Chapter 438) Shapes

“Welcome to showbiz, where half you see is BS and the other half is lies, illusions wrapped up in some real talent and lots of smoke and mirrors, in some cases even the talent is, thanks to autotune.”

– Blaine Cameron

Del Sol Valley
Concert Venue

The sniffling and sobbing finally seized so Scarlett released Sophie, gently stroking across her wet cheeks with an encouraging smile.

“There, there now, all better. It’s not so bad at all. Just those evil pregnancy hormones doing a number on you.”

“Must be, cos what the fuck were those fountain works for? You are here to watch your man in action, concert’s going swimmingly, should be happy tears but sure as fuck don’t sound like those. I know my performance usually gives the ladyfolk all sorts of emotions, but ugly-face sobbing isn’t really something for the award shelf.” Blaine said.

“BLAINE!” Scarlett reprimanded her big-mouthed husband, while turning to him as she was shaking her head at him.

“What?! It’s a serious question to my … my … niece? Nah, you’re not a niece, is she, Letty?” Blaine looked confused. All his life he had troubles figuring out family relationships and with as large, complex and convoluted the Cameron family tree had become, he was usually hopelessly lost.

“Oh, good grief Blaine. No, Sophie is not your niece, she is Liam’s niece, so you are barely related to her by marriage. In order to have true nieces and nephews you need siblings and last I heard; you are still an only child. That being said, what Sophie is, is very distraught, so be nice or you will answer to me. Poor Sophie had a rough enough evening already.”

“What’s rough about her night? Was she on stage or Stryker and I? Speaking off, I was on stage until few minutes ago. So I got no clue what the fuss was about, anyone available for a quick memo? Cliff Notes version appreciated.”

Sniffling, Sophie answered him.

“It was on stage during your duet with Stryker, you were doing your guitar solo while … he … he … there was this girl … and she threw her top at him, and he pulled her on stage and danced with her … in her BRA … and … and … she got all up in his business and he … he … he … did NOTHING!” Sophie sobbed at him.

Frowning, Blaine looked at Scarlett, who shrugged back at him, then he rolled his eyes.

“Is this girl serious, Letty?! THAT got your panties in a bunch, Soph?! Welcome to showbiz, where half you see is BS and the other half is lies, illusions wrapped up in some real talent and lots of smoke and mirrors, in some cases even the talent is, thanks to autotune. That’s what entertainers do, musicians, actors, dancers, … all an illusion, entertainment, like magicians. When I am on that stage, I am someone else, a persona, just like all other musicians. Styker’s an entertainer, I am an entertainer, our literal bread and butter is to entertain the audience by giving them what they want to see and hear. The trick is to keep performing and still stand out in the crowd of talent, by any means necessary. If that groupie creamed her panties over Stryker giving her a minute of his time, so be it. Betcha she’ll run straight to the overpriced merch stand and buy all the shit up! Ka-ching in your pockets. Someone needs to pay for all them babies you guys keep having.” Blaine told her unimpressed.

“You do that too? With the girls?!” she asked, but then looked at Scarlett instead, who nodded.

“Yes, he does, and I get you better than you think, all this used to be the bane of my existence. And even if he does not, some of those girls just try and take what they think should be theirs. I cannot count on all my fingers and toes the times I accompanied Blaine on tour and we found a bunch of naked girls in his hotel room. I had been with him all day except on stage, so I knew he didn’t invite them there.” Scarlett told her bluntly.

Blaine laughed, while Sophie’s eyes got wide.

“And you didn’t mind?”

“Of course I mind and I made sure they knew how much I minded as I quickly uninvited them. I minded them right out the door, naked as they were, tossing their clothing down the hall for them to fetch! But Blaine pulling some fan on stage and giving her a moment she will never forget, well, no, I don’t really mind that so much anymore. Comes with loving a musician. Actors have the same thing going on, as I know from Blake and Mila and their kids, and now some of their kids want to follow in that career path. Soph, have you ever heard the expression ‘he can get his appetite wherever as long as he eats at home’? I promise you; Blaine has always eaten at home.” Scarlett told her.

