6: Meet The Grey's
"Please tell me you kicked Evan in the balls or something," Stacy said.
I laughed and pulled the phone away from my ear. I had just made it up to my room after yelling at Evan about the fucking stunt he'd pulled with the porch lights. I was way too riled up to sleep so I had decided to call Stacy to try and calm my nerves.
"No nothing like that, but the night is still young," I laughed. "I do have some good news concerning a certain beautiful Texan man." I waited for the squeal. I didn't have to wait long.
"What happened? Rhi, you have to tell me!" I imagined that she was probably standing up in her ridiculously huge living room with a glass of wine in her hand pacing back and forth in front of the marble fire place.
"Well it's kind of hard to explain. I'm not even sure I know how to explain it."
"Well try," she demanded.
My mind drifted back to the brief conversations we'd had that day concerning our feelings and to be honest, there really wasn't anything decided. He admitted that he hadn't meant it when he said he wanted to just be friends. He said he wanted me, "insecurities and all", as he put it. Then I'd shown him exactly how much I cared about him…I giggled internally at that thought.
I was smiling to myself when Stacy's voice abruptly pulled me out of my happy place.
"Hey!" she yelled.
"Shit Stace! I hear you."
"Well then answer my damn question," she said.
"Remind me what it was?" I laughed when she sighed.
"Tell me what the fuck happened! Explain your relationship. Give me something."
"There's not a relationship, Stacy. We're just seeing how everything goes," I insisted.
"What does that even mean?" She wasn't even attempting to hide her annoyance.
"Well we talked about…wait." Something had just occurred to me. "Not so fast, bitch. Why should I give you details about me and Jackson when you refuse to give me details about you and Graupner?"
"Oh that is so not fair, Rhi."
I giggled and then said, "So are you in the sharing mood or what?"
"No." I could tell she was pouting by the way she said it.
"Why? What is the big deal?" This wasn't my friend. She never had a problem dishing about guys she'd slept with. "Do you like him or something?"
She scared me by laughing loudly. I had to pull the phone away from my ear to keep my ear drums from bleeding.
When she'd finally calmed down enough to answer, she said, "No, it's nothing like that. I just…I don't know. I did…things with him that I've never done with anyone else and I just don't really feel like hashing all that freaky shit out."
Now it was my turn to laugh. I laughed so loudly that I'm sure she'd had to do the same thing I did when she laughed.
"Hardy har har," she said without amusement. "Laugh it up bitch."
"I cannot believe it!" I said through my laughter. "You have to tell me Stacy. Were there chickens and Vaseline involved or is that a little too kinky?" I couldn't help but laugh again. I didn't know Graupner was such a freak.
"See this is exactly why I didn't want to say anything to begin with. I knew you were going to be like this about it. Can you just let it go? Please?"
"Really? You're mad because I find this funny? I don't know why you can't just tell me." I was starting to get a little frustrated.
"Because it's embarrassing, Rhi. Please just let it go," she said and though I didn't really want to let it go, I could tell she was really uncomfortable so I decided to give her a break.
"Ok Stace," I surrendered. "I'm officially letting it go. For now."
She let out an exasperated sigh, but said, "Thank you. Now spill."
I tried to explain exactly what Jackson and I were but couldn't. All I knew is that I couldn't wait to see him again. After I hung up from Stacy, I got ready for bed and went to sleep. It was weird, but oddly comforting sleeping in my room at my mom's house. I hadn't slept here in three years but it felt like I'd never left.
I woke up to my phone ringing at 7:15 the next morning. I was pissed at first until I saw that it was Jackson.
"Hey you," I answered sleepily.
"Hey baby." He sounded just as tired as I felt. "I'm sorry I woke you up, but I just wanted to tell you we're heading out."
"Ok," I yawned. "Be careful and call me when you get there please. Or you can text me if you don't have time to call."
"I will. Get some sleep."
"Will you try to get some rest too?" I knew he hadn't gotten much sleep while he was here what with the whole driving all night to surprise me followed by the party at Eddie's and then the show. He needed to stay healthy just as much as I did.
"I'll try, baby girl. I gotta go."
I lay back down on my pillow after we'd hung up, but there was no way I was going back to sleep. So I just laid there. I stared up at the ceiling thinking about the many things that had happened over the last few weeks. Obviously, some were good and some were bad, but most were good. I felt more secure in what Jackson and I had but I couldn't figure out why. It was the most confusing it had ever been but it just kind of all made sense. Whatever the hell would happen, I knew right now, in this moment, I was happy.
