April flitted around the room, making sure everything was in place for the grand opening. This had become her baby, and she was so proud of how it had turned out. They’d found a fantastic place for it. It had once been a small assisted living home, but it had gone into foreclosure. Jaded Regret had bought the building and had it cleaned and fixed up over the last two months. Now it had an enormous rec space with a large screen for watching movies, an entirely separate area that was soundproofed for playing music, a kitchen with cafeteria-like seating, and an immense outdoor living space, pool included. Basketball courts were out back behind the pool. It also had a few rooms Bex had already decided would be used for on-site counseling. It would be the hottest hangout space this area had ever seen, and it was all to keep the teens who were growing up in the foster care system off the streets and in a place where they could be safe.
They would get music lessons for free. We would teach them when we were in town, and if we weren’t here, we had hired wonderful people to fill in for us. The place would be run by a staff April had employed, with her at the helm. If she was on tour with us—because I wanted her with me at all times—then her second in command would step in. They had a great plan, and I couldn’t wait to see it.
We wouldn’t have teens here tonight. We would have people invited only by us. They were local people who had supported us and helped not only us become successful, but this center become a reality. April’s parents were coming from Orlando, but she didn’t know that yet. All our new employees were also going to be here with their families.
It would be a tight knit group of people who were important in our lives, and that was the way we wanted it. Especially for what I had planned. We would play to begin the night and then again to conclude the night. That was the moment I was impatiently waiting for, but I knew I had to allow April the time she needed to be in her element.
The way she moved through the room, Robbie on her heels, warmed my heart. Once he’d learned about April’s mom being a foster kid also, as well as Bex, he’d wanted nothing more than to work with them and help them get this place together, and he’d been here with her almost every day. He was a great kid. While school was important, the life lessons he would learn here could take him further than any knowledge he got from a book.
“Let’s get set up.” Bex walked up next to me. “You okay?”
“Great.” I followed her into the large room adjoining the one we were standing in. We’d had our equipment set up the way we liked it, so it was ready. I gazed around the large space that had been remodeled. All types of instruments sat on shelves and in cabinets, waiting to be used.
Tanner was already there, warming up. Johnny followed after Bex and me and we all got to work, preparing to play in just minutes. I stared, not touching my drumsticks.
“Hey,” Bex said. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just nervous,” I explained.
She smiled. “Don’t be nervous. That woman loves you with every fiber of her being. And Robbie.”
I nodded, picking up my drumsticks and tapping them a few times. I was ready. I could do this.
Once Natalie escorted everyone into the room, Bex introduced them, and we played a few songs. April and Robbie watched me the entire time. He was a quick study and was learning fast. He wanted to try the guitar next, and I couldn’t wait to see which instrument he chose—if any. I would never pressure him to be anything he didn’t want to be. Whatever his dreams were, I’d support them.
Dinner was a blur. I was barely conscious of April sitting next to me and Robbie next to her. Bex kept kicking me under the table, but I couldn’t seem to fake it. I was freaking out. I was nervous as hell. I was waiting for the voice of my mother to pop into my head, so it made me uneasy. She’d been way too quiet lately.
The food was fantastic, but I could barely eat. Bex and April had the event catered from one of the Italian restaurants in town. They had donated all the food once they’d heard what we were doing. It was amazing the number of people that genuinely wanted to help.
“I need to do some tours,” April said into my ear. “Are you okay? Do you want to come with me or stay here?”
I needed to go with her, to show her I was okay. I wasn’t good at faking. I needed this night to be over, so I knew one way or another where my life was headed. Sitting here might drive me out of my mind, however. I stood, pasting a smile on my face.
“Let’s do some tours.”
Despite my nerves being shot, it was time. I was ready. We took the makeshift stage, April front and center. Robbie was at her side, ready to come up when I motioned for him. The band all watched me, waiting for my cue to start. I had to do this. I could do this. It had been my idea, after all. No one was holding a gun to my head and saying I needed to do it this way.