Aloha, page 40
“But Peyton and Noah bought a house here.”
Nodding, I add, “And we’d still own the condo. There’s nothing saying we can’t go back and forth. Beaumont’s your home. If you want to go back, we can.”
“We can discuss this later,” she says. “Right now, we’re about to have a house full of people and a lot of planning to do.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Come on, let’s go plan the biggest charity event we can.” She takes my hand in hers and leads us to the door.
“I’m right there with you,” I tell her as I follow her out of the room.
Chapter 3
Jimmy
I stand next to Eden and look out at the crowd. How we ever pulled off this fundraiser will be one of life’s greatest mysteries. It’s been five days since it was first discussed and in that time, my friends and family took my daughter’s request and turned it into a mega event.
“How many people?” Eden asks.
I look down at the text message Elle sent me. “One hundred thousand,” I tell her.
“How much have we raised?”
My daughter is far from incompetent, but in this moment, I don’t mind providing her with an answer. “In just ticket sales, twenty million.”
When we set the ticket price, we wondered if it was too high and too expensive for some people. The weird thing about charity or a natural disaster is that people come out in droves when needed. At last count, three semi-trucks had been filled with non-perishable supplies. We asked for clothes, toys, school supplies, and blankets. Items people need to restart their lives.
Eden looks at me with tears streaming down her face. “Thank you, Daddy.” She wraps her arms around me. “Thank you so much.”
“I wish I could take the credit for all of this, Little One. But I can’t. You did this. You, your cousins, your family, Rush and his family. It’s what we do when one of us is in need.”
“But without you—”
“Nah, let’s not go there. We’re a team. One unit. You asked, we helped.”
Eden stands tall and wipes her tears away. “How will we get everything to Maui?”
“Planes. As many as it takes. Liam thought about a cargo ship, but it’ll take too long. We’ll charter some planes and take everything over next week.”
“Can I go?”
I nod. “Of course. Now, what do you say?” I nod toward the center of the stage. “Why don’t you go introduce yourself and get this party started?”
Rush joins us and smiles at my daughter. I want to hate the kid. I really do, but it’s hard to. He’s got great parents, a good head on his shoulders, and makes my daughter happy. Still, I think they’re too young to be this serious. At their age, I was all about having a good time and not settling down, but then again, if it wasn’t for Jenna, I’d probably still be using Twitter to find chicks.
They walk hand-in-hand to the center of the stage. Liam, Harrison, our wives, and the rest of our family join me at the side of the stage.
Eden taps the microphone. “Can you all hear me?”
The crowd roars to life.
“There are a couple of things I need to say before we get started. First and foremost, thank you for coming out today, for spending your hard-earned dollars to support this fundraiser. Today, I’m supposed to be in Maui, competing against some of the strongest women surfers I know, but a fire ravaged one town, and they canceled our event and many others. People changed their vacation plans and instead of going to Maui, went somewhere else, leaving others to feel the brunt of lost tourism.
“When the fire broke out, I called all of my friends who live there. I’m still waiting for one to call me back.” Eden pauses and collects herself. Losing her friend hasn’t been easy on her. Jenna and I are doing everything we can to help her cope.
She clears her throat and continues. “I needed to do something and thought, what do I have at my disposal—4225 West?” The crowd erupts and Eden looks over at us. I wave while Jenna blows our daughter a kiss.
With Eden still looking at our group, she speaks to the crowd. “I asked my Uncle Liam if he could help me—help me help my friends in Maui. He said he would, but didn’t know how. I asked if he’d be willing to hold a benefit concert. He’s done them before, and I thought having 4225 West perform would be pretty rad. However, my cousin came into the room and took everything one step further.” Eden wipes at her tears again. “I’d like to introduce you to the person responsible for today, Elle James.”
Eden claps and steps aside as Elle comes onto the stage. They hug for a long moment and Elle whispers something in Eden’s ear. When Elle steps up to the microphone, the crowd quietens down.
She clears her throat. “Thank you for coming out and helping us raise money for Maui. What happened in Lahaina is truly a travesty. Our family’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone. However, none of this could happen without these two coming up with the idea.” Elle turns and claps for Eden and Rush. “Now, enjoy the show.”
Rush steps up to the microphone. “We proudly present, Talking Til Dawn.”
Once again, the crowd erupts into boisterous cheers. Eden and Rush walk towards us and Eden’s arms are spread wide. Jenna and I engulf her in a hug.
“I’m so damn proud of you, Little One.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
Jenna releases Eden and welcomes Rush into our fold. The dad in me wants to be angry and tell the kid to bugger off, but he’s earned a spot with us. Still, I don’t trust him. I’ll never trust any man with my daughter.
Hours later, we sit in our makeshift green room, which is a camper donated by the local RV dealer, and wait. Liam sits in one chair, strumming his guitar and muttering the lyrics to the new song we wrote this week, while Harrison sits opposite him, drumming on his thighs. My fingers are idle.
