Chapter 16
“Earth to Taylor,” came a booming voice over the PA system. The reverb was astounding and the system screeched. “Alright. Mic check as well. Taylor get up here.”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” he called back. He then turned to Jody. “You can wander around if you want. There’s stairs around the back if you want to go wander upstairs.”
“Taylor, stop flirting with the pretty lady and get up here. You’re holding us up.”
“Go to your band,” Jody said smiling. “Any more teasing and you’ll turn a new shade of red.”
Taylor smiled. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. You don’t have to stay the whole time...”
“Will you shut up and go?” Jody teased as she playfully started moving him toward the stage.
Zac was watching the whole scene unfold from in back of his drum set. He was astounded that Taylor was smiling and seemingly having a good time. Considering all that was going on, he seemed carefree. It was a big relief.
“Who’s the girl?” Zac asked as Taylor approached the stage.
Taylor hopped up and went over to the keyboard that was already set up. “Oh, that’s Jody.” He started fiddling with the keys, warming his hands up.
“So that’s the infamous Jody,” Zac replied. “It’s about time you brought her around.”
They took a pause and both looked out into the empty venue. Taylor located Jody leaning against a pillar toward the back.
Zac observed Taylor watching her. “You really like her.” Taylor nodded.
“She’s something special.”
“Natalie know about her yet?” Taylor shook his head. “Isn’t she coming tonight?”
“Yeah.”
Zac let go of the breath he was holding. “That should be interesting.”
“I warned her.” Taylor stole another glance toward Jody. “And I think she’s got enough charm to pull it off.”
“You guys gonna start of what?” one of the technicians called.
“Yeah, we’re starting,” Zac called back.
Before long all three of them were playing, adjusting, retuning, and rearranging the songs. Sometimes they’d go through the whole songs, others just a few bars. Occasionally they’d do something a capella, and that’s what Jody was impressed with most.
Taking Taylor’s advice she traveled around the venue. She went upstairs to the balcony and took in the view and then went back downstairs to see who had wandered in.
“Oh, I’m sorry. The doors don’t open until 7,” a lady said. She had familiar eyes.
“That’s OK, I’m here with Taylor.”
She took a deep breath. “Taylor’s busy right now. He’ll be free again once the show starts.”
“Stop the song,” Taylor said to Zac, who in turn motioned to Issac who stopped playing his guitar. “It’s OK, Mom. She’s with me.”
“Taylor, when did...”
“Mom, this is Jody. Jody, this is my mother.”
“Oh, so you’re Jody,” his mother said as she broke out into a bright smile and opened her arms to hug her. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hanson,” Jody said as she returned the hug, slightly surprised by her warmth.
“Are you staying for the show?”
“Um... yeah.”
“Wonderful. Let me show you where you and the kids will sit during the show and where the back exit is so we can all leave afterwards without being mobbed...” Jody looked a little overwhelmed. “Are you OK, Jody?”
She recovered quickly as she quickly looked to the stage and to Taylor. He nodded to her. “I’m fine- just a little taken aback by the whole thing.”
“We’ll break you in.” Jody stole another look at Taylor, who was watching them intently.
“Great,” Jody said as she took in a nervous breath. “Where do we start?”
Taylor watched his mother steer Jody in the direction of the concession stand. His mother pointed something out, Jody nodded and replied, and before long the two of them were laughing.
“She’s a charmer,” Zac muttered toward Taylor.
“Hey Taylor,” Issac said, “she legit?”
Taylor rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she’s good.”
“Good,” he said as he put his guitar on the stand. “She’s hot.” He looked at Jody again. “We done, ‘cause I’d like to get a hand on that.”
Taylor immediately rose from his seat and started over toward Issac. Zac, knowing fully well what was going on, nearly leapt out from behind the drum kit and wedged himself between the two.
“Dude, she’s with me,” Taylor said defensively. “Lay off her.”
Issac smirked. “Well at least someone’s tapping that ass.” He looked lustfully at Jody again.
“Don’t look at her that way,” Taylor said. “She’s not one of your groupies.”
“Let it go, Tay,” Zac said as he started to back Taylor away from the situation. “Why don’t you go backstage?”
“Just don’t talk about my girlfriend like that.”
“Girlfriend?” Issac snorted. “What girlfriend?”
“Her name is Jody,” Taylor said through his teeth. “And if I as much as see you looking at her...”
“Alright Taylor, let’s go,” Zac said as he continued to walk Taylor away.
“They OK up there?” Jody asked Mrs. Hanson as she glanced up at the stage.
Mrs. Hanson followed her gaze and frowned. “They really do love each other, but sometimes they’re at each others throats.” She saw that Jody was genuinely concerned. “They’ll be fine. They rarely really fight and this doesn’t seem to be a case for fists.” Jody was still worried, something that Mrs. Hanson found endearing. “I take it you’re an only child?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Jody replied. “I have an older half-brother, but he’s in his thirties with two kids of his own.”
