“I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you.”
“I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honour you.”
A kiss. And applause. And Seamus leaned close to Chancey. “Would you get married again?”
“Is that a proposal?”
“What would you say if it was?”
“Yes, I guess.”
“You don’t know?”
Chancey shrugged, and his eyes twinkled with mirth. “It wasn’t a proposal.”
Seamus huffed.
“Shay?”
“What?”
“Ask the damn question.”
“Will you marry me, Chance?”
“Yes.”
<<< >>>
So much for an orderly sit-down three-course meal.
“I’ve heard those Williams boys play a fine reel,” Chancey said in the most appalling Irish accent Seamus had ever heard, and it made him snort with laughter.
“Shame I didn’t bring me fiddle,” he said.
“Aye, it is, to be sure,” said Paddy’s boss, plonking a black fiddle-shaped case on the table.
“You…” Seamus began, slowly turning his mock-angry glare on Chancey. “Why, I oughta…”
“One of the grooms requested it,” Lily explained.
“No prizes for guessin’ which one,” Paddy grumbled.
“Well, if you can’t figure it out, there’s no hope for anyone else, is there, young Patrick?”
Paddy gave his brother a sarcastic grin and looked around the table. “All right. Who’s got the flute?”
They all peered underneath the table, shrugging and shaking their heads.
“This flute, you mean?” Aidan asked, setting it down in front of his husband.
“Oh, what a surprise! I hope it’s not the shape of things to come, Mr. Degas-Williams.”
Aidan smiled and gave Paddy a lingering kiss.
Throughout the interchange, Seamus had been aware of Dee, sitting a few seats to his left, the emerald hearts of the necklace clasped in her hand while she pretended she wasn’t watching or listening. He hated to see her isolating herself in order to make her point. They got it: she didn’t want to go to Ireland, understandably. Her life was in Kansas. All those things Chancey worked seven days a week to pay for—the dancing, riding, roping—she’d be leaving them behind, along with her friends, classmates, her horse, her mother. The last was maybe not a deal breaker, but the rest of it put them back to square one, because Chancey would do what was best for Dee. He had to, and Seamus wouldn’t have it any other way. But it didn’t stop him feeling like his heart was being torn in two.
“Come on then, fellas,” Paddy’s boss goaded. Seamus sighed resignedly and pushed his chair back. He met his brother’s gaze across the table and noted he was just as reticent. No doubt it was for the same reason of wanting to spend the time with the man he loved, rather than entertaining wedding guests, even if it was Aidan who’d requested they play. At least Paddy and Aidan had the certainty of their future together.
Seamus dragged himself to his feet and sidestepped past Chancey, not releasing his hand until the last second, before walking around to join Paddy at the other end of the table. He took the fiddle and offered Paddy’s boss a wan smile, wearily taking the instrument out and tuning up with no enthusiasm whatsoever. Paddy was blowing hot breath through his flute, making a noise that today was like the scratching of nails on a chalkboard. Seamus closed his eyes and focused on the sound of each string, plucking and tweaking until it was close enough.
When he opened his eyes again, he met Aidan’s joyous smile, and it hit him like a smack in the teeth. This was Paddy and Aidan’s special day, and he was being a selfish gobshite. So what if tomorrow Chance and Dee were going back to Kansas, and he was going back to Ireland? Things would be as they were before, with the added bonus of knowing one day they’d be together for real. One day they’d be married, too. That day might not come until Dee reached adulthood, but it was what? Five years away at most. And anyway, the novelty of owning his own ‘ranch’ might have worn off long before then.
“So we’ll be playing the Londonderry Air, young Patrick?”
“Goes without saying, Seamus.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
“One…two…three…”
<<< >>>
“You could come visit us on your honeymoon,” Dee said, releasing Aidan from a long hug goodbye, which had followed a similar long hug goodbye for Michael. Paddy was driving Chancey and Dee, because Seamus and Michael were flying from a different airport, and they wouldn’t make their check-in time if Seamus went to see off the Clearwaters. So this was goodbye, and the urge to run and hide was almost too much to resist.
