AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is rated M.
On The Edge
Chapter 49
LEGACY
Addison grabbed her glass of champagne from the table next to her and held it high in the air as she looked around the room once more. "Here's to us!"
Jamie clapped his hands together, "Well… with that out of the way I think there's just one final piece of business we need to address," he announced, making the room settle back down.
Addison downed her glass of champagne. "Can't we just celebrate?"
His shoulders shook with silent laughter. "One last thing. I promise. Then you can celebrate all you want without further interruption."
"I'm holding you to that," she said with a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to continue.
"Our annual meeting and report take place at the end of this month."
"...and…"
"… And you are currently holding four seats on the board. Two of which are completely vacant, and one that's a temporary appointment," he replied, looking over toward Bucky. "We can't proceed without a full board."
Addison stood up from Zed's lap and walked toward the bar, picking up another bottle of champagne. "Just to be clear, I hold the majority?"
"Yes," Jamie answered.
"So whatever names I give are a go? No need for a vote or any other board bullshit red tape?"
"That's how majority works," he laughed before clarifying, "They would need to be formally nominated though and any opposing views would need to be heard, but…" he shrugged his shoulders.
Bob stepped forward. "But I would urge you to carefully consider who you select. They will be a part of the company and have a decision on how we operate going forward. This decision affects Bamm!'s future and your family's legacy."
She nodded her head and popped the bottle. "Well in that case…" she refilled her glass and poured three additional. "I think every aspect of the industry should be represented."
Harrison stood up a little straighter. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that the board shouldn't just be executives who know the industry from the comfort of their posh offices. We need people who have poured their blood sweat and tears into making the music that Bamm! puts out into the world. From managers…" she looked at Bucky and smiled before turning toward Mason, "to producers…" she glanced toward Zed and bit her lip, "and most importantly, artists."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Gorgeous?" Zed asked as he stood up and walked toward her.
She nodded her head. "Yeah… I am…"
"Seriously?" Mason asked in shock. "You want me on the board?"
She nodded her head again and looked at Jamie, Bob, and Harrison. "I'd like to nominate Zed Necrodopolus, Mason Turner, and Bartholomew Buchanan for permanent seats on Bamm!'s executive board. I'd ask 'all those in favor,', but since I hold the majority, it's really just a formality."
Jamie shook his head and laughed. "As much as you remind me of your father, that move had your grandfather written all over it. You're definitely a Donnelly through and through…" He turned to look at Bob and Harrison. "All opposed?"
They shook their heads and smiled.
"I think it's a smart move," Bob said, surprising the hell out of everyone. "It'll certainly separate us from the other labels."
"Well… I guess that settles it then. Nominations approved." Jamie turned back to look at Zed, Mason, and Bucky. "Gentlemen? Do you accept your nominations?"
The three of them turned toward Addison with wide eyes.
"Are you sure, Sis?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah… I'm sure," she smiled as she handed each of them a glass of champagne. "What do you say?"
"I say…" Mason took a deep breath and held his glass up high. "Hell fucking yes!"
"That's one," she giggled, looking at her step-brother.
Bucky smirked and shook his head. "You really want me on the board? Permanently? Not just until your birthday?"
"Don't be an idiot, Brother-dear. I trust you with my life, and more importantly, the family business. Of course, I want you on the board permanently. Besides, you can finally get that executive card you've been hounding me for."
Bucky laughed and wrapped her up in a hug. "Thanks, Addie-loo… It's a yes."
She hugged him tight and turned to look up at Zed. "Well, handsome? That just leaves you..."
He took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. "I don't know anything about being on an executive board of anything… I don't want to mess it up."
She smiled as she ran her hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling him down so that his forehead rested against hers. "You won't… I just need you to be you. You're the best damn frontman I have ever seen. You know how musicians think, and feel. You know about the sacrifice and determination needed to make it in this industry more than anyone… and…" she kissed his lips softly, "… you and me side by side… writing the next chapter of Bamm!'s legacy? You can't tell me we wouldn't be great… Alpha and Omega..."
