Once Anna was done being chastised, she handed the phone over to me. As I was still talking to Kellan, I shook my head. I really didn't feel like getting an earful right now. Anna indicated that I should take it, and I sighed in Kellan's ear. "Hey, Dad wants to talk to me, so I have to go."
Kellan's laugh made me smile. I missed his chuckle. "Good luck. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, bye." Hanging up with Kellan, I reluctantly took Anna's phone. Expecting the worst, I held it to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, dear." Surprise and relief washed through me. It was Mom, not Dad. There was a good chance that I wasn't going to get yelled at for being an accomplice to Anna's give-birth-on-the-road plan, then. "I was just wondering if I'd see you for Thanksgiving. I'd really love to see you, since we have so much to discuss before the wedding next month. And I'm dying to show you the dress I bought. It's absolutely stunning, Kiera. You're going to love it."
I glared at my sister, and she started laughing. Feeling bad for what I was about to say, I turned my back on my gleeful sister. "Actually, Mom, Kellan really wanted to see his dad for Thanksgiving, you know, since we'll be spending Christmas with you guys." In a quieter voice, I added, "I know we have a lot to talk about, but Kellan's never had a decent holiday with his family, and I really want to give him this. I'm sorry. Is that okay?"
Mom was silent for several seconds, then she sighed in defeat. "Yeah, okay. Of course, I understand. You're married . . . almost. I'll have to get used to sharing you." Her voice hitched, and I hoped she wasn't about to cry.
Putting on my perkiest voice, I told her, "I'm excited to see everything you've picked out. And I know it's going to be perfect. Thank you for taking care of everything for me, Mom. I feel bad that I couldn't help you with more of it."
"Well, I know you've had your hands full, sweetheart." I could hear the concern in her voice. She knew things were stressful right now. I was about to tell her for the millionth time that everything was fine, when her tone brightened. "I'm so excited to see you in your dress!"
We chatted some more, then I told her goodbye and handed the phone back to Anna. Her face was incredulous. "I can't believe you still haven't put a stop to the puffy sleeves, Kiera." She exaggerated bulk around her arms. "We're talking Elizabethan puffy. It's hazardous, really. You could accidentally turn around too fast and knock your husband out cold." She giggled. "Then I'd have to resuscitate him."
Smirking, I threw a plastic barf tray at her.
East Rutherford, New Jersey, was only a couple of hours away, so I knew catching up to the boys wouldn't be a problem. If we hurried, we'd probably make it in time for the meet-and-greet. Not that I planned on walking into a room full of fans and causing a stir again. No, thank you.
Anna called the driver that Sienna had left behind, so he could pick us up. When he arrived, he came up to the room to give us a hand with all of our stuff. Or Gibson's stuff, rather. It took us thirty minutes to secure Gibson in her car seat. Anna must have taken her out and readjusted her twenty times. She was nervous to put her in a car. My sister was a caring person, but she wasn't prone to worrying, so seeing her stressed was endearing. After the twenty-first adjustment, I grabbed Anna's hands when she moved to unbuckle another strap. "She's fine, Anna. It's perfect."
Anna frowned at me. "You sure? Are the straps tight enough? Too tight? What about that thing around her head? Is her neck secure?"
Anna's eyes were glossy as fear filled her. Grabbing her cheeks, I firmly told her, "She's fine, and everything is going to be okay. Have faith."
Anna took a deep breath, then nodded. "This pit of dread in my stomach sucks," she muttered.
I couldn't help but laugh at her. "Now you know how Mom and Dad must feel on a daily basis."
That made Anna pause in picking up Gibson's car seat. "Oh my God, you're right. I owe Mom and Dad the biggest apology ever. Fuck." I sympathetically patted her on the back.
The driver had long ago packed our bags in the car. He was dutifully waiting for us right in front of the main hospital entrance. I could see the sleek, black sedan as we walked through the hospital lobby. I could also see a swarm of ten to fifteen people that the driver was trying to keep away from the vehicle. Damn it. I'd forgotten all about the Kell-Sex fans that Kellan had warned me about. I was going to ask the driver to pick us up around the back, but it had slipped my mind. And honestly, I thought they would have left by now. I could tell by the pink cheeks and breathy exhales that it was frigid outside; it had to have been freezing last night. Did they come back this morning, or stay all night long? Either way, why would they do that? Surely they must realize that Kellan had another show and had long ago moved on from Philadelphia. Were they really here for me? Was I that interesting?
Luckily, the driver's imposing size helped keep the fans at bay, and there was a clear walkway to the car. Looking at the people outside, I suddenly felt like we were leaving a trial that had ended with an unpopular verdict, and we had to wade through the protesters to get away.
Anna noticed the crowd right as the first set of automatic doors opened. "What's with the groupies?" She twisted to me. "Are they here for you?"
"They're probably here for Kellan . . . I'm just a lucky happenstance."
Anna held the car seat a little tighter. "Maybe we should have the driver go around."
I was starting to think the same thing, but a couple of the girls saw us and alerted the rest. Every head swung in my direction. Every expression turned dour. It was quite clear that all of these diehards believed the gossip, and none of them were on Team Kiera. God, I hoped I wasn't about to get stoned.
"Too late now. We've been spotted." I met eyes with Anna. "We may as well get it over with."
Anna glanced at her daughter as she chewed on her lip. "Yeah, okay."