“We’ve already figured out the honeymoon, Dee,” Aidan told her. “We’re going to visit Seamus and tour the Emerald Isle.”
On those words, Dee clutched at the pendant Lily had given her, and told her she could keep.
“But you can always call me up on Skype, right?” Aidan said.
Dee nodded and pushed out a smile. There was only Seamus left that she hadn’t said goodbye to, and she peered up at him, holding her smile. He tried to return it, but the tears prickled, and he looked to the heavens, a sob escaping. Chancey, who had been standing close by, walked back inside the house, muttering something about checking they hadn’t left anything behind.
“Shay?”
Dee’s voice was small and sounded so far away, and he was trying desperately to recompose, but it was all he could do not to yell like a baby. This was why he left without saying goodbye, because goodbyes hurt so damn much.
“Shay,” Dee repeated, louder now.
He sniffed and looked down into the big round eyes blinking up at him. She felt guilty, and it was his fault. She was just a kid. How could she know how hard this was? Seamus sniffed again and dug deep for a real smile, although the tears were still rolling. He held out his arms to her, and she went into them, wrapping herself around his middle. He bent down and kissed her lightly on the head, whispering, “Look after your dad for me, will you?”
She nodded against his chest and squeezed him a bit tighter. “I promise,” she whispered back.
Chapter Thirty-Three:
Her Own Curtain and Everything
It wasn’t until they had passed the sign for the Whippoorwill city limits, that Dee finally spoke. “So should I pack my bags?”
“No.” Chancey’s voice was hoarse from lack of use. Hours in the airport, more time on the plane, and then driving Layla home, and she hadn’t said a word to him, nor had he said anything to her. His head was full of his goodbye with Seamus, and Chancey figured Dee would make her objections heard soon enough. He sure as hell wasn’t going to goad them out of her. “We wouldn’t move in the middle of the school year anyway.”
She huffed a little, but didn’t say anything.
“Besides,” he said calmly. “You’re right—if decisions like this are going to be made, they need to involve you.”
He saw her nod firmly out of the corner of his eye.
“Do you want to go to Ireland, Deidra?”
“No.”
The word was short and sharp, and he had to take a steady, controlling breath to not snap back at her.
“Would you want to live with your mother?” Even just asking the words pained him, but it had to be Dee’s choice. He bit down on all the reasons he thought Kaylee being Dee’s sole guardian was a terrible idea. Besides being the most self-centred she-devil on the planet, she was on tour most of the time, she had terrible judgement, and she was about to be a newlywed. Never mind she knew absolutely nothing about raising a teenage daughter.
“You…” Dee’s voice grew small, wounded. “Want me to go live with Momma?”
“I want you to be happy, darlin’.”
I want to be happy, too. Hell, wouldn’t it be something if they could al
l be happy together? A sniff from his side drew his attention, and he momentarily glanced at her before turning his eyes back to the road. Fat, broken-hearted tears were rolling down Dee’s cheeks. He reached out blindly for her, took her hand. “C’mon, don’t cry.”
“I…I don’t wanna live with Momma.”
“You don’t have to. It’s just an option.”
“Why is this happening? All of a sudden it’s Seamus, Seamus, Seamus, and now I have to choose: Ireland or Kaylee Starr?”
“Seamus, Seamus, Seamus?” he repeated. Jesus, child. He’d done everything he could to keep his romance to himself—to make it so it was such a minute part of her life that she wouldn’t have to worry about it. Maybe that’s where he’d gone wrong. Maybe he should have done more to make her understand what Seamus meant to him.
“What if I want to stay here with you in Kansas?”
“He asked me to marry him, Deidra.”
It was not the response Chancey had meant to give her, but right then, it was the only one he had. She made a little noise of surprise.
“And I’m not gonna say sorry for it.”
“Right. Just like Momma!”
“‘Like Momma’ nothing, Dee. I’m not your mother, and wantin’ a little happy for myself isn’t selfish. If you want to be mule-headed about this, girl, fine.”