There’s a knock on the door and Elle comes in. She’s all business, wearing a headset and carrying a clipboard. She speaks to whoever is on the other end and then looks at us. “Are you ready?”
“Born ready,” Harrison says as he stands. He goes to her and kisses her forehead.
“Eden and Quinn will join you on stage for your third song.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask her.
She looks from me to Liam and widens her eyes. “Seriously? Do I have to do everything around here?”
Liam laughs.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Elle sighs and Liam stands, making the trailer feel even smaller than it is. “Quinn came up with the idea of having Eden sing. They worked on a song in their spare time,” Liam says.
“So, why not sing it during Sinful Distraction’s set?” I still don’t fully understand what’s going on here.
Liam places his hand on my shoulder and gives it a good shake. “Come on. We have a show to get to.”
He, Harrison, and Elle leave me there, literally in the dark because my niece turned the lights off on her way out. I mutter a string of obscenities as I make my way to the stage. Last one to know anything and the last one to arrive.
We open with “Wake Up” the song Liam wrote about Josie when he was eighteen. It’s one of my favorites to perform, probably because I have the luxury of starting it off. My fingers glide over my keyboard as I play the opening bars, then Liam and Harrison join in.
Can’t take my eyes off of you
I’m a man that’s speakin’ the truth
This love could make mountains move
Hope you feel the same way I do
I wanna be holdin’ you
When the dawn is breakin’ through
As yesterday fades with the moon
And forever fills up this room
I wanna wake up with you
Liam strums his guitar and looks off to the side, where his wife sways to the music. He never takes his eyes off Josie. When the last note finishes, he says, “I love you, Jojo.”
Instantly we go into “Painkillers”, another song he wrote for Josie, although it has a much different meaning. It was his way of apologizing for the ten years he missed.
Arms of a stranger, a warm blooded kiss,
trying to fill the void, of the one that I miss.
Perfume whispers, lashes and lace,
but I can only hear your voice,
I’m so out of place.
All these painkillers, that’s all they are.
Painkillers.
My anxiety skyrockets as the last note fades. The crowd erupts when Quinn and Eden come onto the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Quinn James and Eden Davis,” Liam says as he steps to the side.
“Good evening,” Quinn says. “Eden and I have something special for you, and with the help of our uncle, we'd like to play it for you.”
Eden steps up to the microphone, turns, and looks at me. “Daddy, this is for you.”
Liam and Quinn begin the melody, while I stand there, waiting to see what my daughter is about to do.
In the warmth of your embrace, I found my place,
An anchor of love, a memorable face.
From every childhood dream to grown-up days,
You’ve guided my ways.
Through every wave, through every crash,
You stood by me, strong and tall.
Because of you, I found my strength,
A bond that time can't stretch or length.
Oh, Daddy, you're my guiding star,
No matter how near or how far.
Through every laughter, through every tear,
Your love's the constant treasure that I hold near.
It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know about this song because I would’ve never made it through the whole thing, while she sang it to me. I don’t know what spurred her to write this for me, or how it came about, but I’m a blubbering mess because of her.
When the last chord is played, I rush to the front of the stage and embrace my daughter. I’ve never been so thankful for her and her mother for saving me. It hits me then, I probably don’t thank Jenna enough for loving me, or giving me our daughter.
I walk off the stage with Eden and into Jenna’s arms. “Our daughter is amazing,” she says in my ear.
Stepping back, I look into her eyes. “Thank you.”
“This wasn’t me,” she says.
I point to Eden and then to my wife. “Wifey, this was all you. You didn’t have to give me a chance, but you did, and I will be forever grateful for you, and for Eden.” I kiss Jenna deeply, and then hug both my women before heading back onto stage.
“Well now that JD’s back, what do you say we finish this show,” Liam says to the crowd. They’re in agreement with how loud their applauses are.
“For Maui!”
Thank you for reading. For more information about my work, including Forever My Girl, now a major motion picture, find me at www.heidimclaughlin.com.
Sweet Celebration
A Lies, Hearts & Truths Series Novella
Helena Hunting
Chapter 1
BJ
“I need your help.” I snatch the remote control and hit pause on the pre-recorded episode, grab a chair, spin it around and plunk my ass down so I’m blocking the TV.
Rose, my roommate and longtime family friend, is sitting in the middle of the couch. Lovey, my best-friend, is cross-legged on the floor between Rose’s parted legs, having her hair French braided. Lacey, Lovey’s identical twin sister, and my other roommate, Quinn, flank Rose on either end of the couch. River, my half-cousin, and his boyfriend Josiah are snuggling in the lounge chair.
Quinn closes his textbook, his brows pulling together in a concerned furrow. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything is fine.” I check the time. My girlfriend, Winter, will be home in less than twenty minutes. Getting everyone together in the same room without Winter present is nearly freaking impossible these days. Not that I’m complaining. I love that she’s been absorbed into our makeshift family. But it’s hard to plan shit when she’s in the room.
“Winter’s birthday is coming up.”
