CHAPTER 73

Three days until the wedding

"You have to sign all this?" Jacob asks, surveying the stacks of VIP fan gear already loaded onto the charter plane when we get to the top of the steps.

"Yeah." I glance at Emily, who's taken a seat with Rica and Andie up front.

Haley sits with Sophia while Eddie works on getting Mason to sleep.

"I'll do it for you." Jacob walks with his dog, who looks longingly at my jeans through the bars of his carrier as though he'd like to defile them, toward two seats facing one another near the back.

"Doesn't work that way, man." I follow, dropping into one leather seat.

"How long is this flight?" he asks, claiming the other seat.

"Long." I peer out the window at the sunny day. With luck, our destination will be as beautiful.

"Roger that." Jacob reaches into the pocket of his designer denim and produces a black eye mask.

"Getting your beauty sleep?"

"

In case I need it. We're partying once we get there, I assume."

"Emily has the details planned. She's actually been amazing," I admit, casting a look over my shoulder at the front of the plane as I think of all the details she's taken care of.

I'll make it up to her.

But for now, I rise to grab a stack of tour shirts and one of the four dozen Sharpie markers included with the gear.

The plane takes off, and I spread the shirts-laid flat to make it faster for me to sign them-on the table between us.

"Album's done. You need to take it easy."

"As if you do." I laugh between signatures. "You're filming sixteen-hour days. Plus, I'm not forgetting I wouldn't have my career if you hadn't filmed me playing after Annie went to LA with Finn back in school."

"Make sure you don't." Jacob folds his arms over his chest. "What's eating you, T? It's more than this tour."

I hesitate only a second because Jacob's the closest thing I have to a best friend besides Emily, and I want to get this off my chest.

"I told you Eddie was working on a deal to buy Wicked. Well, he asked me to be on it too," I say under my breath.

Jacob flicks a glance past me-a cursory look toward the front of the plane and its occupants-before coming back. "No shit. Why? Besides the cool factor of owning the most badass label of all time."

"It's a good investment for a couple of guys who know the industry. Plus, it means something to me. I want to make a difference in the lives of the young artists there. Emily has her show, and I have my albums, but this is bigger. We're just artists, but a label like Wicked?" I shake my head. "Wicked is music, Jacob. I grew up at that label. Fuck, Emily and I met there. It's different for Eddie-more like a point of pride to turn it around, to fix what's broken because he can. But I want our kids to see it. To have it be part of their lives. Hell, maybe they won't even be into music. Maybe they'll just need college paid for. But sometimes an opportunity comes up when you least expect it, and I never want to be too busy signing T-shirts of my face to notice."

Once we reach altitude, an attendant comes around to give us drinks, and Jacob opens the door of the carrier to reassure Ernie everyone's cool. Needing a break for my cramped hand, I shift back in my seat.

"Never saw this happening," Jacob muses, staring out the window.

"Us all having careers? You said the opposite the other night."

"That's not what I mean. Figured we'd all be one big happy family. Now you two are branching off..." He rubs a hand over his jaw. "We need to stick together, man."

I frown. "We will." When he doesn't respond, I kick his shin with the toe of my sneaker. "Jacob. Come on."

"Teamwork makes the dream work. I know Manatee's my girl too, but it feels as if people are gonna start settling down."

I take back the stack of shirts and grab another. "This look like settling down?" I hold up a shirt with my album cover on it, the tour dates listed on the back.

He chuckles. "Not yet."

What I don't say is that I'm longing to. Part of me never wanted fame. I love my music and everything it's brought me, but I'm looking forward to a manageable pace.

Emily makes her way from the front of the plane, bending over next to my chair. "Hey. Either of you seen Sophia's board book? I figured it might've slid back here."

I take her hand and press my lips to her palm. "Jacob's using it to practice his reading. He'll be at a first-grade level soon."

"You seen T's balls, Manatee? Figured they might be in your pocket."

She grins, and I rub a hand over my face.

"You can stay in the man cave if you want," Jacob offers charitably, gesturing to back of the plane. "But you're gonna need to drink hard liquor."

"That's why Ernie's down for the count?" She shoots an emphatic look toward the carrier, and I swallow a laugh. "I'll leave you both with your testosterone," she quips.

We both watch her return to the front.

"I bet you're glad to lock that down." Jacob grabs another Sharpie from a cup holder on the table, uncapping it.

"Yeah, I want her to be my wife. More than anything. But she's always been mine, Jacob."

"Cocky prick."

