FG 3 - The Wedding Blitz (8 page)

“Nah—he looks happy.”

“Yes, that sounds great,” Riley’s voice remained calm but he jerked his arm up toward the sky in a victory cry. “I can have the billing information faxed over to you right away.”

“Happy spending your money, that is,” Lizzie added with a smirk.   

“It was nice doing business with you too, thank you—bye,” Riley made sure to end the call before exclaiming, “YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes! YES! This is going to be the best wedding ever! Oh—hello there Hawkins,” Riley suddenly reverted back to his ‘business’ voice. “I’m going to need to talk to you later about the
budget
.” 

“As long as you make Joie happy, I’m happy,” Hawkins insisted.

“Joie, you won’t be disappointed,” Riley insisted and though I knew his heart was in the right place a piece of me thought
I highly doubt that Riley
. I wasn’t the kind of girl who spent her childhood imagining what my wedding would be like. I watched my mother struggle to raise me on a single income and felt the disappointment of emptiness when my father missed another birthday or Christmas. In fact if Hawkins wasn’t so hell bent on marrying me, I probably would have said no but we had a baby to think about now and I still prayed we were making the right decision.

“I’m sure it will be beautiful,” I finally smiled at Riley, noticing that at least he looked happy again. He went to open his mouth to say something but before he could someone shouted from outside, “J.T. Hawkins I love you!” Hawkins jerked his head in the direction of the sound and looked down at a group of girls outside of the tour bus.

“How’d they find us?” I asked feeling suddenly exposed by the lack of privacy but at the same time feeling grateful for the dark tinted windows of the bus. 

“Welcome to the Gorge,” Hawkins sighed. “Minimal security outside of the venue…it’s basically a KOA camp ground. Excuse me for a second,” he got up. “I need to talk to security.”

“Look how many people arrived since last night,” Lizzie pointed at a hill in the distance that was filled with
Winnebagos
and other RVs. The sight of the parked motorhomes brought back terrifying memories for me. I could still remember Cyrus, a stalker of the band, chasing Lizzie and I around in a deathly game of hide and seek.  

“How many tour dates do we have here again?” I asked feeling hopeful that it was two or less. Though even I couldn’t imagine what I was going to do with my free time once the tour was officially over by the end of the weekend.

“Three nights of concerts and four days of partying!”
Lizzie announced gleefully next to me on the lounge couch; looking happy that we were going to finally fall back into our usual routine of going to concert after concert, night after night.    

“I thought your partying days were over?” I reminded her.

“No, Warren’s partying days are over.
I
don’t have a drinking problem. Once this hangover passes, I plan on having a drink later.”

“Isn’t that the first sign of a drinking problem, denial?”

“Then by your definition, we’re all alcoholics,” Lizzie twirled her finger around the room at us.

“How are
we
all in denial?” I asked imitating the same hand gesture.

“By acting happy about something when you’re really not,” she emphasized.

I knew she was referring to my trepidation about getting married even though I loved Hawkins and Riley’s determination to avoid Harlow even though he loved him. 

“Have a drink then if it makes you happy. In fact start now,” I smirked over at her before looking out at the cramped hill that was packed like a can of sardines with motorhomes. 

“It’s going to be okay, Joie,” Riley squeezed my shoulder from behind as if he sensing my fears. 

“It’s just the last time we were at a campground…,” I drifted off.

“It was at the
Bonnaroo
Festival, I know,” Riley finished my thought.

“Hey, at least this time we know Cyrus isn’t out there waiting for us,” Lizzie added clearly trying to be helpful but I got a piss
willy
from just thinking about the night, even if I had seen Cyrus die with my own eyes. Riley, who must have found the comment just as unsettling as I did, knocked on the nearby wooden cabinet and muttered under his breath, “Let’s not jinx ourselves.”
             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 
             
Now that I got a better look at my surroundings, I noticed we were fenced in by a tall steel gate that looked like something you’d normally see on a cattle farm and appeared to be easy enough for anyone to climb over like the group of girls still stationed outside our bus.

“Where are the barbed wire fences?” I asked nostalgically.

“Like Hawkins said,” Lizzie sighed as she pushed off the couch to get ready. “Welcome to the Gorge.”

After Hawkins indulged a few of the girls by giving them his signature, security whisked them away; back to the other side of the fence from where they came. To make sure we didn’t get any more unexpected visitors two members of Hawkins’ staff remained standing by the gate across from the tour bus.

Whenever it was time for the concert, Hawkins, leading by example generously signed t-shirts and album covers on our way to the pavilion. He nodded encouragingly when someone stopped me for my signature and I found myself smiling as I signed my John Hancock here and there. Hell even Riley got asked for his signature before a golf cart pulled up from security to personally escort us the rest of the way.

The view was breathtaking as we steadily approached the backstage area. In the middle of nowhere was this narrow valley made of steep rocky walls with a long winding blue river running between them, which
was
displayed as the stages back scenery. The back of the stage was also open to the rest of the Gorge, with the exception of a tall wooden fence separating the band and staff from the rest of the concert goers.

Hawkins, who was dressed in the same red striped button down flannel that I had on (something that gave us a laugh especially when it drove Lizzie nuts), stretched out his arms for me to leap into them. I gave him peck after peck on the lips as he twirled me around.

“Get a tour bus,” Lizzie groaned which of course only encouraged us more.

             
“I love you.”

             
“I love you more.”

             
“No, I love you more.”

             
“I for one hate both of you,” Lizzie joined the conversation causing us to chuckle as Hawkins set me back down on the ground.

             
“See you after the concert,” he winked.

             
“I know what that’s code for!” Lizzie stressed looking green with envy. “Where the hell’s Warren?”

             
“Last I heard, he’s in the greenroom backstage,” Hawkins said grimly.
“Drunk again.”

             
“Oh this shit has got to stop,” Lizzie stormed off looking like a girl on a mission.

             
Hawkins turned to smile at her as she left and then confessed, “I never thought I ever say this but she’s good for him.”

             
“Wow, that only took all summer,” I smirked as we leant in for one more kiss. “Love you—bye.” I finished before turning and briefly locking eyes with Riley who looked as distracted as I felt.