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“I love you,” I whisper so low only she can hear.
“I love you, too.”
* * *
The band finishesup around midnight and we all sit around a table to cool off before taking off for the night.
Mark pushes his blond hair away from his face. “I can’t believe we nailed “Nothing Else Matters” like that. We haven’t even practiced that song.”
I lean back in my chair. “You guys did awesome. But it’s Metallica. We’ve all played their shit time and time again. I knew you guys would kill it.”
“Hey, Dane!” Dad shouts at me from behind the bar.
“I’ll be right back, guys.”
I walk over to him. “What’s up?”
“Come back to the office with me,” he says, motioning toward the back of the bar.
I walk through the door he’s holding open for me.
“Take a seat.” He moves around the desk and sits down. I sit across from him. “How’s the new living arrangement going?”
Tipping my chair back, I run my hand through my still wet hair. “It’s good. Hard, but good.”
He nods his head in understanding. “You keeping everything paid up?”
“Yeah, bills are paid. There’s food in the fridge. We’re fine, Dad.”
“You need help with any improvements around the house?”
I shake my head. “I mean, there’s a list a mile long, but I don’t want help. I want to do it on my own. This is my place, our place. I want to take care of it. Take care of her.”
He grins and nods. “I find myself saying this more and more, but I was wrong about you.”
I cock my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
He holds up his hands, gesturing to me. “Well, look at you. You’re living on your own, paying your own bills, taking care of the woman you love, and making money doing the thing I told you would never pay off. I was wrong, Dane. I’m proud of you.”
Biting my lips, I try holding back the smile fighting to appear from hearing those words, but I fail. “Thanks, Dad. It’s all thanks to you. I thought the way I was raised was bullshit for the longest time, but now I see you were doing your best to prepare me. Thank you for that.”
He stands and walks around his desk, holding out his arms. When I stand, he pulls me in for a hug and slaps my back. “Get back out there, would ya?”
I laugh and head back to my table.
The rest of the night, I’m on cloud nine. Between the awesome show we put on, my private moment with Alissa in front of hundreds of people, and hearing those words come from my dad’s mouth, I couldn’t be happier. It’s the perfect ending to an already great night.
* * *
The weeks fly by.Alissa and I are as busy as ever. With school out for the summer, we spend our days working at the grill or working on the house. We spend our nights wrapped up in each other or having parties with our friends. The weekend gigs at the bar are only fueling the band. We spend every night in our living room playing music and drinking until the early hours of the morning. We get a few hours of sleep, then we do it all over again.
I’ve spent the day finishing up the bathroom. The floor is done. The toilet and sink are new. And thanks to Alissa, so is the paint.
Now it’s time to let loose. Everyone’s coming over tonight. While Alissa cleans up the kitchen, the band and a few groupies start piling into the tiny living room.
A small drum kit is set up in front of the fireplace. Amps and cords are strung out all across the living room. Everyone sits wherever they can.
Mark counts us down, and I start up “Behind Blue Eyes”by The Who.
