Kellan gave me a dry look at Griffin's explanation. We? He and Gibson were partners in crime now? Still laughing, Anna murmured, "You're the best Dilf ever, Griffin."
Leaning back in his seat, Griffin looked like a king upon his thrown. "Thanks, Milf. You're not so bad yourself."
Their pet names made me cringe. "Ugh, couldn't you guys find words of endearment that were actually endearing?"
Griffin snorted as he looked up at me. "What, like Snookums?" Brightening, he twisted back to Anna, "Hey, Milfums, it's my turn next, right?"
Anna gave him her best seductive smile. "Oh, don't you worry, Dilfums, I'll be satisfying you later."
Feeling a little nauseated, I turned away from the pair. God . . . never mind, they could keep their pet names, so long as I didn't hear them say anything like that ever again.
Kellan sat down next to Evan while I went to get us some coffee. I was going to need a little pick-me-up to get through this day. When I got back, Kellan was holding Gibson. Seeing how natural he was with her made me stop in my tracks. He was standing in the middle of the bus, swaying as he rocked her. And he was singing to her. It was low, and I couldn't quite make out all of the words over the video game Holeshot was playing, but from what I could tell, he wasn't singing a lullaby. He was singing a D-Bags song. My favorite D-Bags song.
Kellan peeked up when he saw me. I'd never seen a more exalted smile on his face. My sister was right; this man needed a child to love. I felt a little shaky as I sat down next to Anna and put our coffee cups on the table. Was I ready to give him one? Every maternal instinct in my body was screaming Yes, do it! But I needed to use my head here. If we had a child, we would have to be apart. A baby on the road was one thing, but a toddler? A school-age child? That was something else entirely. It wasn't as if I wanted to spend my entire life on the road, but I wasn't quite ready to give it up yet. Aside from the Sienna drama and the cramped sleeping quarters, I liked my life with the D-Bags. And maybe it was selfish of me, but I wanted to be Kellan's only love for a few more years. Then maybe we could have a whole busload of kids.
Anna slung her arm around me as we both watched Kellan and Gibson. He was just beginning another song for her when he suddenly froze. His face contorted and he held Gibson a foot away from his chest. "Uh, she doesn't smell so good anymore."
Anna let out a yawn-laugh mixture and started to stand, but, shocking the hell out of me, Griffin popped up and beat her to it. Rescuing Gibson from Kellan, Griffin scoffed, "Wuss." Holding Gibson like a football, he walked into the back with her.
Twisting to Anna, I asked with all seriousness, "What did you do to Griffin?"
Twirling a dark brown lock around her finger, Anna gave me a lazy smile. "It wasn't me. That little girl has got him completely wrapped around her finger. I never thought I'd see the day."
I understood the feeling; I never thought I'd see the day either. A tame Griffin. I almost didn't know what to do with that.
I looked out the window to see that the bus was rolling through the packed streets of New York City. Skyscrapers were everywhere I looked. As I took in the size of the city, I began to imagine the millions of people living there. How many would come down to the venue just to torment me? I was positive that paparazzi would be there today in force. Kellan said everyone was curious about his life, but maybe it was really me they were curious about. I was the enigma. Was I a casual fling that Kellan had been playing with the last few days, or was I more? That's what everyone wanted to know.
While I debated what to do about that, Matt emerged from the cubbies and threw his hand up in a wave. As I waved back, Kellan got a phone call. He was reluctant to answer it, and I realized why seconds after he did. "Sienna," he coolly intoned. After a moment's pause, he furrowed his brow, then said, "Yeah, everyone but Griffin is here, why?" Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "Fine." Holding his phone out, he stared at it blankly, then asked me, "How do I put this on speaker?" I contained my smile at Kellan's lack of technical know-how. Sometimes he seemed more like a ninety-year-old man than a twentysomething rock star.
I adjusted the phone for him, then Kellan put it on the table. Griffin was still in the back with Gibson, swearing from what I could tell, but we motioned for Evan and Matt to join us. "You're on, go ahead."
Sienna's bright voice burst from the small device. "Well, first off, I just want to say how much I miss all of you! Things have been so hectic, I feel like I rarely see you."
Kellan and I exchanged dubious glances. While it was true that Sienna had been just as busy as Kellan lately, that wasn't the reason for her disappearance, and we both knew it. Sienna was playing up the "wounded lover" act. Whenever any camera was on her, she appeared sullen, teary-eyed. I'd even seen photos of her dabbing a tissue into the corner of her bloodshot eyes. Her duet with Kellan was now filled with longing and heartache, and while she stayed close to his side at the meet-and-greets, the band had told me that her demeanor laced the room with tension. That DJ who had so long ago told us Sienna couldn't act was wrong. She had the betrayed girlfriend role down pat. Of course, from what I'd gathered during the rare moments she'd been candid with me, it was a role she'd been in before.
She was perfectly happy now as she squealed, "I just couldn't wait until the tour stopped to tell you all the fabulous news!"
"What news?" Kellan asked, his voice weary. Sometimes great news from Sienna wasn't that great.
Sienna giggled like a little girl. "I just got off the phone with Nick . . . and your album shot to number two on the charts, right below mine." She squealed again.
Kellan and I looked at each other, then the phone. "You reached number one?" I asked, shocked that everything she'd orchestrated had actually succeeded in getting her just what she wanted.
"And the D-Bags are at number two! Isn't that fabulous?"
