“This is all my fault, Mandy. If I hadn’t pushed you into lying about Zach, Eddie wouldn’t be so on edge. So ready to believe the worst about a friend.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry I lied to you about my mate status, Mom but I’m so glad I found Joe.”
“I’m glad you did too, but Eddie shouldn’t drink. I have to stop him.” She started to stand, but Mandy pushed her back into her chair.
“It’s his choice. I learned that in Al-Anon. Don’t you remember?”
“Um…it’s been hard to keep up with all the traveling,” Carly muttered.
Mandy sighed. “So you haven’t been working a program, have you?” Carly shook her head. “Has Eddie?”
“He’s sober. He hasn’t taken a drink in twenty-five years.”
“There’s a difference between sober and dry. Threatening us with going to get drunk isn’t the action of a sober male. Mom, we can offer support but we can’t let him control us.”
“He isn’t trying to control us.” Carly shrugged, sniffing.
“That’s a load of crap and I’m going to go tell him so right now.” Mandy stood, taking a deep breath. Joe came into the kitchen and she met his concerned gaze. She smiled and his face softened.
If you need me, angel, just call. I’ll be there in a heartbeat.
I know, Joe, but I have to deal with him.
Joe nodded and Mandy walked out the back onto the porch. She stuffed her feet into her going-to-the-mailbox boots and went out the door to talk to her father. Tom talked to Eddie in calming tones while her father paced, but Eddie refused to listen.
“It’s bullshit, man. He used her. We’ve both seen him go from chick to chick for the entire two years he’s been with the band.”
“Year and a half, actually.”
“Whatever. He’s not capable of commitment. He’ll hurt her. Fuck around on her. Go out partying. Make her cry. Damn it, I know.”
“None of that is true, Eddie,” Mandy argued quietly. He whipped around, pushing his long golden hair out of his eyes.
“Rockers are notorious. I’ve been one for forty freaking years, honey. I know what we’re like.”
“Tom isn’t like that and he’s a rocker.”
“The exception that proves the rule.”
“You aren’t that way.”
Eddie barked a sarcastic laugh. “Now. I’m not like that now.”
“I remember.”
He shuddered. “Yeah, I didn’t dry out ‘til you were ten, did I?”
“Nope.”
With a groan he resumed pacing. “This sucks. I can’t believe you.”
“What?”
“My old man left you this place because he knew you wanted to settle down. Have a roof over your head and a place to call home. Mate with Joe and you won’t be settled ever again.”
“Why not?”
“He’s a nomad, honey. He blows from gig to gig. What’s worse, you’ll never be able to count on him for anything. When you’re a small-time rocker money goes out as fast as you make it.”
Mandy couldn’t believe the trash talk dribbling out of her father’s mouth.
But he’s right. Stay with me and we’ll move around…a lot. We won’t be rich—I’ve had months where I could barely make the rent.
Do you think I care about that? We’ll have each other and that will be enough.
Tell me that when I can’t clothe our pups.
Now you sound like him and it’s crap. He sounds like…oh, my. Mandy gasped as she realized where the garbage Eddie spewed was coming from.
What?
I’ll explain later.
“What’s really upsetting you, Eddie?”
He stalked over to her and got in her face. “Joe’s not good enough for you. You deserve someone with prospects. A wolf who can take care of you and any pups you have. Someone with character, damn it.”
“Do you hear yourself?”
Eddie scowled. “What do you mean?”
“Do you know who you sound like?”
“I sound like me.”
“Nope. Not even close.”
“Then who?”
“Grandfather.”
“My father never had to raise any bitch pups. Daughters are different.”
“No, I don’t mean Gramps. I mean Grandfather Redwolf.”
“Carly’s old man?”
“Yep. Just like him. Same arguments.”
“I’ll admit he hated me, but he didn’t talk about me around you.”
