I stared at them in complete shock and disbelief. “Did any of you listen to a word I said? He’s an ass. They’re all asses!”
One of them put her hands over her heart. She was wearing a KELLAN FOREVER T-shirt. Go figure. Where did they keep finding these fucking T-shirts? “But he’s sooooooo hot. And sexy. And talented. I just want to lick him all over.”
“You’re all brainwashed,” I murmured.
One of the girls had a wide face framed with equally wide glasses. She must have heard my comment, ’cause she frowned and looked at me like I’d just told her that her kid was ugly. “You know, you keep talking about how they screwed you over, but you should just be happy that you’re a part of the team.”
The girl beside her had so many freckles, her face looked like one of those dot paintings that Jenny did sometimes. “Yeah, I mean, so you’re not the lead singer or the lead guitarist, you’re still the…”
Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened, and I knew she had no idea what instrument I played. “Bassist,” I said, annoyed.
Her expression softened with relief. “Right, yeah, the bassist…and that’s…super cool.”
Wanting away from them, and everyone, I jerked my thumb down the hall. “I’m going to go find a beer now, but if you’re looking for a good time, Kellan’s that way. Just tell his assistant with the baby that you’re there to suck his dick. She’ll scoot you to the front of the line.”
The freckled girl looked mortified. “We’d never…I mean, we don’t know him, and he might be married, and…” She glanced at her two friends. “Let’s go,” she whispered. The three of them darted down the hall, giggling.
“Kiera is going to kick your ass for that one,” an amused voice said behind me.
Turning around, I saw Anna and Gibson standing there. Anna was holding Gibson’s fingers in one hand and an open beer bottle in the other. Goddamn, I loved the fact that my wife could often anticipate my needs. It was sometimes eerie, like she was in my head. Oddly, the thought of her residing in my brain didn’t scare me at all. There wasn’t anyone else I’d want in that mudhole with me.
Gibson immediately reached out for me when they got close enough. “Up!” she demanded, while Anna handed me my beer. Finally, a pair of people who wanted me more than Kellan.
Picking up my daughter with one arm so I could still drink my beer, I gave Anna an appreciative smile. You’re the best. Then, remembering my encounters lately, I frowned. “I just realized something…besides the fact that my bandmates are lying, chickenshit assholes.”
“Assholes,” Gibson mimicked with a cheesy grin.
Laughing, I gave her a high five. “Damn straight, kiddo.”
Anna compressed her lips as she shook her head. “So much for curbing the swearing…”
She was rubbing her stomach, like the baby was kicking her in the same spot. It had been doing that lately. Wanting to help her out, I snapped my fingers and hailed a roadie who was walking by. “Hey you, go find a chair for my wife.” The guy, who looked about twelve, started to turn away, and I grabbed his shoulder. “And a pillow for her back.” He turned again and I grabbed him again. “And something for her to snack on.” The guy hesitated, seeing if I needed anything else. “Now!” I snapped, shooing him off.
Anna frowned as she watched the guy hurry away. “Thank you for that, I really would like to sit, and I am kind of hungry…but maybe next time you could say please when you’re demanding something?”
I took a long swig of my beer. It was my favorite microbrew, one that we’d discovered while barhopping last year. Awesome. “The day I say please to a roadie is the day I stop touring. Being on the D-Bags crew is bragging rights for those guys, and if I don’t continually knock them down, they’ll get big heads. It’s my duty to be a jerk,” I said, completely serious.
Anna’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Well, continue on then. We wouldn’t want any big heads around here…” Leaning forward, she kissed my cheek; she smelled like cotton candy. Delicious. Pulling away from me, she returned our conversation to its original course. “So…what did you realize?” She started massaging my neck and some of the tension instantly started leaving me. Fuck, I loved it when she did that.
With my beer, I gestured to the fans loitering around backstage. “These fans…none of them really give a shit about me. Sure, they usually recognize me as being in the band, but they don’t know what I play, what I do. And sometimes they don’t even know my freaking name. How the fuck is that even possible? All they care about is Kellan. Kellan this, Kellan that, it’s all I hear anymore, and it’s bullshit. If they love the band, then they should love all of us. Equally. It is a group effort after all.”