Nodding, Blaine added.

“Oh yeah, Blaine always eats at home like a good boy, your food is the best there is. All them other chicks could take lessons from you. And before anyone jumps to conclusions here, there was a time before Scarlett where I have sown some wild oats, pretty fuzzy in my mind cos I don’t give a shit anymore, but I do recall it wasn’t THIS good!”

“Yeah, but … you know … that IS the problem! I am never sure if Stryker always …. ‘eats at home’. There have been times, in the very beginning when he … umm .. ate out. Multiple times.”

Blaine was quick to dismiss her worries.

“Yeah, when he was still getting trashed and zoned out on drugs all the damn time, I betcha he wouldn’t have done that had he been sober and clear. If I do one thing it is keep an eye on our Stryker, for your and his sake, but also cos he’s my investment and I can’t have him fucking up tours cos he goes and spends a few years at Club Fed for breaking his deferred sentence or makes really damaging headlines for getting divorced from the mother of his almost 6 kids cos he tripped and fell dick first into some rando chicks. If I see some chick looking a little too interested when we’re not on stage, I use my natural charm to send them running. But nah, Stryker’s the only one touching is junk when he’s away from you and exhibits 4,5 and 6 are growing inside of you where he goes to put out. And he is clean and doesn’t drink. Probably can’t afford it with all them babies you keep sprouting.”

“BLAINE CAMERON! You started out so strong – well, by your standards. But no jokes about having a lot of kids! Not from you! You knocked me up plenty and I never wanted kids after Vivien!”

Blaine smirked, while Scarlett slapping him hard on the butt, when Sophie spoke up again.

“Yeah, but you are so beautiful, Scarlett. Blaine would be an idiot if you looked for someone else. If I looked like you, I would be less worried too. I was always on the pudgy side and it just keeps getting worse and every time a baby is out of the worst and I wanna excercise – BAM – pregnant again. Being a chef and loving all that domestic stuff doesn’t do my figure any favors.”

Sighing defeatedly, Scarlett just facepalmed herself, so Blaine responded instead.

“You are looking at this all wrong, Sophie. If Stryker didn’t like the menu at home, you wouldn’t be knocked up all the time. Trust me, that man is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs for your curves. I know you girls like nothing more than to stereotype us boys, but you are wrong sometimes. We don’t all like the same shapes. I like them skinny girls, always have, so sue me. I mean, look at me. There is a big ass concert hall filled with chicks who had multiple orgasms watching me on stage, yet I couldn’t be further from the ideal of a man if I tried, skinny and lanky as fuck, and as a Vampire, I can’t do jack shit about it we can’t chomp down on some donuts and put on pounds. My daddy was built like a bear, but my luck I inherited my namesake aka great-grandpa’s lovely skin and bones physique, that genetics shit skipped two generations just to fuck with me. If I didn’t have rich and famous parents growing up, no way I’d’ve been pulling all that wool, I’d’ve been too busy riding the bench with the rest of the rejects. So, you work with whatcha got. I shake my skinny ass just right, and obviously Letty likes it, just like Stryker evidently loves your fluffy buns, girl.”

“Blaine is right in his painfully and overly blunt way, Sophie. I just had a conversation with my nephew about just that, you know, your brother-in-law, Connell? Your sister Emmy is more of the feminine softer body shape, and he said he just can’t get enough of that. Soft, but firm in all the right places, as he put it. There is a market for every shape out there, and Stryker likes yours.”

“But before me, Stryker dated this REALLY skinny blond girl. She always looked perfect. You’ve seen her, Blaine.”