I waved at the driver, letting him know that we were coming and needed a quick getaway. The group hovering around the car started closing in on the door. I felt like we were in some old spaghetti Western as we stared each other down. Even though the girls were on the young side, if one of them had leaned over and spat out a wad of tobacco juice, I wouldn't have been surprised. Well, maybe a little surprised.
Seeing the tension brewing outside, a couple of burly guys from the hospital escorted us out the main doors. They politely asked the group to stop loitering, but they may as well have been speaking a foreign language. The crowd invasively pressed in around Anna and me once we were outside. The awkward sensation of having strangers in your personal space made me uneasy as I hurried forward. A couple of brave girls shoved me into my sister's side, but mainly the group was using their words to hurt me. And let me tell you, sometimes words cut as badly as knives.
"Leave Kellan and Sienna alone! They're meant to be together! You're nothing, a nobody! You're not even worthy of breathing their air, ugly bitch! You should have never been born! You should just do the world a favor and kill yourself!"
Anna's face turned bright red, but I squeezed her arm and helped her get into the car. I didn't need her fighting for me while holding her daughter. Since Gibson was going into the middle of the backseat, I had to walk around the car to get to my seat.
The driver and the hospital guys helped me clear a path, and I noticed something I hadn't before. A couple of photographers were in the crowd. They must have picked up on my location from the fans. The social media sites were probably buzzing with the news that I was here. While the photogs snapped every angle of my face that they could, the girls continued taking pot shots at me.
"You think you're hot shit? You think Kellan gives a rat's ass about you? He's in love with Sienna, bitch! You're just a worthless toy. Once he's done with you, he'll toss you aside with the rest of the trash. Disgusting little cunt!"
Tears were stinging my eyes, but I ignored their hatred and lifted my chin. They had no idea what they were talking about. They had no idea what the truth of the situation was. If nothing else, I could at least respect their devotion, although I would never condone verbally attacking a person with such malevolence.
I was shaking when I sat down in my seat. Some of the girls pounded on the glass while the cameramen captured it all. I discreetly locked my door. The driver said a few harsh words to the crowd and I turned my attention to Gibson. She was positioned backwards, and she was looking at me. She had the cutest, softest chubby cheeks. Ignoring the malicious girls outside, I placed my finger on Gibson's palm; she immediately closed her hand around it.
As the car pulled away, the fans smacking it a few final times, Anna murmured, "Jesus. Are you okay, Kiera?"
When I looked over at her, a tear fell down my cheek. I was still shaking from head to toe. Pushing away the confrontation, I nodded at Anna and looked back down at Gibson. "My niece is holding my hand. I'm perfect."
I felt Anna's finger drying my cheek. After a moment of silence, she said, "I love you."
I exhaled a long, low breath, and finally stopped shaking. "I love you too."
The drive took a lot longer than expected. We had to stop a couple of times for Gibson. Once she needed to be changed, once she needed to be fed. We also hit some heavy traffic along the way-some accident that narrowed the freeway down to one lane. As we passed by the wreckage, I noticed that Anna wouldn't look at it. Instead, she ceaselessly kissed her daughter's hand. I could only imagine that she was thanking fate that Gibson was safe beside her . . . and that she hadn't given her up.
By the time we got to the venue, the concert had already started. Anna and I were beat, so we didn't go into the arena. Once we got cleared from security, we immediately headed for the busses. I wanted sleep. Badly.
Since all of the guys were inside playing, no fans or photographers were outside to bother us as we emptied the car. A good thing, because I didn't think I could handle being yelled at again. It felt so good to be back on the bus, like we were coming home. All of the familiar sights and smells were there when we stepped through the doors-leftover beer bottles on the tables, crusty socks in the aisle way, Evan's giant D trophy hanging from a noose above a window, and a bowl of half-eaten . . . something . . . on the couch. It was the cluttered mess that I had grown to know and love.
Anna looked around with a scowl on her face. "These boys are pigs. They're going to have to clean up after themselves now that Gibson's on board." Her sudden concern over the cleanliness of our bus made me chuckle. Up until today, she'd contributed to the mess just as much as the guys had.
With Gibson still in her car seat, we made our way to the back bedroom. Like an overwhelmed cartoon character, my jaw dropped to my chest. The bedroom was . . . babified. There was a narrow, portable playpen crammed between the bed and the one-way window, and a mobile attached to the top had stuffed musical instruments hanging off of it. A couple of stuffed animals were on the makeshift crib, along with a pink blanket that looked plush enough for a princess.
On the other side of the bed was a slim dresser. The drawers would be impossible to open, but the top of it had a built-in tray that held a curved mattress with a belt, perfect for diaper changes. Attached to the ceiling above the table was a cute, fabric diaper holder, also decorated in musical instruments. As Anna giggled in delight, my eyes settled onto the bed. It was littered with shopping bags, and I saw nothing but pink spilling out of them.
Anna set the car seat down and rummaged through a bag. Squealing as she removed a soft pink, plush guitar, she said, "Don't I have the best husband ever?"
I was so shocked, I couldn't even respond.
I helped Anna put away the mountain of clothes that Griffin had picked up for his daughter. Since they'd already bought a bunch of stuff when they'd believed Gibson was a boy, there was nowhere near enough room for everything. We ended up cramming clothes and toys all over the bus. Every available cubby had something stuffed into it. We even stashed some burp rags in the pocket in the bus driver's door. Once Anna and Gibson were comfortable and crashed, I crawled into the cubby I shared with Kellan. It had never felt so wonderful. I sighed after I inhaled our blanket; it smelled like Kellan. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered if I smelled like Kellan too.