He smiled against her lips.
"Is that a yes?" she breathed, biting his lower lip.
He pulled her in close, kissing her hard. "Yes." He held his glass of champagne up in the air. "To the next chapter!"
The room erupted into celebration once more. Despite the raucous party breaking out around them, Zed and Addison were lost in their own world.
She stared up into his warm brown eyes, losing herself in the love and devotion reflected in them. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too, Baby… forever… and after… and every damn minute in between," he smiled, brushing his thumb across her kiss swollen lips before kissing her once again.
She smiled against his lips. "I didn't think tonight could get any better."
"Tonight's just getting started."
The sun had barely begun to rise as Addison placed a gentle kiss on Zed's bare chest and quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake him. She grabbed her old Seattle Prep sweatshirt off the floor and slipped it over her head, before opening the door to her bedroom and padding down the hall to the stairs. After the crazy party had followed them home, the house was finally quiet. Her fingers slid across the smooth wood of the banister as she made her way down to the second floor. Quietly she tiptoed down the hall and opened the door to her father's office. She squinted as she flipped on the lights. As her eyes adjusted, she let out a deep breath.
"You can do this…" she whispered to herself as she walked over to her father's desk and plopped herself down into the plush leather chair, spinning around in a circle. So much had changed since she had been in his office the night before they left for Cleveland. The heaviness that had resided in her heart for so long seemed to have finally lifted. She looked around and smiled to herself.
"If I set you free, will you promise me I will see you again…" she quietly sang as her eyes scanned the various pictures and awards adorning the walls.
"Cause we are one, we run free
I am you and you are me
You sacrificed everything
I am and will always be… your legacy…"
"Little early to be working on a new song, huh Sis?"
Addison spun around in her father's chair to find her brother standing in the doorway. "I was just thinking about you, Bartholomew… what are you doing up?"
Bucky let out a loud yawn as he walked into Dale's home office. "Haven't gone to sleep yet. You?"
"Same," she answered with a shrug. "Still coming down from last night."
Bucky chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head before sitting on the edge of the large wooden desk. "Yeah… I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. Where's Zed?"
"Sleeping. I guess I wore him out."
"Ugh," Bucky said with a heavy eye roll. "Do you have to do that? I don't need to know what you're up to just across the hall from me."
Addison giggled and stood up, wrapping her arms around him. "That was one of the things I was laying in bed thinking about… and why I'm down here right now."
Bucky turned and gave her a confused look.
"Without you I would still be holed away in that apartment in Santa Monica, hiding away from everyone and myself… but…" she sighed and hugged him tight before sitting back down. "… you somehow convinced me to join your stupid tour… thank you."
He smirked and reached out to ruffle her hair. "You already thanked me for that, Addie-loo."
"True… But I haven't gotten the chance to thank you for supporting me through the induction ceremony and all the shit with my mother, and Lacey, and Sal, and…" she blew out a breath. "There's been a lot...so once again… thank you."
"I was happy to do it. And thank you for trusting me enough to put me on the board."
"You're welcome."
"About the board…" he said crossing his arms over his chest and nailing her with a serious stare.
"What about it?"
"Zed?"
She nodded. "What about him?"
"Are you sure you want him on the board? Those positions are permanent unless voted out by a majority. If things go bad…" he shook his head. "You know how hard it was to get your bitch of a mother off the board."
Addison rolled her eyes. "I'm sure, brother-dear. Zed is…" she shrugged her shoulders and let out a soft sigh. "He's everything to me… he always has been. You know where I stand on marriage. But… I'd marry him, Bucky. I love him more than I could ever possibly say."
Bucky sat up a little straighter. "Really? You would?"
She nodded and smiled. "Yeah… I would. I'm tired of telling him 'no'."
He chuckled and hopped up to hug her again. "Well, let's hope he waits until after we record the first album to ask. I need you guys focused."
Addison giggled once more and hugged him back. "Speaking of albums and recording, that brings this little sibling bonding convo full circle… The whole reason I was down here was to say goodbye to all this."
