147: Rafe

Aubrey flopped on our bed and stretched out, kicking off her sandals and taking the tight hair holder out of her heavy hair for the millionth time tonight. I hung up my jacket and kicked off my sandals. I flopped down on my back next to her.

"You tired?"

"Some." I said. "How does your mom know so much?" I remembered the last six or so hours, sitting at tables in the closed off restaurant downstairs, with unlimited drinks and food at our disposal, the majority of the crew around but not near us. I sat with Aubrey on my right, and Ben on my left at a booth with Jeff, Mutt, Jeremy, Levi, Tracy and Richard, and Kell and Maille Stevak. And Tracy managed to listen to all of us.

"She's dealt with an awful lot of personal grief."

"I'm sorry." I thought about how she'd told us her story of her first band's leader Jet Thomas. Died from a stabbing and gun fight in Long Beach California, drug related. He'd been murdered in his apartment viciously and gruesomely and Tracy had been the one to find him. She told of her first husband, Raine, killed in a fire in their home, and losing a child at the same time. She spoke candidly of the guilt, the shame in not being able to save them. How the depression had set in and she'd nearly lost her sanity. No one thought she was capable of losing it the way she had, and some were mean about it, and inconsiderate, disbelieving, wanting her to just buck up. Others, especially her husband now, Richard Mann had been able to see into the darkness and help her through it, understanding the need to relive it if necessary, understanding the desire to take it one day at a time. She was very spiritual, telling about coming to know the Savior of the World in those dark days.

It helped to hear her story. It helped immensely to know she'd taken the time to come to us just for this purpose.

The grief counselor, Alvaro Benm--- something, had also been very helpful, discussing the symptoms of shock and PTSD, also the stages of grief and loss and trauma. He recommended going home and getting a support group going, dealing with it together.

"Who is the little girl?"

"My niece, Cooper. Kell and Maille's."

"They brought her here?" I was shocked with all the danger we had been in that they had come at all. I hadn't spoken to Kell, but he had nodded to me as he passed on his way to bed.

Aubrey shrugged. "She brought a sort of normalcy to an otherwise not normal situation. She made people smile.

"Why Kell and Maille?"

"They too have experience with trauma and grief."

I rolled onto my side. "You sure had moments of calm and moments of chaos."

She rolled to face me. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?" She chuckled. "You never know how you're going to respond exactly, do you?"

I thought about my near panic attack on stage. "Yeah."

"You did good though. The return to normalcy was good for your crew and the roadies and the band. They needed to see you vulnerable, but holding it together."

I thought about that, and then about her in the shower. "We could have a repeat of the shower, now that we're a little calmer."

She rolled over and easily on top of me, kissing me, gently, lazily, and then with passion. I felt myself responding to her again. Sweet forgetfulness... sweet bliss.

******

Aubrey

Anita came to our door around eight. We were asleep, but willing to get up. I rolled to my back, having slept really soundly. Trauma did that, I think. Or you had nightmares. I'd been aware of that, wondering if either of us would have any, but we'd both slept pretty peacefully. A gift from God, I thought.

Rafe turned on his side, stretching. "Did you just tell somebody we would get up?"

I blew out my breath. "I think Anita--- yoga and a run."

"Where the hell can we run that is safe?"

"You know, LA isn't much safer. We should move to Rosewood."

"I'm all for it. I don't want to be closed in by the city anymore. I want to see my enemy coming."

"You're not serious."

"Sort of I am."

I digested that. I didn't want to move. I had reservations about living in the city as well, but---- we would be on the move a lot. Married, his career would take us far and wide. But if he wanted to produce--- would he be in LA? Or would he go in with Parker and Zack?

I didn't care. I really didn't want to and couldn't think about it right now.

"Are we going home today?" He asked, that black patch of underarm hair exposed. Even sleeping in no shirt, his tattoos made it seem like he was wearing something. I stared at him unashamedly.

"No. I think we're staying, doing some studio time, and another gig, what tonight? Yeah, and then maybe if it can be arranged, Saturday before we go home--- we should go get married. I can't stand to be away from you any longer, and I don't care what the reason is, if its lust then so be it, I need you, and only you, and if you'll have me, then I want to be married....." I searched his eyes now open wide and grinning. "And I don't know about the rest of the tour. There's what another three weeks?"

"A little less." He said slowly, sitting up, knees bent, he cracked all the joints in his toes.

"And then you guys were going on to Brazil?"

