I rolled my eyes. “I’m a big girl, babe. You act like I haven’t gone to the House of Blues before.”
“I know, but—”
“For God’s sake, Phil!” snapped Sheri. “Let your woman have some fun! We’ll all be in there together, okay?”
He sighed and kissed me sweetly. “Yeah, all right.”
“Showtime, ladies and germs!” said Flipper. “Who goes first?”
X grabbed Alys’s hand. “Tim, Lewis, and Lili, and then we’ll go. Yeah, baby?”
Alys looked a little pale but plastered a brave smile on her face. “I need a fucking drink.”
“We’ll hit up the bar when we get in,” said Sheri, laughing. “Although, I’d prefer a joint, if I’m being honest.”
“You guys got?” asked Jason.
“Lili, Alys, and Kenna ninja-ed their own stash over,” said Sheri.
Phil scowled down at me.
“Hush,” I told him.
“All right, guys! Let’s do this!” Tim rapped on the window, letting security know we were ready.
The noise of the gathered crowd was like a wave that pounded its way into the interior of the vehicle. After Tim, Lili, and Lewis made their exits, X and Alys hopped out, followed by Flipper and Vivian, Sheri and then Jason. The crowd got significantly louder with his appearance. He snagged her hand in a rare show of possessiveness and waved to the adoring multitudes.
Then, it was our turn.
Phil squeezed my fingers. “I don’t want to share you.”
I smiled. “I think that’s the other way around, babe.”
“I’m glad you wore the hat. Keep it as far down as you can, okay? Paparazzi are mad out there.”
“Okay.”
He got out first, pulling me along after him. When my feet hit the pavement, he wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me in tightly to him. The screams hit a crescendo as Phil waved and smiled, and we headed in with the rest of them.
“Is she Baby Girl?” came the shouts from all over.
“I’ll be your Baby Girl, Phil! I love you!”
Unable to contain it, I started to snicker.
“What’s so funny?” he grumped as we made our way up the wooden walkway.
“You have women lined up out there, offering to be your Baby Girl.”
“Yeah, well, there’s only one, and I found her, so they can fuck off.”
“Oh, come on!” I laughed. “Doesn’t it stroke your ego just a little bit?”
He grinned down at me. “Naw, I got you for that.”
“Pfft!”
Once through the doors, the guys were pretty much whisked away for interviews, autographs, and photo ops, and we were ushered deeper inside.
“Wow! This place is great!” I exclaimed.
It wasn’t New Orleans House of Blues, but it was still a House of Blues. The feel of the place was certainly familiar.
“Let’s go do some shots!” said Lili, looking around for the bar. Then, her eyes grew wide. “Shit!” she hissed. “Of all the times not to bring my fucking camera—you guys! We are surrounded by rock stars!”
“You’ll have your chance tomorrow at the concert and the after-party,” Sheri told her. “Now, let’s go do some shots.”
We opted for the downstairs bar first, throwing back Jägers and getting some beers for chasers. Around us, the crowd was swelling, energy bursting from all corners. We three bayou backwaters were in total awe of our situation, watching the celebrities mingle in with the non-celebrities. There were so many faces I could put names to, and I wanted to meet them all, thank them for sharing their gifts, for creating music that I loved. I just had no idea where to start.
As it turned out, we didn’t have to venture far. A few steps away from the bar, Tara and Robin greeted us enthusiastically with more hugs.
“Come and meet some people!” said Tara, tugging on my hand.
Almost immediately, they introduced us to the lead vocalist, Everett, and lead guitarist, Malcom, of Watchtower, a real good fucking band.
“Everett! Malcom! This is Alys and Lili. You already know Sheri,” started Robin with the introduction.
“Hey, girl!” cried Everett, pulling Sheri into his arms for a huge hug. “How are you?”
Laughing, Sheri hugged him back. “I’m great!”
“You look amazing!” said Malcom, getting his own Sher-Bear hug.
“This is Lewis Lee.” Tara pointed.
Lewis waved.
“The fuckin’ chef?” said Malcom.
“That’s me,” replied Lewis with a smile.
“And Vivian, Flipper’s girl. And this”—Tara grabbed me and pulled me forward—“is Kenna, Phil’s Baby Girl.”
Both of them stared at me in what could only been described as awe.
“Whoa,” breathed Everett. “You’re Baby Girl?”
“It’s what I’ve been told.” I grinned.
“It’s what he’s always called her,” chimed Lili’s voice.