Mandy laughed. “How quickly you forget. We visited a lot before I was ten and only a few times after you quit drinking. He set you off and you went on binges when we went to Atlanta. I was eight when he spouted all this same garbage to Carly.”
“Were you hiding somewhere?”
“Daddy, it was at breakfast on the veranda. Mom’s old flame James Goldwolf had chosen a mate. Grandfather went on and on about how much better off Carly would have been with James. James had a business. He wasn’t a drunken, no-good, no-account rock musician.” Eddie winced. “You went off on a three day bender.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah…oh. Carly cried all three days you were gone.”
He sighed, pulling her close to hug her. “I don’t want that for you. I don’t want you to mate someone like me. Please baby. Just walk away”
Mandy hugged him then leaned back to look up into his eyes. “It’s too late, you know. He’s my True Mate and we can’t undo it. You know about True Mates better than anyone.”
Eddie groaned. “Carly knows it better. I hurt her so bad for so long. It’s a wonder she still loves me.”
“Love doesn’t go away just because someone screws up. You taught me that. You and Carly both.”
He nodded. “I’m not happy about this.”
“You don’t have to be happy…yet. But you had better never blackmail me with threats about going out to get hammered again or I’ll kick your ass.”
Eddie chuckled, kissing her forehead. Then he looked into her eyes and she saw the pain buried there. “I need a drink, honey. Bad,” he whispered.
“Then call your sponsor, Kyle. He’ll make time for you.” Eddie looked away, shuffling his feet. “What is it?”
“Kyle cut me loose years ago.”
“You don’t have a sponsor?”
“I’ve gone through several.”
“Several? You aren’t working your program, are you?”
“Damn it, honey. It’s hard when we travel so much.”
Mandy shook her head. “That’s an excuse. If you want to work on it, you can. And if you had, this shit about me being with a musician wouldn’t be an issue anymore.”
“Musicians suck as mates.”
“That will be between me and Joe.”
“Joe. Damn him for taking advantage of you.”
“You sound like I’m a teenager, Eddie. I know what I’m doing.”
“I hope so.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “God, I need a drink.”
“Then go get hammered if that’s what it takes, but know this. If you take a drink today it’s on you, Eddie. Not on me. Or Carly. And especially not on Joe. It’s your choice. Every single day.”
“I don’t want to drink.”
“Then deal with it. Do you have a local contact?”
He nodded. “I’ll call. I need help.”
“Then get it. We can worry about setting up the recording studio tomorrow.”
“Oh, the studio. I forgot. I’ll call later.”
Mandy growled, “Later?”
He sighed. “I’ll call now.”
“Good. Staying dry is more important than the studio. Twenty-five years dry is worthy of celebration, but I hope you start working the program so we can celebrate your sobriety, too.”
“I will.”
“Enough of the promises. I’ll believe it when I see you set up with a sponsor and really following the twelve steps. Until then…”
“You’re one tough little wol
f bitch.” He grinned. “Punkin, you’re definitely Daddy’s favorite.”
She laughed. “I’m Daddy’s only.”
“Still my favorite though.”
She could hear Tom relax as she and Eddie walked to the house arm in arm.
Chapter Seven
Joe patted Carly’s shoulder as Eddie and Mandy approached the house. She turned into his arms to give him a hug.
“It may take Eddie a while to warm up to this, but I’m glad. For Mandy and for you. You’ve both been alone for too long.”
“Thanks.” Joe smiled when she kissed his cheek.
At least Carly welcomed him into the family, but Eddie’s reaction really stung because he hadn’t expected it. He’d told Mandy that he thought Eddie might want to beat the crap outta him, but he hadn’t really believed it. From the minute they’d met when Joe walked in to audition, he and Eddie had been friends. They clicked in a way he never had with any other musician. Eddie had become like an older brother or a surrogate father because of their age difference. In tune because of their kinship through the guitar. Eddie taught him rock-music history and Joe taught Eddie rock-music future.
