I hold Kelsey’s hand as we stroll through Tokyo’s Shimokita area, my hair tucked under my Yankees cap and sunglasses in place. For some reason, Nick and I can always seem to walk unnoticed in public, while Jason and Zilla get recognized no matter what disguise they adopt.

The others are back at the hotel, still sleeping soundly the morning after the first show of our tour. Or more accurately, the Asian leg of our world tour. Kelsey and I woke up and waited a while for the others, then got tired of waiting and decided to venture out on our own for a little while. We left a note so they’d know where to find us, just in case anyone wants to meet up. She’s seemed a little moody and preoccupied lately, and I thought a quick lunchtime excursion in Tokyo might lift her spirits.

It’s Kelsey’s first time here, and we’re trying to avoid any of the bigger tourist areas, so I brought her here. Shimokita is an area popular among musicians, with actual record stores offering amazing obscure vinyl, among all sorts of other little shops.

It’s been three months since Harem fired Jordan. Griff and the lawyers managed to get the deed done in less than a week after he attacked Kelsey at Wolfshire. We instructed Griff to tell him in return for him signing over his share of ownership in Harem, we would agree not to press charges of attempted rape. He complied when he realized we were serious about it. Regardless, he’s got enough money already to live in luxury, if he doesn’t blow it on drugs and hookers.

Kelsey and I stop for a lunch of Yakisoba. She just pokes at her noodles, finally taking a small bite, and I can’t help but smile. Our girl has become quite the picky eater recently. We talk about last night’s show, which went off perfectly—a rarity for the first show of a tour. The new songs sounded great, and the old ones have a new energy now that the band is riding a hot streak.

She pushes her mostly uneaten lunch aside and takes a picture of me.

“This one’s going on the website with the caption, ‘Ian goes incognito to get his noodle fix.’”

“Nice. There goes my disguise.”

She holds fast to her decision. “The fans will get a kick out of seeing you like this. We’ll get you another disguise.”

“It’ll be nice one day when I’m old and don’t have to bother.”

“When will that be? Do you guys ever think about what happens after Harem?”

“Like solo careers and all that?” I ask.

“No, like taking time off, enjoying life, having kids… you can’t keep doing this forever.”

“Tell that to the Rolling Stones.” I think for a minute. “I used to daydream about having a family, maybe a couple of kids running around Wolfshire. That is, until we came up with this new arrangement, with all five of us sharing one very brave, quite possibly even insane, girl.”

She gives me a mock frown.

“Seriously, though, that just doesn’t seem like a realistic possibility anym—”

My phone dings and I glance at it, then turn to Kelsey.

“The guys are up now. Griff wants us back at the hotel.”

We take a cab back to find the others drinking tea.

Griff waits until everyone is paying attention, then says, “Metamorphosis has climbed to number six in its third week. That’s already higher than any of our last three albums have charted. I’m very proud of you boys.”

The chart position is just confirmation of what we already know. I’ve heard the songs all over the radio, and tickets for the upcoming shows have sold out in record time. It’s obviously going to be a huge hit, and Harem is once again a mighty presence on the music scene.

“I’m not surprised,” Kelsey says. “It’s a brilliant album. Every song is perfect; eleven rare shining diamonds.”

I smile at our woman and tuck the phrase “rare shining diamonds” away in my brain for possible use in a song lyric one day.

Griff continues. “And Kelsey, kudos should go to you as well for your part in all this.”

It’s good to see he’s come around on the situation with us and Kelsey. After the Jordan incident, we had a long meeting with him to discuss our relationship with her. He now understands she’s a permanent part of who Harem is, and once he wrapped his brain around the improbability of it all, he welcomed her with open arms.

Kelsey’s done such a bang-up job with our social media accounts that we floated the idea with Griff of having her take over our public relations altogether. After all, that’s what her old career was, only now she gets to help reinforce a positive public image instead of cleaning up negative ones. Griff agreed enthusiastically, saying he was in favor of anything that would keep Kelsey watching over the band.

Kelsey herself was elated by the suggestion. Griff is still working out the details regarding the scope of her duties, but she’s already jumped in with both feet and has come up with new ideas that will get us positive mentions in the media—something Harem never actually bothered with before.