Bucky pulled away in a near panic. "What do you mean?"
She smiled and patted his head. "Keep your wig on, B. I meant the contents of Daddy's office… I want you to have it."
He visibly relaxed. "You want me to have Dad's office?"
"I do… you're a hell of a manager. Just imagine what you could accomplish with a space of your own."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded again. "I also want you to have Daddy's room."
"Adds…"
"Don't fight me on this Bartholomew."
"Are you sure? Don't you want it?"
Addison scoffed. "Absolutely not. My room upstairs is bigger and it comes with my music room right next door."
"I don't know what to say?"
"Just say yes," she said with a shrug. "You can't tell me it doesn't make sense. You and Eliza need a bigger room, I mean, your room right now only has one closet… and Zoey needs a room of her own, too. She can have your current room and the pack can stay in the guest rooms."
He cringed. "Are you sure you want Zed's little sister across the hall from you? It's bad enough I'm across the hall from you right now. I'm at least an adult and not an impressionable teen."
She smacked his arm. "My room has great soundproofing."
"Yeah, but your bathroom has great acoustics. You might want to keep that in mind the next time you two take a shower together."
"Noted," she said through a quiet laugh.
A comfortable silence fell between the two of them. "You really want me to have Dad's room and office?" Bucky finally asked.
"I really do… I think Daddy would want it as well."
Bucky nodded and hugged her tight. "Okay then."
Addison smiled and hugged him back. "Alright, now that I've gotten that taken care of, I'm going to try to get a little sleep."
"Good idea," he said, yawning again. He stood up and kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you downstairs later."
"I don't even want to know how bad it is down there," she laughed softly.
Bucky laughed. "Yeah… things did get a little wild."
"We earned it, though."
"Yeah… we did," he smiled. "Night, Sis."
"Night, Brother-dear."
Addison took a few moments to herself, soaking in the memories of her father that surrounded her. She had spent so long fighting them, but now they were a comforting calm. As she got up to turn the light off she took one last look around. "I love you Daddy," she whispered. "I won't let you down again…. I promise." She turned off the light and locked the door, resting her head against the cool wood of the door for one final moment before turning away. As she made her way back down the hall towards the stairs, a very distinct retching sound came from the bathroom next to the game room. With a knowing smirk, she knocked on the door.
"You okay in there?"
"I'm fine," Bree groaned out.
Addison chuckled under her breath. "You sure, B? Sounds like you partied a little too hard if you ask me."
"Fuck…" Bree dry heaved once more, "...off, Adds. Shouldn't you be fucking Zed or passed out somewhere?" she asked as the sound of running water came from the other side of the door.
Addison barked out a laugh. "Love you too… Already did one, heading to do the other. Hope you feel better."
The door opened to reveal a very green-looking Bree. "Doubtful."
"Wow… you look like shit."
"Gee, thanks," Bree mumbled walking past Addison towards the game room.
Addison shook her head, stifling another laugh before making her way to the stairs and back to her bedroom on the third floor. When she opened the door her breath caught at the scene before her. The cool morning breeze was fluttering the sheers hanging from the open balcony doors and the sun was shining through, landing perfectly on Zed's still sleeping form.
"Damn, I am one lucky woman…" she breathed out.
Zed cracked a smile.
"And you are totally not sleeping, are you?" she giggled as he rolled over towards her and opened his eyes.
"I woke up when you got out of bed… I sleep for shit when your not next to me."
Addison climbed onto the bed and pushed his shoulder until he was laying on his back. She straddled his waist and grabbed the bottom of her sweatshirt, pulling it over her head. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked as she leaned down and kissed him.
"I figured you needed the space."
"Never… I need you."
He smiled against her lips as he grabbed onto her ass and rolled them over so he was now on top. "You have me, Baby, forever… and… after…" he said as he kissed her hard. He rested his forehead against hers. "Did last night really happen? Do we really have a record deal?"
"Yeah, we do… and you're on the board," she answered, nipping his lower lip with her teeth.
He moaned and ground his erection against her warm center, making her gasp as he slid into her.