I looked at my phone and saw it was 8 o'clock. I needed to call Linda to let her know I wouldn't be in today. I dialed the number and after just a few rings, she picked up.
"This is Linda Carter."
"Linda, hey, it's Rhiannon," I replied.
"Rhiannon, hon how are you feeling?"
How did she find out? Oh. Mia.
"I'm feeling much better but the doctor wanted me to take today to rest. As much as I hate it, it looks like I won't be coming in today."
"Of course, sweetie. You just get yourself well and we'll see you tomorrow," she said.
"Thanks Linda." I had probably the best boss that ever lived.
"You're welcome."
I decided to just go ahead and get up since it was obvious I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep this morning. I would just tell Jackson I'd gotten some sleep so he wouldn't worry.
I got out of the bed and walked over to my vanity and sat down in the chair. It squeaked and wobbled a little bit because it was so old. I smiled as I looked in the mirror and pulled my hair up. I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying being at home.
After I was dressed in sweat pants and a tank top, I headed down stairs to make some breakfast. I was still pissed at Evan so I figured with it being so early, maybe he wouldn't be up yet. He didn't have to be at work until 2:30 since he worked second shift at Dowty's Machine Works as a CNC machinist. His "interim career", as he called it.
I stepped off the stairs and rounded the corner in to the kitchen. To my surprise, there stood my brother, making coffee.
"What are you doing up?" I asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment and frustration.
"Well good morning to you too, sunshine," he chuckled and held out a cup of coffee. "Mom called. They'll be landing in an hour so she wanted me to come pick them up."
"Why can't I just go get them?"
"You're not supposed to do anything, but rest. Remember? Doctor's orders," he smiled as I finally took the cup of coffee from his hand. I took a sip and of course it was perfect. As much as I wanted to hate him for a little while longer, I couldn't help but smile. Evan always made the best cup of coffee and it had been forever since he'd made me one.
He smiled in return and poured himself a cup.
"I'm still mad at you," I said trying to look serious.
"Yeah I figured that. Well are you calm enough to discuss it now?"
"I was calm enough last night, thank you very much," I insisted.
"No you absolutely were not. I couldn't make out one word you were screaming at me, Rhi."
Sometimes I hated the nickname he had for me. According to my mom, it was the only way he could say my name for the longest time because he was only 3 when I was born and my name is hard enough for an adult to say, much less a child. Anyway, the name kind of stuck and even a few of my friends had picked it up. It didn't mean I liked it though. I felt like it made me sound like a child.
"I was pissed off, Evan. You treat me like I'm some horny teenager by turning on and off the porch lights and I'm supposed to what? Thank you?" My anger was building again.
"I wasn't about to sit and watch my little sister get fucked on the hood of some rental car," he shot back.
"Well you didn't have to watch," I said flatly.
"God, you're such a bitch." He sighed and sat down at the bar. I stood with one hand on my hip and the other holding my coffee. I wasn't about to give in. He'd embarrassed me by refusing to stop treating me like a kid and I'd had enough. He looked up at me and said softly, "I just have one question. Why him?"
"Why not him, Evan? What do you have against him?"
"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Rhi. He's a rock star. What do you think he does after shows? He goes and fucks groupies, parties, and generally does whatever the fuck he wants to. What if he got you pregnant or something? It would be Dad all over again. Is that what you want?"
In all the years it had been since our father left for good, I'd never once considered how hard it had been for Evan. I had been so incredibly selfish. Not only was there trust issues with me but obviously there were with him as well. I guess I had been so blinded by how it hurt and affected me that I didn't see what it had done to Evan.
"Listen, I understand that you believe you're helping me but you're not." I sat down next to him. "I really care about Jackson. You wanna know why him?Well there's the obvious that he's freaking gorgeous and ridiculously talented, but there's a lot more to him than that. He's kind and gentle not to mention funny and romantic. I can sit and have conversations with him about anything and everything for hours. But more than any of that, I feel comfortable with him. Like I can be myself and feel like it's…enough. " I thought about what I'd just said and realized that it was something I should've said to Jackson because it was exactly how I felt about him.