“You’ll have a crash course in sibling rivalry tonight.”
“Yeah, Taylor told me about everybody.”
Mrs. Hanson observed Jody as they continued to fold and organize the merchandise. “You seem surprisingly calm about all of this.”
Jody shrugged. “I dunno. Guess I’m good at handling many things at once, you know?”
“So, uh,” Mrs. Hanson began, “have you met Taylor’s son yet?”
Jody smiled. “Ezra?” She seemed to relax a bit. “Yeah. He’s great.” Jody then paused before speaking delicately. “He told me about the whole situation with Natalie, too. I know it’s a sensitive topic and awkward situation, but I just want you to know that I respect Natalie and all that’s happened.”
This caught Mrs. Hanson by surprise. “He usually doesn’t introduce Ezra to people unless he really thinks they’re worthwhile.” Jody didn’t know how to respond to that, so she remained silent. “I think he made the right choice.”
Jody immediately looked down, returned to her task, and blushed hard. “Thanks,” she muttered. There was an awkward pause. “So when is everybody else arriving?”
“Well, all the siblings are arriving at 6:30 or so.” Jody looked too surprised. “Oh, they’ve been through this enough where they get bored during the shows and everything, so they arrive last second.” Jody mulled that over.
“Yeah, I guess it would be old hat for them.”
Mrs. Hanson laughed lightly. “Old hat- that’s an old fashioned term.”
Jody smiled. “My parents are just over 60, so I say a lot of old fashioned things.”
Mrs. Hanson paused. “Taylor likes that sort of thing.”
“Yeah. He’s really special.”
Taylor came over to the two of them, interrupting their conversation. “Hey, I’m getting out of here until the show. You wanna come with me?” The way he said it, it sounded more like an order than a question.
Mrs. Hanson jumped on top of it immediately. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing, I just think it would be a good idea if Jody and I left until the show.”
Mrs. Hanson looked at Jody. “Excuse us,” she said as she gently took Taylor by the arm.
Jody took a step back and made herself comfortable poking around the area.
“You must be Jody,” a male voice greeted.
“Zac, right?” she asked as she extended a hand.
“Yeah. It’s nice to finally meet you,” he replied with a smile as he shook her hand.
“Nothing’s a secret in this family, is it?”
“Not when there’s a bunch of us running around.”
The two of them began to talk and had an easy conversation. They found out that they shared the same birthday and a quirky sense of humor. By the time Taylor reappeared, the two had felt like they had known each other for a long time.
“You ready to go?” Taylor questioned as he slipped an arm around Jody’s waist.
“Yeah, I guess,” she replied. “It was nice to meet you Zac.”
“Same here. Thanks for taking care of Taylor.”
Jody gave him a funny look. Taylor cleared his throat.
“Let’s go,” Taylor said as the two of them excused themselves and left the building through the back entrance so the mob wouldn’t attack them.
“What did Zac mean?” Jody questioned.
Taylor smirked. “Who knows what Zac ever means...”
“Really, Taylor. What did he mean by thanking me for taking care of you?”
He took a deep breath and took a firm hold on her hand. “He meant that before you, I moped around. You make me smile and...” Taylor didn’t really know what to say. “I’m happy now.”
Jody stopped walking, forcing Taylor to do the same. Overcome with the emotions of the entire day, she wrapped her arms around Taylor’s neck and kissed him passionately. He put his hands gently on her hips and enjoyed the moment.
“Should I ask, or...” Taylor trailed as a smile graced his face.
She kissed him lightly again. “Just because.” With that, they continued on their way.
They settled on a small, intimate, not too fancy place for dinner. Taylor had eggplant filled tortellini and Jody had her usual chicken parmesean. Thirty minutes later, they were on their way back to the venue.
“So when do I get to meet the rest of the family?” Jody questioned.
Taylor smiled and checked his watch. “In about an hour or so,” he replied. “They’ll be around later.”
“OK.” They took a few steps. “Everything alright with Issac? You two seemed ready to kill each other on stage.”
Taylor shrugged. “It was nothing.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “Just try to stay away from him.”
“Taylor, he’s your brother...”
“That doesn’t automatically make him a good person,” he said curtly. Jody decided to let the topic go, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Just stay away from him.”
She saw no other way out of it except to agree. “OK,” she replied quietly.
They entered the small club soon after that. Taylor took Jody backstage and showed her where she could leave her jacket and where all the instruments were, etc.
“This is my piano,” Taylor said as he sat down at the bench. He patted the spot next to him. “Take a seat.”
Jody sat down next to him as he started to play. He was just messing around with different ideas, but occasionally he found something catchy and made a half-hearted attempt to flesh the idea out.