"God, do you feel like home," he whispered as his teeth grazed the side of her neck.
"So formal… you can just call me Addison," she giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist so he could hit that spot that drove her wild. "And if I'm God, you've got to be the Devil, because this feels way too good to be good."
He bit down, making her cry out. "I'm so fucking in love with you."
Her nails dug into his back. "I love you too."
"None of this would have happened without you, Baby…"
"Adds, do you have any… Jesus, I just saw you not 5 minutes ago and you're already naked and having sex!"
They both looked over to see Bree standing in the doorway.
"Morning," Zed said with a small wave.
Bree rolled her eyes. "Advil… do you have any?"
Before Addison could answer, Zed rotated his hips.
"Oh, God… right there," she moaned.
"I thought I was the Devil," he smirked.
"Hello… I'm still here," Bree said exasperated.
"Medicine cabinet," Addison answered breathily.
"Thank you… I swear… you two need church…" she mumbled as she walked into the en suite.
Addison giggled. "You know my church is music, B."
"And here I was thinking it was Zed's dick," she shot back, clutching a bottle of Advil in her hand.
"I like the way she thinks," Zed said with a laugh.
Addison giggled and smacked his chest. "I think your dick is more like my steeple."
"And on that note…" Bree mumbled heading to the door. "I'll let you get back to it."
"We never stopped!" Zed called out after her as she closed the door. He looked back to Addison and stilled. "She's in a mood."
Addison wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. "Yeah, she was throwing up when I walked out of Daddy's office… guess she partied a little too hard last night."
Zed chuckled and kissed her softly. "Bree didn't drink last night, Baby… said somebody needed to watch Zoey and make sure she stayed out of trouble."
"Less talking, more…"
Zed rotated his hips once again making her moan loudly.
"Yeah...more of that," she giggled.
"You know, for someone who hasn't slept yet, you're in an awfully good mood…" he said as he leaned down and pulled at her nipple piercing with his teeth. "Not that I'm complaining… you're even more gorgeous when you smile… takes my fucking breath away."
She held his head against her breast and giggled again. "Why wouldn't I be…" she sighed contentedly and pulled his face up to hers.
"I never would've believed you
If three years ago you told me
I'd be here singing this song…
But here I am
Next to you
The sky is so blue
In Malibu
Next to you
In Malibu
Next to you…"
He smiled and kissed her before she continued.
"We are just like the waves that flow back and forth
Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning and you're there to save me
And I wanna thank you with all of my heart
It's a brand new start
A dream come true
In Malibu…"
"I swear I will do anything it takes to keep you this happy."
"As long as I have you…"
"You have me, Addison. I'm all yours. Nothing will ever keep us apart again."
She pulled him down to her, kissing him hard. "Promise?"
He smiled against her lips. "With every beat of my heart."
ZzZzZzZzZzZ
It was well past noon when Addison and Zed made there way downstairs to survey the damage from the party the night before.
"Jesus…" Zed whispered as he looked around. "Who are these people?"
"No clue…" she sighed as she walked over to the kitchen island and climbed on top. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Thank you everyone for celebrating with us last night, but...parties over! If I don't know you on a first and last name basis, please kindly get the hell out of my house!"
"Subtle, baby…" Zed smirked up at her.
"When have I ever been subtle, handsome?"
"Very true…" He said as he reached up to help her down from the counter. His hands lingered on her waist as he set her down.
She ran her tongue along the inside of her lower lip and bit down.
"Don't look at me like that…" he warned.
"Like what?" she asked innocently as her hands ran up his chest and around his neck.
"Please tell me there is coffee?" Tracey interrupted.
They both turned to find him now sitting on one of the barstools clutching his head.
"Before you ask, yes I feel like shit… and no I don't remember most of last night," he mumbled.
"Champagne, cocaine, gasoline… and most things in between," Mason said with a soft laugh as he plopped down onto the barstool next to Tracey and leaned over to kiss the top of his head.
Tracey turned his head and kissed him back. "Don't threaten me with a good time."
