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.
"I love you." He murmured, leaning down and speaking into my ear. I blushed and glanced up at him.
"I love you too." I replied gently, pulling myself a little closer to him and moving our legs in sync.
As we approached the theater I knew exactly which one it was as soon as I saw it. There was the class pyramid shape coming out from the front above the entrance. Jasper Dean, tonight! 7:30 pm was placed by the small tiles in the white slats. There were large bulbs blinking around the gold casing and it was really neat to see his name like that. I stopped for a second to pull out my phone and take a picture. We then entered the theater through the front door and we were immediately greeted by Mark.
"Glad you made it alright." He grinned, leading us down a hallway with beautiful red and gold carpet guiding us. There were meticulous details everywhere, from the designs on the ceiling and the crown molding that ran along the wall.
We turned and he opened the door to a small prep room, but that also took my breath as there were large mirrors with light bulbs around the edges, three along the back wall. There were director style chairs placed in front of each mirror and one even had Jasper's name on it. Jasper slowly set Evelyn down and she toddled around, grabbing onto the couch cushion that sat perpendicular to the wall with the mirrors.
I walked over to her as Jasper and Mark spoke about tonight's events. I dropped the small bag I had on my shoulder and set it on the couch. I pulled out some of Evelyn's favorite toys setting them on the ground, quickly catching her attention. She sat down and picked up one of the toys, immediately drawing her focus. I stood and walked back over to Jasper as the door opened again.
Hanna walked in, her cheeks rosy from the cold and her hand was gripping Carters.
"Hi guys!" She greeted us in true Hanna fashion, her bubbly personality bringing a smile to everyone's faces.
I reached over and quickly hugged her. It had been four days since I had seen her at our last stop in Arkansas.
Carter was still quiet but he was very slowly coming out of his shell. He and Jasper had become good friends over the past couple of months that he's been working with us. Carter released Hanna's hand and stepped over to Jasper and Mark, joining their conversation.
"How's little?" Hanna asked, already looking over at Evelyn who was still busying herself with the toys that I had given her.
"Good, still sassy, just a little more bundled." I laughed, realizing I hadn't taken off her coat.
I walked over and crouched down. Unzipping her coat and pulling it off her shoulders, then I plucked the beanie off her head. Her hair stood straight up, making me laugh as she looked around obliviously.
"Poppy, I'm gonna go do sound check, you can come if you want." He offered with a sweet smile, already being dragged out of the room with Carter slowly following him.
"Are you going?" Hannah asked, sitting in one of the director chairs.
"Probably not, I have some stuff I have to take care of, emails and what not." I shrugged, pulling my laptop out of the bag that I had on my shoulder earlier.
"Hard being a social media girlfriend." She laughed, opening the small suitcase she brought to each show, it held everything she needed to help Jasper. I rolled my eyes at her comment and sat on the couch, Evelyn at my feet as I began answering emails.
We worked quietly for about twenty minutes before my heart dropped at the next email. It was from Anna, from her personal account .
Poppy-
Your nephew is here! Elliot Grant arrived on October 29th at 3:21 am, he's perfectly healthy and the delivery was fast. I would've called, but Felix is still iffy on the whole situation, I'm hoping that Elliot helps diffuse the situation. I'd love to see you and I'd love for you to meet your nephew.
Reply when you get a chance, I know your busy.
Love you always, Anna
Attachment: 1 image
I felt my breath hitch as I stared at the picture of my nephew. Was Felix still that mad at me that he didn't even want to tell me about his son, my nephew? I didn't realize that me moving had bothered him that much, but he was being over reactive about it in my opinion. This was a huge step in his life, wasn't he lonely with just Anna? I felt lonely at times and I had my own family and a whole crew that were around us all the time. There's just a void that direct family can fill, Felix being my only option.
Elliot was beautiful, he looked just like Anna, his soft features were so cute and he looked so dainty. I looked at the date on my phone, November 9, so the email had been sitting in my inbox for a while and I felt guilt trickle into my veins as I hadn't read it until now. I immediately stood up, pulling my phone off the couch and asked Hanna to watch Evelyn for a second as I stepped out the door.
I hit Anna's name under favorites and listened as the other end rang and rang. I began to lose hope as the call continued, but finally she picked up.
"Hello?" She asked, her voice quieter than usual.
"Hey Anna, it's Poppy." I greeted, knowing fully that she knew it was me.
"Hi sweetheart, did you get my email?" She asked, her voice getting louder. Maybe Elliot was asleep in the other room?
"I did, he's absolutely gorgeous." I replied, feeling my throat close up lightly, just like it always did when I spoke to Anna.
"Thank you, he's an angel." She answered. "How have you been?"
"Good, it's been crazy but we're good." I replied honestly, thinking for a second before I replied. "I'd really love to see you soon."
"I know, I would love to see you too. Are you guys going to be done by thanksgiving?" She asked, a noise coming from the background.
"Yeah, his last show is tonight, it's wrapping up and then we'll go home." I spoke distantly, trying to place what the sound was in the background.
"Felix, come here a second?" She asked, her voice sounding distant as she probably held the phone away from her face.
My heart beat quickened and I began biting at my cuticles, my nerves enveloping me. Why would she want Felix to come talk to me when he made it very obvious that he didn't want to?
The phone shuffled and it sounded staticky for a moment before Felix cleared his throat. "Hello Poppy."
I literally felt like I was going to faint, I hadn't heard his voice in about six months and it brought a wave of emotion.
