Jonny's Redemption (Gemini Group Book 7)

by Riley Edwards

  “Jonathan,” his uncle greeted.

  “You doing all right?”

  It was a stupid question but Jonny couldn’t think of anything else to ask.

  “Thankfully, she fell asleep when we hit the turnpike.”

  Anita didn’t fall asleep, she passed out. Either way, Jonny was sure his uncle was immensely happy his sister was out so she couldn’t babble incoherently and spew her nasty venom anymore.

  “Right. How much longer until you’re home?”

  “Thirty minutes. Listen, Jonathan, I wanted to apologize again. I had no idea…” Bryan trailed off.

  After a beat of silence, Jonny let his uncle off the hook.

  “There’s no need. She’s an alcoholic and there’s nothing more to say about it.”

  “You didn’t kill your father.”

  Jonny sucked in a breath and held it until his lungs burned. Obviously, Jonny knew he hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger; that was all Doug. However, Jonny had spent a good amount of time wondering if he’d handled the situation differently if he could have defused it and changed the outcome. But at the time, Jonny had been overcome with rage. He’d been furious at all of them, save his niece who was an innocent bystander in their fucked-up family, which only fueled Jonny’s anger to new heights. Instead of digging in to make a point, perhaps if Jonny had just given Doug the money he’d wanted no one would’ve died.

  “She’s right in the sense I could’ve given Doug what he wanted and he wouldn’t have killed Calvin.”

  “That’s bullshit, Jonathan. Pure bullshit. You were in that situation because your father had an affair that resulted in a child. Why he didn’t divorce Anita when that woman came up pregnant, I will never understand. I cannot fathom how a man has two families. And I really can’t understand why she didn’t divorce him when he asked her to raise that child. Beyond that, I don’t understand why she never talked to me, why she didn’t protect you. But from the start, my sister was mindless when it came to your father. Your granddad hated your father from their first date until the day my father died—he despised Calvin. He said Calvin had a black heart, and your granddad was not wrong. But from them came you. And as you know your granddad loved you something fierce. He was proud of you. We all are, Jonathan. I’m sorry I didn’t know what was going on. If I had, I would’ve removed you from their home immediately. I would’ve helped you in any way I could help.”

  Jonny knew that the evidence of that was passed out in his uncle’s car. The moment Jonny had called, his uncle had dropped everything to come to his aid. Not his sister’s—Jonny’s.

  “I reckon that’s why she didn’t tell you, Uncle Bryan. If you took me out of that house, people would know something was wrong. Something she went to great lengths to hide. They both did. The other part of that is if you took me she’d lose her buffer. They needed me to watch out for Doug and that became even more so when he found out Calvin was his real father, not just a friend of his mother’s who came to visit them. No part of that discovery had been fun, but Doug took it as an opportunity to blackmail them. And from there, I had to watch him and make sure he wasn’t talking out of turn to people around town. They’d convinced me if anyone found out our lives would be ruined, we’d have to move away and I didn’t want to lose my friends and my home. I was too young to fully understand what was really going on. Our lives were already ruined, Calvin had done that years before. All that was left was their reputation and they wanted that intact. As an adult, I don’t get it any more than I did when I was a child. But there you have it. Decades of lies and secrets for nothing.”

  Lies always come out in the end. One day, one year, or decades later. And right then Jonny was feeling the nothingness of those secrets. They were all for naught. Even if Anita hadn’t been arrested, even if his uncle hadn’t had to drop everything and come rushing down to Maryland, even if Jonny was done hiding—the secrets meant nothing. Not a goddamn, fucking thing. Who gave a flying fuck if everyone knew his father was a philandering sack of shit? Who cares if all of Kent County had known that Doug was his blood brother? God, the stupidity of his family was unreal. And Jonny had gone along with it, making him complicit in their lunacy.

  “None of that is important anymore,” his uncle told him and Jonny felt that hit. “It’s time for you to start living your life without the cloud of their failures hanging over you. Whether my sister wants it or not, she’s getting help. I’ve talked to the rest of the family and they’re on board. I hope it doesn’t come to this, but if she won’t immediately go into treatment, she’ll be experiencing at-home family therapy.”