Zed launched himself at the two of them hugging them tightly. "You two are so fucking cute together!" he said loudly, smacking a kiss on each of their cheeks. "But keep your nose clean. Zombies is hard drug-free… We've worked too hard to get here and that shit can fuck everything up in a second."
"Aint that the truth," Addison agreed.
"Dollface, come get your Boytoy off of me…" Tracey whined. "As much as I have fantasized about his lips on me again, he is way too loud for as hungover as I currently am."
Zoey gagged from behind them. "I really don't need to hear about anyone's fantasies involving my brother… and the word 'again' just put an image into my head that I won't be able to erase for a loooong time."
Addison smiled and pulled Zed away from Tracey and Mason as he turned his attention to his little sister.
"You wanted to live with us," Zed said with a wink.
Zoey flipped him off. "You're lucky I love you and your girlfriend." She looked around and let out a laugh. "Is this what I can expect every night?"
"God, I hope not," Bree mumbled as she walked past them towards the coffee pot. "Fucking, musicians… should have fucking known better… All you people care about is sex, drugs, and rock n roll…"
"Who pissed in your Cheerios?" Willa asked, hopping up to sit on the kitchen island next to Tracey as Wyatt collapsed onto one of the other barstools.
"Just ignore me," Bree snapped.
"Oookay," Addison said, sliding out of Zed's embrace and walking towards the pantry. "Breakfast?"
"It's like one in the afternoon, Pom-Poms," Wynter said as she joined them.
"Brunch then… better? I'm still making pancakes."
"Can I place an order?"
Addison looked around the pantry door and started to laugh. "You're still here Uncle Jamie?"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah… Harrison is too… he's… somewhere," he shrugged.
"Bob didn't stick around?"
Jamie quietly laughed. "Yeah, no… the concert last night was already passed his bedtime."
"I heard pancakes…" Bucky yawned.
Addison smiled and shook her head. "I am so glad Zed's mom taught me how to cook… "
Zoey gasped. "Wait… you know how to make Mom's pancakes? Like the really good, thick, fluffy, melt in your mouth kind?"
Zed chuckled and hugged his sister. "Yeah… and they're just as good as you remember."
Zoey smacked him. "I swear if you fuck things up with her I'll never forgive you, Zeddy!"
"Don't plan to, Zo-zo-bear," he laughed, kissing the top of her head before she pushed him away and ran to help Addison.
ZzZzZzZzZzZ
Thirty minutes later, all of the stray guests had left and everyone else was sitting around the pool with plates of pancakes.
"I could so get used to this," Wyatt said as he popped a large bite into his mouth.
"You're lucky I'm in an exceptionally good mood this morning," Addison giggled. "Don't expect me too cook for you on the regular… I only know how to make like five things."
Willa poured more syrup onto her stack and nodded. "Yeah… we should probably start looking for a place to rent. Do we know if we're getting some sort of housing allowance while we record?" she asked, looking over to Jamie and Harrison.
She was promptly hit in the head by a throw pillow.
"Don't be an idiot, Wills. You guys are staying here," Addison answered.
"And what if we don't want to? Huh?" Willa snapped before breaking out in a large smile. "I'm totally joking… If you've got the space, we'd love to crash here."
"Look at that, she's saving us money for once," Harrison teased.
Addison rolled her eyes and flipped him off. "I've been saving Bamm! money for years, even if you include the money put into my never released album… I've never once collected a board salary."
"She's got a point, Harrison," Jamie pointed out.
"That changes now, by the way," Addison added.
"Wait… that's a paying position?" Zed asked around a mouthful of food.
Jamie nodded his head. "Of course… and it pays pretty well if I do say so myself."
Zed looked at Addison with wide eyes, making her laugh. "I don't think anyone is going to be saying you're with me for the money again… And speaking of money," she said, looking back at Jamie and Harrison. "Advances and signing bonuses… take whatever my part would be and spread it out between everyone else. I don't need it and I'd rather take care of my people."
"Honey-bunny…" Tracey gasped.
