I admonished her playfully, but she caught me off guard by muttering under her breath, “Whatever you do, act happy to see them, even if they seem suspicious about why it took you forever to come out of the bathroom.”
I felt my eyes widen as she forced a smile and shoved me toward the last two people I expected to see tonight.
“Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?” I asked the question as my father pulled me into his tattooed arms and gave me an impossibly tight hug. I caught my mom’s eye and swallowed hard when I saw her deeply suspicious look. “This is such a nice surprise.” It was, but not one I was prepared for at all.
Ry was standing a few feet away next to his parents. He was giving me a look that indicated he really wanted to throw my words about not being caught by my parents back in my face, but his mom was poking him in the chest and whispering something to him furiously, while his dad was doing a really bad job at holding back his amusement. It was slightly mortifying that they seemed to know exactly what we’d been up to despite Remy’s best efforts to cover for us.
“The Archers called and told us you asked them to fill in for us, and that just wouldn’t do. We dropped the twins off with Rowdy and Salem and planned to surprise you. I know this is a big night for you, and there was no way your mom and I were going to miss it.”
My dad squeezed me again and then let me go. My mom didn’t hug me the same way, but she did grab my shoulders and tilt her head while looking at me very closely. Suddenly I remembered Remy messing around with all the makeup near the base of my neck. I hadn’t looked in the mirror on my way out of the bathroom, but I now understood that she was trying to cover up the noticeable red marks that were left by Ry’s fingers. I was sure Remy covered up most of the evidence of my dalliance, but moms had the uncanny ability to see through everything.
My mom winked at me and reached out to tuck a wayward piece of hair behind my ear. “You look great. Your dad and I are so proud of you for taking this step and not giving up. I never doubted you’d find your own way.”
I cleared my throat and stepped back. “Remy is the one with all the connections. I’m lucky she seems to know everyone under the sun.”
My dad shook his head and gave me an admonishing look. “She may have opened the door, but you walked through and earned your place all on your own. You earned your place on that stage, and you’ll keep earning each and every opportunity that comes your way.”
I smiled at both of them and tried to ignore the way Ry was trying to slide away from his parents, only to be dragged back by his mom whenever he gained a few inches. It was hilarious to see such a slender and delicate woman easily boss around two big, grouchy, tattooed men with minimal effort. I wasn’t the only one watching the show from the corner of my eye.
“I’m glad you’re both here. How long are you staying?” It couldn’t be for very long since they would have to get back to my sisters.
“Only through tomorrow. I have to get back to work and get your sisters back on schedule. Your dad has a business meeting in LA, so we’re going our different directions when we leave.” My mom smiled at me and reached out to pat my arm. “You have our undivided attention while we’re here. Maybe the three of us can go to dinner with Ry and his parents before we have to leave. We can talk about the good ol’ days when your dad and I were the ones making everyone wait for us backstage.”
I nearly choked. I waved a hand in front of myself as if I could physically divert her suggestion and the image she was alluding to. My dad lifted his eyebrows and looked over his shoulder at where the Archers had gathered. Now Remy was standing with them, and it looked less like Ry was being bullied by his mom.
“We can discuss that later. I’m going to go and run through soundcheck really quick before my set starts.”
I walked away as my dad asked why I hadn’t already done that, but luck was on my side because a moment later, I heard someone ask him, “Hey, aren’t you Jet Keller? The dude from Enmity, right?’
My dad hesitated to reply, but while he was trying to avoid verifying that he was indeed a famous rockstar, the person practically yelled, “My mom is a huge fan. Do you think you could sign something for her?”
I heard my mom burst into laughter and looked over to see Ry’s parents trying to hide smiles as my dad grumbled his way through an awkward autograph session. It was a harsh reminder that things really did change and that nothing stood still, so if you didn’t take advantage of what was right in front of you, someone else would come along and replace you.
I hopped up on the stage and dug my guitar out of the case that was on the ground near the amps and kick pedals. I took a deep breath and looked out at the handful of people milling around in the open part of the bar where the stage was. My parents had moved toward the back with the Archers, but Ry and Remy were standing closer to the stage. Remy had her phone out and was snapping pictures while chatting Ry’s ear off a mile a minute. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched me with eyes that appeared to be unblinking.
Everything about this performance already felt better than the last one. I wasn’t worried about how the rest of the band would sound. I wasn’t freaking out internally over whether or not my songs would lose all meaning and impact because they weren’t being played the way I intended. I wasn’t hampered by the thought of letting my dad down with this performance or proving to my mom I’d made the right decision. Regardless if I ended the night feeling amazing or awful, it was all on me, there would be no one else to blame or to share in the success, and there was something incredibly freeing in that.
Ry smiled at me as I strummed the guitar, and I thought it was really nice I could look at him while I finally sang the songs he inspired. Maybe he would hear all the different things I wanted to tell him over the years and understand how he made me feel.
If Ry didn’t get it, I had no doubt everyone else in the room who knew us would, and those looks passing between his parents and mine would take on a whole new meaning.
Ry
BOWE WAS BEAUTIFUL up on that stage.
