by Skye Turner
We drink a few more and then realize we’re way too drunk to get ourselves home.
We laugh together and she calls her brother. He’s a firefighter here in town. He says he’s coming to get us and to stay put.
Ten minutes later, he pulls up and loads us two drunk girls in his car and asks where I live. I tell him and he laughs at us as he gets us there.
Once I’m safely in my door, I slur as I thank him. He chuckles. “No problem, Melonie.” He salutes and walks away. Damn, when did little Ryan get so fine?!
Melonie girl, you are very drunk. But wasn’t that fun!?
It really was. I had a blast with my girl and it was nice to feel sexy.
I didn’t even think about Dade once. SCORE! Mission accomplished.
Good job, Mel. You rock.
Too bad I had to get completely wasted to accomplish it! And now that I’m home, I’m thinking about him. Fail.
I realize I don’t even know where my phone is. Searching my purse, I find it. I have three texts.
Unlocking the phone as I stumble to my bedroom, I read them.
3:36PM
“Dade:
Hey, you around?”
4:17PM
“Dade:
Heading home. Be there about 9:30. If you get this and will be awake, let me know.”
10:02PM
“Dade:
Just getting home. Beat, so I’m crashing. Check in tomorrow. Lunch?”
He wants to get lunch with me?
I can’t even think about that right now. I’m too drunk and my bed is so…
Before I finish the thought, I pass out.
Chapter Fifteen
Dade
Clove and Liam are moving out this week. My baby sister is having a baby, marrying my bandmate, and moving out of my house. I’m happy for them. They are perfect together. He gives her what she needs and she forces him to be the man I’ve known he was all along. They make each other better.
It’s the same with Jude and Lexi and Jessie and Blue. They are the couples that those ridiculous books Melonie was reading on the island are about. Even Erik and Alec and now, Bradi and Micah. It’s crazy how different life is now from one year ago. Our whole dynamic is changing and as different as it is, it’s better. I can clearly see that they are all just happier with their lives.
Chuckling at my musings as I wrap up my workout, I pull on my shirt and head toward the amazing smells wafting out of the kitchen window. I’ll shower after I eat. That workout burned, but it was great to be alone with the music pulsing and my muscles screaming.
Walking in, I smell fresh coffee, but the scene makes me uncomfortable. Liam has Clove pressed against my kitchen counter with his hands cradling her stomach. He’s savoring her mouth. It’s sweet and romantic, but it’s also my sister. I’m tired of walking in on intimate scenes like this from the two of them.
Clearing my throat, I walk in. Clove breaks the kiss and smiles at me. She’s glowing. Pregnancy agrees with her. She looks more rested today, too. I’m glad for that.
Liam turns them and stands with his hands still protectively over her stomach. Her hands are covering his and his chin is resting on top of her head as he looks at me. “Morning, bro. Good workout?”
I nod. “Morning, you two. Can I get some of that food you two are blocking?”
Clove pulls out of Liam’s arms. He mutters, “Hey, I liked you there.”
She leans up and kisses him softly on the lips. “I know. Now, move.” She laughs.
He swats at her and grabs his coffee and two plates. Walking over, he sets them on the table. There’s already some apple juice, milk, and a cup of tea steeping. He points at Clove. “You, come get off of your feet.”
I agree with him, the past few days were a lot and I want her to rest. “Do what he says. I can make my own plate, Clove.”
She throws her hands up, but smiles at us “You two are bossy!” as she makes her way to the table.
Clove made egg white omelets with basil and goat cheese, turkey bacon, and fresh fruit. Loading up my plate, I crunch a piece of bacon. Mmmmmm that’s so good.
We’re all at the table eating quietly when Clove looks at me. “What are you doing today?”
I was lost in my own thoughts, dirty thoughts, so I am taken aback. “What?”
She giggles, “Someone on your mind there, Dade?”
I shrug. “Maybe. Sorry.” I smile sheepishly. Busted daydreaming. “What did you ask?”