Joe’s audition with The Pack had been a blast as he traded guitar riffs with Eddie. It turned into a game of cutting heads—back and forth for almost an hour. Testing each other to see who played better. He’d been sure Eddie would be pissed when he finally played a riff Eddie couldn’t duplicate or better, but instead Eddie had laughed in delight and said “he’s the one”. From that moment on, Joe was in. The band had cancelled the three remaining appointments for the next day and hired Joe on the spot. Now Eddie wanted to rip out his throat. It hurt to think he might lose Eddie’s friendship.
When Mandy and Eddie came inside, Eddie ignored him and approached Carly tentatively. Apologetically. Mandy crossed to Joe’s side to hug him in sympathy as they watched Eddie drop to his knees in front of Carly.
“I’m sorry, babe. I hurt you…again.”
Carly tugged him to his feet and held him tight. “You hurt yourself too. I love you and I always will.”
“I don’t deserve you. I never did.” He buried his head in the curve of her shoulder.
“You sound like my dad.”
“That’s what Mandy said.”
“She’s right. About your reaction to Joe too.”
Eddie’s jaw clenched as he looked into Carly’s eyes. “I know what lousy mates rock musicians are. I stink as a True Mate.”
“You’re my True Mate. Good or bad, and I don’t want anyone else.”
Eddie rubbed his eyes and Carly kissed him. Joe swallowed hard. Was it envy he felt or wishful thinking? His parents were True Mates too, but they were never as openly affectionate with each other or as forgiving of the flaws of others as Eddie and Carly. He was a disappointment to his parents and now he disappointed Eddie.
It’s not you, Joe.
It is. He thinks I’ll be a lousy mate for you.
Only because he feels like he was a lousy mate for Carly. He needs to work through this. Once he thinks about it he’ll realize that when he and Carly found each other he was twenty to her eighteen. You’re forty and I’m thirty-five. We’re almost twice as old as they were and we’re definitely twice as mature. We can do this.
Joe kissed her forehead as she hugged him tight. He hoped she was right. She deserved a good mate, he just hoped he was the right one.
You’re the only one. I don’t want another. True Mates are made for each other.
It should be easy. I should be able to make you happy. Give you a good life.
Life isn’t easy. But we can face the hardships together and together we’re twice as strong.
Joe sighed, turning to Mandy to cuddle her close. She was so strong. Wise too. More than him. And so filled with hope. He needed some of that hope.
“It’s yours. Now and forever,” she whispered in his ear.
He lifted his head to look down into her bright eyes. “Thanks, angel.”
Someone cleared their throat and he turned his head to find Eddie glaring at him. Damn it. What happened to the guy who was becoming a buddy he could depend on? Mandy patted his back.
“You have something to say to me, Eddie? Then say it.”
“Hurt my daughter and I’ll rip out your heart and feed it to you. Clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Good.” He turned to gaze into Carly’s eyes. “I called my local contact as Mandy and I walked in. Dave is going to meet me at the coffee shop downtown. I think I’ll walk. I need the air.”
“Can I walk with you?”
Eddie smiled. “I’d like that, babe.”
They went in search of coats and boots then left through the kitchen, walking hand in hand.
“He’ll come around you know,” Tom said quietly.
Joe shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I thought he liked me. We’d gotten to be friends. Now…I don’t know.”
Tom clapped him on the shoulder then pulled him in for an abrupt hug. “I’m happy for you and I believe in you, bro. Eddie does too, he’s just forgotten for right now. He’ll remember.”
“Would you have freaked if I’d matched up to Dee?”
Tom cocked his head. “At first, maybe. But I know you’re solid. Hell, you’re a better manager than Red ever was. He was having a hell of a time lining up gigs, but you search the internet and bam, we’re booked.”
“It’s not that hard. You guys could have done it.”