She was finally in her element. The difference between her now and the previous show I’d watched her struggle through was obvious. She was happy. She was feeling herself. She was vibing with the much smaller crowd. And her music sounded totally different. Now that I could hear what she was trying to say because it wasn’t filtered through the buffer of a mediocre band, I understood exactly how talented she was. She had a way with words, a way of painting a picture with her music that brought every single person listening right into the middle of the story. I could see how she moved many of the people watching her play. I could see how the ups and downs of a young heart resonated with most of the crowd, including my parents and my cousin.
I’d refrained from teasing Remy when I noticed she was wiping tears away. She was supposed to be the fun Archer. The one who was carefree and wild. But I knew her heart was softer than most.
When she caught me watching her, she elbowed me in the side and pointed to the stage. “You know she’s singing about you, don’t you?” She blew out a breath and used the back of her hand to wipe her cheeks. “I’ll never understand why it’s always been you for her, but it has. You better appreciate the hell out of her, Ryier.”
I nodded solemnly. “I’ve always known.”
When Daire would make me listen to Bowe’s rough demos and unfinished songs, I could always hear how she was telling our story through the lyrics. I never said anything because there was a long period where I wasn’t sure that she realized she was doing it. She wasn’t speaking to me. I knew I’d done her dirty and made some really bad calls where our fledgling romance was concerned, but she was still writing love songs about me. I didn’t want to point out that it might mean she still had feelings for me. It was a thin, fragile thread that kept us connected when our lives went in different directions. It was also the thread that tied everything up in a nice, neat bow and verified that she felt about me the
same way I felt about her.
We might be too young to fully understand love and how deep our feelings for one another had always been, but there was time to figure it out. Hopefully, she would give me the chance to inspire many more love songs in the future. So many of the songs she sang tonight were sad. I wanted the chance to show her that caring about me could bring her enough happiness that it would eventually overshadow the sorrow.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I was going to ignore it because I didn’t want to take my attention off my girl for even a second, but as soon as the call ended, my phone started shaking in my pocket once again. I figured the only two people who would be brave enough to call repeatedly were Daire and Zowen. Everyone else knew I had something important going on tonight and I didn’t want to be bothered. Sure enough, my sister’s information popped up on the screen, and as always, I had to answer. She was literally the only person on the planet whom I would allow to take my attention away from Bowe at this moment. I pointed at the phone and mouthed to Remy that it was my little sister. She frowned but nodded and shooed me away to take care of whatever crisis Daire had created this time.
My parents and Bowe’s parents had found a far corner to stand and watch the show. I caught my dad’s eye on my way to find a quiet place to talk to my sister. I could see the flash of concern on his face, but Daire wouldn’t stop calling, so I didn’t take the time to reassure him everything was fine.
It was so noisy in all areas of the large bar that I ended up stepping outside to finally answer Daire’s call.
“What’s up? Why are you blowing up my phone? You know tonight is Bowe’s show.” I tried to keep the impatience and annoyance out of my voice, but I could hear irritation bleed through.
“Ry. I need you to come and help me.” She sounded like she was scared, and I could tell she’d been crying.
I looked up at the sky as a raindrop suddenly plopped on the top of my head. Off in the distance, I could hear the rumble of thunder, indicating we were about to be swept up in a summer storm. The weather in Colorado was no joke, and I knew it could go from warm and mild to torrential rain in seconds.
“Calm down and tell me what’s wrong, Daire.”
I heard her pull in a breath and heard a blaring horn in the background of the call. “I got a flat tire. I’m on the side of the interstate. I would change it myself, but there’s so much traffic, and some weird guy stopped and tried to help me, but he freaked me out. And it’s starting to rain. I tried to call Zowen and ask him to help me since I know you’re with Bowe, but he had some kind of meeting for his major at his school. He’s not in town.” I swore, startling a young couple on their way into the bar. I was moving toward where my truck was parked before I realized my feet were moving. She was crying in earnest now. I heard a sniff in my ear as she whispered, “I couldn’t call Dad or Uncle Rome because I had a couple drinks while I was hanging out with my friends, and now I smell like beer. Dad would murder me after he saved me, Mom would ground me from everything for my last free summer, and Uncle Rome would lecture me for hours and make sure Mom and Dad took my car away. You’re the only one who can help me.”
I swore again and glared through the windshield. “Are you really dumb enough to be drinking and driving?” She didn’t have to worry about my dad killing her because I would strangle her before he got a chance to get his hands on her.
Daire sniffed again, but I could hear how scared she was. Being stuck on the side of the road sucked. Being trapped on the interstate was a whole other dangerous ballgame. And if a cop car stopped to help her instead of a civilian, she was going to be in even more trouble, so I needed to get to her as quickly as possible.
“Sit tight. I’ll be there shortly. Don’t get out of the car until I’m there.” I didn’t tell her any lecture our uncle would have given her would pale in comparison to the ass-chewing I was planning to give her once I had her safe and sound. I was used to her being reckless and a bit thoughtless, but I couldn’t stand back and watch while she purposely put herself and others in danger. She was smarter than that. She definitely knew better. “You’re going to owe Bowe a big apology for dragging me away on her big night.”