  Jonny was glad he wouldn’t be there for that. Anita could be mean or meaner when she was confronted with her problems and she defended her husband even while she was sober like a lioness defended her cubs. Her unhealthy obsession with Calvin was just as much a problem as her drinking.

  “You should be prepared, Uncle Bryan. She will lash out.”

  “Son, she already shattered my heart this afternoon the way she spoke to you. That is a side of my sister I never thought existed so there is nothing more she can say or do that would disgust me further. Though I did warn the others what we’re up against. No one is happy at the moment, they all wanted to reach out to you, but I did ask them to give you some time. You deserve some peace and quiet.”

  Peace.

  Bobby.

  Yes, Jonny was on his way home where he would cross the threshold, close the door, and find his peace.

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I won’t call. As I said, from here on out, we’ve got this. You take care of that pretty girl. And when the time is right, you bring her up to New York to meet the family.”

  Jonny finished his call with his uncle as he pulled into his driveway, caught sight of Bobby’s car, and that peace started to settle over him. Then as he made his way across the yard to the back deck he realized as shitty as that scene with his mother had been he was over it. There was nothing she could say that could penetrate the walls he’d built. The walls that Bobby’s love had fortified.

  One day when Anita got sober he’d have to deal with the hurt, he’d have to forgive her. But that day was not right then. For now, he and Bobby were safely on the other side of his fortress. He’d take the time to convince his woman he was all good, then he was setting aside the bullshit and enjoying his evening.

  And that night with Bobby’s head resting on his chest, her scent filling his senses, her fingers twined with his, Jonny fell asleep for the first time since he was a kid knowing unequivocally all was right in his world.

  20

  “This is rad!” Penny Cash exclaimed.

  The girl was everything Evie had said she was and more. Seeing her excitement made the last ten days of busting my hump worth it. Sean and Bonnie Lovette had checked into their bed and breakfast and would be at the studio soon. Evie was already there and I was showing Penny and her boyfriend slash wannabe-manager my place.

  We decided I’d stay with Jonny while Penny and Tony were in town. Well, we hadn’t decided as such, it was more of a given. I’d been staying with Jonny every night since we’d gotten home from the beach. At that point, I had more clothes at his place than I did in my closet, ditto with my makeup and hair products. Me basically moving in with Jonny hadn’t been discussed, it simply happened, and somewhere along the line, he’d stopped asking whose place we’d be sleeping at and I started to refer to his house as home. As in, “I’ll see you when I get home.” I’d found myself saying that a lot over the last week and a half and I’d heard it from Jonny just as much.

  It was natural, it was us, we’d fallen into a routine. I woke up every morning with Jonny, went to work, sometimes we met for lunch if he had time, I met him at home, we ate dinner together, we had off-the-charts great sex, then I’d fall asleep exhausted next to him. We talked, we laughed, he teased me, I did the same. It was awesome. I knew Jonny was worried about his mom but he shut me down every time I asked a
bout her. That part wasn’t awesome, it was frustrating, but I let it go because with everything else he was open. Not only with me but with the guys. He’d told Jameson, Chasin, Weston, Alec, and Holden everything and had filled Nixon in on the not-so-nice farewell his mother had treated him to.

  So, I was giving him time—a month—then I was pushing him to deal with the hurt his mother had caused. The only thing Jonny did tell me was his mother was in treatment—a live-in facility and she had no contact with the outside world. I thought this was a good thing. Jonny agreed but he did so with a nod and anguish in his eyes. My man needed to talk to me before he exploded again.

  With me unofficially living with Jonny, it made sense for Penny and Tony to stay here. It was empty and she’d be close to the studio and besides, my pad was nicer than the hotels in town. Evie had thought about putting them up in the same B and B the Lovettes were staying at but one look at Penny and I knew Evie had been right—Penny was not a B and B kinda girl. The girl oozed rock ’n’ roll. Stay at the Hyatt West Hollywood, get drunk, throw a TV out the window, cause mayhem, tear up the room rock ’n’ roll. She looked like she’d been born five decades too late, and she should’ve been rocking in the seventies.

