Page 57 of Accidental Fire
We’d walked around the venue the previous night and heard a lot of bands, but in my opinion, they didn’t begin to measure up to Accidental Fire. The guys slept on the bus at the venue, and River and I slept in my truck. The roadies had gone into town and stayed at a motel, and the security team had slept in shifts in a tent they put up between the bus and the truck. It had been an all-hands-on-deck night, and I had a fantastic time.
“You’re going to blow them away, sweetheart. You’ve done this before, so show them what you guys can do now.” I kissed the top of his head and then spun him around to kiss his lips.
Black Sabbath was blasting through the speakers as Allen and the guys wheeled out the backdrop and drum kit, both mounted on rolling platforms. JD, Goldie, Arlo, Hardy, and River were standing in a circle with their arms around each other, and it looked as though Hardy was leading them in a prayer, which was a new thing I’d noticed when they were at Brooklyn Bowl in Vegas. Whatever they needed to do to keep Riv from throwing up before he got on the stage.
“Okay, I think we’re ready.” I turned to see the emcee for the event standing at Goldie’s mic, reading from the piece of paper in his hand.
“Let me give you some information. This performance is being recorded and filmed for an upcoming special release, so mind your manners. Again, I’ll remind you not to throw shit at the band, and there are security guards in the mosh to keep everyone safe. If they haul you out for any reason, you will be banned from the rest of the festival and possibly arrested. Keep that in mind but have a great time.” He folded the paper and shoved it into the pocket of his shorts.
On my left, Hardy was stretching, while on my right, River was jumping up and down, shaking his hands in the air. I started to walk over to him, but Olive grabbed my hand. “It’s okay, Daddy Bear. He’s psyching himself up to wow the crowd. The energy ishigh at these large outdoor events, so it’s good that he’s able to read the room, so to speak, and amp up to meet the energy.”
I laughed at her reference to calling me “Daddy Bear,” but I knew in my heart I’d be whatever River needed me to be. How he’d gotten into my heart so fast still amazed me, though we had been hanging out since mid-June, and it was mid-October, so maybe it wasn’t that soon? Anyway, when it was right, you knew, or so I believed.
Coaster helped Riv put on the replica Gibson Les Paul electric guitar like the one Slash used. River ran his fingers over the neck as he took a handful of Accidental Fire guitar picks from the box Coaster held and shoved them into the pocket of his black leather pants. His shirt was a teal blue linen that was unbuttoned midway down his chest, and he was wearing a pair of cheap sunglasses I’d bought him in a souvenir shop in Vegas.
He turned my way and slid the glasses down his nose, looking over the top of them. My sexy rocker motioned for me to come over, so I hurried around the numerous bodies behind the stage and stopped next to him, where Coaster was plugging in the speaker wire.
“You okay? You ready? What do you need? They put water out there, but I’ve got a bunch of bottles in that trash can, courtesy of Masterson Management.” I babbled nervously as I pointed to the right where I had a stack of towels waiting by the white trash can filled with water bottles and ice.
Riv tugged on the front of my Accidental Fire T-shirt, so I stepped closer. “I love you. I’m so happy you’re here with me right now. Thank you for taking this wild ride with me.”
I gently kissed his lips as he strummed a chord on his guitar that brought a cheer from the crowd. “I’m lucky to be here to share this with you. I love you too.” I kissed him again, placing my hand on the side of his neck.
When I pulled away, he smiled. “When we get finished, I want to go straight to the truck. I want you to fuck me, Kit. I want you inside me.”
“What?” The disbelief was obvious in my tone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage,Accidental Fire!”
The crowd went wild, and River winked at me before he walked out on stage playing the introduction to a Heart song, “Barracuda.” It was something he’d been doing when he rode with me—learning the openings of a bunch of classic rock songs, and I was amazed at how fast the kid could pick them up.
I stepped over to the side where I could see my guy out there playing hard before he transitioned to “Don’t You Wanna Know?” The whole band played like crazy, and I was beyond proud of him and how far the band had come since that first concert in Los Angeles.
A hand squeezed my shoulder, so I turned around to see Nate standing next to me. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming.” I gave him a hug and we both watched the band as they shone.
“My new stars? How could I not? They’re going to get a surprise today.”
After they finished the song, Goldie stepped up to his mic. “Welcome to our release party! Our new double album,Fan the Flames, Live, is out today! We recorded it on the tour, and here’s a song from the metal album. It’s called ‘Bird.’” The fans roared. I saw three members of the security team standing in front of the stage between the stage and the barriers, holding back the crowd, and they were on alert because the crowd was going nuts.
Olive and someone I didn’t know hurried up the stairs to stand with Nate and me. “This is Michele from RIAA. She’s ready when you are, Nate.”
I turned to see Michele from RIAA—whatever that was—standing to the side, her gaze locked on the band. She washolding a frame in her hands as she bobbed her head in time with the beat of “(Like a) Bird.”
When the song was over, Nate turned to Olive and nodded, so she, Michele, and Nate walked onto the stage. Olive took Goldie’s mic and handed it to Nate, who stepped to the front of the stage.
“Hardy, Arlo, come on over here. Guys, gather around.” He turned to the crowd and offered his record exec smile. “Hello, Rocktoberfest! I’m Nathan Ashby, president of Sound Wave Studios. This is Michele Ortega, Vice President of the Recording Industry Association of America. Those are the people who… Well, I’ll let Michele explain it.”
Nate took the frame from Michele and gave her the mic. “Hello. I’m here on behalf of the RIAA to award Accidental Fire their first gold record in the rock-and-roll category. This gold record is representative of five hundred thousand sales on digital platforms for their first digital single, ‘I’ll Find You,’ from the streaming EP,Start the Fire.” Nate flipped the picture frame to show the gold record with artwork fromStart the Fireand a fancy certificate with the name of the EP and the single.
River slung his guitar over his shoulder, as did JD, and they had a group hug as they jumped up and down. The crowd roared, and my heart swelled.
I was so proud of them. They’d come a long way, and I knew they still had a long way to go. Being beside River as he thrived in life was a gift I hadn’t anticipated getting in my life. I couldn’t wait to witness it and love him through the journey.
Chapter Twenty-Two
River
When we left the stage, we were all beyond excited.A gold record?Who the fuck would have imagined it a year ago?
