Picture Perfect?

DEVLIN'S POV :

"Dat , Ma ?", Liam inquires , pointing upward .
I look , and say , " Those are lights , Sprout . They help everybody see what Daddy and your uncles are doing ."
He looks around , and says , "Da ?" , when he doesn't spot Ash .
"Daddy will be here soon , they're doing an interview ."
As the words leave my mouth , I feel a pair of arms around my waist , and Liam shrieks , "Da here !" , directly into my ear .
"Yup , here I am !" , Ash chuckles , kissing my temple , and removing one arm from my waist to take Liam , since he's wriggling like a puppy , trying to get to him .
He kisses Liam , then kisses me again , this time on the lips . "How you doing so far ?" , he asks .
"Well , I don't think I have to wait for the show to start to worry about hearing loss , if your son keeps yelling in my ear ." , I reply .
"Oh , so when he does something like that , he's MY son , huh ?" , he says , quirking an eyebrow at me .
"Exactly !"
We're currently in LA , and the band is playing a dual - purpose show . First , they , as well as several other bands , are doing a charity concert to benefit an organization that tries to prevent teen suicide . Also , the show is being recorded for possible use in their next DVD , so between the two things , everyone is trying to make things go as smoothly as possible .
"So this is the little guy Ash won't shut up about !" , we hear , and I look over to see Maria from In This Moment walking toward us . "I guess I can understand that , he's adorable ."
"Hi !" , Liam chirps at her , grinning .
"Well hi yourself , handsome !" , she replies , then looks at me and says , "This makes me think about when my son was his age . He's a teenager now , but he's still my baby . He hates when I tell him that , though ."
"I'm sure he'll feel the same way when I do it to him later , too ." , I say . "I think most kids do . My mom used to aggravate my siblings and me when she'd do it , especially if she did it in public ."
"How old is he ?" , she asks .
"Almost eleven months , big enough to start trying to get into everything ." , Ash tells her .
"Oh , yeah , I remember that !" , she laughs . "Here's a tip ; make sure you keep your makeup put away . I left my makeup bag on the coffee table once when Davion was about a year old , and the next thing I knew , he was painting a mural on the bathroom wall with my best lipstick !"
Just then , they call her to go do her soundcheck , and Ash and I wander around with Liam for awhile , talking to some of the people in the other bands , like Matt and Brooks from Avenged , and Danny Worsnop . This is Liam's first time meeting Danny , and for some reason , he finds his British accent hysterically funny . We can't figure out why at first , then he points to Danny and yells "Hatt , Ma !" When he says this Ash bursts out laughing .
Danny and I ask him what's funny , and he finally manages to choke out , between bursts of laughter , that Liam apparently thinks that Danny sounds like Sir Topham Hatt , who is a character in the old reruns of "Thomas the Tank Engine" , that he's been watching with Liam when I'm at work .
"Well , I'm sure it's not the first time in my life that someone has thought of me as a cartoon ." , Danny chuckles . " But it's usually when I'm much less sober ."
It's not too long before everyone has to go get themselves ready for the show , and Liam and I go backstage to meet up with the girls . We're greeted pretty enthusiastically by Juliet , Alice , and Inna , as well as CC's new girlfriend . He and Tiff split up shortly after Liam was born , and he's now dating a Russian girl named Anna . I haven't gotten the chance to know her very well yet , but so far she seems nice , and C is nuts about her , which is really all that counts . I still talk on social media occasionally with Tiff , and she seems to be getting on with her life pretty well , too .
Alice seems to be in a very good mood , and she informs us that she and Jinxx are expecting , and he's planning on telling the guys after the show . This results in squeals all around , which makes Liam laugh , and say "Do 'gain , Ma !" , which , in turn , makes all of us laugh .
As the first band makes their way to the stage , I feel a tap on my shoulder , and turn to find Jon standing behind me , carrying a tiny pair of earmuffs . He holds them out to me , saying , "You might want to put these on Mini - Ash , there , this might be a bit overwhelming for him ."
"Yeah , you could be right . Thanks , Jon !" , I reply , taking the muffs from him , and handing them to Juliet to put on him as I try to keep him still .
She puts them on , and he keeps trying to get them off , until the music starts up , and he goes still in my arms , staring goggle - eyed at the stage . "No Da ?" , he asks .
"Soon , Sprout ." , I say . "Other people will play , then it will be Daddy's turn ."
We stand at the side of the stage , watching the various bands , until BVB takes the stage for their part of the show . Since there are multiple bands , no one is actually doing a full - length set , so they've planned on playing songs that fit best with the topic of the event . The actual set list consists of ;
"Devil In The Mirror"
"Knives And Pens"
"Saviour"
"Ritual"
"Set The World On Fire"
and "Carolyn"
Liam bounces in my arms and claps his hands through the whole set , repeatedly shrieking , " Want Da !" , which fortunately the crowd can't hear over the volume of the music .
As they come offstage , Liam is wiggling so much I set him down on the floor , holding onto his hands . He's recently started standing up a bit , and can walk if one of us holds onto him , so he's holding onto my fingers , bouncing up and down , until Ash comes into his line of sight .
"Want Da !" , he proclaims , as he pulls away from my hands and starts stumbling towards Ash , who catches him just before he overbalances and falls over .
"Careful there , buddy ! I don't think you're quite ready for running just yet ." , he tells him , kissing him several times on the cheek .
"Oh , you're in trouble now !" , CC snickers , reaching out to tickle Liam's tummy . "The tiny tornado has gone mobile !"
"No , Ceese ! " , Liam sputters , trying to grab CC's hand , while Joe records every second .
"This definitely needs to go on the next disc !" , he says .
"I want a copy of that , dude !" , I inform him . "That's footage of his first time walking on his own ."
He agrees to send us a copy , and I take Liam back from Ash , so they can all go have a shower before the meet and greet . He gives me a quick kiss , then dashes off with the guys .
Liam , the girls , and I go backstage , and order in some dinner , chatting amongst ourselves until the guys finish up , and join us for pizza . The first thing that they all do is swarm around Alice , which tells us that Jinxx has shared their news .
"You guys are in for quite an adventure ." , Ash says . "You'll never know what they're gonna do next . Like what just happened a little while ago ."
"Ma , sheeze !" , Liam shouts , reaching for my slice of pizza , so I take a slice from the box and cut off a small bit . I hand it to him , and he starts happily gnawing on it .
"He seems to have a fondness for cheese ." , I say , as I finish cutting up the slice . "And he loves oranges . But if you try to feed him cherries , he'll throw them at you ."
"So what you're saying is that we may end up with somebody who has completely different personality quirks than we do , am I right ?" , Jinxx inquires .
"Totally possible ." , Ash answers . "Sometimes , Dev swears that he's my clone , and other times , he acts so much like her it's not even funny . And then , he'll do something that has both of us going , 'Where did that come from ?'. So it's something new all the time . But you'll never be bored . And I promise you , it'll be the best time of your lives ."

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