“Don’t count on it. Eddie and me…we’re dinosaurs. Neither one of us wants to deal with the internet much and we’ve learned from you. Both for promotion and keeping up with the new music scene. Hell, without you we wouldn’t have started to make our own CDs or gotten a web site. You even introduced us to social networking.”
“You guys could have gotten CDs made years ago and the social network stuff is free.”
“But we didn’t think about it. We come from the vinyl days, my friend. No record contract, no vinyl. Promotion was every gig we played, but times have changed.”
Joe smiled. “Yeah, they have.”
Sharon walked over to hug him too. “You’re family, honey. I’d have been happy if you and Dee had matched. But I’m happy for Mandy. You’re a good guy. Carly was thrilled until Eddie freaked, but he’ll come around. Give him time.”
“Time’s all I got. I can’t let Mandy go now.” He took her hand and kissed it.
“We’re going to be staying over at Sam’s while we’re in town recording. Call if you need anything. We’ll get our stuff off The Beast. Sam is driving over for us.”
Mandy frowned when she heard a knock on the back door. “Come on in, Zach.”
“How did you know?” Joe growled, she better not be hearing two males.
She grinned at him. “It was the pattern of the knock, silly.”
“Oh.”
She kissed him and he pulled her close as Zach came in the back door. “Mands, time to pay back some of that karmic debt you owe me.”
“Now what?”
“I got a frantic call from the lead singer of Castle Eagle this morning.”
“The band you have booked for the Valentine’s Day weekend?”
“Yup. Their drummer went skiing this morning and wrapped himself around a tree.”
“God, is he okay?”
“Yes, and no. He’ll be okay…but…he broke an arm and a leg. He’s not going to be drumming until he heals.”
“So what’s the payback?” Joe asked.
“Well, let’s see. I’ve got a hot band with a great draw standing right here.”
Joe smiled. “Well now, let’s see.” He shook his head, putting a serious expression on his face. “Last-minute booking like this will cost you extra.”
Zach’s lips quirked. “How much extra?”
Joe’s eyes narrowed. “Another thousand.”
“Ah, but you’re not booked anywhere. Two hundred and fifty more.”
“If not us, what are your o
ptions? Seven-fifty.”
“Shit.” Zach thought a minute. “Okay. Five hundred.”
“Five hundred plus another percent on the gate.”
“Five hundred plus another half percent.”
“Done…pending approval from the band members.”
“Good. You’ve got my cell number right?”
“Yeah. We’ll get back to you later today.”
“Just remember, your True Mate owes me big time.”
“I’m in favor but Eddie runs the band. If he vetoes…”
“Then remind him his daughter owes me huge. See you guys later.” Zach walked out the door whistling.
Tom laughed. “Nice.”
“You don’t mind performing next weekend?”
“Hell we usually do at least one local gig when we’re recording. All the free time felt weird so I’m all for this.” He glanced at Sharon, raising his brows. She nodded. “We’ll stop at the coffee shop when Sam picks us up and take it up with Eddie. He’ll go for it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Oh yeah.”
A car honk sounded and Sharon and Tom hugged them both then rushed out the back door to load up and go home with their eldest son.
“Just us.”
“Yeah.”
“Hungry?”
He licked his lips looking down at her unbound breasts under her t-shirt. “Hell, yeah.”
She grinned. “I meant for breakfast.”
“So did I.”
Her stomach growled and he laughed. “I guess food comes first.”
“I think so. Sorry.” She headed for the fridge to look for something to eat. “So what are you hungry for?”
“Other than you, you mean?”
“Yeah. Food, Joe. Focus.”
“I was.”
She swung around, hands on hips, and he lifted his hands in defeat. “What we had last night was good. Eggs, bacon, toast and juice.”
“Okay, I’ll dig out the food and get cooking.”
“Let me help. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
Together they got to work. While Mandy cooked the bacon, Joe scrambled eggs. They worked in companionable silence, both lost in their own thoughts until Joe’s pocket started to play Ride of the Valkyries.
“What is that?”
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