"Wow," Evan said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk about a guy like this before. Ever."
"Yeah, well…" I couldn't seem to come up with anything amazing to say so I just let it go.
"Ok, if that's the way you feel then I'm sorry about last night and I'm going to leave you alone about him, I swear." He crossed his heart with his finger and smiled.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I promise."
"That's all I wanted. If I'm making a mistake, let me find out for myself," I said.
He just nodded and hugged me. "I need to get dressed. Do me a favor and just relax, ok? I don't want mom thinking I can't take care of you."
"Yeah, yeah." I shooed him away with my hand and finished my cup of coffee. I got up and made a bowl of cereal and took it to the living room. I settled down in Tom's recliner and turned on the TV. After channel surfing for a few minutes, I gave up on finding anything interesting and just settled on some insanely stupid talk show. While I watched people yell and throw things at each other, Evan came bounding down the stairs, kissed me quickly on the top of my head, and then ran out the door.
"Be careful!" I yelled after him. I finished my cereal and went to the kitchen to rinse out the bowl and put it in the dishwasher. I wasn't feeling all that well, so I turned off the TV and went back up to my bedroom. I crawled back in to my bed and laid down. My eyes scanned the walls taking in the soft ball trophies, various music posters, and shelves of pictures and stuffed animals. My mother was so sentimental about everything her children owned she refused to change anything about our rooms.
I felt my eyelids getting heavy so I put my headphones in and turned my iPod on, going immediately to my mellow playlist that consisted of lots and lots of Stevie Nicks. I think "Gypsy" had just begun when I finally fell asleep.
I was dreaming of Jackson. Not a naughty dream, thank God, but just an amazingly sweet dream. We were holding hands and walking along a rocky beach. I couldn't tell where we were, but where ever it was, it was cold because we were dressed in layers. Although it was a rocky and cold beach, it was incredibly beautiful. The sun was setting and we had stopped to watch it. He turned me around and brushed the hair away from my face. My eyes locked on his and he smirked. He opened his mouth and licked his lips.
"Rhiannon," he said, only it wasn't his voice. His lips had moved but that voice didn't belong to him. It belonged to…
"Mom?" I rasped.
"Yes, sweet girl. It's Mom."
I opened my eyes and sure enough there was my Mom sitting on my bed. She was smiling which made me smile right back. My mom had the most beautiful smile in the world.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm ok. What time is it?"
"It's a little after 11. Tom, Evan, and I stopped off to buy you a Get Well present. We couldn't seem to agree on anything in particular, so you got something from each of us." She laughed and sat a bag down on my bed.
"Mom, you guys didn't have to do that." I sat up and hugged my mother. No matter what other shitty things happened in my life, I knew I could count on my mom and Evan completely. They were everything to me.
I opened the bag and pulled the first thing out. I immediately laughed when I looked at it.
This has to be from Evan.
It was a T shirt that said, "How many licks does it take?" and had a picture of the owl from the old Tootsie Roll Pops commercials.
"I told him that was very inappropriate, but he insisted," she shrugged as I sat the T shirt down.
The next thing I pulled out made me want to scream. I couldn't believe I had all three of The Lives of the Mayfair Witches books by Anne Rice in my hands. I stared at my mom all wide-eyed.
She laughed and said, "Those are from Tom, but he bought them while we were in Vegas before we knew you were sick. I told him he cheated."
I laughed with her and then pulled the last thing out of the bag. It was a blue box with a white rose on the lid.
"This is from me." She watched me as I opened it. Inside was the most beautiful locket I'd ever seen. There was nothing incredibly special about it, except that it was a Claddagh silver locket. The Claddagh is an ancient Irish symbol that means love, loyalty, and friendship. It is symbolized by two hands holding a heart with a crown over top of it. I'd always wanted one of the rings since I was in fact Irish. I fell instantly in love with the locket.
I hugged my mother and squeezed her tight. "I love it, Mom! Where did you find it? I thought no one around here sold it."
She smiled slyly. "Ok, I confess I cheated too. I ordered it three weeks ago and it just so happened to have come in today. Your brother felt left out so we stopped so that he could get you something too. He said you two had a fight?"
"Yeah but it's no big deal." I tried to play it off.
"He said it was about a boy. Specifically that Jackson boy that got the Boudreaux gig for the band."
Yeah she wasn't going to let it go.