She waved him off. "I told you I would negotiate a contract that took care of you, no matter what label. That includes Bamm!."
"Are you sure Addison?" Jamie asked.
She nodded her head. "I'm already going to be getting performing, writing, and producing credits and compensation on anything we release…"
"Hey! I thought I was going to produce!" Mason cut in.
Bucky let out a loud laugh. "And if you think there's a chance in hell she won't go behind your back and re-engineer things, you're delusional. You might as well just work together."
Mason shrugged his shoulders. "Fair point, well made… I don't normally co-produce anything, but I'll make an exception for you Adds," he said blowing her a kiss.
"Thank you," she flashed him a bright smile before returning her attention to Jamie and Harrison. "I also want full ownership of intellectual property and future royalties to belong to and be divided between members of the bands, not the label."
"Addison…" Harrison started, but she held up her hand and shook her head.
"Non-negotiable. If you want us to sign to Bamm!, then this is the deal."
"You know we can't do that. The label won't make jack…"
"Fine… My portion of the royalties goes to the label, then. You know damn well the potential these two bands have."
He gave her a smirk. "You know you're even better at this than your dad and grandfather…"
"Learned from the best," she smiled.
"Deal."
Bucky threw his hands up in the air. "Not that you didn't do an amazing job just now, but isn't the manager usually the one that negotiates terms?"
Mason laughed. "Didn't you basically just tell me to get out of her way?"
"Yeah, but… Damn, I've missed 'Take control Addie'… This is going to take some getting used to again."
Wynter raised her hand. "Can someone please explain to me what just happened?"
Mason clapped her on the shoulder. "Adds just made it so that if your debut album or any one thereafter is a hit, you're set for life. Each band will get every last penny earned by anything you release."
"Holy shit…" Eliza muttered.
Zed grabbed her face and turned her to face him. "You are…" he sucked in a breath and kissed her hard. "Incredible… Amazing… Wonderful… Selfless…" he muttered against her lips in between kisses, making her giggle.
"Oh fuck… not again," Bonzo cursed as Bree ran back inside. He set their plates down and stood up to follow.
"She still not feeling well?" Zed asked, pulling away from Addison's mouth.
Bonzo shrugged his shoulders. "I… I'll be right back," he said running after Bree.
"God, I hope she's not contagious," Zoey said, pointing towards the door. "I have way too much work to do for the music department revue later this month to get sick."
Addison gnawed on her lower lip. "I think you'll be safe, Zo…"
Zed arched his brow and gave her a questioning look.
"Just a hunch…" she whispered.
"Not to change the subject, or better said, to get back to the subject of your new deals…" Harrison said. "When do you guys think you'll be ready to start recording?"
Mason snickered. "Really? I'm surprised they're not upstairs in the studio already. Knowing this group, they'll probably have the perfect album recorded in less than a week."
"No pressure there, Mase," Willa mumbled, throwing the same pillow Addison had thrown at her earlier at Mason's head.
Jamie and Harrison exchanged surprised looks.
"Seriously?" Harrison asked. "You think you'd have something that quickly?"
Addison shrugged her shoulders. "I mean… it's not like we don't have a metric fuck-ton of material to choose from, but…" she sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "We still haven't had a chance to talk logistics. We're merging two bands, with three singers, and three guitarists…"
"Let me stop you right there, Honey-bunny," Tracey said, interrupting her. "You are sooooo much better of a singer than I am," he stopped and looked at Zed. "You too, Zedikins, but Princess is far better… no offense."
Zed held up his hands. "None taken. I came to terms with that years ago."
"But my point is, I don't need to sing lead on anything. I am more than happy to sing back up and play rhythm guitar or find a way to a dd a keyboard element into songs. So please, do not worry about me. I know my personal limits and am not too proud to let the more talented ones take over."
"Are you sure Trace?"
"Absolutely, positively…." he gave her a large smile. "Just save me a track on the inevitable live album."
"Deal," she giggled.
Jamie clapped his hands together. "Well, that settles it then."
