We continued with the tour and I knew what was coming next. My father had taken the lead. He loved showing people the next space and up until now, Jett had been dead quiet except for a soft hello. He had been star-struck and clammed up, but he was also not one to chatter on aimlessly.
I knew from experience when you started talking music or he was playing, the kid transformed. And that was exactly what happened.
My dad threw open the door to a state-of-the-art music studio and Jett looked like he hit the million-dollar jackpot.
“Oh boy, we lost him, Ruby,” Gramps said. “Jett’s going to move in here and never come home.”
Everyone laughed and then my father and Jett started walking around as my dad showed him everything. The kid was like a jack-in-the-box musical wind-up toy. His excitement built, and his words came out faster and faster until he exploded.
I wondered if I’d be the only one going back to the hotel that night. Jett may hide in the studio, Gramps in the gun room, and Ruby locked in the bathroom.
“After dinner, we’ll come back and record some songs,” my dad told Jett.
“Wow, are you serious? Holy—” He caught himself in time and gave Ruby a sheepish grin. “That would be killer. I’ve got to go call Patience and tell her. I just wish she could see it. Would it be okay if I Facetime her later when we come back?” he asked.
“You bet,” my dad told him.
I was shocked when Jett left the room to call the girl. I didn’t ever think we’d get him out of there.
We wandered back toward the kitchen and the heavenly smell of my mom's stew hit my nose. It was one of my favorite things she made along with the homemade bread she served with it. My mouth watered for a taste.
Dinner was great and Ruby had come out of her shell. The conversation was good, except for the embarrassing stories my mother told about me from when I was a child. But seeing my girl laugh was worth it.
Later, watching Jett record with both of my parents was incredible. My mother and father were blown away by his talent like I’d known they would be. They offered to even help him talk to some people in the business if he ever was interested or record there with the label they’d created themselves.
He thanked my parents numerous times, he also thanked me for bringing him. I’d been happy to do it. Jett was important to me too. He and Gramps both.
Before I knew it, the night had flown by and it was time for us to go. Everyone was getting up early to meet with Autumn in the morning.
Hugs were dished out and a promise to come back soon was made, along with a promise from my parents that they would come see us.
And just as I imagined, Ruby had won the hearts of my parents and they’d won hers.
I caught my mom's eye at the last minute and I could tell she was practically planning our wedding already.
I wasn’t sure she was the only one. I had on more than one occasion thought about tying Ruby to me forever.
Because I couldn’t imagine a life without her.
* * *
We’d only been backat the hotel for a short while and Jett was in a mood.
While he wasn’t always smiling and bursting with joy, he’d been so much better lately than when I first met him. Even Ruby commented on the change. I knew he would have loved to stay and mess around in the studio more, but he wasn’t the type to act up about something like that.
There was something else wrong.
Ruby was settling Gramps into his room so he could go to sleep. It had been a late night for him. She always liked to make sure he was fine and had everything he needed even though he grumbled that he could do all of it on his own. It was her way of taking care of him like he and her grandmother had taken care of her.
We had a two-room suite and Jett was sleeping in the living area on the pull-out couch where he could watch television. That was where he was sitting, busy on his phone when I wandered over.
“Is everything okay?”
He was distracted, frantically typing out a message, and didn’t answer me.
The look on his face got my Spidey senses rolling and I knew that whatever was happening was a lot bigger than two kids their age should probably be worried about.
“Jett, what’s going on, bud?”
