The Act of Forgiveness

22

It has been a month since the Pittsburgh show. We were now in Denver, Colorado, our last show before we went home.

Touring with Jasper had been an amazing experience, but we were all ready to be home. It was hard living on the road, especially with a toddler who was more and more mobile by the day. As a mom, I craved schedule. Evelyn did so much better when she was able to sleep, eat, and do whatever around the same time each day and tour did the opposite. Some nights she would be out with us until 11 pm and other times she would be asleep before six. Jasper knew it was hard on us, but he was always there to lend a helping hand, which I greatly appreciated.

Jasper and I were better than ever, we were closer than we've ever been and I think Evelyn had something to do with it. She was the missing piece we didn't know we needed. There was no shortage of affection around us and anyone with eyes could tell. I was no longer embarrassed to show my affection towards him, even in public. Jasper would bring me flowers and play with my hair as we fell asleep. I loved being in love with him, just like the good old days.

"Anything special for your last show?" I asked, running my hand through his sloppy blond hair. He had just gotten out of the shower and he was dressing Evelyn for the day. Being November in Colorado, we were freezing most of the time. He pulled a knit sweater over her head and tucked a beanie over her wispy, blond hair. We already put thermal leggings on and she looked so bundled up.

"Probably not, I want to keep it as fair as possible." He admitted, helping Evelyn stand up on the bed.

We had given up completely on the tour bus. As Evelyn grew and as the tour went on, we found it less and less practical. Now we just flew or drove from location to location. We also switched to using Air BnB's as it gave us so much more privacy and it felt more homey.

Everyone was dressed then and we were headed to the venue. It was a smaller one, more intimate, which Jasper preferred. He liked being able to interact with them on a personal level, which the fans also reciprocated well with.

We got into our rental car after buckling Evelyn in quickly and Jasper cranked the heat. It was almost thanksgiving and we were hoping to be home by then.

We drove quietly, Jasper's left hand on the wheel, his right was tucked in between my hands on my lap. The radio was playing quietly, but we weren't really paying attention. I adjusted my body a little to turn and stare at him. His jaw line was prominent, high lighting his sharp features nicely. His bright blue eyes were on the road, cautious of any ice patches. He mouthed the words to the song on the radio, his plump lips almost making the sounds, but not quite.

"Why are you staring?" He laughed, looking at me briefly before turning back to the road.

"I'm allowed to." I replied mischievously. I held onto his hand a little tighter, bringing it up to my lips, kissing it lightly.

"That's not fair. I can't stare at you." He replied, his eyes flickering for just a moment before he turned on his left signal and turned down the Main Street.

"You'll get your chance later." I giggled a little as he drove slowly down the busy road.

The venue was a theater, the kind that would be seen in the early 1900's and it was so cool because all his other venues had been stadiums or large pavilions, but this one was much tinier.

"I'm just gonna park here and act normal." He shrugged, slowly taking his hand from mine so he could parallel park in a spot a block down from the theater. He did it in one try and I was honestly impressed, I can't parallel park to save my life.

I was quick to take Evelyn out of her seat from the back, stepping up onto the sidewalk so I didn't have to worry about incoming cars. Jasper took Evelyn from me and grabbed my hand, leading us in the direction of the theater.