When I reluctantly popped open my eyes, Bella pounced on me. “Oomph, easy, Bells,” I grunted.

“Wake up time,” she ordered. She propped her elbows on the mattress while swinging her legs back and forth.

I groaned. My idea of when it was time to get up and hers was much, much different. Of course, there was no way in hell I would be able to get up in front of her. Boxers or no boxers, there would be too much explaining to do, and she was just the kind of inquisitive kid to want to know what was going on below my waist. Shifting my hand under the covers, I winced as I cupped myself to keep the sheet from tenting.

Cocking her head, Bella’s dark eyes curiously surmised me. “Do you have a boo-boo on your pee-pee?”

Fuck me, was this seriously happening? How the hell was I supposed to answer that question without it resulting in AJ kicking my ass? Pausing for a moment, I tried to find a way to work her question to my advantage. “Um, yeah, I do. Hurts pretty bad, too. So I better lie here a little while longer and let it get better.” When she started to crawl onto my bunk, I shook my head. “No, don’t wait for me. You go on and get some breakfast.”

After a moment’s contemplation, Bella asked, “Want Mommy to come kiss it and make it better?”

“Oh, hell no!” I cried, jerking my arm over my eyes to try to bleach out the mental image of Mia anywhere near my dick. Sure, Mia was fine as hell, but she was AJ's wife and a mother. You just don't fantasize about a chick once you've accidentally walked in on her breastfeeding.

Since both her father and mother had mouths like sailors, Bella didn’t even bother chastising me for cursing like Jude and Melody would have. Instead, she frowned. “Why not? When I have boo-boos, Mommy makes it feel better when she kisses it.”

“AJ!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs. At this point, I didn’t care if I woke up baby Gaby. I needed him to get Bella out of here ASAP.

Thankfully, he appeared almost instantaneously to put me out of my misery. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Bella beat me to it. “Unca Weese feels bad because he has a boo-boo on his pee-pee. Why don’t you kiss it and make it better, Daddy?”

AJ’s dark eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he didn’t manage to get any words out. Finally, he sputtered, “N-No I will not be kissing his…pee-pee!” He then turned his wrath on me. “What the hell are you doing talking about your pee-pee with my daughter?” he demanded.

I held up my hands defensively, but then quickly dropped one when I realized I needed to keep one hand on the blanket. “I didn’t bring it up; she did. Right after she busted in on me trying to hide my morning wood.”

Scrunching up his nose, AJ’s expression morphed into one of disgust and anger. “Jesus, dude, would you tone it down? You’re on the bus with my kids.”

Rolling my eyes, I snapped, “Like I have any control over that shit.”

While AJ opened his mouth to argue with me, Bella tugged his hand. Her lips had pulled down in a frown. “But why won’t you kiss his pee-pee, Daddy?”

“Because you just don’t kiss pee-pees! Ever!” He gave her a serious look. “You certainly shouldn’t now and especially not even when you’re older.”

I couldn’t help the snort that escaped my lips. “Yeah, right, like you would want Mia to adopt that mantra,” I muttered under my breath.

He shot me a death glare while Bella threw up her little hands dramatically, looking a lot like her mother when she was frustrated. “Fine. I’s only twying to help.” When she started to stomp away, AJ snatched her up and started tickling her, causing her to dissolve into giggles. “Stop, Daddy.”

“Not so fast, mija. What have Mommy and I said to you about respecting other people’s privacy when we’re on the road?”

Squirming in AJ’s arms, she replied, “That I’s sposed to call for them or knock and then wait for someone to come out. Not budge in thewe.”

“Barge in,” AJ corrected.

“Wight,” Bella replied solemnly.

“But did you wait for Uncle Rhys to come out of his roost?” Doing her best to avoid the question, Bella stared down at the floor like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. That caused AJ to put on what I liked to joke was his stern “Daddy Face.” “Isabella Sofia, answer me.”

“No,” she replied softly. Her gaze went from the floor to mine. “I just wanted to see Unca Weese,” she replied, her bottom lip trembling.

Almost instantaneously that often dormant soft spot within me ached at her sad little face. Out of all the Runaway Train guys, I was probably the least kid friendly. But then there were times when my bandmates’ kids totally got to me. And this was one of those moments.