"I don't mean it like that. Since I gave her that ring, since the first time I kissed her, since the first time she looked at my blue hair and decided I was worth her time..." I try to put words to the emotions I used to shove down before Emily taught me to open up. "She's part of me. Nothing can ever change that."

Jacob draws on a napkin, lines and letters I can't read upside down. "I started pitching this reality series six months ago. No networks were buying because I wasn't a big enough star yet. Fast forward to now, they're returning my calls."

"Your point?"

He pulls back to inspect his work, then holds up the napkin. Being Jacob is in carefully printed letters with a smiley face.

"Point is, never say never."

When we finally arrive, I'm the first one at the door of the plane.

I signed as many shirts, badges, and posters as I could manage. Now, I stretch out my stiff arms and legs, flexing my hand-even a private plane can't make that long a trip entirely comfortable.

Outside, I'm greeted by sunshine and fresh air. This will be good.

I already feel more relaxed. The ride to our resort takes less than ten minutes, all of us piled into cars. Andie, Emily, Jacob, Rica, and I share one.

Andie buzzes the window down, taking it all in. "Wow, I can't believe you guys are getting married in-"

Emily covers her friend's mouth with a hand. "Don't jinx it."

Andie rolls her eyes. "We're already here. What could go wrong?"

We get dropped off at the hotel.

"Everything's taken care of," Emily assures us, brushing her hair out of her face as the breeze blows it back into her eyes and sweeps her skirt high up her thighs. I block her body from the wind, and she shoots me a grateful look. "All our bags are being taken to our villas."

She and I have one with a private pool and hot tub. The others have been assigned to either their own villa, or in a few cases-like Rica and Andie-they're sharing. We're staying in a secluded place on the island, and we've been promised there will be little to no intrusion from the outside world.

I don't take privacy for granted anywhere.

"What are we doing this afternoon?" Andie asks.

Emily looks around. "I figured people might want some time to themselves, so nothing's scheduled until tomorrow."

Rica folds her arms. I don't think she ever sleeps. "I'm going to the pool."

Andie frowns. "I need to bleach my hair before the weekend. I meant to do it sooner but ran out of time."

"I'm sure the salon can do it."

"Nah, it's cool. If I can find an umbrella to sit under, I'll come do it by the pool with you guys."

Jacob arrives and wraps an arm around Andie and Emily. "What's going on?"

Rica responds. "Bonding."

He makes a quick count and curses. "Told you, no foursomes. But I should check my contract and see if it stands outside the US."

Emily laughs, and I'm grateful to my friend for helping lighten the mood.

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to see who's checked in," I say, spotting Eddie. I need to see if our Wicked guests have arrived.

But Emily jumps in front of me. "I'll stay too."

Despite the long flight, she looks beautiful, but there's an edge of tiredness in her eyes.

"It's fine, Six," I murmur, stepping close and brushing a thumb along her cheek. "Let me do this. I'll have them send you the list so you can check it later by the pool."

I think she's going to argue, but she relents, her expression filling with gratitude. "Okay. Just give me one second."

She exchanges a few words I can't hear with the wedding planner who came out to greet us, flicking a glance toward me. Then Emily and our friends, plus Haley and the kids, depart in a couple of golf carts. Eddie comes up next to me.

Our dedicated on-site planner, a woman in her thirties with shiny dark hair and sun-kissed skin, greets us with a broad smile. "Mr. Adams. Congratulations. We're so pleased to welcome you. We were told to arrange special transport for your excess luggage."

I frown. "Excess?"

"The hold of your plane. There were several extra trunks."

Eddie leans his elbows on the desk. "You didn't think what was on the plane was all you had to sign, did you? If Zeke's team is anywhere as enthusiastic as I remember, they packed it full."

My hand flexes, and Eddie chuckles, clapping me on the back.

I refocus on the task at hand, turning back to the planner. "We had three late VIP additions checking in. Have they arrived?"

She consults her list. "Yes, they have. I'll send you their villa numbers so you know where to find them."

Eddie and I agreed we'd meet with them officially tomorrow.

My phone buzzes, and I glance at the three villa numbers, a name beside each. "This must be a mistake."

"What?" Eddie demands.

The planner frowns and checks her phone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Adams. I was told there was a last-minute switch, but that is the correct name. He checked in with appropriate identification an hour ago."

We picked three artists deliberately-two are Grammy winners, and the third has a social media following in the tens of millions.

But the third person on the rooming list isn't the artist we chose.

Having a plane full of swag is a setback. Doing a deal the week of my wedding is a setback.

This, the name staring at me...

This is a fucking nightmare.