Two Punks In Love

Okay

Trace

Backstage parties always get out of hand, even if backstage is a hospital waiting room.

By the time Officer Malone and I make it to Atlanta, Adam has filled his car to include Officer's Malone's wife, son, father, and uncle, and I have kicked in an Atlanta VIP package for them, but I have a weekend pass. I'm sure Officer Malone could get in big trouble for this, but Caloosa County is backwoods Georgia. Nobody really cares, as long as I'm back on the farm before my "emergency exemption" expires and the monitoring company sends a report to his sergeant.

I'm in the best mood in a long time, when we hit the hospital, and it's not even dampened when I realize this place isn't like Madam's swank Nashville accommodations. We aren't in an attached lounge right off-stage to the show, but in a private waiting room down the hall. It's been outfitted for a celebrity entourage with a hospitality table and expensive tech. 

Varrick is sipping a coffee, checking his phone. Half of our Atlanta security are here—because they are actually Bodie's homies from Sixmob—gnoshing and joking. A couple of them—Jalen and DeShaun--Bodie's closest Sixer homies—work solely for him, but I know them, of course.

When Adam and I walk in the room with Officer Malone and company, they all quiet and give my new "entourage" a side-eye, particularly Officer Malone. These guys can smell a cop from a mile away.

"It's alright. This ain't no jail break, I'm still in custody," I joke with them "This here's my supervising officer, Officer Malone. He's alright. He approved my emergency exemption to be here," I say pointedly. I turn to him with a big smile. "This here is my Atlanta security crew. A lot of them grew up with Bodie, our drummer, so they're like family, too."

Everybody relaxes by a few degrees.

Disappointment dampens my mood only slightly when I realize Kat's in the delivery room with Bodie, Mac, and Ronna, and it might be some time before I see her. I use the time to discuss her security with Varrick while Adam does me a solid and entertains the Malones. In no time at all, Matt, Leed and Darius are breezing in.

I've already given Matt the head's up about the Malone's, so he's got his rock star firmly in place, but tempered to a politeness I only see in him when he does interviews or awards show. Not one curse word escapes his lips as he charms Mrs. Malone, who clearly is still a fangirl, if a somewhat aging one. After a half-hour meet and greet, Matt ends the photo-op graciously with a promise that we'll throw together a little private performance at the hotel tonight as a thank-you to Officer Malone for "baby-sitting my felonious son." All the Malones but my babysitter depart for an afternoon of sightseeing, and Dillon settles in to watch a baseball game and eat a sandwich.

Darius had gone back to L&D to see his mom, so it gives Adam and I time to talk to Leed. He tells us Ash took all four of their kids plus their entourage back to the band house to settle in, and she'll be joining us shortly. We tell Leed the news about Darius. He's not nearly as horrified as Adam and I.

"Life comes full circle. Babybells has returned to us as Cougarbella."

I snort. Adam curses.

Leed defends Darius. "It's a necessary developmental stage for a rock star—fucking with a devious starlet who's hot as fuck but is really poison to our souls. We weren't much older than him when dabbled in famous mean girls. We all had one...Sophie, Molly, Baby Bells..." he says philosophically.

"I didn't," Adam says defensively.

I snort. "You married your famous mean girl," I remind him.

"She's not that mean," he says automatically.