“Fine,” Dee responded sourly.
<<< >>>
If anything Kaylee Starr did still had the ability to surprise Chancey, he might have been a bit confounded when he drove through the gate to his property and found a forty-five-foot tour bus with his ex-wife—ample, half-exposed cleavage and all—painted on the side.
As Dee saw what was waiting for them, she sank down so low in her seat, she almost slipped out from under the seat belt.
“Why are there airbrushed sparkles in her eyes?” she groaned. “God, if this ends up on Facebook…”
“Darlin’, I think we’re way past Facebook.”
Chancey didn’t recognise any of the men who were hanging out in his yard. Kaylee must have long abandoned Chuck and Terry—the two guys who had helped her haul her equipment back in the old days. He wondered how many people had been tossed to the wayside now that Kaylee Starr’s star was rising.
“Evenin’.” He greeted the guys as he climbed out of Layla. The guys nodded at him. Dee kept tight to his side. She wasn’t scared of roadies, Chancey thought, maybe a bit intimidated by the bus. Chancey walked up to the door of the hulking metal beast and knocked, wondering how many people Kaylee had on staff now.
It took almost a full thirty seconds for the door to open, and when it was pushed open, the fiancé—Isaac—emerged. Chancey stifled a heavy sigh. Big ol’ happy family reunion.
“Momma around?” Dee asked, tilting her chin a bit. She was wearing her Kansas State Junior Rodeo hoodie, and she hugged her arms around her against the chill.
“Yes,” Isaac replied. “She’s getting ready right now.”
“There some reason she’s parked her tour bus in my front yard?” Chancey asked.
“Erm, well…”
“What?”
“Dee asked her to come.”
Chancey spent his days at Rabbit Hill keeping his thoughts off his face. It was a skill he’d developed early on, when he got his first performance review and the general manager told him if he didn’t stop sneering at the guests, he’d be out of a job. So Chancey had become real good at hiding what he was thinking. But at those words, Dee asked her to come, Chancey whipped his head towards his daughter.
She visibly shrank into her hoodie, eyes fixed on the ground.
“What the hell, Deidra?”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, toeing the dry grass.
“Don’t get mad at her,” Isaac said.
“Don’t tell me what to do about my own goddamn daughter.”
The men nearby had perked at the sound of Chancey’s raised voice, and he could see two of them starting to come over. They were big guys—one tall and broad-shouldered, the other all-around meaty. Maybe not roadies, maybe the muscle. But if they were bodyguards they’d done a shit job, letting Chancey walk right up to Kaylee’s bus.
“Call ’em off,” Chancey warned lowly, pulling Dee close to his side. “Or we’re gonna have trouble.”
As the men drew nearer, Chancey scooped Dee around the waist and pushed her behind him. If it meant he’d have to take the both of them on, he would. It was a long time since he’d been in a fist fight, and he wasn’t keen to lay anyone out with Dee watching, but no one threatened him on his own property.
The men were almost on them before Isaac grudgingly said, “This is Kaylee’s ex and her daughter. They’re fine. They’re with me.”
Nice to be vetted. Chancey would have called the police if he thought for a second they would do something about the tour bus. More than likely, he’d get a couple of star-struck deputies, tripping over themselves and asking for autographs.
The men had stopped, but they did not return to their easy positions at the other end of the bus, and it was the first time in a long time that Chancey was pleased to see Kaylee. She came bounding down the stairs of the bus in boots, daisy dukes, and a cut-off shirt with long sleeves, looking more like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader than a country music star.
“Chancey! Dee!” She flung herself at them, pulling them both into a hug. “Y’all meet the guys?”
“Yep,” Chancey replied, pulling himself out of her hold.
“Aren’t you cold, Momma?” Dee asked, her mouth screwed up in a line of disgust. She glanced at the guys and saw what Chancey saw: two horndogs salivating over her.
“Nah, it’s warm inside the bus. You want to take a tour?”
“Kaylee, we just got home.”
“I know! I’ve been followin’ your flight plan. Dee sent me all the details.”