"No it doesn't," Addison laughed. "There's still a lot of planning that needs to go into this. I mean, this is Zed's band, I'm not about to…"
"OUR band, Gorgeous," Zed interrupted. "It's OUR band. Not mine. You and Tracey are Zombies just as much as Eliza, Bonzo, and myself… don't forget that."
"I don't want to take control though… you three have…"
"I love it when you take control."
She smirked and leaned in to kiss him. "And I love you, but that's not what we're talking about… You've been working towards recording an album for as long as I've known you. I want this to be everything you've ever wanted."
"And I can't think of anything better than the two of us together…"
"Z… this isn't the type of decision to let your dick do the thinking."
He laughed against her lips. "Baby, I can honestly say this is one time that my dick is not doing the thinking… or my heart, despite the fact that you own every damn beat of it… This one was all brain."
She pulled back and gave him a questioning look.
"I'm smart enough to know that Zombies fanbase exploded after that video Gus took of you went viral because we were on tour with you."
"You guys built that fanbase all on your own…"
"In large part because of you sharing the stage with us, Beautiful… Our most popular songs are the ones with the two of us together…" He smirked and pulled her in for another kiss. "We've written a hell of a lot of duets…" He ran his hand through her hair. "How about we split the album in three. One part songs I wrote, one part songs you wrote, one part songs we wrote together… even split right out the gate."
"Are you sure?" she asked, kissing him softly.
"Abso-fucking-lutely."
"Shouldn't you ask the rest of your band?"
"Our band…"
"We say 'yes'… Well… I say 'yes'," Eliza said, looking around. "I can't speak for Bonz, but I'm sure he'd agree as well. Tracey?"
"Duh," he laughed.
"Does that settle it?" Jamie asked hopefully.
"Do they have to be songs we wrote on tour?" Addison asked Zed quietly.
He smiled and kissed her again. "You're working through a new one right now, aren't you?"
"You know me too well," she giggled.
"Yes, I do…"
They turned to look at Jamie and Harrison. "Yeah… that settles things," Zed answered.
"Yes!" Harrison exclaimed. He looked over towards the Pack. "What about you guys?"
"We're easy," Wyatt said, motioning between the three of them.
"That's for damn sure," Zed chuckled.
Wyatt blew him a kiss. "We're good to go as soon as possible."
"What are we waiting for then?!" Mason exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "This is literally my dream come true! Let's get to work!"
"Now?" Eliza asked. "Like, right this second?"
"Yeah!" He said excitedly. "One of the best studios in the world is literally upstairs, begging to have another hit record made in it."
"It would be nice to record the album in Daddy's personal studio…"
Zed kissed her again. "No place I'd rather do it…"
"Wouldn't be the first time…" Addison whispered suggestively.
"Ugh," Zoey whined. "I'm going to go see if Bree can take me back to her place. I think I've had my fill of watching you two make out for the day."
"You're lucky that's all you've seen…" Bucky mumbled.
"Speaking of Bree," Addison said ignoring the comments. "I should go check on her."
"We're all heading inside anyway," Mason said, pulling Tracey up to his feet. "We have records to record and history to make! Everyone, up! Post haste!"
They all were laughing at him as they walked into the house, only to stop as soon as they walked in and found Bonzo down on one knee in front of Bree.
"Um… I feel like we're interrupting something?" Eliza whispered loudly.
Bree rolled her eyes. "All you're interrupting is me threatening to drown your bandmate in the Pacific if he does what he's trying to do." She looked back at Bonzo and shook her head. "You do not have to do this."
Bonzo grabbed both of her hands. "This has nothing to do with the baby…"
"Baby?!" Wynter called out in shock.
"Told you so…" Addison whispered to Zed.
Bree let out an exasperated huff. "Well forgive me if I'm a little doubtful… your timing is…"
"I've known that I wanted to spend my life with you since that very first night… I was going to wait until we were signed by epic records so I could afford to buy you the ring you deserve, but then that fell through, and then we ended up getting a deal with Bamm!, but that was literally just last night, and I haven't even put pen to paper much less gotten a check yet, so… I admit my timing is a little sooner than I had planned, but…" He let out an exasperated sigh before looking back into her eyes. "I love you. I'm never going to want anyone the way I want you. And this…" he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist kissing her stomach. "…I know you're freaking out, but I am so fucking happy…" He looked back up and smiled. "Bree… marry me… please."