  “The fridge is stocked,” I told Penny, then turned to Tony. “There’s a full bar in the studio, I’ll show you when we go over there, but feel free to help yourself.”

  “Thanks, Bobby,” he muttered but didn’t bother looking at me.

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “Are you sure this is okay? I don’t wanna put you out. Me and T can stay in a hotel.”

  “Positive.” I waved off her concern. “Do you need time to settle in, or would you like to go meet Evie and see the studio?”

  Penny turned from her study of the kitchen and hit me with a megawatt smile.

  “You know I can’t believe I’m really here. I feel the need to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

  “Penny,” Tony grunted.

  “Don’t start with me, T. I’m not buying a used car. I don’t need to pretend I’m not excited,” she said to her boyfriend then back to me, “He thinks I need to play it cool, act like I’m not nervous as fuck to meet Vivi Rush in person. I mean, she’s country, I’m rock, but shit, everyone on the planet knows who Vivi Rush is. If nothing more comes of this, I still get to say I jammed with the Queen of Country.”

  It was a good thing Penny had decided on not trying to hide her excitement because I didn’t think she’d be able to pull it off. She was practically bouncing in her scuffed-up black combat boots. Today she wasn’t wearing leather. She was in cut-off jean shorts, a vintage Budweiser tee, the hem cut vertically into strips stopping below her boobs, the fringe with beads tied on the ends. This outfit wasn’t for show, this was Penny Cash. Yes, the girl was a rocker but she had an innocence to her that I guessed Evie had heard the first time she’d spoken to Penny and that was why she was so eager to take Penny under her wing.

  “You have nothing to be nervous about, trust me. Five minutes after meeting her you’ll see I’m right.”

  “T? Are you coming with us?”

  Tony turned his bored, aloof gaze to Penny and narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I’m coming with you. I already told you, you’re not out of my sight, I don’t want you talking deals without me there.”

  Sheesh, the dude needed to relax. Not only that but with an attitude like his he would eventually stifle Penny. Someone needed to get Tony in hand and teach him what his role was in his girlfriend’s career.

  “Just to say,” I started gently. “No one’s talking about a deal. That’s not why Penny’s here. Evie likes her and wants to give Penny some studio time.”

  “She doesn’t need studio time. She needs a label. She needs to move on from bars and festivals to arenas. She’s got plenty of experience.”

  Right. This guy was a dick and had no idea what he was talking about. I also wasn’t going to argue with him but he did need to understand one thing.

  “There’s a difference between playing live and being in the studio. And besides that, Penny’s not getting signed with any label if she doesn’t have a decent cut. That’s what Evie’s offering. Her time, her studio, her guidance. Only a fool turns down help.”

  Tony grunted and Penny looked pale.

  “Let’s head over before Sean gets here. He’s awesome, too, by the way. You’ll love him. And, Tony, I suggest you spend some time with his wife, Bonnie. She looks like a toned-down Dolly Parton but there’s a reason Sean Lovette has had the career he’s had. Bonnie is great, she knows the industry, she knows what it takes to run her husband’s business, and how to juggle manager and spouse roles. You could learn a lot from her.”

  That earned me another grunt and I knew he wasn’t going to talk to Bonnie. That was a shame—he had a lot to learn.

  A few hours later, I was walking down the hall from my office and found Chasin and Bonnie sitting in the mixing room. Both of them had their eyes on the window in front of them, or more to the point the people in the sound booth on the other side of the window. The glass was tinted so Chasin and Bonnie could see in but Evie, Sean, Penny, and yes, Tony, couldn’t see them. However, there was a button on the rack desk in front of Chasin that if pushed would clear the tint. There was also another button that would lower a blackout blind that was used if the artist inside the booth wanted privacy. Some musicians, like Evie, needed to be alone with her music. Even if that alone was only in her mind.

  “Hey,” I greeted Chasin.