"Hi." I choked out, sniffling loudly and leaning against the red wall behind me. People were passing by me in the small hallway, but they weren't paying any attention to me.
"How are you?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Good, hows parenthood?" I asked in a whisper, not able to make my voice louder as we spoke.
"It's good, he's great." He sounded like he did when everything was post-Jasper. When I first had Evelyn and I would spend days on end at Felix and Anna's house. He spoke so kindly and had this airy feel to him. That's what his voice reminded me of.
"That's good to hear, congratulations." I answered, not really knowing what else to say.
"Is he treating you right?" The cold edge in his voice was back.
"Yes. The absolute best." I replied honestly, giving myself a cooler edge too, there was no way I was going to let him belittle Jasper again. Jasper was the most devoted boyfriend and father I could ask for.
"Ok." He answered weakly. "Maybe we'll talk soon?"
"I'd like that." I reassured him, sighing deeply when I heard the static meaning Anna had the phone again.
"That didn't go badly." She told me in a cheery tone.
"No, it could've been worse." I agreed, switching my phone into my right hand. "These past few months have been hard."
"I thought you said they were going well." Anna asked, sounding a little shocked.
"They have been, Jasper and Evelyn are the best and I'm so happy with them. But Felix, he cut a hole in my heart. He took away the last piece of family by blood I had." I felt tears form in my eyes and I bowed my head so people walking by didn't notice.
"He was hurt too Pop." She replied quietly. But I didn't like her answer, I didn't want her defending him. How was that fair? "He felt betrayed that you chose Jasper over him."
"That's not fair Anna. I was put in a very unique position, how was I supposed to know what to do? You can't stand up for him." I ranted, squeezing my free hand in a fist and feeling a tear run down my cheek. "How would feel if Elliot didn't have a dad? What would you do if you had to take care of him all the time and not have anyone to help carry the burden of being a parent? You would go and find Felix wouldn't you? You would do everything in your power to let Elliot be happy and for you to feel mentally sane?"
I jumped when I felt arms wrap around me, but when I glanced up, Jasper was watching me with a concerned expression. He used his thumb to wipe away the tears that were falling down my face. I turned and buried my head in his chest as Anna began speaking from the other end.
"I know your side Poppy, believe me. I understand why you're doing everything. I just wanted you to know how Felix felt." She spoke softly and slowly, like she was choosing her words carefully.
"I've gotta go, I'll talk to you about thanksgiving later." Was all I replied. I dropped my hands around Jasper's waist and pulled myself impossibly close. I felt him shuffle back into the prep room and the door close quietly behind us.
"What's wrong?" Hanna asked in alarm, I could hear the directors chair slide across the old wooden floor as she stood up.
"Family trouble." Was all Jasper said, his tight grip never wavering on me. I sighed deeply into his shirt, trying to control my emotions before I pulled away. I glanced down to see Evelyn standing expectantly next to Jasper's leg, her little face in line with his knees.
I bent down and pulled her into my arms, hugging her to me tightly as she hugged around my neck.
"Hi baby." I murmured, running my hand through her crazy hair as she sighed contently on my shoulder.
"I have to run back stage and ask Trish a question." Hanna announced, side stepping Jasper. I knew it was just an excuse to leave the room, but I was grateful.
"Come sit, love." Jasper offered, tugging my arm gently.
We sat on the couch, me basically in his lap as I leaned my head on his bicep. Evelyn was quiet too, she loved when we all cuddled closely like this. She had one of Jasper's hands in her lap, pulling on his fingers and inspecting them closely.
"Are you ok?" Jasper asked quietly, glancing at me with soft eyes.
"Yeah, it's still hard though. I actually spoke to Felix." Jasper's expressions changed quickly from shock, to anger, and then to the same soft expression he had before. "It was very civil. We have a nephew now."
Jasper broke into a grin, the one that stopped my heart and made me fall in love with him all over again. "What's his name?"
"Elliot, he's about two weeks old." I replied, a small smile creeping onto my face as I pulled my phone out to show him a picture.
"He's so cute." Jasper murmured, taking my phone to look closer. "Looks just like Anna."
"That's what I thought too." I laughed lightly, clicking my phone off and setting it on the table next to me.
"Are you ready to be home?" Jasper asked, glancing up from Evelyn to watch me.
"Yeah, I miss LA. I miss the sun, and the close proximity of everything." I replied, nodding thoughtfully. "I want Evelyn to feel normal again."
"I'm ready too, we can go home soon." He promised, kissing my forehead lovingly and wrapping his arm tighter around me.
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Authors Note:
Thank you so much for you're amazing support. I'm still amazed everyday but the popularity of this book and I can't thank you all enough. on that note; please be easy in the comments, I know I changed some of the story (very minute details) but I feel that my writing style has changed since I began this story and I wanted to reflect my growing writing skills.
I've been struggling with mental health lately and Wattpad is a great outlet for me, the last thing I want is to feel bad in my safe haven. Just keep that in mind when you're writing something.
I always encourage new ideas, praises, constructive criticism, and thoughtful questions that you and other commenters may write, but please leave the hatred or plan mean-ness else where. (Jasper doesn't sleep around!! I don't know why people got in a huge fight in the earlier chapter, I don't know where you guys got that idea but it literally never happened, let it go!!😂)
Thank you guys for being so amazing. We're 255k reads strong, a quarter of a million! Love you all!
Also, sorry for the loading issues that we had with the last chapter.
💕Megan