Kellan leaned back on his hip as he absorbed it all. His expression was as blown away as mine. Sienna and Nick had totally manipulated the public into believing a sordid, phony romance. In their desire to be on top, they had completely ignored anyone else who might have gotten hurt in their schemes, and it had ultimately paid off for them. It didn't seem fair, and it definitely wasn't right. Anna and the guys were squirming with excitement, and obviously wanted to act elated, but seeing Kellan's and my faces, they stayed quiet.
Closing his eyes, Kellan scrubbed his face with his hands, then ran them back through his hair. When he reopened his eyes, his emotions still seemed mixed-elated and frustrated. While Sienna waited for our group to explode with excitement, Kellan turned to me. "I really miss Pete's," he said.
Sienna heard him and seemed confused. "This is incredible news. You should all be jumping up and down, screaming your bloody heads off, not pouting like I just told you your best friend moved away."
Kellan frowned as he stared at the phone. "The public thinks my wife is a whore. I'm really not okay with that. And now that you got what you wanted, and Nick got what he wanted, it's my turn. And I want you to admit the truth. All of it. From the very beginning."
Sienna inhaled a deep breath. "Here's the thing, love. If we confess that we fabricated our entire relationship to bump sales, there will be a public backlash that will negatively affect us both. The scandal will stay with you for the rest of your career. Do you really want that monkey on your back?"
Kellan closed his eyes. "This scandal was your doing from the very beginning." He opened his eyes. "And now you're asking me if I'm okay with it? I was never okay with it!"
Her voice all business now, Sienna told him, "You went along with it, Kellan. No one forced you."
His jaw dropped. Mine did too. No one forced us? We'd been bullied and manipulated at every corner. Kellan had done what he could to persuade the public, but he'd been way outmatched in this game.
"No one forced . . ." Kellan couldn't even finish that statement.
Exhaling in frustration, like we were raining on her good-news parade, Sienna told us, "Look, I only said that the truth couldn't come out. I didn't say that Kell-Sex couldn't end. If you're so bent out of shape about it that you can't even enjoy being on top of the world, then we'll 'break up' after the tour. I'll be heartbroken, but I'll quickly move on, and when everyone sees how happy I am with my new beau, you and your wife will be free to date in peace. Problem solved."
My thoughts were so jumbled, I stuttered a few times before I could speak clearly. "How does that solve anything? I'll still be the other woman who broke you up."
Sienna sighed. "We'll be at the venue soon. I just wanted to call and . . . congratulate you on your success." With another forlorn sigh, the line disconnected.
Everyone at the table stared at the phone in silence. Anna was the one who spoke first. "She's really not going to help you guys at all, is she?"
Kellan shook his head. "No, she was never gonna help us. We have to fix this on our own."
Anna grabbed my hand and squeezed. She'd seen firsthand just how despised I was.
Griffin and Gibson finally rejoined our group while Evan and Matt exchanged conflicted expressions; our drama aside, the band's success was amazing, something we should be celebrating. "Why the f**k does everyone look constipated. Bad coffee or something?" Leaning over, he peered inside my half-full cup.
Kellan was contemplative as Evan filled Griffin in. Griffin flipped his lid when he heard the D-Bags' album was number two. Afraid he was going to drop his daughter in his exuberance, I quickly stood up and plucked Gibson out of his arms. She smelled like baby powder.
Griffin tossed his hands in the air as he jumped up and down. "Whoooooooooo! Number two, baby!" He ran down the aisle of the bus screaming. If any of the members of Holeshot were still sleeping, they weren't anymore. Laughing, our bus driver shook his head.
It was hard to not get caught up in Griffin's enthusiasm. Evan and Matt joined him in the center of the bus while Kellan stood up and walked over to me. The grin on his face was completely worryfree. Our drama could wait; the guys needed a minute to bask in their accomplishment.
As the boys jokingly pushed each other around, Matt looked back at Kellan. "Number two, Kell! We're number two!"
Seemingly at peace, Kellan laughed and took Gibson from my arms. "I know, man. It's crazy." Smiling at his band mates, Kellan bounced Gibson as he swayed from side to side. I swear she smiled at him.
Evan was clearly dazed as he shook his head. "Number two . . . right behind Sienna Sexton. Six months ago, I never would have pictured that happening."
Griffin started grunting and thrusting his h*ps in a provocative way that made me want to shield Gibson's eyes. "Not me. I always knew I'd be banging on Sienna's backdoor one day."
The members of Holeshot trickled into the lounge area of the bus while Griffin was simulating sex with Sienna. They each barely gave Griffin more than a cursory glance before sitting down; they were used to his antics. When Griffin started "cli**xing," I quickly sealed my ears shut so I wouldn't have to listen to it. It was bad enough when I accidentally heard the real thing; Anna and Griffin were not quiet lovers.
Griffin bowed to all of us once his erotic performance was done. I couldn't help but laugh along with Anna and the boys. Anna clapped. Griffin's crudeness was beginning to grow on me. I kind of liked it, not that I would ever in a million years tell him that. It would only encourage him to try harder to gross me out.
Shaking his head, Matt clapped Griffin on the back. "It's nice to see that becoming a husband and father hasn't changed you in the slightest, cuz."
Griffin sniffed and tucked his pale, chin-length hair behind his ears. "Did you think it would?"
After the laughter died down, Kellan looked at each band member in turn. Seeing his expression, Evan and Matt gave him their complete attention. Matt smacked Griffin to get him to stop goofing off. Once they were all looking at him, Kellan said, "Tomorrow morning, we're going to a radio station to perform. We're scheduled to play two songs, pimp the album and the concert, and leave. I don't want to do that. I don't want to sing." Still bouncing Gibson, he looked over at me. "I want to talk, and I want to tell them everything."