Secrets in the Lyrics (20 page)

             
We are finally home for a couple of weeks.  I surprised my sister, which was awesome
considering I knew the huge surprise she was getting a day later.

             
Ryder and I had been working on the plan for weeks.  He was surprising her with a
Spring Break trip to Destin, where Cade’s wife has a house on the beach.  Ivie and
I showed up the day after they did.  The next day, my Mom even snuck in.  Ryder walked
her out to the beach and asked her to marry him.

             
I’ve never seen my sister so happy.  I’m so glad she’s found her happiness because
I know I’ve found mine.

             
The record company liked the demo that Ivie and I made of our lyrics combined.  We
worked on a chorus and a couple of more verses to go with it.

             
The song finally came off as
stupid guy hurts girl he loves, she can’t get over him but he broke her heart.  They
finally talk to each other and work things out and figure out there could never be
anyone else.

             
Sound familiar?  They say the test market on the song is off the charts, that people
like the “couple” singing to each other.  After we finish the last leg of the USO
tour, we are heading in to the recording studio.

             
They even got us a place in Atlanta so we don’t have to be so far from home.

             
But today is a big day.  Today, I’m going to see my father for the first time in years. 
Actually, Scarlet, Cade, myself and our mothers are all meeting with him. 

             
Our mothers met at the beach house and hit it off.  Who knew you could bond with a
lady that was married to your shitbag dying ex-husband at the same time you were?

             
He is meeting us here at Ryder’s house.  I had mom sell her place while I was gone,
so now when I’m home, I guess Ivie and I are staying with Scar and Ryder.

             
Of course when I got here, I got a very long and scary lecture from Nana, which I
deserved.  She gave me hell for acting like child and running from my responsibilities. 
Then, she told me if I ever treated a sweet girl like Ivie that way again, she’d do
something involving a baby calf thinking my dick was his mom’s tit.

             
Needless to say, I promised her it would never happen again.

             
“Gable, he’s here.”  I hear mom call from outside the room I’ve been hiding in.

             
I meet everyone in the living room, and I see a very sick, weak old man.

             
Cade and I take seats on each side of Scarlet with our mothers on our sides.

             
He looks up from his chair.  “I know you guys are thinking this is Karma.  You’re
right.”

             
My mother looks at him.  “Dan, are you throwing that in for my benefit, since you
know I believe in karma?”

             
He shakes his head.  “No, I just wanted to come here and apologize for it all.  I’m
glad you kids found each other.  I’m not much of a man, I know that.  God has a funny
way of teaching me lessons.”

             
Finally, I break out of my reserved status.  “So, I’m glad you’re happy we found each
other, but should we be looking for other siblings around the United States?  Or are
we just the lucky bastards that ended up with you as a father?”

             
“You three are my only children.  I had wives after prison, but I made sure I’d never
have any more children.”

             
Scarlet looks up at him.  “Good thing to know.  I wouldn’t want anyone else to feel
the heartache, disappointment and hate we have for you.  We were just kids and you
caught us up in the middle of your fucked up head games.”

             
He puts his hands out.  “I know y’all will never forgive me and I deserve that.  I
came here to let you know that when I pass, all of my assets will be divided amongst
the five of you in this room.  I know it will never make up for anything, but I want
you to have it.  Now, please know that I’m sorry.  I was young, I fell in love with
two totally different, beautiful women, and then had three beautiful children.  The
only part of my life I regret is not getting to spend more time with you.  I’ll be
going now.  All of my arrangements have been made, after I pass you’ll each be contacted
by my attorney.”

             
With that, he leaves.  I’m shocked, very shocked.

             
We walk into the kitchen where, Ryder, Nana, Annabelle and Ivie are waiting.  We go
over what he said and in talking to everyone else, we decide that none of us will
keep his money.  We will all vote on one charity when the time comes.

             
Ivie and I go upstairs to lie down after mom, Cade and his mom leave.  Not long after
dozing off, I hear a blood curdling scream from down stairs.

Ivie and I fly down the stairs to find Nana sobbing, Ryder beating the shit out of
a wall, Scarlet trying to stop him, Annabelle in shock crying, and Judd’s parents
holding each other. 

I look between all of them.  “What’s going on?”

Nelson has finally went over to help Scarlet with Ryder and Scarlet looks at me. 
“It’s Judd, he was injured and medi-vaced out to Germany.  They aren’t sure...they
aren’t sure how...if he’s…”  She breaks completely down. 

Ivie is crying and she rushes over to be with Annabelle, who we know is more than
just his friend.

I hold Scarlet and hug Nana. 

