Good.
Jonas cracked open a bottle of water and held it out to me. We needed to vacate the area ‘cause we were going to create a roadblock.
“Dressing room?” I said after our mics were turned off and removed. I needed a break for real. The chaos back here was everything I was used to. Hell, it was something we all thrived on. But after the performances and the confrontations, I was feeling … raw.
Dix straightened. “You bringing everyone?”
“Yes,” I told him. “Did Mom get out of here with Jackie?” I focused on Jonas, who fell into step with me as Ramsey moved ahead of us with Dix and Lachlan—I twisted to see him motioning Aubrey and Yvette forward before moving behind us. We had other security; they were in black t-shirts emblazoned with security on them.
Still, it twisted my heart to see Lachlan looking after my girls.
“She wasn’t happy about it,” Jonas said, pulling my attention back to him as I took another drink of the water. The problem with shows was between performing and the lights, we ran the risk of dehydration. I followed the maze back to our dressing room. There were acts everywhere.
The fact so many had turned out just made my chest tighten all over again. I didn’t want to start crying out here; I just needed to stand in front of some air conditioning to cool off. We had an hour? Maybe less.
Dix opened the door to our dressing room, and Ramsey paused to allow us to go in first. The smell of the flowers rushed out to envelop us in a garden of scents from roses to wildflowers to orchids and what had to be honeysuckle. I downed another long drink of the water.
“You guys need to change?” Ramsey asked and that was when I realized they were in the hall and it was just the three of us in here.
“Actually,” Yvette said. “We should. We’ll shower real quick and change outfits. Give us ten minutes.”
“You got it.” Ramsey locked his gaze on me and I summoned a smile as I glanced from him to Jonas and then to Lachlan.
“Thank you,” I mouthed to all of them. We didn’t waste time after the door closed. I was peeling off the sticky spandex as Aubrey ducked into the shower first. We weren’t washing our hair or anything, mostly just rinsing off the sweat.
I went second, and we were looking at the costumes for our last set when Yvette finished hers.
“I say we go sexy as hell,” Aubrey said, nodding to the silver and blue sequined outfits that would look more painted on. “But we can hang out for another twenty in something comfortable before we change, and you need to talk to your guys.”
The last she directed at me.
“Agreed,” Yvette murmured, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “We’re going to be next door in the other dressing room … ”
“Guys, you don’t have to—” But they were already opening the door to let Ramsey and the others in. Not Dix though, Yvette hooked her arm through his and tugged him away.
In the blink of an eye, I was alone with the guys and Ramsey cracked open another water bottle. “You need to hydrate.”
I chuckled because Lachlan was cracking open a sports drink, too. “And you need electrolytes.”
“I can go get you food,” Jonas offered. “But I’m not sure you eat between sets.”
“No,” I told him with a grin. “I barely eat on concert days. It's just too much moving. We can eat after … like breakfast food with huge pancakes and waffles.”
Jonas frowned, and when I sat down on one of the sofas, he took the table in front of me while Ramsey sat down next to me. Lachlan folded his arms and leaned back against the door like he needed to make sure it stayed closed.
“How are you doing?” Ramsey asked. “I know Gibs being out there… ”
I shrugged. “Well, I can honestly say that I’ve seen him—so I guess that’s something.”
Ramsey frowned but Jonas knocked his knee against mine lightly.
“You sounded amazing out there,” Jonas said. “You have never sounded so raw or so pure before. Or maybe I just needed to come to a concert.”
“Thanks guys…I’m just—I shouldn’t be surprised that my parents made it about them. Yet, I am.”
Sliding an arm around my shoulders, Ramsey pressed a kiss to my temple. “Tell us what you need, Siren. We’ll make it happen…”
“Or not happen,” Lachlan said flatly. “But Ramsey is right. Tell us what you need.”
“I need Pen to get better,” I told them. “I need this relationship between all of us to work. I need my best friends…” I leaned into Ramsey even as I caught Jonas’ hand and met Lachlan’s gaze. “That’s not too much to ask, is it?”
“What about your Mom?” Jonas asked.
I shrugged. “Mom is Mom. She will always be a little too dramatic and a little over the top. But with her home, maybe I have a chance of getting her away from that so-called guru she is engaged to…”
Lachlan’s frown deepened. “Need me to call my dad? He does a lot of legal work.”
“I appreciate that,” I told him and I did. “I have lawyers too and if I end up needing his help, I will ask. I promise.”
He nodded, then knocked his head against the door lightly.
“You okay?” Because where Ramsey and Jonas seemed concerned, Lachlan was furious. It radiated in the air around him.
“I’m fine. We’re not worrying about me,” he said flatly, then straightened. “You don’t have that long. Drink up and then we need to get you girls back out there.” He scanned the room. “In fact, you guys stay with her. I’m going to get more drinks.”
The door closed before I could say anything. What the—
“He wants to beat them up for you,” Ramsey said.
“Who?”
“Everyone,” Jonas answered with a shrug. “Me too. But he already got to punch Teddy…I’ll take care of hitting the next one.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again as a bubble of laughter escaped. “You guys do not have to fight my fights for me…I am quite capable of punching someone.”
“Beautiful hands with a beautiful job,” Ramsey informed me before lifting one of my hands to his lips to kiss the knuckles. “Besides, Jonas and Lachlan live to fight.”
Rather than argue, Jonas just grinned.
We had five more minutes, so I closed my eyes and just leaned into Ramsey while Jonas kept a hold of my free hand. I’d drink more in a minute.
Ten minutes later, I let Yvette do up the back of my outfit while Aubrey did hers, then it was my turn to do up Aubrey’s. The skin-tight suits were a combination of spandex, mesh, and sequins. They left our legs and our arms bare.
A knock on the door warned us that makeup and hair were here. Lachlan came in with them and his gaze burned me up as he swept it over me. Ramsey and Jonas were out in the hall with Dix.
We barely had three minutes to spare when we made it back to the stage where we had to pause to get fitted for our headsets and mics.
Thankfully, there were no parents or managers here to deal with.
Bowing my head, I took several deep breaths.
“Sixty seconds,” our tech said.
“Thirty…”
I lifted my head and then it was time. The roar of the crowd as the last act left the stage redoubled as we strolled back out.