Dee turned to Chancey and mouthed, I’m so sorry, Daddy…
“C’mon in, yer gonna love it. Remember that old wreck I used to rent? Well, the record company gave me this to replace it. It has two sets of televisions and video game consoles at both ends of the bus.”
Dee followed her mother onto the bus, and Chancey reluctantly went in behind them with Isaac on his heels.
“Isn’t it crazy?” Kaylee asked, spinning around to show off the plush couches and entertainment centre. “We can practically sleep the whole crew on this thing, though I have my own room, ’course.” She turned and walked through, chattering about the features of the massive bus.
“Do you realise your fiancée’s ass cheeks are hanging out of her cut-offs?” Chancey asked Isaac, who sighed heavily but didn’t reply.
“This would be your room, Dee. It doesn’t have a door, but we could hang a curtain or beads or—”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Chancey demanded, forgetting that he’d only just offered Dee the option to live with her mother.
Kaylee turned to him and put a challenging hand on her hip. “Deidra asked to live with me.”
“What?”
“I…I didn’t…” Dee spluttered, hot colour rising in her cheeks. “I mean, I texted Momma when I was mad. I didn’t think she was gonna come out here.”
“Why wouldn’t I come out here, honey?” Kaylee asked. “You needed me, and I’m here.”
“You want her to live on your tour bus?” Chancey snapped. “With Captain Assface here and those meatheads you have outside.”
“Hey now!” Isaac cried.
“Shut it, Isaac,” Kaylee snapped. “We’re havin’ a family discussion.”
“So those gorillas you have out there? That all the men you keep on the bus, Kaylee? Or what?”
“Well, Isaac, obviously, and…the band travels with us too.”
“But Dee would have her own god-damn-ed curtain, right? I’m sure that’s going to keep some pervert off her.”
“Daddy,” Dee groaned, dropping down onto yet another set of fancy couches. Was the whole bus made of couches? “I’m so
rry.”
“No, honey, don’t be sorry,” Kaylee said sternly. “Your daddy is choosin’ a new life, and he didn’t even bother to consult you on it.”
“What would you know about it, Kaylee?”
“I know you’re with this Seamus guy now. Talk about men bein’ around our girl! At least I know all my guys real good—but I don’t know this boyfriend of yours from Adam.”
“Shay is wonderful, Momma,” Dee tried to interject.
“All-the-way-in-Ireland wonderful,” Kaylee reminded her hotly. “Was anyone going to ask me what I thought?”
“No,” Chancey snapped. “You don’t have legal custody. You didn’t think alternating weekends would work well with your career, remember?”
“Hey, guys, can we keep cool heads about this?” Isaac asked.
“Shuddup!” Kaylee and Chancey barked at him together before turning on each other.
“She’s my daughter too, Chance.”
“Don’t call me that, Kaylee. You don’t get to call me that. And you may have birthed her, but you’ve done shit all for her as a mother.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t just tell her out of the blue I was seein’ a woman and that we were movin’ to…to France or something! And I thought you didn’t want her knowin’ you like the look of men? Thought you were afraid she’d think less of you. ‘I’ve got a secret. Kaylee, I’m a bi-sexual. Don’t tell, Dee, please.’”
Chancey’s face burned with rage as his ex-wife mocked the night he’d revealed to her what he’d never, until that point, told anyone else.
“Momma, please!” Dee begged. She was crying now, hot and heavy, and Chancey immediately felt all the fight drain from him. He turned sharply from Kaylee, who still had her claws out, and knelt in front of Dee.
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he said, taking her hands. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry for everythin’.”
“P-please stop fighting,” she begged.
“We will,” he promised. “We will, right?”
But Kaylee was in her own world, and she said, “Dee, I’m proud of you for standin’ up to him. You’re just like me when I was your age, you know that? There’s no way I would have let anyone tell me what to do or where to go, no matter what. So don’t let your daddy drag you off to Ireland or France or anywhere. You put your foot down, just like your momma would do.”
Seeds of Tyrone Box Set Page 43