AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She really was a witch,” Gray smirked.
“You all know, thanks to Emmy, that I’ve always felt second best. That you were the Gods, and I was just the drummer, but she made me sound…” Frankie paused as if she couldn’t find the words.
“Like a Cosmic God?” Gray offered.
“Like I belonged. Like you couldn’t have done this without me. Like I mattered.”
“You do and we couldn’t,” I reassured her.
“I know that now, but her words. They made me feel important. A part of the story and not just the annoying little sister.”
“She made each of us sound like the heroes in our own story and then somehow wrapped them together in a way that makes us unbreakable. It’s fucking epic,” Mav declared. “I cried like a baby and it’s our story. Imagine what the fans will think. Tan, you happy with your bits?”
I paused for a minute because I still felt overwhelmed when I thought about the book she’d written for us. “She didn’t make me sound like a broken boy who had to be rescued. She made me sound like a superhero because I survived it all.”
“So, any notes you want me to send her?” Addi asked, and everyone shook their heads.
“I have one, but I don’t want her to know about it,” I explained what I wanted and why and everyone agreed, so Addi headed off to make it happen, just like she always did.
“It sounds great, guys. One more time from the top and we can call it a day.” The American twang of the sound engineer reverberated through the recording studio and we started our new song again. We’ve recorded about fifteen of Frankie’s songs over the last few months and had enough for a new album, but this one was different. This was one of mine. I’d given Frankie my scribbles, and she’d worked her magic on it and turned it into a hit. This girl had an amazing gift for writing and one that I couldn’t believe she’d hidden from us for so long.
Thank you, Emmy.
Part of this song was acoustic and had Gray singing it. His voice was low and rich, sending goosebumps cascading across my skin. There was a time that I would never have stepped back, but I wanted to share the spotlight and it had made all the difference to the band dynamic.
Thank you, Emmy.
As the song reached the middle section, the drums started before the guitar solo, which I played, then the base kicked in until the song grew and exploded into the powerful bridge and the last verse where we all came together. Frankie had done an amazing job, and I knew it would be a hit, but no one was going to hear it. Not yet, anyway. The band understood my plans for this song and were happy to keep it under wraps until the time was right. It was no longer about my ego. It was about the band.
Thank you, Emmy.
Chapter 32
Tanner - 3 months later
Homesweethome.
I was back in my bedroom at Lori and Phil’s, staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t settle. I longed to call her, turn up at her house, stand outside her window with a boombox and declare my undying love like they did in the movies. Because nothing had changed. It had been months since I’d seen Emmy, and I still loved her with every fiber of my being.
Today was the launch of our book. A book I’d changed without telling her. I was primed and ready for the call, the anger, and her harsh words. Right now, I would have done anything to get her to reach out and speak to me. But nothing. Not a word.
The idea of a ghostwriter was they created a book, but their name was never used. You assumed the subject of the book wrote it themselves, when in fact it was this invisible person who had done all the hard work and you simply basked in their talents. I didn’t want that for Emmy. She was more than a ghost to us. She was central to saving the band… saving me, and I wanted her to get the credit she deserved. So I’d had Addi change the book cover to have her named as the author and I’d written a dedication in the front because what she created in those pages was nothing short of magnificent. She’d brought us back together. She’d brought us back to life.
I stared at the first page of her book and the words I’d written.
It’s funny how one person can step into the room and change everyone’s lives. You did that, angel. You changed us all for the better and we can’t thank you enough. You saw us. Even when we tried to hide, and you helped us face our demons. Because of you, we are all better people.
You, Emmy Winters, were never a ghost to us. Never invisible. You will always be a part of the Cosmic God’s universe and we will all love you forever.
Thank you for bringing the magic back to all our lives.
I had hoped by using her name on the cover or what I’d written inside the book would make her call, but it didn’t work.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but the vacant hole where my heart used to be made it impossible.
Emmy
Whattheactualhell?Why is my name on the front of the book? What happened to the anonymous ghostwriter job I signed up for?I didn’t give them permission to do this. I didn’t want all this attention. I’d just moved into my new apartment. Found a way to live my life in the real world and not the Cosmic God orbit. For a while, it had been hard. The press hounded me, but Thomas and Melissa really helped.
