Six Months Later

Tilting my head, I pinched my eyes shut and concentrated on the sound of my voice delivering an emotional ballad. In high-back, leather office chairs, Gabe and Abby sat on either side of me at the soundboard. After receiving the final edit of our newest album, Ray of Light, from our record label, we’d come to Abby and her rocker husband, Jake’s, home studio to hear it.

When the last strains of the song ended, my eyes flew open. Although I thought it had sounded fucking amazing, I swiveled in my chair to gauge my siblings’ responses. I immediately broke out in a grin at Abby’s reaction. As she bounced up and down in her chair, it reminded me of when she was a kid, and she could barely contain her excitement over something. “That was seriously epic.”

“I thought as much,” I mused.

Abby’s smile faded slightly. “Oh, uh, while the vocals were beautiful, I really meant the lyrics themselves.”

I held up my hands. “No offense taken. I mean, without Gabe’s mad songwriting skills, I wouldn’t be able to showcase my superb vocals.”

Gabe snorted. “Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, jerkwad.”

At my wink, Abby giggled before turning to Gabe. “I seriously think these are the best songs you’ve ever written.”

I nodded. “Totally. I also think the hell you went through to write them truly shows in their depth.”

Gabe grinned. “I can’t say the process was all bad. I mean, besides the kick-ass songs, I did get a gorgeous woman out of it.

After a painful couple of months with writer’s block, Gabe had searched for inspiration by going off-roading in the North Georgia mountains. Of course, he hadn’t planned on his Jeep getting stuck in the process, but thankfully, his rescuer came in the form of Reagan Hart, or Rae, as she is affectionately known. I’d never really been able to picture who Gabe might end up with, but I certainly never imagined he would fall in love with a small-town girl who owned a collision business. Of course, I had to tease Gabe about what kind of body work Rae did. It usually earned me a, “Fuck off!”

“It was a win-win for you and for all of us,” I mused.

A dreamy expression came over Abby’s face. “And for Rae.” Leaning forward in her chair, she angled her head to the side at Gabe. “Should I be preparing Jax and Jules to play ring bearer and flower girl again?”

Gabe’s eyes bulged. “Uh, yeah, I don’t think so. We’re not even engaged yet.”

Abby grinned. “If you say so.”

Even though Gabe had become flustered at the idea of marriage, I knew it wouldn’t be too long before he popped the question. Sensing we needed a subject change, Abby said, “I think it’s safe to say we can tell the label that Ray of Light is ready to go.”

“I agree,” Gabe replied.

“Ditto for me.” As Abby and Gabe started to rise out of their chairs, I shook my head. “Wait, we’re not done quite yet.”

Abby’s blonde brows creased. “What is there left to do with the album?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking ahead to when we go out on tour next month.”

“And?” Gabe prompted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“We’ve talked about how with the acoustic flair on the tracks of this album, we’re going to need to replicate that when we’re out on the road.”

Gabe groaned as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Fuck. I forgot about that. We’ve got to start auditioning musicians again, don’t we?”

I couldn’t blame him for his disdain. It wasn’t just about finding someone who could play a particular instrument very well. It was also about finding someone who could fit into the overall picture of the band. Like a piece to complete a puzzle. You might have the most talented fiddle player in the country but with the worst personal skills imaginable.

“What about asking one of the guys who worked in the studio with us?” Abby suggested.

Before Gabe could answer, I replied, “Yes and no.” I leaned forward on my stool. “Actually, there’s someone in particular I have in mind that I wanted to run by you guys.”

Gabe and Abby exchanged questioning looks before Gabe said, “Who?”

“Sonny.”

Gabe’s eyes widened. “You want to ask Emersyn to join Jacob’s Ladder?”

“It’s not like she hasn’t performed with us before.”

“True, but—”

“Can you think of anyone more perfect than she is?” I countered.

He held up his hands. “Easy now. I wasn’t dissing her abilities at all. It’s just I didn’t think she was ready to do anything else with music—you know, without Jack.”

“I’m not sure she’ll ever really be ready, but I know she needs a gig.”

“When did you talk to her?” Abby asked, her forehead creased with concern.

“Two days ago.” I shook my head. “She doesn’t sound good.”

