by L. P. Maxa
Brody and Landry had snuck off as soon as they’d finished eating. I doubted I would see my best friend until it was time to head back on tour tomorrow evening. They had some lost time to make up for.
Brax, Dane, and I were sitting with Luke, Dash, Jacks, and Smith, the original rock gods of the Devil’s Share, shooting the shit and finishing our beers. The moment felt almost surreal, what with the pretty sky and Jacks Cole strumming on a guitar every few minutes. Sometimes I had to pinch myself because I couldn’t believe that this was my life. I got to make music with my friends, and I got to meet legends like the men sitting next to me.
We were lucky bastards, all of us.
“I’m going to join the tour a week before Landry’s due date. I need to get some practice time in before my first show.” Luke laughed lightly. “It’s been a few years since I’ve played a stadium show. I’m a bit rusty.”
Jacks snorted. “A few years? Try a decade, man.”
Luke Matthews was Landry’s uncle and the drummer for the Devil’s Share. He was going to replace Brody on tour so baby daddy could be here in Austin for the birth of his and Landry’s son. My bet was Luke’s “rusty” was better than most people’s best days behind a kit.
“I’ll bring Jett with me, as long as you’re really down to teach him to surf.” Luke looked over at me, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Yeah, I’d love to.” I used to teach surf lessons during summer break at a surf camp. Yeah, that’s a real Cali thing. I didn’t need the money though. I needed an excuse to be on the water all day every day.
“What’s Marley going to do without Jett for four weeks?” Jacks leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head. “I’m pretty sure Jett is the only person in this family she tolerates being around.”
Marley, her name was Marley. And I liked it.
“It’ll do them both some good.” Dash’s eyes cut to Luke. “They’re attached at the hip, just like Halen and Beau were.”
Halen and Beau. Ooo-hoo I knew that story. Talk about blowing up the fam. They’d been inseparable since they were kids and eventually they’d started dating. They hid their intense relationship from their parents, and all the shit came to light after Beau came back from having abandoned Halen for years. Yeah, so it was no wonder Dash sounded a little apprehensive.
“Jett and Marley are not Beau and Halen, trust me.” Luke rolled his eyes. “Those two are closer than Cash and Crue. No lie, they have more of a twin bond than my actual twins.”
Luke had three sons. Cash and Crue, who were the twins, and Jett, the kid I was going to teach to surf. I needed to tattoo the damn Devil’s Share family tree on my arm to keep up with these conversations.
“I don’t know, guys, they seem pretty cozy to me.” Brax butted into their conversation and making all four heads swivel in his direction, eyes glaring. He held his hands up, smiling tightly. “But what do I know, right?”
I looked across the yard, watching Jett and Marley. I was curious about them, about their relationship and why they kept to themselves. Jett was social and comfortable riffing with everybody, but today he stayed by Marley’s side, choosing her company above everyone else’s. I tried to see what they were seeing, tried to discern what was going on between them.
Jett was talking animatedly, making her laugh every few seconds with whatever story he was telling. They were playful with one another, touching every now and then, but not seeming to notice it was even happening. Like it was all so second nature to be lost in their own little world. Part of me wanted to be there with them. I wanted in on the secret.
I glanced away, turning my attention back to the rock legends sitting around me talking about high school sports like a group of…dads.
I was too old for her. So I shouldn’t spend any more time watching the beautiful girl in the corner.
Chapter Three
Talon
Before
We’d had our first big break in scheduling since the long summer we’d spent hitting back-to-back cities. And as soon as we’d ended our show that night, I’d hopped on a plane and headed back to Austin, back to the Devil’s Share compound to see my best friend and his new baby boy.
Luke had come out and joined us again a few days ago, letting Brody leave the tour early to come home to be with Landry and Wyatt, their son. Luke said it was because Wyatt had a cold and Landry needed her husband, but I thought it was because he was getting a bit of a high from playing live gigs again. He’d loved the shit out of it over the early summer when he’d filled in the first time. And I was sure he’d find another few excuses to join us before the tour was officially over.