"It was. He doesn't like the idea of me liking Jackson but Mom, I can't help it. He makes me happy." I smiled as I thought about him.
"Well I just hope you know what you're getting yourself in to. He's not exactly what you're used to dating," she said. "But if he makes you happy, I hope it works out."
See? Best mom ever.
I hugged her again and she stood up. "I'm making BLT's for lunch in just a bit. You should shower and then come down and eat."
She laughed at the huge smile spreading across my lips. She knew BLT's were my favorite and I couldn't make them like she could.
If being in the hospital and feeling like shit didn't absolutely suck, I'd be sick more often.
Once she was out of my room, I grabbed a towel and a pair of jeans along with the new T shirt Evan had gotten for me. I went to my dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of panties and a clean bra. My mom had insisted that we leave some clothes at the house just in case we needed to stay there for something and washed them every few weeks to make sure they were fresh. I'd always thought it was silly but I silently thanked her as I made my way to the bathroom.
After I was showered and dressed, I used my mother's gel to style my hair and opened one of the many toothbrushes she kept under the sink for visitors and brushed my teeth. I put the locket on and gave myself a quick look in the mirror. I couldn't help but smile as I looked at the locket around my neck.
I headed down the stairs being pulled by the smell of the bacon cooking. It was a little after 12 now and I was fucking starving. Just the thought of one of my mother's BLT's had me salivating. I sat down at the bar.
"Where's Tom?" I asked.
My mother didn't turn as she said, "He and your brother are outside working on the Accord. Evan says the breaks are squealing so Tom insisted that Evan let him take a look. I tried to tell them both that they were going to sweat to death but no one ever listens to me." Her arms were flailing as she talked, throwing grease off the spatula and on the counter next to the stove.
"Mom, careful," I said and went to stand beside her.
"Oops." She chuckled and grabbed a towel. She quickly cleaned up the mess and then returned to the bacon. "Can you grab me a plate and put some paper towels on it? This batch of bacon is just about ready."
I nodded and went to collect the things I was asked to get. As I was sitting the plate down next to my mother, Evan and Tom came walking in drenched in sweat. My mother took one look at them and shook her head.
"I told you so," she sang under her breath. Evan walked right up to her and wrapped her in a sweaty hug. "Evan!" She squealed and pushed him away.
"What's the matter mom? You don't like my hugs?" He feigned disappointment and hurt. She laughed and shoved him playfully, making Evan, Tom, and I laugh too.
"Well look who's feeling better," Tom said as he came to stand beside me. He hugged me. "Your mother and I were very worried about you."
"I know but I'm good now." I smiled. "Hey, thanks for the books. They're amazing."
"So you didn't already have them? Kathy said she didn't think you did, but we weren't sure and I didn't want to call and ask because that would have ruined the surprise."
"They're perfect."
"Hey, you're wearing the shirt I got you," Evan interrupted and slapped me on the back.
"Ow!" I pinched his arm. "Of course I'm wearing it. It's the shit!"
"Rhiannon Amelia Grey, you watch your language in my house. Do you understand me?" My mother stood by the stove with her hands on her hips. She looked at me with that stern "Mom" face I absolutely hated when I was a kid.
"Yes, Ma'am," I said but as soon as she'd turned around Evan chuckled under his breath. I pinched him again which made him laugh harder. "You stink, Evan. Go take a shower. I promise I'll save you a sandwich." I smiled an evil little smile.
"Yeah, right," he scoffed.
"Well you and Tom at least need to wash your hands," Mom chimed in. "Lunch is almost ready." She was carrying the plate full of bacon to the island where the plates of tomato slices and lettuce were already set up. "Can you toast the bread, Rhiannon?"
I jumped up and headed to the cabinet where the toaster was at and got to work on my task. Tom and Evan went to the bathroom to clean up and by the time they got back we were just about done with the sandwiches. They sat down at the bar while Mom placed a sandwich in front of each of them and smiled. Tom leaned in and gave my mother a quick kiss on the lips and then dug in to his BLT. She turned and spotted me trying to make my own sandwich and gave me the stern face again. She pointed to the empty bar stool and said, "Sit. You've already done too much. You're supposed to be resting."
"Mom, I'm fine. Really," I insisted but she just shook her head and pointed to the bar stool again.
I guess I know where my stubborn-ness comes from.
