Missing You (Sequel to Somewhere In Neverland)

Poppin' Champagne

Marina's POV:

I checked Peter's bag one last time. "I just wanted to make sure you brought pants. Remember your last band trip? How you had to wear all Tuck's pants?"

"Yes. Now overbearing mother, could you be less overbearing?" He asked.

"Never. Especially when you're travelling out of the country for the first time." I ruffled his hair. "What about you, Tuck? Do you have everything? No weed, remember?"

"Yes, Hot Mama, I'm all set." He said. He stayed the night last night to get ready for leaving early this morning.

I wiped the nervous sweat from my forehead. "Okay. I'm gonna go check on your father one last time before Jack and Max get here." I ran down the stairs.

Alex was in Stella's room. "Please be good for your mother. I won't be here to yell at you if you give her a hard time."

"Daddy, you know I'm the easy child." She giggled.

"No, Jimmy and Brian are the easy children. You walk the line." He said.

"At least I don't run across it like Peter." She said.

He ignored the comment. "Can I count on you?"

She sighed. "Yeah, you can count on me." She leaned up and gave him a hug. "I'm gonna miss you a lot. With you and Peter gone, who's gonna reach things on the top shelf?"

"Brian is getting up there." He hugged back. "You're gonna be fine without me, baby girl."

"Okay." Stella sounded so distressed. It reminded me of how scared I was to go on tour and leave my father for the first time. They had a special bond, those two. I mean, Stella was my daughter, but also my best friend. We had this mutual respect and could laugh about girl stuff. But this was Alex's little girl. He never wanted her to grow up. He was scared. He gave into her every demand. She could change his mind on anything. 

"I'm gonna go say goodbye to Jimmy." Alex gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Call me at anytime. I'm gonna call you every day. And next tour, I'll bring you and Jimmy and we can explore Paris like you always wanted to."

"Okay." She sounded teary. "Goodbye, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you, too." He squeezed her a little tighter.

I went to his bag and opened it. Shirts, pants, pjs, socks, underwear, and jackets. He was all set. There was even an extra outfit in teenage boy size, in case the boys packed poorly. I closed it and followed him upstairs.

"How was that?" I asked him.

"Really hard. Stella acts like our rock hard child. The strong one. It's tough to see her break down." He said.

"Get ready for it. The teenage years are coming. They should be called the tear-age years with all the crying over boys and self esteem." I rubbed his back. He was somber.

He walked into Brian's room. His room was a great example of the calmness he exhuberated. Everything clean and dusted. Clothes neatly folded in the dresser. Every baseball and soccer trophy immaculately placed on the shelves. Brian was awake, playing on his phone. He was keeping an eye on the kiddos while I dropped off the boys. "Hey, are you gonna be alright while I'm gone? You gonna be able to be the man of the house?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You know me. Plus Stella and Jimmy are easy." He replied.

"And you're gonna take out the trash and maybe mow the lawn?" Alex asked.

"C'mon, Dad, I already do more than Peter anyway." He chuckled.

"You're probably right." Alex laughed. "I really trust you Brian. If you weren't here, I probably wouldn't be leaving. I know your mother could handle ten kids all by herself, but I'd feel so guilty leaving her with all the responsibility. I don't know what we ever did to deserve you."