I woke up in an empty bed with all the sheets piled on top of me. I looked around the room to see if David was still there, but he wasn’t.

I dragged myself out of bed and after taking a shower, I headed downstairs. The radio was playing quietly, like always, and the apple-cinnamon candles were going, like always.

“Good morning, sweetheart!” I was greeted as soon as I walked into the kitchen. David was sitting happily, drinking the famous cups of tea that my mom would make. She always put a secret ingredient in it, and I still have no idea what it is.

However, I didn’t feel like having anything to drink. I walked into the living room and grabbed a blanket to wrap around myself, and then turned to sit on a chair. I brought my knees up to my chest and grabbed an old family album that was sitting on the corner table.

The similarities between my father and I were next to nothing. He had brown eyes and light hair, while I was the opposite. Aaron was pretty much the only one who took after him.

But I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad while looking at the pictures of mom and dad. They were so happy, and I always thought that they were. I guess that’s what made his walk-out so shocking and heartbreaking to us.

“You have such a good looking family.” David crept up behind me.

I chuckled. “I guess so.”

My mother came scurrying into the room and cleaned some stuff off the table. “Aaron will be here soon with Ben!”

“Who’s Ben?” I asked.

“His son.”

“Aaron has a son?!” I nearly yelled.

“Yes.” She replied quickly.

“So that makes me an aunt?” My eyes were probably about to pop out of my head. “I have a fucking nephew?”

“Yes, Emma. I thought you knew?”

If I didn’t know about a big thing like this, what else was I missing out on? Usually I would find out right away if I was an aunt… but apparently there is a lack of communication in this family.

Then again, I had been really busy these past couple years. It’s a very busy life when you’re with a musician. There are always two sides to a story, I guess.

I heard a car door shut over the silence of the house. David sat beside me with his arm around my shoulder, making me feel so much warmer on a cold winter day. The faint sound of a little child’s laughter outside turned out to be my nephew’s.

“Come inside!” My mother invited. David and I stood up and walked over to the entrance.

Ben was the cutest little kid I have ever seen. He had short curly brown hair and pale blue eyes with a small freckle underneath his right eye.

“Who's that?” Ben asked in his innocent little voice.

“That’s your auntie Emma!” Aaron told him.

--

Ben must have been about 2 years old, which works out well for a time frame because I haven’t talked to Aaron for that long.

“Do you mind watching Ben while mom and I go into town for a minute? We need some stuff for supper.” Aaron asked.

“Sure, I don’t mind.” I agreed.

They left the house and drove off, leaving David and I alone with Ben. He played on the rug with his toy cars, letting his imagination take off into a world of its own.

“Come play!” Ben tugged on David’s arm.

He got on the floor with him and was handed a toy car. David was so gentle and adorable while he was playing cars with Ben; I had to take a picture of it.

The two started to watch TV and Ben fell asleep on David’s lap. He didn’t want to move because he didn’t want to wake him up, so he was stuck sitting on the uncomfortable floor for about an hour.

“How was he?” Aaron asked when they got back.

“Good!” I replied.

Ben woke up and ran over to his father, relieving David of sitting on the floor. “I think he made a new best friend!” I looked at David and laughed.

“If only he knew that he was a rockstar!” Aaron laughed.

For that short period of being alone with David and Ben, I actually forgot that he was a musician. I forgot about the fame, the money, the parties… I even forgot about the fact that he was in a band. It seemed to be just an ordinary family for a little while.

--

After supper, Aaron got Ben dressed into his winter clothes and headed off back to his farm house. I wonder why Allie didn’t go with him, not that I was complaining. David and I cleaned up the kitchen table while my mother tidied up the living room.  

“We should look after Ben more often!” David told me while we were in the kitchen, washing dishes.

“He’s a little cutie, isn’t he?”

It went quiet for a bit before I struck up a conversation. “I don’t know how Aaron does it.”

“What do you mean?”

“How he can handle taking care of a little kid. It seems like such a big job,” I laughed.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think it would be that bad.”

“I guess I just wouldn’t really enjoy having a little kid,” I admitted.

David stopped what he was doing to look at me. “Really? You don’t want kids?”

“Well, not really.”

He looked blankly out the kitchen window and then started to wash more dishes. I glanced at him every now and then just to see his facial expressions; which turned out to be emotionless.

“You want kids, don’t you?” I asked.

“In the future, maybe, yeah.” He let out a light laugh.

I honestly didn’t even want to continue on with the conversation, I really didn’t have anything else to say. I just turned 20; the last thing I wanted to think about was starting a family.

“It’s almost 7, we should get our things packed.” I hurried off upstairs to avoid the awkwardness.

I threw my suitcase on the bed and stuffed the small amount of things I brought over into it. David came up soon after and did the same thing as I did.

“I can’t wait to go back home.” I smiled.

“I was starting to enjoy the vacation off.” He laughed.

I looked around the room one more time before closing my suitcase, and noticed the paper on my dressed that Aaron gave me.

“Can you put that in my coat pocket, please? It’s his address so we can go out and see him one day.”

David folded the paper up and slipped it into my coat pocket that was hanging on the back of the bedroom door. I zipped up my suitcase and walked over to the mirror to fix my messed up hair.

“Emma?”

“Hmm?”

“What’s this?” He questioned.

“What’s what?” I turned to look at him.

He held up a small piece of paper for me to grab. “This.”

I reached for it and red over the ink scribbled onto it. My heart literally dropped to my feet when I realized that it was Robert fucking Plant’s number. I forgot that he even gave it to me.

“Well… I don’t know… what does it look like?” I asked innocently. I guess I was secretly trying to dodge the argument that was arising. 

“Emma…” he said in a demanding tone. “This was from the party, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

“It doesn’t?”

“No, of course not.” I reassured.

“Then why’d you keep it?” He watched me closely.

“I forgot to throw it away.”

“So you were going to throw it away and not even tell me?”

I was just digging myself deeper and deeper into a pit of fury.