I sat down and she went to work fixing the mess I'd made of my sandwich. It didn't take long before she sat the plate down in front of me and smiled.
I took a bite and sighed. "Now that's how you make a BLT," I said.
Mom joined us a few minutes later and we ate our lunch and chatted. Evan and I filled Mom and Tom in on how the show went and how I managed to let myself get dehydrated.
"You really should cut down on your drinking, Rhiannon," Tom said.
"Oh I plan to. I definitely do not want to end up back in the ER," I assured him. I wanted to get the subject off of me so I turned to Evan and said, "Tell them about Dallas." I smiled big and nudged him.
"We've got another show with 100 Monkeys this Saturday night in Dallas. You and Tom should come. You guys could meet Jackson." He looked at me and chuckled when he saw the look on my face.
"What's wrong, sweet heart?" My mom looked concerned.
"Um. Nothing. Nothing's wrong," I said and forced a smile.
Thankfully she didn't push it. "I think we just might. Tom, what do you think?"
"Sounds good to me," he said in between bites. "But Kathy, you know you're going to hear your son cuss and make sexual innuendos right? It is a rock show after all, honey."
"I know, Tom. I've been to a few shows. I know what they do." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I said there would be no bad language in my house. I never said anything about anywhere else." She stood up and started gathering our plates.
Evan wrapped his arms around our mother and squeezed her tight. This time she didn't seem to mind the sweat all that much.
"Go take a shower, Evan Jacob or I'll hose you down myself," she laughed. Evan planted a big kiss on her cheek before he took off to the bathroom.
Tom and I went to sit down in the living room while Mom cleaned up the lunch mess. We turned on the TV but couldn't agree on anything so I decided to just go get one of my books and read while he watched whatever sports show had him interested. I realized I'd left my phone on the table by the bed when I reached down to grab the bag with the books in it and spotted it sitting there. I looked at it and saw that I had three unread text messages.
Hey beautiful. Are you up? – J Action
That one had been sent at 9:30 am. I silently cussed myself for going back to sleep and missing a chance to talk to Jackson. I opened the next one that had been sent ten minutes later and it was also from him.
I guess you're still sleeping. I'll just call you later. – J Action
The last one was from Stacy wanting to know what time I'd be going home today. I sent her a text first letting her know it would probably be this evening before I could pull myself away from my Mom. Then I texted Jackson.
Hey, I'm just now seeing your texts. I'm sorry. – Rhiannon
I almost immediately got a response.
No problem. I'm glad you were resting. Are you just now getting up? – J Action
No, but I did sleep late. My mom woke me up a little after 11 and we just got done eating lunch. – Rhiannon
I miss you. – J Action
I stared at my phone with a huge smile on my face.
I miss you too. – Rhiannon
Friday night, right? – J Action
Yes, sir. Oh and my parents are coming to the show. Is that weird? – Rhiannon
Why would it be weird? My parents aren't coming to the show but they are coming to see me Saturday before the show. – J Action
"Oh my," I said out loud. My parents were coming to the show and his parents were going to be there earlier in the day. We weren't even officially dating and we were already going to meet each other's parents? I tried to calm myself down.
Oh ok. – Rhiannon
That was the best response I could come up with? I threw my hands up and shook my head.
What's wrong baby girl? – J Action
Nothing. It's just weird to me, I guess. – Rhiannon
Well we'll talk about it later. It's my turn to drive. – J Action
Ok. Call me later? – Rhiannon
Yes Ma'am. – J Action
I smiled as I closed the text conversation. I jumped when I heard a light knock on my door. I turned to find Evan standing there obviously amused at himself for scaring me.
"What?" I snapped.
"Texting Jackson?" He smirked.
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. Now what do you want?"
"Well we need to talk about the plan for this weekend so I was wondering if you could call a meeting for tonight when I get off work."
"Yeah, I could do that. Around midnight?" I asked.
"That's perfect. I gotta go though. I told Mia I'd come by the office and see her for a minute before I went to work. Text me and let me know if it's a go for everyone else." I nodded and he took off down the stairs.
I grabbed my book and went down stairs as well. I settled in to the couch while Tom watched his sports show and Mom played some game on the computer. We stayed like that for most of the afternoon. The only time I left the couch was to go have a cigarette and call the guys for the meeting. Everyone had agreed they could make it so I texted Evan to let him know we were on. Around 4, my phone rang. I squealed internally when I saw it was Jackson.