“So congrats to all of you,” Griff says as he stands to go. “Soundcheck is at 4:00 local time and showtime is 7:00, and immediately afterward we take the jet to Kyoto for one show, with another in Sapporo the night after. Then you get a day off before we move on to Manila and Singapore.”

When Griff leaves, everyone is ebullient.

Even the band itself was stunned by how amazing Metamorphosis is. Jason and I came up with some of our best songs in years for the new album, and both of us credit Kelsey’s presence in our lives and at Wolfshire. And the tension caused by Jordan’s shenanigans gave Harem’s performance of those songs a nervous edge that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. Funny how things work out sometimes.

And I still grin every time I hear my solo in Baby’s Got That Look in Her Eye, when I think of Kelsey sucking me off in front of everyone. My girl knew that I was frustrated and needed something to get me out of my own head, to distract me so I could just play without thinking.

She’s a work of art, Kelsey is.

The work of art stands up and says, “Hey, guys, I have an announcement to make, too.”

She looks scared, and my first thought is that she doesn’t want to be with us on this long tour. Being on the road this much gets old fast.

She bites her lip.

“Cat got your tongue?” Nick says.

Jason smacks Nick on the arm, then turns to Kelsey. “What is it, love?”

She looks down at her feet, then back up, and finally right at me.

“I’m pregnant.”

You could knock us all over with a feather.

Those two words are normally the last thing a rock musician wants to hear, but the little celebration that erupts says that this time it’s a different story. There are hugs all around.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Oh, yeah,” Kelsey says, placing a hand on her still-flat belly. That explains her picky eating, and why she hasn’t been drinking with us lately. She told us she was just taking a break from alcohol before the tour started.

“That’s why you haven’t been drinking,” Jason says.

“Which one of us…” Zilla can’t seem to finish his question. Suddenly the room is eerily quiet.

“All of you.”

We must look confused by that response, because Kelsey immediately elaborates.

“It happened the night of our little party in the King’s Bed. And every one of you came inside me that night.”

“Aren’t you on the pill?” Jason asks.

“I was, so this was as shocking for me as it is for you. I might have missed a day, and I’ve since learned that alcohol can reduce the pill’s effectiveness, and… I honestly don’t know, guys. It just happened.”

She grins, then adds, “And it could be because you guys really filled me up that night.”

We all get a laugh out of that one, except Brandon, who looks petrified. The poor kid.

“So what happens?” he asks. “When do we find out who the actual father is?”

The room goes quiet again as everyone looks at Kelsey for an answer.

I’m the one who speaks up, though.

“We don’t.”

Now they turn to me.

“We’re all the father,” I say. “We decided this is one relationship, so we’re going to be one family. Our child can decide in due time if the father’s identity is important. Until then, no paternity tests. Every one of us is the father.”

I see tears forming in Kelsey’s eyes and I hold her tightly. Everyone joins in a gigantic group hug. After a minute and more than a few sniffles, Nick jokes, “Careful, mates, this is how it all got started.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner,” Kelsey says. “I want this baby more than I’ve ever wanted anything, and I was afraid you might… well, you know.”

“Bollocks!” Zilla says. “This was meant to be. You don’t question something like this.”

We all agree. Kelsey turns to the youngest of the five fathers. “Brandon, how do you feel? Your life has changed so much in just a few months.”

I can see that he’s scared, but he tries to hide it behind a lopsided smile. “I’m part of this family, and if you’re willing to have our baby, I’ll do my part in raising that child. Are we going to know the sex before?”

“No!” everyone else says at once, and the room erupts in laughter.

* * *

That night, Jason alters his usual introduction to Little Miracle. Crossing the stage with microphone in hand, he drapes his arm around me, a huge grin on his face.

“Here’s a song that took on a whole new meaning for us a few hours ago.”

We both look over at Kelsey, in her usual spot off-stage near my guitar technician, and it’s quite possibly the most beautiful sight I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I’ve always laughed at the cliché before, but now I totally understand it.

Kelsey is positively glowing.