I crawled under and cuddled up to him. I hoped he understood.
We were heading to the stage for a quick sound check before the performance when the text finally came through. Saxon was here but how did he find us? I texted him to meet us at the stage, and he sent a thumbs-up emoji. I stuck my phone in front of Kay’s face, practically touching his nose. I wanted him to get excited.
He took it and held it at a more reasonable distance. “Alright then.”
“That’s all?”
“Calm down, Donny.” He put his hand on top of my head. “You’re going to explode your brain.”
“Maybe.”
We both laughed, ignoring the side eyes some of the other guys were giving us. They were curious, but by now, they had to realize that we sometimes operated in our own little world—literally.
At the stage, the guys were all business, making sure the equipment was perfect along with sound and lighting. It was always more difficult at festivals with little time to fix issues. While they did that, I scanned the crowd for Saxon. He wasn’t hard to spot, since he was nearly a head taller than everyone else. With his light hair and big frame, not to mention a name like Saxon, it was easy to see his heritage. Man looked like a fucking Viking.
I waved my arms, getting his attention, then motioned for him to come around to the side. “This guy’s with me,” I told the security guard.
“He needs to have a pass to get back here.”
“I’m with the band. And he’s with me.” I motioned Saxon closer.
“Still needs the right pass. I don’t make the rules, man.”
“Fine,” I huffed. “Wait here, Saxon, while I get a pass for you.” I immediately typed a text to Coleman. Since Bramble had signed on with Midnight Hunt to manage them, Coleman was their promoter, and he was able to get anything done quickly.
The guys were done with soundcheck and lingered backstage, chatting about what they had planned for the show. I couldn’t get Kay’s attention since he had his back to me, but we had to let him know Saxon was here before they went on, and I worried his pass wouldn’t get here in time, but I shouldn’t have.
“Don!” Harper called out, jogging up to us. “Here, man. Who’s this for?” She was Wolf’s cousin, though he often referred to her as his sister. They’d grown up together. I wasn’t surprised she had brought the pass since she was Coleman’s right-hand chick.
“My, uh, friend Saxon.”
“Spell that for me, please.”
“S-A-X-O-N.”
Harper typed it as I spelled it. “Last name?”
“Uh…”
Saxon leaned in, “Hansen. With an A and an E.”
She winked at him. “Handsome Hansen. Glad to meet you and welcome to the show. Here you go.”
He smiled back but didn’t flirt as he took the pass. I liked that a lot. He was respectful, and of course, it made me grin like a loon.
The security guard scanned the barcode and let him in. “Sorry for the delay, but we can’t be too careful. It’s your performers at risk.” He nodded to the stage.
Kay and Joe turned to look at what was going on, and when Kay recognized Saxon, he jumped and waved. “You’re here!”
Harper shook the guard’s hand and thanked him, while the three of us got reacquainted.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Saxon hugged Kay, lifting him off his feet.
And I didn’t miss how Pierce scowled at us. I held my breath, waiting for him to say something snarky. But he didn’t.
“We ready?” Dave asked, getting everyone’s attention as the stage manager gave us two fingers up, telling them it was time to go on.
The band all circled around and stuck their hands in the middle. Pierce rolled his eyes. “Really, we’re doing this?” I’d almost forgotten that this was the first time they actually played live together.
