“No.” Leo shakes his head and glances at me, then at his guys. “In fact, I’d like to talk to you guys about cutting back on touring.”
“Thank God,” Gary mutters and runs his fingers through his hair.
“Why?’ Jake asks and takes a swig of his beer.
“I don’t want to quit,” Leo clarifies. “I’m thinking about just cutting our touring down to a few months a year, and the rest of the year working on albums, writing, working with other artists, stuff like that.”
The guys all exchange glances. Cher and Lori are literally holding their breath, tightly holding hands.
“That’s not a bad idea,” DJ responds. “We’re not twenty-two anymore.”
“We can do special appearances now and then, awards shows, shit like that,” Eric agrees.
“I can play with my kids,” Gary adds and exhales. “Honestly, I’m ready to slow it down a bit.”
“I need all of us to be on the same page.” Leo stuffs his hands in his pockets, his face worried. “You guys are my family. We do this together or not at all.”
I didn’t think I could love him any more than I already did, and then he goes and says stuff like that. I understand family.
All eyes turn to Jake and he shrugs. “Yeah, slowing down might be good. We’d be able to record more often.”
“Maybe you’ll settle down,” Gary suggests, but Jake smirks.
“Let’s not go crazy.”
“One more thing,” Leo adds as Gary flips steaks on the grill. “I’m relocating to Seattle permanently. I don’t expect DJ and Gary to follow, but I want to let you know.”
Silence. After a few seconds everyone starts to laugh, including Lori and Cher.
“What the fuck is so funny?” Leo demands.
“We had bets on how long you’d last in that horrible house of yours,” Cher informs him as she wipes tears from the corners of her eyes. “I lost the bet a year ago.”
“Everyone hates your house?” I ask in surprise.
“Oh honey, it’s awful.” Lori rolls her eyes, and I smile at her.
“I know. I’m thankful he’s selling it.”
“I bought it for the view,” Leo reminds us all and then laughs with everyone else. “Yeah, it’s horrible.”
“I wouldn’t mind moving to Seattle,” Cher murmurs, her big brown eyes watching DJ.
“We can look into it,” he agrees.
“I hate L.A. Please, God, tell me we can move too.” Lori begs her handsome husband.
“You hate L.A.?” He asks, surprised.
“Yes! Let’s move before Maddox starts school and we don’t want to uproot him.”
“I guess we’re all moving to Seattle and becoming boring suburbanites,” Gary mutters.
“Speak for yourself, man. I’m no suburbanite.” Eric holds his hands up and shakes his head.
“Says the man with a baby on his knee,” DJ quips.
“You’re a dick,” Eric throws back at him.
“Dick!” Maddox yells with a wide smile.
“Ah, hell,” Lori mutters. “Stop teaching my kid all the swear words.”
“His uncles are all musicians,” Leo reminds her. “It’s inevitable that he has a potty mouth.”
“But does it have to be as a toddler?”
“Dick!” Maddox yells again and claps his chubby little hands.
“My kid is going to be the one who has detention every day after school because he cusses in class,” Lori complains, earning smirks from the guys.
“How long have you been married?” I ask Cher.
“Ten years,” she replies and laughs at my surprised look. “Or, in rock band years, fifty.”
“Good for you guys.” I feel hope spring. These women have made their relationships work with their famous husbands. Maybe it won’t be that hard.
Maybe I’ll be twenty-five again tomorrow.
“Not easy,” Cher concedes and watches her husband with happy eyes. “But worth it. It’ll be so nice to have him home more. Maybe we’ll actually have a baby.”
“No kids?” I ask. She shakes her head no and her eyes soften.
“I can’t have kids,” she confides, her voice low. “But we want to adopt.”
“I’ve told you before, I’ll be a surrogate for you,” Lori reminds her. “I seem to be a baby making machine.”
“You’re crazy.” Cher laughs.
“Better yet,” Lori takes a crying Maddox from Eric. “You can have this one. He’s slightly used, but he has his cute moments.”
“How about you, Sam? Do you want kids?” Cher asks and it suddenly feels like everyone, including the guys and little baby Maddox, have gone quiet, waiting for my response.
“Uh, no, I don’t really want kids of my own. My brother and his wife have one and another on the way, and I have extended family with kids. I like being the fabulous aunt, and then sending them back home hopped up on sugar and rated R movies.”
Leo’s eyes are trained on mine, his face calm and relaxed, but I can’t read him. Finally he smiles softly and me.
“Sam is a really great aunt,” he murmurs. “But we’re on the same page when it comes to kids.”
“Well then, there’s no need to have sex,” Lori comments, and bites her lip as she tries not to laugh.
“True,” I agree and nod thoughtfully. “It’s a good thing he’s horrible in bed.”
Leo’s eyebrows climb into his messy hairline and all the guys laugh, doubled over.
“Oh, man, I knew it!” Eric points at him and then slaps his knee.
“Is that so?” Leo asks me, sets his beer down on a table, and saunters over to me.
I shrug and clench my lips together, fighting laughter.
“I think,” he grips my hand and pulls me to my feet, then bends and lifts me onto his shoulders. “You deserve to be punished for that.”
“Oh, shit, Leo do not throw me in the pool! I don’t have any other clothes with me!”
“Too late!”
And suddenly I’m flying through the air and into the warm water with a loud splash. I kick my way to the surface of the water, sputtering and pushing my hair out of my face, glaring up at the impossibly handsome man laughing down at me.
“You’re an ass!” I hiss at him.