The sun was barely coming up when I pulled my rental car through the gates of the compound. I drove to Brody and Landry’s new house, situated in front of a large empty field. Their home was big, but in a very low-profile kind of way. Long instead of tall, I’d guess they’d had it designed so they wouldn’t block any of the vast, gorgeous views of the compound.
I’d texted Brody when I boarded the plane last night, and I pulled out my phone to get the code for the front door.
Talon: About to take off, be there before the sun, bro.
Brody: Can’t wait for you to meet my little man. Thanks for coming out. I know you were probably ready to hit the beach, do nothing but surf and sleep. Maybe get some ass since you refuse to fuck groupies?
Talon: Are you kidding me? I hate that it’s taken me this long to meet my godson. There is nowhere else I’d want to be heading right now.
Brody: I’m not crying, you are.
Talon: Rock gods don’t cry.
Brody: Tell that to Jacks, he still tears up every time he holds Wyatt.
Talon: I’d call him a pussy, but I’m legit tearing up just thinking about holding the little snuggle bug.
Brody: Code for the front door is 1-2-3-4
Talon: Are you fucking kidding me? You’re a serial killer’s wet dream.
Brody: I kept forgetting the more unique codes.
I entered the Mensa-level front door code and slipped quietly into the house. I didn’t want to wake the baby or his parents. I planned on crashing on the couch until everyone else got up for the day, but when I made it past the entryway I found the couch was already in use.
I couldn’t help the insanely cheesy fucking grin that came over my face at the sight of my godson. Landry was nursing him, rocking him gently and patting his tiny diaper-clad butt. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. Brody was a lucky man, and I hoped he never forgot it.
“Hey, little guy, your godfather is here.” Landry rubbed a finger across his chubby cheek. “Which is good because Mommy is tired as fuck.” She pulled him away from her body, setting him on her lap while she covered up.
I dropped my bags and stepped farther into the room, using the economy-size bottle of hand sanitizer on the table beside the couch. “Can I hold him?”
She snorted, picking him up and handing him to me. “Are you kidding me? You can watch him while I go back to sleep. That adorable Brody clone is more addicted to my breasts than his dad.”
I laughed quietly, rocking the sleeping baby from side to side. “I’ve got him, Momma, no worries.” I sat down on the couch without taking my eyes off him. His hair was light, like his dad’s, and I knew from the ten thousand pictures Brody had sent me, little man’s eyes were blue like his dad’s as well.
Instantly, I was obsessed and I barely noticed when Landry slipped out of the room.
***
“Okay, now I’m the one who’s crying.”
I opened my eyes at the sound of my best friend’s voice. Tinges of pink were beginning to filter in through the windows. I must have nodded off after moving to the recliner and kicking my feet up. Smiling, I looked down to check on the still-sleeping infant on my chest. “He’s so damn perfect, bro.”
He nodded, wiping at his eyes, not even trying to hide the fact that he was feeling emotional. “I know, right? He’s the best thing I’ve ev
er created, for sure.” He got up and headed into the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets, the smell of coffee filling the air. “How were the last couple of shows?”
“They were great. We’re a well-oiled machine at this point.” Wyatt started to stir so I stood, bouncing him gently. “And I think Luke is getting off on the live crowd.”
Brody chuckled. “Oh, for fucking sure.” He came back into the room and set two steaming mugs of coffee on the table, then reached into a basket next to the couch. “If he’s waking up already, he probably needs to be changed.” He tossed a diaper into the leather recliner behind me, grinning brightly. “You’re on diaper duty until you head back to Cali. Wyatt and I already decided.”
I pursed my lips, glancing down at Wyatt and rubbing circles on his tiny back. “You did, huh? That’s not entirely cool of you, baby bro.”