“Your turn,” he said with a smirk and took his hands off the keys.
Jody laughed. “Yeah, sure.”
“No, really. I want to hear you play.”
“Not to put me on the spot or anything,” she joked as she stalled for time.
“Come on,” Taylor said with a smile as he picked up her hands and put them on the keys. He stood up, went around the back of the bench, and bent down so he was resting his chin in the crook of her neck. “Play something,” he whispered, making her giggle. His breath on her neck was inviting and it gave her goose bumps. “Don’t be shy.” His hands went from her shoulders, traveled down her arms, gently across her forearms, and rested atop her hands.
Jody put her head back and looked at him upside down. She smiled up at him as he looked down on her. She looked upright again and decided that she had stalled long enough.
Jody’s hands gently graced the keys as she played a soft melody. Taylor was intrigued as he removed his hands from her arms and once again placed them atop her shoulders. He could feel the muscles in her body tense and release with every note. It was something very small that made her just a little sexier in his eyes. He bent down and kissed her neck very tenderly.
She smiled and kept playing. “If I knew I would have gotten that reaction, I would have played for you a lot sooner.”
“You were always welcome to.”
“Eh,” Jody said quietly as she continued the soft music. When it ended, Taylor had a smile on his face as he took a seat, once again, next to Jody on the piano bench.
He kissed her gently. Jody felt like she was living a scene out of a movie. Things were nearly perfect.
“Daddy!” Ezra cried as he ran across the stage. The moment was gone in an instant, but both Taylor’s and Jody’s lips tingled from the experience.
“Hello little man,” Taylor greeted as he pulled the child onto his lap. “Have you seen Jody?”
“Jody!” Ezra greeted with the same enthusiasm as he had greeted Taylor.
“Hello sweetheart.”
“Where’s Mommy?” Taylor asked.
“Mommy’s talking to Gramma.”
Taylor turned to Jody. “Jode, will you watch Ezra for a moment? I’ve gotta say hello to Natalie.”
“Uh, yeah. No problem.”
The way he said it made something in her twinge. It was like he couldn’t wait to see her again, and that worried Jody.
“Hey Nat,” Taylor greeted as he came up and stood next to her. He awkwardly kissed her on the cheek.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Mrs. Hanson said as she gracefully exited the scene.
“Thanks for coming,” he said awkwardly.
“Yeah, well, you guys don’t play New York all that often, so I figured why not, you know?”
Both of them looked at their shoes.
“Where’s Ezra?” Natalie asked after a moment.
“Oh, uh,” Taylor stammered, “he’s with Zac.”
“That’s funny, Zac’s over there,” Natalie pointed out.
“He must have left Ezra with someone else then.” There was a very strained silence. “I should probably get back and see where everybody ended up.”
Taylor shoved his hands deep in his pockets and made a beeline for the backstage area.
What he saw next looked so natural it nearly killed him. Jody had picked up Ezra and the two were joking around. If he didn’t know any better, Taylor would have sworn that Ezra was her child. Her maternal instinct seemed to be a little too natural for Taylor’s taste.
But at the same time, it made her more attractive than ever.
“We’re almost ready to start,” Taylor said as he took Ezra from Jody. “Why don’t you two go backstage and I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“You sure?” Jody asked. “There’s still a little time left.”
“Take Ezra with you. He’ll make sure you’re introduced to everybody.”
“OK,” Jody said as she questioned him with her eyes. “You ready to go, Ezra?”
“Yup!” Ezra took her hand and lead her backstage.
“Have a good show,” Jody called as Ezra all but ran to the backstage area.
“Thanks,” he called after her. He couldn’t help but smile.
“You’ve got it bad,” Zac teased slightly as he walked up next to his brother.
Taylor shrugged “I dunno about that...”
“You’re in denial. When are you gonna tell her?”
“Tell her what?” Taylor asked confused.
“That you love her,” Zac responded almost as if Taylor should have known that was coming. Taylor’s look of shock made Zac laugh as he took a seat behind his drums and started to tune them. “It’s written all over your face.”
“I dunno about that...”
Zac adjusted the tension on one of his snare drums. “Natalie doesn’t know about her, does she?”
“Nope.”
“And you plan on keeping it that way.”
Taylor shrugged. “At least for now.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Hey, that hot chick still here?” Issac questioned as he tuned his guitar a little too loudly.
“She’s here, but she’s not with you,” Taylor said as he walked right up to Issac. “Leave her alone.” Taylor walked off and found a couch in the back room and sat on it.
Soon after that the doors to The Knitting Factory opened and the fans flooded in. The rush of the anticipation of the fans trickled backstage. Since all the Hanson kids arrived, Ezra had made sure Jody was properly introduced to absolutely everybody on multiple occasions.