Since the day of Jack’s funeral, I hadn’t gone forty-eight hours without hearing from Emersyn. Usually I would call or text her because I knew she would worry that she was bothering me or being a burden. With every month that passed, I hoped she would begin to sound better. But so far, there hadn’t been any change. I feared if I didn’t do something, she was going to completely drown in grief.

“Maybe you should see if she wants to come out here for a visit?” Abby suggested.

I shot her a sheepish look. “Funny you should say that because I’m flying her out here tomorrow on the pretense of cheering her up. You know, the old change of scenery thing.” At Abby’s surprised expression, I added, “I don’t have to bring her here. We can always stay at my place in the city.”

Abby laughed. “Of course, you can bring her here, silly. She can have the guest house, and you can take the basement. Or if she doesn’t want to be alone, she’s welcome to take the guest room.”

I leaned over to bestow a kiss on Abby’s cheek. Not only did she have a kick ass singing voice and major musical talent, but she had an even bigger heart. “Thanks, Abs.”

“You’re welcome.” Abby rubbed my arm. “After all, Emersyn isn’t just your friend. We all love and care about her.”

Gabe nodded. “Abby’s right.”

“I was also hoping that when she got here, I could go offer her a job.”

With a chuckle, Gabe said, “I see you had this all planned out.”

“I swear I wasn’t going to offer her a job without running it by you guys first,” I promised.

Abby nodded. “We know.”

Glancing between my siblings, I asked, “So what do you say?”

“I can’t imagine anyone who would be a better fit than Emersyn. Not only does she know us, but she knows the ins and outs of touring,” Abby said.

With one vote down, I turned to Gabe. “What about you?”

“Like Abby, I can’t imagine a better singer or musician. But…”

“But what?”

“I worry that six months off of Jack’s death, she’s not emotionally up for a major tour. I just worry about investing so much time and money on someone when she’s not a guarantee.”

“That could be said about anyone,” I countered.

Sighing, Gabe ran his hand over his face. “Maybe it just seems safer to take someone on who is still a mystery, rather than one we know has potential red flags.”

Although I hated to admit it, I knew there was truth in what Gabe was saying. Part of me harbored the same concerns that he did. In spite of my reservations, I knew in my heart I was doing the right thing. “What if I volunteer to cover any lost fees if Emersyn decides to bail?”

Gabe’s brows shot up into his forehead. “You believe in her so much that you’d do that?”

“Damn straight.”

When Gabe eyed Abby, she nodded. “Okay then. You have my vote, or I guess I should say Emersyn has my vote,” Gabe said.

I couldn’t keep an enormous grin from spreading across my cheeks. “Thanks, guys. I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

Giving me a knowing look, Gabe said, “I wouldn’t celebrate just yet. After all, you still have to convince Emersyn.”

“She’ll do it. I know she will.”

Truthfully, I sounded a lot more confident than I actually felt.

Twenty-four hours later, I found myself back in the studio, but this time, Emersyn was at my side instead of Gabe and Abby. Not only was the company different, but so was the mood. It was the first time Emersyn had been in a studio since Jack died. Unsure of what to say or do, I hung back as she eased onto the stool in the sound booth before bending over to hoist her guitar onto her lap. With her sunken cheeks and baggy sundress, she was a shadow of her former self. Six months after Jack’s funeral, the same haunted look remained in her blue eyes.

As she ran her fingers over the guitar’s strings, an agonized sigh escaped her lips. “Remind me again why I’m doing this?”

“Because your label has asked you to do some promotion for Jack’s and your greatest hits album, which also includes adding a new song.”

Nodding, Emersyn replied, “Right. Because of responsibilities.” Her expression darkened. “I’ve been given an adequate mourning period, but now I have to buck up, be an adult, and take care of my responsibilities.”

“Is that what the bastards said?”

“Not in those exact words, but something to that effect. Same thing with my parents.” She gave me a rueful smile. “I can’t stop living just because Jack died.”

“I’m sorry, Sonny.”

She shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“For what it’s worth, there’s some truth in what they’re saying. Jack wouldn’t want you to stop living or stop loving music just because he died.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Emersyn snapped. My surprise at her whiplash mood swings must’ve been apparent because her angry expression was quickly replaced with an apologetic look. “Sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. Here you are going out of your way to help me, and I bit your head off.”