"Hi," I answered cheerfully.
"Hey. You sound happy," he said. He sounded tired.
"I am," I laughed. I grabbed my cigarettes and headed outside to the porch. "You don't though. Did you get any rest?" I took a seat on the steps and lit up.
"A little. I'm about to get some food and then I'll probably just crash after that," he said. "I wanted to call you though."
"I'm glad you did which is totally selfish of me."
He chuckled and said, "We're all a little selfish, baby. So why don't you tell me why you think it's weird that we'll be meeting each other's parents this weekend."
"Well isn't it obvious, Jackson? We're not even really together yet. I think we're going just a little out of order."
"Who said we had to do things in order? I actually like the idea of meeting your parents."
Seriously? Apparently I'm the only one freaking out about this. Awesome.
"Ok. I'll try to stop worrying about it then," I said knowing I probably wouldn't be able to.
We talked for a few more minutes and then he had to go because Graupner was yelling "Pizza!" in the background. I smoked another cigarette while I tried to calm my mind and think of anything other than meeting Jackson's parents. What if they hated me? Would that mean that Jackson and I couldn't be together?
I shook my head and closed my eyes, remembering back to the dream I'd had this morning of Jackson, just minus my mother's voice. It was strange, but it worked. It actually calmed me down. I went back inside and insisted I help my mom with dinner. Once we'd eaten and cleared the table, it was close to 6 o'clock.
"Mom, I really need to get home."
"You could stay here again tonight. I'll make sure you get up for work," she said.
"I can't. I've got to meet with the guys tonight about this weekend and Stacy wanted to come hang out for a little while." I took in her look of disappointment and hugged her. "I'm sorry Mom. I'll come back over sometime this week for dinner, if that's ok."
She smiled and nodded. "You better make sure you eat healthy and drink something other than beer, Rhiannon."
"I will. I promise."
"And go get that prescription filled on your lunch break, do you hear me?" The stern face made another appearance.
"Yes, Ma'am."
Her face softened and she hugged me again. "Ok then. Make sure you've got all of your stuff. Tom is letting you borrow the Corolla while your car is getting fixed." She held out the keys and I took them. "You better thank him. He really likes that car so he's putting a lot of trust in you seeing as how you just wrecked your car."
I walked in to the living room and up to the back of the recliner where Tom was sitting. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and thanked him for letting me borrow the car and again for the books. After gathering my stuff and hugging my mom yet again, I headed home. I called Stacy on the way and she said she'd meet me at my house.
I'd only been home a few minutes when there was a knock on my door. It was Stacy, of course and she brought popcorn and sparkling water. She said she thought briefly about bringing wine, but decided she didn't really want to contribute to my alcohol problem.
"I don't have an alcohol problem Stacy. I just need to make sure I take care of myself when I am drinking," I said.
"Right. You know the first step is admitting it, Rhi," she teased. She laughed and ducked when I threw popcorn at her.
We were curled up on my couch getting ready to watch an old movie. This was something we did nearly every Monday night except usually it was at Stacy's house, not my tiny apartment. If we weren't watching a movie, we'd go out to dinner. Monday was just our day, I guess.
"So have you talked to Jackson today?" she asked raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well?" She leaned in closer to me.
"Well what, Stace?" I smiled innocently and she threw one of the accent pillows on the couch at me.
"You know what I'm fucking asking!"
I laughed. "Ok! Calm down. Damn." I thought for a second and then smiled. "You'll like this." I sat up and placed my water on the coffee table. "We're apparently going to be meeting each other's parents this weekend at the Dallas show." I watched as Stacy's eyes got really big.
"That's like big, Rhiannon. Are you nervous? I would be freaking the fuck out."
"Well I was feeling better about it until you said that," I said flatly.
"It's no big deal. We'll go shopping and get the perfect outfit. You're a southern girl so you're already polite. You'll be fine," she tried to assure me. Stacy was originally from Chicago and loved to make reference to my southern roots. At least I could be thankful the previous reference was a positive one.
"No more shopping, Stacy."
"Oh come on, Rhi! You've got to let me help you dress appropriately at least. I won't be able to be there to see it."
Oh shit. Stacy's not coming?
"You're not coming to the show?" I started to panic.
