It took me damn near thirty seconds to understand what he was saying. Needless to say, Liam figured it out first. “We’re both in? We both get to stay?” When Matt nodded, Liam snapped his gaze to me. “We’re both D-Bags, bro!”

I was so stunned, all I could think to say was, “Well, yeah, I could have told you that.”

Anna ran up to me from behind and wrapped her arms around my stomach. She was laughing, crying, and screeching, all at the same time. I was still in shock, but once it finally sunk in, I twisted to hold her. “Anna, I did it! I’m in!” Laughing, Anna nodded. A thought occurred to me and I twisted back to Matt. “Am I bass? Or is Liam?”

Liam stopped jumping up and down once he heard my question. Eyes curious, he twisted to hear Matt’s answer. Matt pointed at him. “Liam’s on bass.” A corner of Matt’s lip curled up. “We were thinking about adding a second lead guitar.”

Smiling wide, Evan nodded. “And extra vocals.”

Already stunned with today’s turn of events, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Second lead? Holy shit! But…vocals? I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “Extra vocals? What’s that mean?”

Kellan finished his champagne and set his glass on the tray. “That thing you did with our songs…adding the rap segments…that was seriously amazing. We’re thinking about incorporating it into our sound.”

Was I dreaming? I had to be…real life didn’t map out this perfectly. Just in case I wasn’t, I asked for clarification. “You want me to rap? On stage? To D-Bags songs? And play second lead?”

All the three guys nodded after every question I asked. I was speechless. I was choked up with emotion. I was humbled and gracious. I was ecstatic. I was…relieved. Finally, when I could manage a few words, I spat out, “Thank you.” Even though it was nowhere near enough, it was the only thing I could think to say.

Kellan clasped me in a hug, and then Evan and Matt. Then Liam, Jenny, and even Rachel. I felt numb as I patted each of them on the back. I’d gone so high then I’d sunk so low…I’d never expected to wind up with everything I’d always wanted. But the way I’d gotten it felt cleaner than how I’d attempted to go about getting it before. Back then, I’d been a selfish, spoiled brat who’d basically demanded a bunch of crap I hadn’t earned, then I’d thrown a tantrum when I hadn’t gotten it. But now, well, I wasn’t sure I deserved it, but it was being offered to me, and I was graciously going to accept it.

I was handed back to my wife after all the well-wishers had given me their congratulations. I clamped on to her like she was fresh air and I couldn’t breathe. “Can you believe this, Anna? We’re gonna be okay.”

She ran her fingers through my hair while she held me. It calmed me. “I knew we would be, baby. I always knew we would be.” I didn’t see how she could have possibly held on to that belief during all of this, but I didn’t call her on it. Pulling back, Anna stared deep into my eyes. I could have gotten lost in the brilliant jade of hers. “I told you you could do it, Griff. I told you they’d recognize your talent, that they’d give you your chance. You just had to be patient.”

I let out a steadying exhale. She’d been right all along. “Have I told you how amazing you are today? How lucky I am to have you in my life?”

Biting her lip, she nodded. “Yes, once this morning and once on the way here.”

“Good,” I said with a smile. “I don’t want you to ever forget how much you mean to me.”

Anna was silent as we locked gazes with each other, then she leaned down to kiss me. Just as our lips met, I felt a tug on my pant leg. Looking down, I saw Gibson standing with Onnika. While Onnika seemed happy as a clam with a balloon in each hand, Gibson looked confused. “What’s the party for, Daddy?” Her expression brightened. “My birthday?”

Since her birthday was still a ways off, I shook my head. “No. This is for Uncle Liam’s new job…and mine.” I squatted down to her level. “Daddy’s getting his old job back. I’m going to be in a band again. Tour the world with Uncle Liam, Uncle Matt, Uncle Evan, and Uncle Kellan. That cool with you?”

Gibson’s lips pressed into a look of concentration, until finally, she nodded. “Yes. That’s okay. Can Onnie and I come too?” She looked between Anna and me with hope in her eyes.

I glanced up at Anna before returning my eyes to Gibson. “We’ll see, honey. It depends on how Mommy feels. She’s going to have another baby soon. Did you know that?”

Gibson’s face fell. “Another baby? But you just had one.” Her voice was both whiny and incredulous. I laughed at her statement. Onnika wasn’t exactly a baby anymore.

Anna smiled as she looked down at us. “Well, there’s another one coming, so you better start preparing yourself.”

Gibson groaned as she sat down on the confetti-strewn floor. “Goddammit,” she muttered.

I brought my fingers to her chin and made her look up at me. “You’re too young to talk like that. I don’t want to hear any more swearing from you, understand?”

She pursed her lips in annoyance, but she nodded. Anna beamed at me, and I suddenly realized just how much the swearing had bugged her. I made a mental note to try to hold my tongue around little ears more often. Whatever I could do to make Anna happy. She deserved that…and so much more.

Epilogue

Awesome Returns

The first thing the guys and I did was decide the best way to incorporate the new sound. Matt and Evan wanted to focus on new material, but Kellan and I wanted to remix a couple of the most popular D-Bags songs. Liam’s vote ended up being the deciding factor, which instantly made me appreciate having an odd number of members; no more stalemates.

Once we decided on the music, we started practicing it. We met every day, and for once, I didn’t mind. In fact, I would have met twice a day if the guys had asked me to. I was ecstatic for the new album to be out—people were going to flip when they heard it! Plus, the sooner we released it, the sooner I could pay off my debt. Then maybe Anna and I could eat something other than macaroni and cheese or Top Ramen for dinner. I was rapidly getting sick of pasta.

Maybe seeing that I was starting to lose weight, since I generally only ate once a day, Kellan approached me one afternoon when we were done rehearsing for the day. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure,” I said, carefully setting my new guitar on its stand. “Is this about Bella’s gift? ’Cause I know I said I’d get her something when she was born, and I will, it’s just things are a little tight right now. We spent the last of Anna’s paycheck on Gibson’s birthday…but we are so thrilled for you and Kiera.” I elbowed him in the ribs. “Little girls are awesome. You’re gonna love it.”

Kellan gave me one of those smiles that only new dads could create. It was a mixture of pride and exhaustion. Kiera had given birth to their daughter last week, and the entire house was still adjusting to the new addition, but it was a happy adjustment.

Kellan shook his head and clapped my arm. “No, no, don’t even worry about that. Kiera and I don’t care if you get her anything, and honestly, Bella has more stuff than five newborns need.” He pursed his lips as I laughed.

“Get used to it. From my experience, girls accumulate a lot of shit.”

He smiled, then looked around to see if we were alone. “I know things are tight, and I want to help.”

I immediately rejected his offer. “No. Things are the way they are because I was an idiot. I don’t need a bailout for my own stupidity.” Not anymore, not since hope was on the horizon. I just had to suck it up a little longer.

Kellan didn’t back down. “You made amends, you deserve a fresh start.” I could tell by the look in his eye and the way that he was studying my ragged appearance that there was going to be money in my account tomorrow, whether I asked for it or not.