With a wink, I replied, “I’ll let it slide just this once.”

She smiled. “I’ll appreciate that.”

I walked over to the lyric stand in front of her. “Are you going to record one of Jack’s songs?”

“No. I couldn’t bring myself to do that.”

Bending my head, I peeked at the lyric sheet. “Miss Being Mrs.” I glanced up at Sonny. “Loretta Lynn, huh?”

Her brows raised in surprised. “Do you know it?”

“It’s off the Van Lear Rose album with Jack White, right?”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Good choice.”

With a weak smile, she replied, “Thanks. It fit my mood.”

“Why don’t we do a quick run-through, and then I’ll go out of the sound booth.”

“Okay. That’s fine.”

After warming up with a few chords, Emersyn began the slow, somewhat mournful opening of the song. “I lie here all alone in my bed of memories. I'm dreamin' of your sweet kiss,” Emersyn sang, her voice vibrating with anguish.

I stood frozen to my spot across from her. Her delivery of the song was flawless, not to mention the way her fingers so effortlessly picked the guitar’s chords. While at first glance it appeared to be a good choice as a tribute to Jack, I realized it was a double-edged sword. Emersyn might as well have taken a knife and sliced her wrists.

An odd combination of both gratefulness and regret filled me. While I’d been in love before, I couldn’t imagine it was anywhere near the level that Emersyn had with Jack.

After watching my siblings with their significant others, along with my parents, I’d longed to experience something so all-consuming. To find my soul mate—my other half. At the same time, I couldn’t help feeling almost . . . relieved that I hadn’t ever felt something so life-altering because I never, ever wanted to experience the level of agony Emersyn was in. How will she ever recover from this?

“I took off my wedding band and put it on my right hand. I miss being Mrs. tonight.” When she finished plucking the final strings of the melody, tears sparkled in her eyes. After doing a quick sweep of her cheeks, she looked up at me.

In my mind, I’d rehearsed several different ways to broach the subject of her joining Jacob’s Ladder. But in that emotionally charged moment, I drew a blank. Instead, I blurted, “I want you to join the band.”

Emersyn knitted her brows together. “Excuse me?”

Fuck me. I’d totally blown it. Huffing out an exasperated breath, I replied, “We’re going to need a fiddle and mandolin player on tour for the more acoustic side of our upcoming album. Not to mention, we could use an amazing set of pipes like yours for background vocals.”

Shifting her guitar to one hand, Emersyn hopped down off the stool. “You’re seriously offering me a job?”

“Yes.”

The disbelief in her eyes melted away and was replaced by fury. “Did my parents put you up to this?” she demanded.

“Hell no. This is all me. Well, it’s all me and Gabe and Abby.”

Emersyn’s anger faded. “I’m sorry. I know my parents’ hearts are in the right place, but they’ve been relentless the last month about me moving on and finding a job. As they say, I can’t keep volunteering at the church because the royalties aren’t going to support me forever. Not to mention the bills that are piling up.”

“Don’t hate me, but they’re right.” At her widened eyes, I added, “Not about the moving on part, but about the job part.”

“Traitor,” she teased.

“Just calling it as I see it.”

“I know.” She heaved a ragged sigh. “And as much as I hate to admit it, you’re right.”

Now it was my turn for the wide eyes. “I am?”

Emersyn nodded. “Deep down, I know it’s time. It’s just harder than I ever thought it would be.”

“But it doesn’t have to be. You have a fabulous opportunity right in front of you.”

“I’m really flattered, Eli, but—”

I wagged my finger at her. “Nope. No buts. Just yes.”

“It’s not that easy. You’ve already done so much for me. If I took the job, I’d feel like I was taking advantage of your kindness.”

“Fuck my kindness. That’s not what this is about. It’s about me and the others needing to fill a place in the band and knowing that you’re the perfect person to do that.” I placed my hands on her shoulders. “We need you, and you need us.”

Emersyn chewed on her bottom lip while swaying on her feet. The wheels churning in her head were about to send smoke spewing out her ears. After a small eternity passed, she finally opened her mouth. I expected her to turn me down again or ask to sleep on it. Anything but the words that she said.

“Okay. I’m in.”