Lovey claps her hands excitedly. “We’re throwing her a party, aren’t we? Tell me we’re throwing her a party.”
“We are totally throwing her a kickass party,” Rose announces. “And stop moving, Lovey, or I’ll have to start all over again.”
“Sorry. I’m just so excited. We’re going all out. A big, knock your socks off party,” Lovey declares.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” I knew I could count on them. Winter’s life has been hard. She’s grown up never really having enough. Not enough money, food, freedom, opportunity. I want to make this birthday special and one to remember.
“I’m in charge of decorations,” Josiah declares. He’s in drama and designs sets for the school productions, so this is right up his alley.
“I’ll help Josiah,” River volunteers. “And I’ll be in charge of flower arrangements, if there are any flowers to arrange.” River looks like he stepped out of a nineties emo video. Despite his black-on-black ensemble, and his almost permanent scowl, he’s a wizard with greenery and plants. There’s always something blooming in the gardens, even in the middle of Chicago winters. He’s recently developed a mild obsession with hibiscus, which would appreciate Hawaii’s climate a whole lot more than our current fluctuating temperatures. He potted all of the outdoor ones and brought them inside as soon as the idea of fall arrive.
“We definitely want flowers, even if it’s just for centerpieces.” I give them the thumbs up.
“So, a dinner party? Someone needs to take notes,” Lovey says.
“On it.” Quinn trades his textbook for his laptop.
“We need a theme,” Josiah says.
“Hockey, obviously.” Rose rolls her eyes.
“We should rent out an arena and have a catered dinner. The whole thing should be hockey themed,” Quinn adds.
“We’ll have some ice time, some fun games where we can shoot on net and win prizes and stuff, and then the serious players can take the ice while the rest of us watch,” Rose suggests.
"And after, a buffet dinner and vanilla cake, we should see if we can get some Boones fritters because they're forever Winter's favorite,” Lovey adds.
“Oh! I can see this coming together! We’ll have twinkle lights and snowflakes decorating the arena,” Josiah declares.
“Is there enough time to have jerseys made for everyone? We’ll have to invite her hockey team. What day of the week does her birthday fall on?” Quinn asks.
I pull up my calendar to double check. “Saturday, which is perfect.”
Quinn cocks a brow. “We should look at Kody’s schedule.” Kodiak Bowman was my roommate until this year, when he was called up to play for the NHL. He’s having a hell of a rookie season. We’ve been friends since we were kids. He’s also dating River’s twin, Lavender.
“Oh. Now that would be amazing. Especially if he could bring a couple of the other players along. She has a Grace jersey,” Lovey says.
“Really? I didn’t know that.” Grace has been playing for Philly for the past few years.
“I think she may have tucked it away because of our allegiance to Kody,” Lovey explains.
Winter plays for the college team. She’s met Kody a few times. She’s low-key obsessed with his career. She never misses a Philly game. If she can’t watch, she’ll record it and avoid listening to sports updates until she can watch the game.
“I’ll text him.” I fire off a message and we resume our planning.
We’re in the middle of talking through the dinner menu, highlighting all of Winter’s favorite foods, when the front door opens. We have enough time to tuck lists away and close the laptop before Winter appears in the doorway.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asks.
“Nothing!” Lovey all but shouts. She’s a terrible liar. And it’s made all the worse when she bites her lips together and tries to sink into the floor while her face turns red.
Winter’s brow arches. “Soooo…that’s a load of bullshit right there, huh?” Her suspicious gaze swings to me.
“Hey babe, how was practice?” My attempt at changing the subject is weak at best.
“Good. My wrist shot is around sixty miles an hour, which is kickass. Why does it look like you’re having some kind of house meeting?” She makes a circle motion with her finger.
I pull my hair tie free, trying to buy myself some time. I should be able to concoct an easy lie, but feeding Winter bullshit kind of sucks, even if I want this to be a cool surprise for her.
“We wanted to plan a birthday dinner for you, but we’re having trouble narrowing down your favorite foods. I know you’re a fan of pizza, but that you don’t love the takeout stuff and prefer when we make it here. When we go out, you always get fries, but at home you’re way more likely to go for salad. So, your input would be awesome,” Rose declares.
“Oh. You don’t need to make a birthday dinner for me. It’s not a big deal,” Winter waves a hand around.
“It is so a big deal. You’re turning twenty. And it’s the first time we get to celebrate you.” Rose flips open her notebook. “Favorite foods, no thinking, just say the first thing that comes to your mind.”
“Boones fritters.”
Lacey grins. “We all knew that.”
“Give me more.” Rose makes a go on motion.
“Uh, chicken parm.” Winter tips her head to the ceiling. “And Caesar salad, but the kind Lovey makes, and that lavender lemon ice cream from The Creamery.”
“Oh my God, we should go there now. What time is it?” Rose asks.
“Like seven-thirty,” I say.
“What time does it close?” Rose asks.
“Eight.”
She hops to her feet. “Round ‘em up! Let’s go!”