“I was thinking later tonight we could take one of the Razors and go on a little late-night kush cruise.” He waggled his eyebrows.
I chuckled at his excited expression. I assumed Brody’s life had been nothing but doting on his girl and his son since he got home a few days ago and he was in need of a little chill time. “That sounds pretty perfect, but I didn’t bring any with me.”
He snorted, taking a quick sip of his coffee. “No need, man. Marley and Jett have us covered.”
“What?”
He nodded, laughing quietly. “Fucking Brax was right. They were…are up to something. Those two grow. And not your average high school side project to get buzzed with your friends: they grow. Like major operation and so many strains it’ll make your pretty blond head spin.”
“Are you kidding?” I shook my head, eyes wide while I processed the information. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I’d thought about Marley more than once while I was on tour.
She’d intrigued me the first time I’d seen her, and I hadn’t really been able to shake the image of her in that vintage concert tee looking so effortlessly cool. And when Jett had joined us over the summer, her pull had only gotten worse. He talked about her all the time. Obviously, she was one of the most important people in his life. Which had led me to wonder more about their relationship and where the lines were drawn. And then I’d started to feel like a real fucking creeper for thinking about a sixteen-year-old girl so often.
Now I was here, where she lived. And Brody wanted me to smoke her weed.
“Where do they grow it? Here on the compound? Their parents let them do that?” Medical was legal in Texas now, but they were too young to apply for any of the permitting.
“Hell no. Their parents don’t have a fucking clue what those two are doing.” He sighed, pointing at a slowly waking Wyatt. “I can tell you one thing, I’m going to keep a much closer eye on that boy than these rockers keep on their kids.” He started ticking off points on his fingers. “Halen and Beau? Full-blown secret relationship, and miscarriage. Avory and Crue? Fucking like rabbits. Jett and Marley? Marijuana masterminds, building a business under their parents’ barn. It’s insanity around here.”
“Geez.”
He nodded. “I know. It’s like a circus.”
I raised an eyebrow, more than a little surprised about Brody’s take on life with the Devil’s Spawn—yeah, they had their own name. “That coming from the drummer who likes to dive off light rigging and let fans tattoo his ass backstage?” I laid Wyatt on the couch and then sat down to change him. “And you smoke those kids’ stuff? Doesn’t that make you part of the problem?”
“I’m part of the solution, bro.” He leaned back on the loveseat, crossing his ankle over his knee and sipping his coffee while spilling the beans. “If they don’t have a refined palate sampling their product, how will they ever perfect it for the masses?”
“You’re supporting an illegal grow operation run by kids who are basically your younger siblings now.”
“Those two are going to heal the world. Mark my words.” He slid the wipes closer to me. “But the other ones? Just a bunch of horny fuckers.”
I laughed, re-buttoning Wyatt’s onesie and tickling his tummy. “Says your dad, who knocked up your mom in a janitor’s closet.”
Chapter Four
Talon
Before
“All right, man, you ready?” Brody was standing by the front door, a backpack slung over his shoulder and an excited look in his smiling blue eyes.
This would be the first time Brody and I got to hang out without the other members of our band, or the hundred or so people who toured with us, in a long-ass time. He’d finally convinced me to smoke Jett and Marley’s weed. I relented more out of curiosity than anything else.
I got up off the recliner, where I’d been posted up most of the day with Wyatt. “See you in the morning, baby bro.” I kissed his soft head and then handed him to his mom. “You sure you’re okay with this? We can always stay here and hang with you and the baby.”
I felt bad leaving Landry at home while we went on a joyride. I didn’t know the rules of having fun while your girl took care of your kid, but the last thing I wanted to do was get on her bad side.
She waved her hand in the air. “You two go have fun.” She pointed at Brody, her eyes narrowing. “Check on my baby cousins, make sure they haven’t killed anyone…or each other.”
What the hell did that mean? I seriously doubted the medical marijuana business in Texas was that intense. I didn’t have a chance to ask her though because Brody grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the house and into the cool dark night.
