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“Never said I was but ay, we all have our burdens to bear. I’m yours. At least you get paid well for the stress involved.”
“I’m gonna need a got damn raise by the time we clear the surface on this one,” he murmured. “I’m about to head out. You need anything?”
I shook my head. “Nah, we’re good. I’mma lay low for a little while. Try not to make your job any worse than it already is.”
He shot me a look of disbelief and I grinned. “I mean it.”
Drew had been to this house enough times to see his way out. He’d even spent a couple months here after pissing off his wife and she decided to teach him a lesson about being negligent with her heart.
He didn’t cheat, never would, but Drew was not just married to his lovely wife. He was married to the job and often found himself struggling with balance.
The thought had my mind drifting to Cadence and Gracie. They were a ready-made family. Being close to them meant owning the responsibility for handling them with a certain type of care.
My life was hectic. It would change some once I finished this last album and tour because my commitments to the label would no longer exist. I would be in control of my time for the most part but which meant giving me space to make someone a priority.
But even then, I would have to pay the bills. That would require a commitment of time to be creative, produce music, and present it to the world. I stepped out the back door and watched as Cadence chased a squealing, giggling Gracie through the plush green grass a few yards away from the pool.
Whereas Cadence might understand my commitments, Gracie wouldn’t. Being close to her mother meant being close to her and even if she wasn’t already attached, I was. I had a lot of shit to consider but none of which had me second guessing my decision to bring them here.
“You’re feeling that shit, aren’t you?” Liq walked over to me, standing at my side. He was watching me while I was watching them. I reached up and tugged on my beard. A habit I had recently developed which had me believing it would hang around for a little while.
“I’m not gonna lie. I’m vibin’ with it.” I smirked but kept my eyes on them.
“Yeah, I fucks with it too.”
“She told me Drew is here?”
“Was.” I glanced at my brother noticing the way his smile dropped and his body went rigid.
“What he say?”
“A whole lot of shit that I wasn’t trying to hear.”
“About them?” He nodded with his forehead as Cadence grabbed Gracie around the waist and they both tumbled slowly to the grass.
“Yeah, he’s not feeling it but I don’t really care.”
“He didn’t expect that you would. I’d be willing to bet my life on that. We all know how you get when your mind’s made up about something and your mind was made up about her that first night you stepped into The Bottom.”
“I knowmebetter than anyone else so no one can tell me who or what I need. Drew should be used to that. I’ve been the same man since the day he asked to manage my career. The only thing that has changed is my ego and my bank account. Both have some weight on them now.” I shrugged and Liq chuckled.
He was silent for a moment and then asked, “Did you tell him?”
He turned to me, gaze burning a hole through my profile until I turned to face him. “I did.”
“Everything?”
“If I don’t blame you, Drew won’t either. Let that shit go, Liq.”
He shook his head. “Not about her, but about all the other stuff. If I had just been up front, things with Sheets never would have happened. Drew wouldn’t have had to pay off Talia’s family and the assault charges wouldn’t exist.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is where we are and Drew stands by you same as I do.”
“Because of you.” His tone was cautious like he was worried about what I would say following his concerns.
“Nah…” I turned, completely facing him, eyes stern and unrelenting. “Because he’s just as much your family as he is mine.”
He nodded stiffly and I continued, “Besides, you’ve more than made up for it. If the assault never happened, South Carolina never would have happened.”