  He hadn’t been at the studio earlier when I’d made the introductions. Penny had openly adored Evie from the start. Tony had treated Evie like she was a money-hungry snake which meant it was a good thing Chasin hadn’t been around. Evie’s fiancé was overly protective and didn’t care what anyone thought about him when he delivered his warning—you either respected Evie or you were shown the door. Chasin would’ve shown Tony the door, then he would’ve walked Penny’s boyfriend to his rental and told him to beat feet.

  “We were just talking about you,” Chasin told me.

  “About how awesome I am?” I joked, feeling uncomfortable about Chasin and Bonnie talking about me.

  “Pretty much,” Bonnie chirped. “That girl in there. She’s got it. She’s gonna do big things if that boyfriend of hers doesn’t screw it up for her.”

  As I mentioned, Bonnie knew the business. She was also smart and had a bullshit meter that I only wished I had. It was no surprise she read the same thing I had about Tony.

  “I agree. What’s he doin’ in there?” I inquired and moved closer to the window to get a better view.

  Penny was sitting behind a drum kit. Evie had her favorite Paul Reed Smith guitar in hand but she wasn’t playing, Sean had his Gibson, and Tony was sitting his ass on a stool, no instrument in hand. Which meant Evie had lifted her rule—no one other than the artists in the booth. Interesting. Also annoying. They were talking—or more aptly, Sean was speaking but I couldn’t hear what he was saying the same way they couldn’t hear us.

  Before Bonnie or Chasin could answer me I went on, “Bonnie, love, can you turn on the mic in the booth please?”

  A moment later, the room filled with Sean’s booming voice, “…it’s timing. Not overpowering the rest of the sound.”

  “But she’s the drummer. The leader. It’s all about the drums,” Tony stupidly remarked.

  “Oh, Lord,” Bonnie muttered.

  “No, boy, that’s not the way music works,” Sean chastised and Tony’s jaw clenched.

  Chasin chuckled and Bonnie repeated, “Oh, Lord.”

  “Do you know Radar Love? And I mean Golden Earring, not the White Snake cover.”

  “Hell, yeah, I do,” Penny said and twirled a drumstick in her hand.

  “More covers? Isn’t she here to make her music?” Tony interrupted.

  “He’s got to go,” Bonnie drawled.

  Sean didn’t answer. He started strumming and the familiar chords of a great hit s
ilenced Tony’s objections. A few seconds later, Penny entered with the drumbeat. Evie joined in and my gaze went to her. What could only be described as serenity infused her features.

  “Good goddamn, she’s spectacular,” Chasin mumbled.

  Yeah, he didn’t miss the look on Evie’s face. And I adored how much he loved watching Evie.

  Sean took the first verse, Evie joined in at the hook. Sean’s voice faded and Evie belted out the second verse. When the hook was coming near, Evie turned and jerked her chin at Penny. Then it happened; Penny’s voice hit my ears and I was mesmerized. The tone and pitch were different than Evie’s but no less good. Penny was a little breathy but she was banging away on the drums and it really added something to the sound.

  Evie wasn’t blowing sunshine, the girl was good, really freaking good. And with a little help, she’d be sensational.

  “Jesus, she can sing,” Jonny said and I turned to find him filling the doorway.

  Then an idea hit me.

  “Is this being recorded?”

  “No,” Bonnie answered.

  All right. New idea.

  “I walked around Evie’s huge mixing desk and pushed in next to Chasin. As soon as the song ended, I opened the mic to the sound booth.

  “That was awesome. Give me another one. Rush, Collins, Stones, it doesn’t matter. But make it the same as before. Sean, Evie, then let Penny come in at the end.”

  “Why?” Tony snapped.

  “No. Stevie Wonder, Superstition,” Evie suggested.

  Evie started playing and thankfully I’d already started recording. Penny picked up the beat immediately and thirty-one seconds later, Sean started singing. The three of them ran through the song and it was better than the first. That was partly because the song Evie chose was perfect for them but also because Penny hit her groove. I’d seen Evie do it countless times—the world melted to her and her PRS and her soul came alive. The same thing happened with Penny Cash, and when it happened there was no denying she was meant for this—she and her drums belting out lyrics that came alive when she sang them.