Dangling my legs over the side of the roost, I pulled myself into a sitting position. Once I was sure the sheet was still covering me adequately, I said, “It’s okay, Bella. Don’t cry.”

When she started the sniffling, I grimaced. Dammit, there was nothing I hated more than when chicks resorted to crying. Seeing Bella cry was pure agony. “I sowwy, Unca Weese. Don’t be mad at me,” Bella said, grinding the tears from her eyes.

Leaning forward, I patted her leg. “Aw, I’m not mad at you, sweetheart. Just don’t do it again, okay?”

“I pwomise.”

AJ glanced between me and his daughter, and then his expression softened. He kissed the top of Bella’s head. “All right, go on and get your breakfast.”

Bella placed a smacking kiss on AJ’s cheek before he let her down. As she went tearing down the hallway, she questioned at the top of her lungs, “Mommy, what’s mowning wood?”

At the sound of Mia’s shriek of horror, AJ groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. “Maybe having Mia and the girls out on tour wasn’t the best idea in the world.”

I laughed. “I think it was going fine until Bella achieved mastery in comprehension and talking.”

He nodded glumly. “And there’s no speaking over her head. She picks up everything that is said. I’m surprised she’s not asking Mia if she kisses my pee-pee.”

“Give her time.”

“Ugh.”

“AJ!” Mia called.

“Guess it’s time to face the music,” he muttered.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes to give Mia my apologies. I’m going to go ahead and grab a shower. We’re first up for rehearsal, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

As AJ trudged down the hall to try to explain to Mia why their daughter needed clarification on morning wood, I ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower and shave. Once I finished, I threw on a pair of ratty jeans and a T-shirt. I escaped the confines of the steamy bathroom to find AJ seated at the table with Bella. Mia stood at the stove with Gaby on her hip. As I surveyed them, they looked every bit the picture-perfect family. It was hard to believe they were on a tour bus living a nomadic life for nine months out of the year. Mia hadn’t been convinced that she could do a tour with two children, but the other Runaway Train wives, Abby and Lily, had convinced her and promised that with Jake’s little sister, Allison, along, there would be plenty of help.

Just the thought of Allison sent a raging burn tearing through my chest like an out-of-control wildfire. Shaking my head, I tried to shake myself of the feelings I was experiencing. Masking my emotions with a smile, I called, “Morning.”

“Morning,” Mia echoed. After I eased into the kitchen for some much needed coffee, I leaned over and gave eleven-month-old, Gaby, a kiss on one of her chubby cheeks. She grinned and kicked her legs, looking more and more like Bella’s mini-me.

In a low voice, I said to Mia, “Sorry about Bella hearing me say morning wood.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m becoming resigned to the fact that my daughters will have the foulest mouths in school.” Tilting her head, she added, “Maybe I should think about homeschooling, like Lily does.”

“There are worse things in life than foul-mouthed daughters, I suppose,” I mused.

“I guess so.” After I poured a steaming cup of coffee, Mia asked, “Want some pancakes?”

“Sure, I’d love some if you don’t mind.”

She smiled. “Of course I don’t.”

Leaning back against the counter, I returned her smile. “I just know that like me, you’re not a morning person.”

Mia laughed. “That’s so true. Trust me, if you had told me three years ago, I’d enjoy cooking breakfast, of all meals, in a cramped tour bus kitchen, I would’ve thought you were crazy as hell. But here I am.”

“Love makes you do crazy things, huh?” I asked.

A dreamy expression came over her face as she gazed past me to where Bella had climbed into AJ’s lap as they colored a picture together. “Yeah, it does.”

After I grunted disdainfully, I said, “That’s exactly why I plan on never being in love.”

Shifting Gaby to her other hip, Mia wagged a finger at me. “Oh Rhys, I can’t wait to see what happens to you when that special lady finally gets her hooks in you.”

A funny feeling rippled through my chest, causing me to rub my pec. It was almost the very same place where I’d had the chest burn earlier. “Whatever,” I mumbled, turning to head to the table.

“Wait, could you do me a huge favor?”

“Depends,” I replied, after taking a scalding swig of coffee.

She smacked me playfully on the arm before she picked up a bottle off the counter. “Can you run these eardrops over to Jake and Abby’s bus? Jules has had a nasty earache, and they ran out this morning.”

“Will you have me some extra crispy bacon to go with my pancakes when I get back?” I asked, giving her my best pleading expression.