"I can't. I've got an open house Sunday morning. We'd never make it back in time," she said. "I'm sorry."
"No it's ok. It'll be ok," I chanted trying to convince myself more than her.
She finally talked me in to letting her take me shopping again and we planned on going Thursday when I got off work. My only condition was that we stay right here in Baton Rouge. Once she agreed we settled in to watch the movie.
It went off at 9 and Stacy headed home soon after. I thought about texting Jackson but I didn't want to bother him if he was finally getting some rest.
I decided to piddle on the computer so I got my lap top and sat at the bar in my kitchen. After checking my email and then my Facebook and Twitter pages, I went to the band's website and checked out the forum. There were 45 new forum entries! All of them were from people who had been to the show Saturday night and were telling the guys how much they enjoyed it and couldn't wait to see them again. There was one very sweet entry from a man who'd traveled from Kentucky to see 100 Monkeys and wanted to know when and where Abolish Luck's next show was going to be. I was so overwhelmed by the positive response I did a little dance and giggled uncontrollably.
After I'd composed myself, I went to work on a blog entry thanking everyone for their kind words and assuring them that they hadn't seen the last of us. I then updated the calendar with the Dallas show this coming weekend and the Boudreaux's show coming up at the end of August. From there, I started researching how much the Dallas show was going to cost us. I found a semi-cheap hotel and went ahead and booked it for the days we'd need it. For 3 separate rooms it only came out to a little over $360. After figuring in gas, food, and alcohol, the total came out to $650, give or take a little. That meant if we each threw in $130, we could pool the money together and pay for everything as a group instead of having to do the math on how much each person's part was for this or that. I decided I'd run that plan by the guys at the meeting. I glanced at the clock and almost fell out of the chair when I saw it was already 11:28.
Where the hell did two and a half hours go?
I gathered all the papers with the numbers written down and my lap top and rushed out the door. I felt only slightly guilty as I sped to Eddie's house. I needed to be careful in the Corolla, but I was running late.
When I pulled up, Evan was just getting out of his car and waved at me. I expected to see Mia get out, but she wasn't with him.
"Where's Mia?" I asked as I got out of my car fumbling with the papers and my lap top. He walked over to me and grabbed the lap top out of my hands so I could arrange the papers.
"We had a fight," he said and looked at the ground. "She's pissed because she can't go to the show this weekend and I guess she's afraid I'm going to cheat on her or something. She hung up on me so I figured that meant she didn't want to see me."
"Wow. I'm sorry, Evan." I couldn't really think of anything else to say.
He shrugged and then led the way inside Eddie's house. For the next hour we discussed the pricing and schedule. I had to work all day Friday since I'd missed work today so we decided I'd take my shit with me to work so we could leave as soon as I got off. Evan said he'd already told his boss he wasn't going to be able to come to work Friday night. All the rest of the guys had day time jobs that they'd be done with by the time we would leave. They all agreed on the money plan and even said if we were planning on doing the out-of-state thing again, we should probably just open an account or get a credit card for the band's expenditures. I agreed to start using my bank account and everyone promised to get their money to me by Thursday afternoon.
I called it a night at 1:15 and headed home. I still hadn't heard from Jackson, but I hoped it meant he was busy sleeping.
I climbed in to bed at 2 and fell quickly to sleep.
The rest of the week went by in a blur. Linda was happy to see me at work on Tuesday and thanked me for doing such a great job while she was gone. I figured that meant Mia hadn't told her mother about me decking her and I owed her big for that. She and Evan couldn't stay mad at each other and had made up before I could even say anything to her about it. I went to lunch with Mia on Wednesday and went to my parents for dinner. The guys got all their money to me and I deposited it all in my bank Thursday on my lunch break and then Stacy and I went shopping that evening after work. I'd talked to Jackson here and there, but we were both so busy that it wasn't nearly as much as I wanted to talk to him. I just kept reminding myself that I'd see him soon.
Thursday night after Stacy and I had shopped and then ate, she came back to my apartment with me to help me pack. She said I needed to be supervised to make sure I was taking the "right things", as she put it.
"What do you mean by right things, Stacy?" I asked as I watched her dig through my underwear drawer. "What the hell are you looking for?"
"Shut up! I saw it the other day when I came to get you some clothes. It was a little black silk nightie. Now where the hell is it?" She moved some more stuff around until finally she found it. She held it up and smiled. "Here it is."
