Brian met his eyes in the mirror again. "How long have you known me, Trey?"
"Eighteen years." Trey closed his eyes, hoping it would help him find the courage to say what needed to be said. "I forgive you."
"For knowing me?"
"No, for breaking my heart. I kind of needed it actually."
Brian touched Trey's shoulder and he opened his eyes. He stared into Brian's deep, brown eyes and was surprised that the connection between them was still there. It felt different. The horrible aching longing he used to feel when he looked at Brian was gone, but the closeness that can only forge between two people who'd been through everything together was still there. Trey was so relieved his eyes prickled with tears. Brian's fingers clinched in Trey's shirt and he gave him a little shake.
"If you start crying, I'm going to fucking pound you," Brian said. "I just put on my eyeliner and I don't want to have to redo it."
Trey laughed. "I'm not going to cry. I'm just glad we can move forward. I thought maybe I'd ruined our friendship."
Brian's hand relaxed and he smoothed Trey's sleeve. "Does she make you happy?"
"Reagan?" Trey smiled. "Yeah, I love her. And Ethan too."
Brian nodded. "Then we're good." He shoved Trey in the shoulder and brushed past him. "I'm going for a walk." His phone beeped and he paused to check his text message.
"Myrna?" Trey asked.
"Yeah. It says, Honey, we're home. I guess that means they're done with errands and I can call her now."
Outside a loud horn sounded. Brian dialed his wife, while Trey looked outside through the large tinted window over the sofa to see what was going on in the parking lot. There was a large RV he'd never seen before parked next to the bus. When Trey recognized its driver, he grabbed Brian by the shirt and pulled him to the window.
"Hey, sweetheart," Trey could hear Myrna's voice coming through Brian's phone. "I've got a surprise for you."
"What are you doing in that RV?" Brian asked her.
"Well, I figured since you can't come home, I'd bring home to you."
"What?"
"Come over and see."
Trey pulled Brian to the front of the bus just as Reagan and Ethan stumbled out of the bedroom at the end of the narrow hall. "What's going on?" Reagan asked.
"Myrna's here," Trey said and hauled Brian down the steps.
Brian finally found the sense to move on his own. He met Myrna at the bottom of the RV's steps and pulled her into his arms. She cupped face in both hands. "Are you surprised?"
"I don't really understand what's going on."
"Come inside and I'll show you."
Myrna took Brian's hand and directed him into the RV. Trey followed them, his curiosity getting the best of him. In one of the captain's chairs sat an unoccupied car seat. In another sat Aggie with a loudly purring black tuxedo cat on her lap. She smiled and waved.
"Aggie is starting up a travelling merchandise shop for her corsets," Myrna said. "Selling them in a merch stand outside of concerts."
"Embedding myself into Jace's life yet again," Aggie said. "I can't seem to stop doing that."
"He'll be ecstatic to have you on tour with us again," Trey said. "Well as ecstatic as Jace can be."
"Where's Malcolm?" Brian asked.
"Jessica is changing his diaper in the nursery," Myrna said.
"Jessica is here too?" Brian asked.
"She's decided she wants to be Malcolm's nanny until she has a baby of her own." Myrna smiled. "In around eight and a half months."
Brian's eyes widened. "Does Sed know?"
"She just found out yesterday. She wants to tell him in person. So keep that to yourself."
"He's going to flip. So all three of you are going to follow us around on tour?" Brian asked, waving a hand in Aggie's direction.
"Four of us. Don't forget your son."
"Myrna, I'm not sure if this is a good idea," Brian said. "Malcolm needs stability in his life. There is no stability in a life on the road. I don't want that for him."
Myrna shook her head at him. "What Malcolm needs is his father. And I need my husband. This will be our home, Brian. Just because it moves doesn't mean it's not a stable environment for him. When we're parked, I can write."
"And I can sew," Aggie said.
"And Malcolm can play and grow up knowing his father," Myrna said.
"What about when we tour Europe?" Brian asked.