“Alycia? Yeah, I have seen her and I’d use the term blond carefully – I bet those curtains ain’t matching them drapes! When he’s not drugged up, drunk and destitute, she’s not even on Styker’s radar, he’s actually a pretty smart guy, at least smart enough not to risk losing you and all he has now for some golddigger with itchy breeches. I often sit next to him on the tour bus when he’s dreaming out loud about your … well … censored things. Good thing I am not easily offended or squeamish about female anatomy and things a man likes to do with it.”

“Oh. He dreams of me? REALLY?! Aww! Well, maybe he really does like my curves, he has told me so, I am just afraid that I have a few too many when not pregnant now. I am just soft all over these days. Hmm. Even Stryker’s mom dropped some hints about my weight.”

“Because she is his mom and no girl is ever good enough for your boys. Many moms fall into that trap. I know that story all too well. Blaine’s mother used to nitpick me apart ten ways till Sunday and back again!” Scarlett sighed.

Blaine laughed.

“Yeah, my mom was a firecracker from hell, uber-protective of her ‘rainbow baby’ – me. Oh, good old Maeve was a force to be reckoned with when mad, but so is my wife. Those two had some fun tangoes before they decided to become besties.”

“Maeve and I were never besties, Blaine. We got along. Because of you. I cannot make that abundantly clear!”

Grinning at Sophie, while pointing at Scarlett, Blaine said.

“See? I know I lucked out with my mother-in-law, she is the personification of Zen, our Breana. Actually, my father-in-law is pretty cool too most of the time. Letty drew the ass-card, having to deal with my feisty mom and the dad I inherited my talent, gutter mind and potty mouth from.” he chuckled.

“For me, Maeve was a learning experience, it taught me to not do that to any girls my boys brought home. Blake, my bonus child from Blaine’s previous marriage, he was a very good kid, only tested us a little bit once, now he’s been happily married for decades and about to retire from acting. Our sweet Chase was such a nerd growing up, everyone was just too shocked he actually found a girl at all, and Hailey has always been like a daughter to us, it was love at first sight with her and Blaine in a father-daughterly kind of way, cos that girl can cleverly counter his mischief like nobody else can. Our Gavin … yeah .. that was a true test. Bianca is lovely, but a bit of a bimbo, which doesn’t help Gavin’s lack of motivation to do anything except mooch off us. Here is the important part, Sophie: hypothetically speaking – if Stryker had to choose between his mother and you, how confident are you he’d pick you over her?”

“Oh my God, 100%! The trick is to keep Stryker wanting to see his mom. Their relationship has much improved, but they used to not be able to be in the same room without feathers flying. Even now, she keeps stroking all his pet peeves. I know he’d pick me.”

Stryker now appeared, walking right into the final part of Sophie’s reply.

“Who’d pick ya? Do I need to fight some dude now too? Just got off stage, adrenaline is still pumping hard. Who is that fool who wants my girl?”

“You are!” Sophie smiled as he hugged her, not minding his sweatiness from performing on stage for the past 2+ hours.

“Well, that is damn true. All day long and twice on Sunday.”

“Yeah, we know kid. Your nursery at home is overflowing with proof.” Blaine laughed.

“Well, Blaine, lemme just say this, 4 pregnancies are not a bad fallout for all the exercise my girl and I get. No wonder all birth control eventually quits on us. I mean, look at my girl with her pregnancy glow. HMMM HMMM. Doing everything I can not to let the adrenaline rush get the best of me and drag her off to the shower with me now.” Stryker grinned, while snaking his arm around Sophie’s expanding waistline, as he pulled her closer to him.

“There you have it, Sophie, just like Blaine and I told you. We’ll leave you to it then.” Scarlett winked at Sophie.

“Yeah, kid, good show tonight, but try to not make your after show event extra-pregnant now. I am gonna need you at full speed again at some point, without pre-natal and post-natal appointments to schedule around. Let’s call it a day after this pregnancy, okay?”

Scarlett kissed his cheek, then pulled him with her.

“Baby, you and I are NOT the type to give such advice to anyone. Not with our track record …”