He let his head fall back as he took a deep inhale. “Dude. I need this.” He tossed his bag into the back of the Razor and fired it up, waiting for me to climb into the passenger side. “Just you and me and a quiet night. And weed.” He took a left out of their driveway and headed toward a dilapidated barn I could barely make out in the distance. “I love my family, I do. Wyatt is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And Landry is like a living dream. But I need a minute to be Brody.”
“You went from a life of freedom to a life tied to a tour schedule, and now life consumed by your girl and your son. I’m sure it’s been an adjustment.”
Brody was all about live and let live. He was a horny hippie down to his soul. I knew he adored his new family and wouldn’t trade them for all the waves in the world, but I could also see how he needed a break tonight.
“Yeah, it’s been a lot.” He shrugged. “But so fucking worth it at the same time, you know? Like my life is unrecognizable chaos, but I dig it.”
A few moments later we pulled up outside a giant red building, Brody killing the engine and grabbing his bag out of the back. The front walk looked new, steel planters with a few succulents scattered about. The front door had a big electronic lock with a keypad lit up blue so you could see the numbers in the dark. I watched, shaking my head as Brody entered what had to be an eight-digit combination to get into the building.
“Really? Your front door code has to be one two three four but you can remember eight numbers to get into the place that holds your weed?”
He sent me a smile over his shoulder as he pushed the giant door open. “It’s nine numbers, and Marley is more of a hardass than Landry. She said if I didn’t remember it, then I couldn’t come in.”
“And yet, here you are, even though we had to reset the combination two days ago after you punched in the wrong numbers so many times it locked us all out.” Marley was standing with her hands on her slim hips, a bored expression on her pretty face. I sort of loved that the first words I heard her say out loud were scathing and sassy. It seemed fitting for the image of her I’d built in my head over the last few months.
“Jett texted me the new code this afternoon.”
“Of course he did.” She sent a glare to Jett, who was sitting on an old ratty couch, then turned her back on the three of us. She was wearing shorts again, her tanned legs on display, with a long-sleeved Led Zeppelin baseball-style shirt. She looked good. Better than I’d remembered. Her hair was still long, but i
t was piled up on top of her head in a big messy nest. She was wearing her black-framed glasses, and her face was makeup free. She didn’t care about her appearance, which made her all the more beautiful.
And I had to make myself stop staring.
Jett propped his feet up on a coffee table that looked like it was seconds away from collapsing. “We couldn’t lose our best product tester, now could we?” He held his hand out, giving me a high five in welcome.
Damn, how long had Brody been using their stuff? Did he have it on tour with us? And if he did, why didn’t the fucker think to share? Although then I would have been perpetuating this illegal-ass operation too, and I wasn’t sure how that made me feel. Jett and Marley could get in some serious trouble, and I wasn’t really down to see that happen. Jett was too soft for prison, and I felt like Marley would end up causing a riot.
“You’re right.” She sat the tablet in her hand on a long steel table scattered with what looked like gardening tools. “How would we ever thrive without Brody here to smoke up all our best weed?”
Brody laughed, tossing his bag onto the couch beside Jett. “I know it seems like she hates me, but I’m one of her favorites.” He walked across the room, moving a rotten board out of the way, revealing another keypad.
“How many codes does it take to get into this place?” I crossed my arms over my chest, talking to no one in particular as Brody expertly keyed in the next set of numbers needed, then the light turned green and a skinny metal door slid open.
“Not nearly enough apparently.” Marley reached out, grabbing Brody by the back of his shirt and stopping him in his tracks. “I’ll go get what you want, you stay here. Last time I let you downstairs you broke an irrigation pipe and shattered two beakers.”
“Can I come?” I’d stepped forward, asking her if I could follow before the action even had a chance to register in my mind. “I, uh, I’d like to see the setup, if that’s okay? I promise I won’t break anything.”
