While I stared at them, Anna and the girls approached me. Gibson wrapped her arms around my waist, while Onnika held her hands out and asked for me. I picked up the miniature version of my wife and squeezed her tight. This is what matters. Anna tenderly laid her fingers on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Griffin. I know how badly you wanted this.”

Opening my eyes, I shook my head. “I wanted this more.” I squeezed Onnika and wrapped an arm around Gibson for emphasis. Anna crooked a smile. Wondering just what she thought of our future now, I set Onnika down; she immediately started playing with the half foot of confetti piled on the stage. Facing Anna, I grabbed her hands. “I didn’t win, I’m not a D-Bag anymore.”

She shrugged. “You’ll always be a D-Bag to me.”

With a sigh, I looked down. “Do you still want to be with me if I’m not in a band, if I have a regular, crap-paying job?”

Removing her hand from mine, Anna lifted my chin so I’d look at her. “Griffin, it was never about the band, it was never about the money. It was about us being team, us being honest…that was what mattered to me. Feeling like I was important to you was what mattered to me. And I finally feel that way. So yes, crap job or not, I still want to be with you.” She laced our fingers together and stepped forward until we were touching. “Always.”

Grinning, I gave her a soft kiss. “At least the sequestering part is over with. We can do a lot more than just talk now.”

She laughed as she returned my kisses. “But I like the talking,” she said, her voice husky.

“I do too, but I’m ready to go home.” My tone started out playful, but ended up serious. I’d missed her. So much.

“Go home…where?” she tentatively asked.

Pulling back, I looked her in the eye. “Wherever you are, that’s my home.”

Smiling, she leaned in to kiss me again. After several long moments, our kids wanted our attention again. Gibson was practically crawling up my pant leg, so I picked her up, then skillfully, I picked up Onnika too. I half expected them to start fighting in my arms, but maybe having taken my “be nice” message to heart, Gibson handed Onnika some confetti. Onnika smiled and told her, “Tank you.”

As the four of us started walking off the stage, Anna sighed. “You know…I’ll kind of miss this stage. It was…fun.” She looked back at me with a playful gleam, and I knew she wasn’t talking about the show.

My grin was devilish. “Yeah, it was. We might have to crash a D-Bags show so we can spread some ‘luck’ on their stage.”

Anna laughed. Oh yeah…we were so going to christen their tour. I had no doubt in my mind. I set the kids down as we approached the steps. They were heavier than I remembered. Anna held Gibson’s hand while I held Onnika’s. As I helped Onnie down the stairs, Anna tossed out, “Oh, before I forget…something happened on that stage that I haven’t had a chance to tell you about yet.”

I looked back at her, curious. “Oh yeah, what? Were we filmed?” I smiled, hoping she said yes—that would be one fucking hot sex tape.

Anna grinned but shook her head. “No…but you kind of, sort of knocked me up. I’m due in May.”

I stumbled off the last step and nearly knocked Onnika over. “You…we…what?”

Laughing, Anna let go of Gibson and slung her arms around my neck. “We’re going to have another baby,” she told me. A glowing happiness was in her eyes when she said it.

Still thrown off by the multiple recent shocks, I felt like I wasn’t understanding her words. “We made a baby onstage?” When she smiled and nodded, I looked around and shouted, “We made a baby onstage!”

Fans and crew members were still milling about, along with Liam and the guys, and the rest of my family was still in the audience, waiting to console me and congratulate Liam. They all looked my way after hearing my exclamation. I saw more than a few puzzled expressions, then my mom screamed, “I’m gonna be a grandma again!” and I knew they understood.

Exhilaration lifted me. I didn’t know what Anna and I were going to do, and I still had money problems to deal with, but I felt more hopeful than I had in a long time. I had Anna, and she had me, and our family was about to get bigger and better. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

Liam left L.A. the same day I did, a few days after the contest ended. I’d wanted to leave earlier to be with Anna, who’d had to return to her job as soon as she could, but I’d also wanted to say goodbye to my family here. I wouldn’t be returning. Not to live, at any rate. My home was in Seattle, with my wife and children.

Mom and Dad drove Liam and me to the airport. Mom went on and on about how proud she was of both of us. She started almost every sentence with “Now, I know you didn’t win, Griffin, but…” I wished she’d stop prefacing everything with those words. I was fine with the way everything had gone down. Liam was out of his freaking mind with cheer. He practically bounced off the walls in the car.

“We’re gonna start working on a new album right away. The guys want to get me out there, get me accepted. Then there will be tours, promotional stuff, TV gigs…ugh! This is all so awesome!”

His excitement made me laugh. It reminded me of how I’d felt when the D-Bags had first gone on Justin’s tour. It was a high, that was for sure…but it was nothing compared to knowing that Anna would be home, waiting for me when I got there. Just thinking of the upcoming alone time with my wife was giving me a boner. How long was this fucking flight?