“I asked what you were doing today. Do you have plans?”
Do I have plans? No, not actual plans. But I want to spend the day with Melonie. I’d like to take her out to George’s for a late lunch if she’s agreeable. She never got back with me yesterday and then I fell asleep as soon as we got home.
I’d also like to get her naked at some point.
Sheesh, Dade. You’re thirty-five years old and you’re thinking about this woman and getting a hard on… At the damn kitchen table.
Down boy. I’m so fucking hard though, I could cut glass with my dick.
Ugh…
Snapping out of it, I see that Clove and Liam are staring at me. Shit. Are they waiting on a response?! Oh, right. “I was hoping to take Melonie to lunch in Hammond.”
She nods and grins. “Good.”
Giving her a false glare, I retort, “When did you get so damn nosey?”
She chuckles as she sticks her tongue out at me. Standing, she clears the plates. She waves her hands to cut off both Liam and my protests. “Shut up. I can pick up a few plates. I’m not a freaking China doll. So, shut up.”
Liam grins at her. “I love when you get all sarcastic, princess. It’s hot.”
I gag. “Ugh. My sister, dude.”
“I know and I make her scream.”
I punch him in the shoulder before he sees it coming. “Next time, that’s going to your face.”
He looks at me in horror. “No, she loves my face.” He winces as he rubs his shoulder. “That fucking hurt, asshole.”
Chuckling, I get up and stroll out of the kitchen. “Not as much as your face would. Breakfast was great, Clove. Thank you.”
I whistle as I make my way to the shower.
Two hours later, I still haven’t heard from Melonie, so I text her again.
“Dade:
Lunch?”
I decide to check my Facebook while I wait for her response. Today is going to be a low key day. We start recording the new album this week, that means things are about to get insane again.
A shit ton of new friend requests are waiting for me. Ignoring them, I scroll down the page to see what else has been going on. A few Bayou Stix posts are scattered throughout with some of the snapshots from the weekend.
I scroll through mostly sarcastic posts from Jessie with ridiculous photos and see one from Liam about the charity softball tournament, Red, Rock, and Blue, benefiting Louisiana Veterans, he plays in every year in Baton Rouge. And then, there’s a post that Melonie is tagged in. It’s from a girl named Laurie. She’s a really pretty brunette with huge boobs. It’s a photo apparently taken last night. She’s with Melonie and they look gorgeous. The caption says, “Good times with my girl at Mustangs.”
Clicking on the photo to make it bigger, my jaw gets tight as I look. The girls are smiling into the camera on Laurie’s phone. It’s a selfie, but they look great. In the background, I can see men looking at them. Shit, I’d probably have been looking too. Dammit, she went out looking like that. She’s scrumptious.
I feel a twinge of jealousy that she went out dressed like that.
Shaking it off, I laugh at myself. Whatever, dude. Cut that shit out.
I decide to call her. It rings three times and then a raspy voice is saying, “Hullo?” Is she sick?
“Hey, Melonie. It’s Dade. Bad time?”
I hear her moving. It sounds like a bed squeaking and sheets rustling. “Hey, Dade. How was your trip?”
“Did I wake you?”
“Um, yea
h, actually you did. But it’s ok. I went out last night with my girlfriend and we drank too much.”
She drank too much? Does she sound like she’s pissed?
Of course not. Why would she be pissed?! She’s just waking up.
“Ok. Feel like going to lunch?”
She’s quiet. Finally, she says, “Lunch? Sure, when?”
I laugh. “Whenever you’re ready is good. I’ll come get you.”
I hear more rustling. “Ok. Sounds great. I’ll go shower. Give me like half an hour?”
I want to see her be ready in half an hour. I don’t know any woman who can be ready in that short time frame.
“See you then.”
“See you then.”
I whistle as I make my way up her door. The guard waved me through. She must have forewarned them I was coming by. I like this complex. It’s nice, with good security. The grounds are beautiful, too. I’m just not an apartment type.