“I know. I screwed up. I feel terrible.” She sighed, and her voice sounded really shaky. “Can you stay on the phone with me until you get here?”
Daire started crying in my ear again just as the sky opened up and a deluge poured down. My windshield wipers could barely keep up as I left downtown and got onto the busy interstate after Daire gave me a rough estimate of where she was parked. Traffic was moving slowly because the roads were suddenly wet and slick, but there were still plenty of cars making their way across town.
“If you want to stay on the phone, why don’t you explain to me why you thought it was okay to drink and drive? It’s one thing to drink a couple of beers with your friends. It’s another when you take the risk of injuring yourself, or even worse, someone innocent, by getting behind the wheel.” I couldn’t count how many times our mother came home after a brutal shift at the hospital, reminding us what happened when someone was irresponsible after partying. She’d drilled into us that it wasn’t fair to not only risk ourselves, but others on the road, by making such a bad decision. She’d asked once if we would be okay with being the reason a husband lost his wife or a child lost his mother. She asked how we would live with that guilt knowing it was something easily preventable. Those questions had always resonated with me, but it seemed my sister wasn’t as affected by the notion.
“I don’t know. I was hanging out with some friends, and everyone started talking about leaving for college and how life was going to change. I was feeling a bit down because everything is changing so fast, so I drank a couple beers. Then this guy I dated a few times showed up, and everything got awkward and uncomfortable. He kept making snide comments about me and how quickly I moved on from him, even though we only hung out a couple of times. I don’t know why guys my age are allowed to burn through girls like it’s no big deal, but when I do it, I get told there’s something wrong with me. I felt like I had to get out of there. I should’ve gotten a ride or called Aston to pick me up, but I wasn’t thinking straight.” She squealed in my ear as another clap of thunder rolled through the night sky.
I flinched from the sound of both noises, and squinted through the blurry windshield. “Never again, Daire. I swear on my goddamn life, if you pull a stunt like this ever again, I’m going to throttle you.”
“I won’t. I promise. How was Bowe’s show? I’m sad it was eighteen and over.” She still had a month before she became a legal adult. “Her audition was so good. I bet the locals are going to love her, and she’s totally going to be okay starting all over this summer.”
I told her Bowe was amazing, and mentioned her parents had flown in to surprise her. I also told her that we’d pretty much been caught fooling around in the bathroom by both sets of parents, which was enough to make her laugh and finally stop her from crying. She started teasing me, so I let her ramble ridiculousness in my ear for the twenty minutes it took me to reach her. I finally saw her car, told her not to get out since she was so close to traffic, and hung up. There was no reason for both of us to get drenched in the line of fire.
By the time I pulled off the side of the road and flicked my hazards on, there were deep puddles collected in the dips and divots of the asphalt. My sneakers were immediately soaked as I dashed through the rain to my sister’s little black car. Daire popped the trunk so I could pull out the spare tire and the emergency jack. I grumbled in aggravation when I noticed her flat was on the side of the car facing the road. Every time a car passed us, it sent a spray of chilly, dirty water all over me. The water also made the handle of the jack slippery, turning what should’ve been an easy task into one that was taking much longer than it should.
“Ry, let me help you.” I jerked my head up and glared at Daire as she crawled out of the car with an umbrella in her hand. She yelped as a semi went flying by, splashi
ng her from head to toe. She shook her head and picked strands of her hair away from her face as she moved to hold the open umbrella over my head. “I feel terrible you’re getting soaked because of me.”
I scowled up at her and pointed at the driver’s side of the car. “Get back in. It’s too dangerous out here.” The traffic was alarmingly close, and the rain seemed like it was picking up more and more every minute. I could hear tires whooshing by and the occasional honk from a jerk wanting us to know they had to change lanes because we were sticking out and making just enough of a hazard to be inconvenient.
Daire glared down at me and stomped her foot, very much looking like a toddler who didn’t get their way. “This is the only way I can help. Stop being stubborn.”
It was easier to crank the rod of the jack under the protective covering, but I didn’t want her standing so close to a possible disaster. “I’m not being stubborn. I’m being careful. Something you should start doing now that you’re older and about to head out into the world on your own. I’m not always going to be around to run to your rescue, Daire.” I mean, I wanted to always be there to help her, but the reality was we were now at the point where our lives were going to stop running parallel to one another. She was going to have to start making better decisions for herself and stop thinking everything was a game and that people were nothing more than her playthings. She had a bit of a princess complex that I could fully admit to enabling as we grew up together. I was guilty of letting her get away with pretty much everything and anything. In hindsight, and currently caught up in the middle of her chaos, I could see that allowing her to be spoiled and willful helped enable my own complex. I got to be her hero time and time again.
She pouted at me and was getting ready to launch into an argument when there was suddenly a sound louder than the thunder and the rush of the wind as cars whizzed past. I jerked my head around at the sound of metal on metal and the shriek of tires searching for purchase on a wet road. A blast of bright light hit me directly in the eyes, blinding me momentarily.
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