She pulled a hand free and wiped at her eyes. "Dammit James…" She nodded her head and smiled through her tears. "Yes…"
"Yes?!" He asked with wide eyes.
"Yes!" she laughed, still crying.
"Woo!" He jumped up to his feet and grabbed her face, kissing her.
"How long is it appropriate to wait before we attack them?" Mason asked.
"I think we've waited long enough," Addison replied with a large smile as the group closed in on the happy couple to offer their congratulations.
"I can't believe you didn't fucking tell me!" Addison said, as she pushed Bonzo out of the way and hugged her best friend. "Congrats!"
"I found out the week before we left for Cleveland… you had so much on your plate…"
"Totally explains the mood you've been in, B…" Zed said as he hugged her and then Bonzo. "Congratulations… on everything!"
"I can't believe our best friend is getting married AND having a baby!" Mason exclaimed.
"You've got to let me plan the wedding!" Tracey said excitedly as he congratulated them.
"I will definitely need the help," Bree laughed.
"Don't worry, I've got you covered. 90% of it is already planned, I just need to grab the binder out of my luggage."
Everyone stopped and looked at him.
"What?" he asked with an innocent smile. "I've got a binder full of wedding plans for every one of you bitches…" he said with a shrug as he pointed to Addison, Willa, Wynter, Eliza, and Bree.
"Mase…" Willa said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Your boyfriend kinda just scared me a little."
Mason laughed and hugged Tracey tight. "I'll try to keep him reigned in." He kissed his cheek and looked back to Bree. "As much as I want to continue this celebration. I need to steal everyone, including your new fiance. We have some music to make!"
Bree laughed and wiped at her eyes again. "Oh, I guess…." she patted her stomach and smiled. "Hope this little one likes loud music…"
"And football," Addison teased. "Oh, Bonz… Gus is going to kill you!"
Bonzo swallowed loudly.
"Who would have thought…" Elza shook her head and smiled up at him. "This is going to change things sooooo much…"
Bonzo glanced at Bree who was still talking to Tracey and Addison. "Yeah… it is… and I couldn't be happier about it."
ZzZzZzZzZzZ
A few minutes later they were all gathered in the studio on the second floor. Addison had just bent down to plug her guitar into the cabinet amp when she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her waist and pull her up.
"You ready to do this, Gorgeous?" Zed whispered into her ear, sending chills of the very best kind down her spine.
She reached back and wrapped her arm around his neck, holding him in place. "I think I am, Handsome…"
He kissed her neck and bit down softly. "Then let's do this." He plugged in his own guitar and quickly re-tuned it. "You start us off, and we'll follow your lead."
Mason made a few quick adjustments behind the deck and shuddered with excitement. "Ready whenever you guys are!"
Addison took a deep breath and looked around the room. "I'm ready." With a heavy riff suddenly filling the air, she stepped up to the microphone.
"It stopped raining in my head today
I finally feel like myself again
Redemption's here at last
I'm back where I belong
In the place where God and the Devil call home…" she looked over at Zed and threw him a wink.
"This is my kingdom
This is my cathedral
This is my castle
And these are my people
This is my armor
This is my anchor
It's been a long road outta Hell up to the steeple
For this is my church and these are my people…"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so I did not intend to take that long of a break from this story, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to move it forward. So… it took forever, and it's admittedly a bit shitty, but… writer's block solved and now I know how to move along to further action in the story. Yay! Also, I was going to wait and post this once I had more time to let it sit and edit it further, but it's my birthday and I'm in a good mood, so… I'm posting now!
SONGS USED IN THIS CHAPTER
Legacy, In This Moment
Malibu, Miley Cyrus
Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time, Panic At The Disco
Steeple, Halestorm