"I'll still do Brazil. I don't think we should attempt the rest. It's just too damn dangerous." He grabbed his phone. "I'll tell Allen. We can set up some tour times for the states, and even... Western Europe and Australia. Whatever. Hey. Allen. What do you think about scrapping the smaller venues in SA?"

The phone was on speaker. "Yeah, it's done actually. I figured you guys were calling it a wrap."

"What about the rest of Mexico?" Rafe was startled.

"No. Not yet. I was waiting to discuss it with you. But the travel advisories are pretty risky South of Brazil." He was talking to somebody else, and I recognized Kell's voice.

"What is Kell doing there?" I asked.

"Om, setting up venues in the states for this summer, at my request, of course. And also--- he and your mom, Aubrey are--- planning your wedding. For like this Saturday. You better come down here, they've been at it already for hours."

I blinked and held my head, not surprised.

"Did you tell them? How could you? You just told me. Did you tell your mom first?"

"I've barely spoken to my mom, and not at all to Kell. They are just being their normal psychic selves, and their normal take over selves. I'll have to go put a stop to them."

"Allen, thanks for taking this position. You're actually much better suited to it. Was Holli fit to be tied? How'd she take being let go by the security guy that wasn't even our guy?"

"Oh, he was your guy when he did it, believe me. He just went to her and told her pack your bags bitch, you're off the tour. You're dragging us down. Go home. He wasn't even nice. He was so done with her bossing everybody around behind your back. Yeah, he was your man, one hundred percent."

I felt relief at that. I wondered how Aiden was doing. Tim and Jake were his men. I knew I should call him.

"Allen, again, thanks." Rafe said. "We'll finish out the first leg, and Rio, then we'll be going home, or on honeymoon. How many guys went home with Holli?"

"Oh, like three. No worries. Your mother-in-law brought her crew. I have a feeling they don't mind staying, at least some of them. I'm friends with some of them, good men. The rest of the Mexico tour will be okay. You tell Aubrey."

"I'm here, Allen. Thank you."

"Wow, you guys are gonna want your own bus for touring, huh? Honeymooning? I don't think anyone will be able to stand you. I'll make sure it happens. Oh, never mind, your Dad has that one under control. Never mind."

I blinked again. My Dad?

I glanced at Rafe.

"Should I call my folks, Allen, or has Tracy already arranged everything?" He asked with a sly smile.

Allen's voice was sheepish. "Yeah, she's already done that."

Now I looked sheepish. "I just told her I'd wear her dress."

Both guys laughed and then clicked off. Rafe rolled over on top of me, cradling me and kissing my neck and throat. I stretched and arched. I heard his grunt of approval as his hands roved easily over my sides.

"I will be glad for this part of the courtship to be over." He mumbled against me.

"Yes." I agreed.

"Are you up for yoga?"

"Yes. Does anybody else want to?" I rolled out from under him. He groaned and reached for me, barely scraping my leg as I danced out of his reach.

"It feels a little constrained now that I know your parents are here."

"Yeah, they didn't know we shared a bed at Kell and Maille's."

"I kind of picture Kell having hidden cameras directly piped into your dad's office."

I laughed. "He doesn't." I went in and changed into workout clothes, spandex and a sports bra with a spandex tank. I put my hair into a very messy bun, and sat down to tie my tennis shoes. "I'm sorry about your bus. I can't believe they targeted that. It was clearly marked."

"Maybe they hate American pop bands."

"They probably thought, and rightly so, that they'd get a lot of press coverage. Well, I for one, won't grant any interviews. Will you?"

"Not a one. That's why I have lawyers, and Aiden." He stood up, completely aroused and not ashamed as he stretched. I tried to avert my gaze.

He looked down and smiled. "Virgin."

"Perv."

"I'm hurt! I'm not a perv. I'm completely into you. Be flattered."

My phone rang. "Hello?"

It was my mom. "How are you two this morning? Handling things?"

I put it on speaker as he got dressed. "Yes. We're going out for yoga in a few minutes."

"Good. There is a group down here in the lobby waiting for you. I just need to ask one quick question. Colors? I brought your Temple timeline can. Do you want to go with what's in it?"

"You didn't open it did you?"

"Heaven forbid! That's yours. I talked to Nicole this morning. They are going to wait till the Monday after your wedding for the funeral. They'll have a memorial in about a month."