I knock and look around as I wait for her to open the door. There’s an elderly woman working on a small window box next door. She looks up and smiles at me. “Well, hello. Are you here for Melonie?”
I nod. “I am. I’m taking her to lunch.” I squat down, “I’m Dade.”
She clutches her shirt. “Oh my. You are certainly attractive. I’m Maureen. I live next door.” She points at her apartment.
I laugh. “It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Fanning her face, she exclaims, “Good lord, looks and manners. Melonie better hold onto you.”
She’s adorable. “Why thank you.” I look closely at her garden. It’s meticulously maintained. “Your garden is beautiful.”
She looks at it and smiles at me. “Thank you. I pride myself on my green thumb. I had a massive garden when my husband was alive. After he passed, I sold our home. It was just too big and too much for me to handle all by myself. It’s fine though, I can still pamper my babies right here, and it’s the perfect size for me. No yard work and I can look at the sexy, shirtless, young gardeners from my windows to boot.” She winks.
I laugh out loud. The door opens. “Oh, hello Ms. Maureen. How are you today? Hey, Dade. Sorry, I was blow-drying my hair and didn’t hear the bell. I heard the talking though and came to investigate.”
Turning my attention from Ms. Maureen, I take in Mel. She’s wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt with some white shirt thing underneath with white shorts and delicate brown sandals. The yellow brings out her eyes, hair, and tan. Her hair is twisted onto her head with a few pieces curling around her neck and her makeup is very light. She’s breathtaking. I missed her.
I missed her? I’ve been gone for three days?! What the fuck?
Standing, I smile down at Ms. Maureen. “It was truly a pleasure to meet you. Make sure you don’t get too much sun.”
She smiles widely. “You too, Dade. You kids have a good day. Have some fun.” She waggles her eyebrows. “Get into some mischief.”
I throw my head back and laugh as Melonie sputters and her face flames.
Pushing her into the house, I call back, “I intend to.”
The door closes and Melonie is backed into it as my body presses against hers. Leaning down, I breathe against her mouth, “Hi.”
Her wide blue eyes are staring at my lips. She whispers, “Hi.”
Her lips are parted and I can feel her breath against my mine. Leaning down, I capture her mouth. She sighs and holds onto my arms. The kiss is slow and exploratory. I take my time brushing against her lips before licking the seam lightly. As she gasps again and her head falls back, I hold her face and swirl my tongue against hers before running it over her teeth and then lightly sucking on her tongue. Her nails dig into my forearms.
As I pull back slightly, her eyes crack open and she stares at me as I grin at her. Her lips lift into a sexy smile and she exhales.
“Wow, ok then. That’s how you say hello from now on. Just like that. Deal?”
I chuckle. “Yes, ma’am. Are you hungry?”
My hands are still cradling her face, as she nods. Her stomach growls loudly. She blushes profusely. “I’m starving actually. I ate once yesterday and then drank a ton last night.”
Sliding my hands from her cheeks over her chest, to her sides, and down her arms, I feel her shiver as I take her hands and gently pull them. “Let’s go, then.”
We head out to my Hummer and wave to Ms. Maureen as she watches us.
We talk a bit on the way out to Hammond. She asks. “Where are we going?”
“George’s. Sound good?
She looks down at her clothes. “I’m wearing shorts. Is that ok?”
I chuckle as I rake my gaze over her body. “I know what you’re wearing.”
Rolling her eyes at me, she giggles. “I’ve never been to George’s on a Sunday before. So, how do you know George?”
I look over at her and smile before looking back at the road. “I went to college at Southeastern, remember?!”
She whips her head around and stares at me. “Really? You were serious? I wasn’t sure if you were just pulling my leg or not.”
People always do that when they find out I went to college. Seriously!? Do I seem like an idiot?!
I chuckle and nod again. “Yeah. I really do have a degree in Political Science.” Her mouth makes a popping sound and she chuckles. “I found George’s one night. I lived in Baton Rouge and I took care of Clove. She was only about seven at the time. But I went to college full time and worked on top of that to get her the stuff she needed.”
