“You’re up next, brother,” I said to Cole.
He smiled and nodded. “Okay, see if you know this one.” He startedWonderwallby Oasis. As I listened to him sing the lyrics, I couldn’t help but find his and Patrick’s story in them, and it made me wonder if he chose it on purpose.
I glanced over at Patrick as he watched Cole sing the song to him. They looked at each other as if no one else was in the room. When the song ended, they held each other’s gaze for a beat, speaking a language only they understood.
That might have been the moment I saw with my own eyes the power music could have on someone. It was a powerful lover and lived on in your memory when the music ended. It said things people might not otherwise be able to say.
The spell was broken when my father spoke.
“That was transformative, Cole. You should really see if you could get the rights to re-record that one.”
He nodded and looked down as he strummed his guitar. “Yeah, maybe I should.”
My dad smiled at him. “If you need some help, I’ve got a few connections in LA.”
Cole smiled and nodded without replying.
“Okay, one more,” my father said to me. “What’s next?”
I stared at my father and tried to commit every minute of this to memory. I looked at my best friend and the love of his life. My eyes moved on and found the only parents I’d ever known before moving over to the two men who’d claimed me as theirs.
My gaze finally landed on Michael, smiling at me like I was one of the greatest things he’d ever seen. And I knew what I had to choose.
Through all of that, somehow, I didn’t notice the tears leaking down my face until I saw Michael’s eyes tear up.
“Thank you,” I whispered to him, then turned back to my father, who also had a few happy tears.
Looking down at my guitar, I thought about the words to the song I was about to sing, and how fitting they were. I played the first few bars, then Cole came in, followed by my father.
“‘Loving can hurt. Loving can hurt sometimes…’” I sang. I closed my eyes and sangPhotographby Ed Sheeran. I felt Michael’s hand on my back as Cole and I harmonized.
When the song ended, I looked around and took this mental photograph. I’d never let it go.
My dads flew back to Long Beach a few days later. It was difficult for both of us to say goodbye. We both teared up out on the curb at PDX, and promised to see each other in San Francisco.
“I love you, Adam. Never forget that,” he said.
I sniffed and laughed. “I love you too, Dad. Never forget that.”
He kissed my forehead, then hugged the shit out of me before he caught up to Logan inside the departures area.
I turned to find Michael leaning against the car. He’d given us a minute to say goodbye, but when I turned to him, he opened his arms for me to walk in to them.
“I feel like such a baby,” I whined into his neck.
He ran his big hand up and down my back and held me close. “No, babe. For the first time in your life, you’re experiencing what a parent’s unconditional love feels like.”
I pulled back and looked at him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so happy you’re mine.”
“Ditto,” he replied, lightening the moment. “Let’s go home, Rockstar. We’ve got a very long trip to start packing for.”
CHAPTER30
MICHAEL
Two daysbefore we were scheduled to leave on tour, I was headed to drop Adam off at the studio to rehearse, then to run some errands before heading into the office.
“What’s the plan for today?” I asked as we climbed into the Tahoe.