I swallowed. Nicole was Jake's wife. He had grown children too. I felt a wave of terrorized agony rip into me, leaving me numb and tingling at the same time. How could I be planning a wedding with that hanging over my head? "Are you okay, mom?"

"No. No, I'm not this time. But I am handling it. Like I have to. Having the wedding to keep me preoccupied is helping. I'll help Nicole with the other arrangements when I get home. Grandpa and Delaina are flying in tonight. Rafe's parents are coming with Robert and Melia in the jet."

I gulped. "Everyone is coming now?"

"No, everyone will be here by Friday night. You're talking arrangements for over a hundred and fifty people, and that's without Rafe's other guest list."

"You're kidding, right?" I figured Rafe would be in shock.

His eyes were big. "That's just family?"

"Pretty much immediate family. I'm assuming it's not even Dad's group, we'll have to have a reception in New York. Is Uncle Zack coming?"

"I talked to Zack a little while ago. Since you're his favorite, yes, he's coming." Zack said that everyone was his favorite.

I looked over at Rafe. "We're okay with letting Mom and Kell plan things? They'll make sure everyone is here, and fed and clothed and ----." I shook my head. "Not pink, okay?"

His eyes were wide. "I pictured this a little different."

"How did you picture it, Rafe?" My mom's voice was fairly still.

"Quieter. Smaller."

"I see."

I could hear the instant gears shifting in Mom's mind, trying to make whatever needed to happen--- happen. "No, Mom, no worries. He's on board. He is just caught off guard. Please don't worry. Colors, Rafe?"

"Blue, and gold, and salmon, with a hint of bright green." His brows rose to gage my reaction. I nodded.

"Sounds unbelievable, beautiful. Go with it, Mom. Let Rafe's mom help, okay?"

"There's plenty for her to do." I felt her sigh of relief. She really wanted her last baby's wedding to be perfect. I'd known this all my life. Especially since so many of my sisters ran off and got married, or did it some other way.

When she hung up I glanced over at Rafe. He was ready to go. "This is all too much, isn't it?"

"No." He said, grabbing water bottles for us, sunscreen and our day pack. It was stained with blood and cement. He held it up. "We'll get you a new one downstairs." He took my hand, held it up to his lips and held my eyes before kissing my fingers.

"You're going to be preoccupied with planning things with your mom, aren't you?"

"I'm not. She and Kell can handle it. I'm more into being a doctor, she knows that."

"Are you going to be a doctor today? I think we were supposed to go to the volcano today. That's what Ben told me."

"That's right." I recalled hearing that yesterday on top of the Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun just minutes before the attack. I drew in my breath sharply. "I do want to see it." We knocked on Ben's door.

"Go away!" He yelled, and then the door was flung open. "What do you want?"

"Volcano? Today?"

He had the grace to look bewildered. "Just us? Just the little group. Not the whole crowd, and sorry Aubrey, not your mom and dad?"

"Yeah, just us. I don't think you can get away from my dad, but he'll be good. He can hike or bike, and he'll be quiet."

Jeff came out of his room, having heard us out here. "I can't go. Mutt's not going. He said he's sleeping all day."

Jeremy came out dressed in his workout clothes, with red-rimmed eyes, looking sleep deprived and quite the worse for wear. Levi followed from down the hall.

"Are we playing Foro Sol again tonight? What about Chapultepec Stadium?" Levi asked. "My girlfriend is flying in."

"Foro Sol tonight." Rafe said distractedly, looking over the balcony. His eyes were fairly wide. He cocked his head to one side and stared in agitation. I looked over to see what he saw.

"Do we play the stadium at all?"

"Not this trip." Rafe took two steps to the balcony and overlook, staring hard. I went to his side. We weren't the only people staying here, but I knew our security details had kind of taken over. Maybe he was concerned.... I could see a couple of really tall, really beautiful women, on the arms of some fairly decent looking guys checking in.

"Aztec Stadium." I reported, still looking over the railing at the women Rafe was staring at. Jeff looked over too. He instantly chuckled.

I glanced at him, and his face was coloring as he gazed steadily at me. "Don't worry, Rafe, you won't run into her."

"Her, who?" I looked back at the ground floor. Rafe had drawn his breath in sharply and then tried to usher me a different direction. I whirled around his arm and rested both hands on the railing as the two, who were obviously models were joined by two more. Very beautiful.

Jeff looked over and started laughing again. "Double the trouble."

"Baby, how do you feel about animal testing?"

*****