“Where were your parents? I know you said they were deadbeats, but where were they?”
I laugh harshly. “Not at home taking care of their kids.” Glancing at her, I sigh. “They were junkies, Melonie. It wasn’t as bad when I was younger and my mom actually stopped with the drugs while she was pregnant with Clove. But that only lasted a few short months after she was born. Suddenly, they’d be gone for days at a time and I was alone with a tiny baby in the house. I cooked, I cleaned, and I took care of a newborn. She was a beautiful baby and really good. She hardly ever cried and I made sure she had formula, diapers, and clean clothes.
Occasionally, my mom would decide to act like a parent, but then the drugs would pull her back in again. At twelve, I started working by cutting grass or washing cars or really just doing whatever I could do to take care of her. I didn’t want her to be taken away. We had good neighbors who helped a lot and watched her while I went to school. They saw how dedicated I was to her. I was always smart. I graduated at the top of my class and actually got a scholarship and grants for college. The guidance counselor helped me fill out all of the paperwork.
At eighteen, I became Clove’s guardian. She was seven. My parents left on a drug run and never came back. My neighbor was a lawyer and he helped me petition the court. He was a character witness along with several other neighbors. They told the courts how I’d been caring for her since I was a kid myself. I had a job and could provide for her and the house was paid for and clean thanks to me.
I was granted guardianship.
I was a kid raising a kid, but I took care of her and myself. It was a lot to deal with though, so I played guitar and I taught myself the piano as a way to relieve stress. Midterms were over and I was looking for a way to decompress. I overheard some professors talking about George’s and how they’d bring their wives there for the live music at the piano bar.
I made my way over to it. George was at the door that night. He looked at me with suspicion, but he let me in.
I loved the music. It was awesome. I went a few more times before the night I was sitting in the dark, playing in my head and moving my hands across the table top as if it was a piano.
The chair next to me moved and George sat down. He was watching my hands. He told me he wanted me to go play when the performer was finished. I was shocked. But I did. My hands caressed the keys as if they were my lover and the music just poured out.
That was the first time I ever performed live.<
br />
It was a slow night, so I played for hours. When I was exhausted, I returned to my table and George joined me. We talked. He asked what inspired my playing and asked what my story was.
I found myself telling him. I’d never shared it with anyone before, except the neighbors who had helped me through the years.
George took me in. He’d give me advice or just listen to me. He became my father figure. Clove and I would spend holidays with him and when I graduated from SLU, he was there cheering me on.
He was so proud when I told him I’d joined a band and we were being signed.
Throughout the years, he’s become my family. When I show up, he lets me play.”
As I finish the tale, we pull into the lot and I park and sit in silence.
A hand reaches over and takes mine. She pulls it gently and I look at her. Her eyes are glistening. “You’re an amazing man, Dade Rodrigue. Not many kids could have done what you did and yet, here you are. Look at you. You’re a successful musician with an amazing family. I think it’s wonderful and I can’t believe that you went through that and are where you are. You’re inspiring.”
I’m not inspiring. I’m just me. I don’t want hero worship. I just want to continue with whatever is going on here and something is…
Smiling, I give her a yank. She’s caught off guard and she falls across the console. I catch her. Grinning at her surprise, I kiss her deeply and my groin starts to stir.
She moans into my mouth and tries to climb into my lap.
I laugh and push her off. Then, adjusting myself and opening the door, I call over my shoulder. “I’m not fucking you in my Hummer in the parking lot, Mel. Not during the day. Time to get out. I’m hungry.”
She growls at me and I laugh as I walk around to help her get out.
Chapter Sixteen
Melonie
Dade and I had an enjoyable afternoon. We ate and talked in the restaurant and he told me about the concert and visiting the kids in New York. I told him about work. It was easy and the conversation flowed seamlessly.
He asked about my being here the other night. I told him that I was from Hammond and that my parents still lived here. We laughed about the chance meeting and the fact that we’d never seen each other here before.