However, the one person who had not been offered an introduction was Natalie. She had been laying low since she had caught a glimpse of Jody. She instantly knew that Taylor would go for her. She was exactly his type. Even without an introduction, Natalie could see by the way she moved and interacted with everybody that he could fall in love with her in a heartbeat.
Before too much longer, the entire Hanson gang had joined Natalie in the upper balcony in the VIP area. Ezra had been passed along to Jessica and Avery. Mrs. Hanson had taken a stand by Jody on the opposite end of the family section to ensure that she was comfortable. Through all that Taylor had endured in the last few years, through finding out Natalie was pregnant and the birth and the marriage, and, finally, the painful divorce proceedings, she really wanted Taylor to have something solid. Jody seemed to be someone Taylor could trust.
However, she wasn’t sure Natalie was in the right frame of mind to deal with Taylor’s new main squeeze.
The concert opened and the roar of the crowd was deafening. Mrs. Hanson passed Jody a pair of earplugs, which she promptly put in. Everybody had them in and they helped immensely.
Mrs. Hanson left to go see how the souvenir stand sales were going for Avery, and Zoe had followed her. The others had wandered off, leaving Natalie, Ezra, and Jody alone. Ezra was curled up on Natalie’s lap and she was stroking his hair soothingly. Jody was still sitting in her seat, intensely watching what was happening on stage.
“Now here comes the part in the show where we get to do our own thing,” Taylor said as his brothers left the stage. A few good natured boos were heard. Taylor laughed lightly. “Don’t worry too much. They’ll be back.” He sat down at a stool in the middle of the stage and picked up his guitar. “Alright.” He strummed the open strings. “This is a brand new song that I wrote for a very special lady.” Jody sat up in her chair and smiled. Natalie noticed her change in body language immediately. Taylor looked up towards the balcony and winked. “This is the first time I’m playing this, so here goes.”
“Who are you here with?” Natalie questioned as she picked up Ezra and walked him around.
“I’m just here with a friend,” Jody replied as she tried to concentrate on the song.
Natalie followed Jody’s gaze to the stage. “You’re here with Taylor.” Jody was caught, so she nodded. “You must be Jody.”
“Yes,” she said as she tried to figure out how to tread lightly. “You must be Natalie.” Natalie nodded. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”
“That’s sweet,” Natalie said, not exactly knowing what to do. A silence settled on them as Taylor continued to play. He strummed the last chord and Jody broke out into a big smile.
She stood and cheered. Taylor immediately recognized her voice and looked up at her with a similar grin. He quickly pointed up at her before Zac and Issac stepped onto the stage to join him for the rest of the set. The rest of the show seemed to blur for Jody. She was his ‘special lady’ and she was enjoying it.
Natalie, on the other hand, was not. In seeing Taylor’s solo- something she normally loved- she noticed the way he looked at Jody. It was awfully reminiscent of the way he used to look at her. She knew immediately how Jody felt, and in that moment Natalie wanted nothing more than to go home, curl up in bed, and cry. Taylor wasn’t hers anymore. Seeing the girl he was all but in love with made her heart cry. Natalie looked down at Ezra and saw that he was tired.
“You wanna go home?” she asked Ezra. Ezra shook his head unconvincingly.
“I wanna see Daddy,” he muttered as the guys began to play some of their older songs, signifying the near end of the show.
“I think you need to go to sleep.”
Ezra lifted his head and scanned the surrounding area. “Jody doesn’t think I need to go to sleep.”
Shit. Jody was now in a rather uncomfortable situation.
“Uh... I think you should listen to your Mom, Ezra,” Jody said as she tried to duck under the situation. “She’s a very smart lady.”
Now Natalie was more uncomfortable than ever. Not only was Jody attractive, attentive, and kind to everybody, but she was able to actually take Natalie’s side when it came to Ezra. The fact that she had Taylor wrapped around her little finger agitated Natalie just a little bit more than her other traits.
It wasn’t too much longer before the encore was played and the guys exited the stage. Mrs. Hanson came up to make sure everyone had started to make it to the backstage area so they wouldn’t be mobbed. She saw Jody and Natalie interacting and once the shock wore off, she decided that it was time to get everybody to safety.
“You girls ready to go? The show’s over and the crowd’s going to get big pretty soon.”
“Yeah,” Jody said as she backed away from the balcony edge. “You coming, Natalie?”
“You go. I’ll stick around for a moment,” was the reply.
“OK. See you later then,” Jody said as she passed Mrs. Hanson, who offered a meek smile for comfort.
Once Jody was out of earshot, Mrs. Hanson spoke. “You OK, Nat?”
Natalie nodded and shifted Ezra, who had since fallen asleep. “Just fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Mrs. Hanson sighed. She knew this wasn’t easy for Natalie, but somehow she came up empty for words to say.
Chapter 17
Index
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