"I'm not taking that, Stacy. I bought that when Greg and I were dating and I never wore it then. What makes you think I'm gonna wear it now?"
"Chill the fuck out, Rhi. I just have a feeling you might need it," she said and tossed it in to my bag.
I groaned and rolled my eyes but let her pack it. Once everything was packed that could be packed, we drank some wine and played Scrabble. Scrabble was my all-time favorite game and the only game I could ever beat Stacy at.
Stacy called it a night around 11 so I decided I'd watch a little TV before going to bed myself. I was in the middle of a gripping CSI episode when my cell rang. I jumped for joy when I saw it was Jackson.
"Well hello there, cowboy," I answered, grinning from ear to ear.
He chuckled and it was music to my freaking ears.
"Hey baby girl. What are you doing?" he said.
"Nothing really. Just watching some TV before I go to bed. What about you?"
"Just getting back to the hotel. We went to get a few beers at some bar around here. Graupner started hitting on some girls so I just came back without him. He'll find his own way back. He always does," he answered.
"Graupner was hitting on some girls?" I tried to hide the fear in my voice.
"Yeah. Why?"
"So you weren't hitting on them?" This time I tried not to sound like I was accusing him.
"No." He sounded mad.
I am obviously not a good actress.
"I'm sorry, Jackson. I'm trying here, you know?"
"Just answer something for me. Have I ever given you any reason to not trust me?" he asked, definitely mad.
"No, but –". I tried to explain but he cut me off.
"Ok. Are you ever going to be able to trust me?"
"Yes, but –". Once again I was interrupted.
"Good. That's all I needed to know." He sounded like he'd softened up a bit.
"Great. Now can I talk?" I asked sarcastically.
"Sure darlin'," he said with that adorable accent that made me melt.
Ugh. Stupid Texan boy and his stupid sexiness.
"I wouldn't say I was a stupid Texan boy but I do like the fact that you think I'm sexy." I could almost hear the smirk through the phone.
"Shit!" I couldn't believe I hadn't gotten a better control over my verbal filter yet.
He laughed and my face felt like it was on fire. I was really glad at that particular moment that he couldn't see me.
I cleared my throat and his laughter died down. "Anyway, I was just going to say that it had nothing to do with whether I trust you or not. The point is we're not really in a relationship so technically you're free to do what you want. I mean don't get me wrong, it's not like I want you to go hit on some girls at a bar but I really couldn't say anything if you did because I don't have a claim to you. Do you know what I mean?"
He didn't say anything at first and I didn't know what to do.
"We may not be in a relationship yet, but I'm not really interested in seeing anyone else, Rhiannon," he finally said.
As stupid as it sounds, I think my heart actually skipped a beat when he said that.
"I'm not interested in seeing anyone else either, Jackson," I whispered.
"Good," he said softly. "Now what are we going to do about that?" Dear God, his voice had dropped a little lower and sounded unbelievably sexy.
"I don't know, Barry White. What are we going to do about that?" I teased.
He laughed loudly and then sighed. "I fucking miss you so much," he said.
"Well I'll be there tomorrow night," I assured him.
"Yeah and you're coming straight to my hotel room and I don't wanna hear a fucking word about it."
I laughed and said, "We'll see, stupid Texan boy."
"What about my stupid sexiness?"
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll come there but I'm not staying the night."
He dropped his voice again, "We'll see about that."
We didn't talk for much longer since I had to work in the morning and we had the long drive to Dallas that afternoon. After we'd hung up, I got in to bed and thought about the upcoming weekend.
I was excited for the show and getting to see Jackson and the rest of the Monkeys I had come to adore so much, but I was also a little nervous for my alone time with Jackson. I remembered Stacy saying she had a feeling I'd need my nightie this weekend and then Jackson wanted me to come to his hotel room and stay with him tomorrow night. Was Stacy expecting me to sleep with Jackson this weekend? Was Jackson expecting me to? I was pretty sure Stacy did, but I couldn't be certain whether Jackson was kidding or if he was serious. Sometimes it was hard to tell with him.
I definitely wanted to sleep with him, but that had never been the problem. I just wanted things to be decided and now that they sort of were, I found myself questioning if that had really been the reason at all or if it was something else.
One thing I knew for sure, I needed to figure it all out before I saw him tomorrow night.