Nana, being a true strong Southern woman, stands up and gathers us around.  “Alright
children, we are gonna pray.  We are gonna pray that they bring that boy home to his
family.  Now, join hands.”  We all join hands and Nana prays.  She breaks up a few
times trying to get through it, but once she finishes, we all go in the kitchen and
Nana puts us to work. 

“Ryder, call your daddy and have him get his butt to the house.  Nelson, Naomi, go
home and get packed for Germany.  If the military isn’t sending you there to be with
your boy, Abbott Cotton is.  Scarlet, you call my friend Ms. Parker and tell her what’s
happened and to fire up those old ladies on the prayer chains.  Ivie, Gable, you guys
field the phone calls at this house and run up to Tom’s Deli and tell Mrs. Phanie
we are gonna need some food.  She knows what we normally get.”  Annabelle looks at
her, lost.  “Annabelle, baby you come sit on this couch with Nana.  I know he’s more
to you than you’re letting on.  I know this because he told me you’re more to him
before he deployed.”

Annabelle collapses on her lap and sobs.  Everyone else starts doing as they were
told.

“Gable, come on!  We are gonna be late for the press interview.”  We have an interview
for winning a rising star award.

He runs in, kissing me on the lips.  “I’m coming, babe.  Sorry, I ran late working
out.  I know you don’t want my body going to hell.”

I laugh.  “Babe, I’ve always loved your body, even when you were a seventeen year
old who still had some baby fat.”

He slaps me on the ass.  “Hey, I never had baby fat.”

I giggle.  “Okay, I’ll agree to make you happy.”

He runs to the bedroom to put clothes on.  “This conversation isn’t over.  Tonight,
you will be punished for saying lies about me.”

Once we make it downstairs to the press room and meet up with Keeg and Stoney, it’s
not long before the reporters start firing off questions.

“So is it true, Gabe, that you and Ivie have been together for years?”

“Is it true that you said you’ll never marry her?”

“Ivie, do you see other men?”

I finally put my hand up.  “Okay, I’ll address all of those questions and then I want
all questions directed to the award we are here to talk about.”

“Gable and I have been in a relationship for almost two years.  We don’t really discuss
marriage, and I will never see other men.”

After fielding some questions about our new album coming out and PR stuff, they start
back on Gable and me.

“So Gable, we’ve heard you guys say you don’t have labels on your relationship.”

“That’s right, labels are for other people, not the people in the relationship. Ivie
knows that she’s the only person for me and that’s all that matters.  I’m her only
and she’s my only.”

“We’ve heard that your first original song was about your love.  Is that true?”

I look up and smile.  “The truth is we have secrets in all of our lyrics.  Any song
that has ever been written was someone’s story.”

Gable looks at them.  “Now, thank you all for your time, but we have a show to get
ready for.”

We have a show at a Military Hospital tonight for wounded soldiers.  After Gable’s
dad passed away, they decided that due to what happened with Judd, they would donate
all the money to programs for wounded soldiers and their families.
 

Making our way back up to our room, Gable pins me to the wall in the elevator and
kisses my neck.  “You did good in there, babe.  You really took charge, it was kinda
hot.”

“Ha ha.  They were reaming the shit out of us.”

He looks over at me.  “Did you find out from Scar what time they’ll all be here?”

“Yeah, their plane is due in at three this afternoon.”

He nuzzles into my neck more.  “Good, so we have the suite for a few hours to ourselves.”

“Mmm, sounds good.”

“Oh, don’t think you aren’t paying for your baby fat joke this morning.”

“Oh, Mr. Johnson, are you going to spank me?”

He tugs at my ear with his mouth.  “Oh, Mrs. Johnson, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
 

I laugh.  “Those reporters would shit if they knew we were already married.”

He smiles.  “Yeah, good thing we ran off to Vegas before we got super famous.  Do
you regret us not having a big wedding?”

“No.  Do you regret us never telling anyone but our families that we’re married?”

“Nope, I told you a long time ago, Ivie.  You are all that matters, the rest of the
world can fuck off.”

“So sexy, this is the kind of stuff awesome songs are made from.”

The elevator doors open and I think about the pregnancy test sitting on the bathroom
counter in our room waiting for Gable to find it.

We walk in our suite and Gable heads to the bathroom as I sit on the couch with my
bass.

When he walks out with the stick in his hands, I look up and start to sing.

I’m having his baby.

I’m having his baby.
             

I don’t even get to finish the lyrics I made up when he picks me up over his shoulder,
slinging me around.

“You just gave me the best song on Earth.”  He sits me down on my feet.  “So, you
really are gonna have my baby?”

I nod with tears in my eyes.  “Yeah, I really am.”

“I can’t wait to hear our lyrics that come out of this experience.”

I smile and kiss him.  “Me, either.”