She laughs at his joke, a little too loudly, and then she asks him a few more general questions about Alfonzo’s film. Then her attention, inevitably, turns to him and me. “So you’re here with Madison Daley tonight, can you tell us what the situation is with you two?”
The “situation.” Interesting word choice. Thankfully, we’ve already gone over this, so I don’t have to worry about his answer. “This is my beautiful girlfriend,” Gio says, curling his fingers around my waist from behind. Hearing him say that in front of the entire country gave me the most overwhelming fluttering feeling in my chest.
“That is so sweet!” the reporter says, going out of character for a moment. “Well, Madison, I have to say, you look absolutely stunning in that dress tonight. Is that a Stephan Lowe?”
“Yes, an original,” I say, echoing the words of the last reporter I heard.
“You can tell it was made for you. Definitely a ‘rocker’s daughter’ dress. I’m a huge M.A.D. fan, by the way,” she comments.
“I’m getting that a lot,” I say, and we both chuckle. “He’s a lot more popular than I realized.”
“Especially, with old people, like myself,” the reporter jokes. She looks like she’s about thirty.
“Oh stop it, you’re not old,” I tell her, and she looks extremely flattered.
“Thank you!” she exclaims, smiling really big. Another major star walks up behind us, so she cuts off the interview. “Well, congratulations, you two, and I hope you have a great rest of the evening.”
“Thanks, you too,” we both reply. Gio gives me an approving smile after we turn to walk down the rest of the way.
“You’re a natural,” he whispers to me, and we exchange a grin. People are snapping pictures of us like crazy, especially when we smile at each other. We’re going to be all over the news tonight and tomorrow.
It looks like things are getting a little clogged down the way, and I start to recognize the other celebs that are here for the premiere. I admire their designer clothes and perfect hair, proud that my own measures up and possibly stands out above the rest. My hair is in a voluminous half-up-half-down and my eyeliner is, to use an incredibly annoying pop term, “on fleek.”
I see one person down the way that makes my heart stop for a brief moment. “Jacie,” I whisper, and I turn to look at Gio. He looks a little concerned about seeing them, but he reaches for my hand and squeezes it, as if to say, “It’s going to be okay.”
Raven is with Jacie, wearing a strapless sapphire-colored dress that has a long slit up the right side. For the first time, I notice that her breasts are bigger than mine, and I smirk a little to myself. Guess who has implants already? Jacie’s dress is spectacular—a long, white and gold dress with a plunging neckline and a ruffled train down the back. She is posing skillfully for the cameras, giving them a closed-lipped smile that I have seen on my own face before. Raven’s lips are pursed, and she looks a bit irritated with the attention, yet she’s also posing like a model, and you can tell she’s determined to get in as many pictures as possible.
Once we’re all inside the theater, away from the reporters, Jacie stops to look in her clutch for something. When we inevitably pass by her, she looks up, gasps, and whispers unmistakably, “Madison.”
I turn to look at her. She knew me immediately.
Our eyes lock for the first time in sixteen years, and all my brain functions quit on me. I can’t blink… I can’t think… and all I can say is, “Yes?”
“May I speak with you for a moment?” Holy shit, she wants to talk to me. My brain wakes up, and makes a quick side note that her thick British accent is just as charming in real life as it is in her interviews. I turn to Gio, who reluctantly nods.
“Of course,” I say shakily, and she takes my arm and leads me off to the side, where there aren’t many people.
Once we’re alone, Jacie leans down a little and whispers, “Hi Madison, I'm Jacie Redinger,” she says, as if I don't already know her name and have it running through my head on repeat day and night. “I don’t suppose your father has told you about me.”
“H-he has,” I say, swallowing hard against the hoarseness of my voice. “I know who you are to me.”
Relief washes over her face, and she chuckles a little bit. “Oh, good. Um… with that in mind, I was wondering what your plans are for after the premiere.”
“There’s an after-party we’re going to,” I tell her.
“Which one?” I tell her the location, and she nods. “Is there any chance I could meet you there, and we could have a chat? I mean, a longer one, of course, and hopefully we could find a more private location.”
“Um… sure,” I say, smiling in spite of myself. I’m a little starstruck, and at the moment, I don’t care how crazy JR might be or about the fact that she gave me up sixteen years ago. She’s my mother. She’s my mother.
“Wonderful,” she says, and I love the way she says that word. “I look forward to seeing you there.”
“Same to you,” I say, and then I walk with her as she returns to the lobby, where Raven and Gio are both waiting for us about twenty feet from each other.
I can’t resist another glance in my identical twin’s direction. Raven is also examining me underneath eyelashes that are just as long and dark as mine. I expected her to glare at me when she saw me with Gio, but instead she looks mildly intrigued. It’s unbelievably hard to take my eyes off of the person who resembles me in every conceivable way, but I manage to break the gaze and turn to Gio as I approach him. After we’ve linked arms, I look back at her, and she’s no longer staring at me. She links arms with Jacie, and they continue on to their seats in the theater.
I watch as they retreat, and notice that Raven’s attitude is definitely different from mine. She carries herself like she is God’s gift to the world, and you can tell that she knows exactly how beautiful she is and uses it to her greatest advantage. Jacie has a similar carriage, but hers is tempered by the poise and grace that comes with middle age for some lucky women. As much as I should hate both of them for different reasons, I don’t. I’m also intrigued, and there’s a part of me that wants to know them.
Gio also watches Jacie and Raven retreat, clenching his teeth and making a muscle stand out on his jaw that I didn’t even know was there. He swallows hard, and then he says, “Come on, let’s go,” and leads me to our seats. The tension between Gio and Raven just now would have been difficult to cut through with a cleaver. I’m starting to wonder now if he told me the truth… If he’s really, truly, one hundred percent over Raven Redinger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ride over to the after-party is full of joking and laughter. Alfonzo might be an action star, but he is pretty damn funny, too. He could easily make it as a stand-up comic or a comedy actor. Alfonzo turns to talk to Stephan quietly after a while, and I finally get a chance to talk to Gio one-on-one. “Your dad is hilarious,” I tell him.
Gio’s still laughing a little from the last joke. “Yeah, I know,” he says, draping his arm around my shoulders and leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. “So, what did you think of your first red carpet experience, bae?”
“It was incredible,” I tell him honestly. “I couldn’t have imagined it any better.”
“Glad you had fun,” he says. Then he lowers his voice to ask, “By the way, what did Jacie want?”
“She’s, uh… she’s coming to this after-party to talk to me,” I say, hesitant because I’m not sure what his reaction is going to be.
His face falls. “You told her where we’re going to be?”
“Gio, she’s my mother,” I say in a strained whisper. “She asked if we could have a ‘chat.’ What was I supposed to say? ‘No?”’
“Probably, yeah,” Gio says, seemingly upset with me. “Where do you think Raven got her insanity gene? Jacie Redinger is never up to any good. You probably should have given her the wrong location.”
“Look, I’m sorry you had so much trouble with them
over the past year,” I say, mildly irritated, “but I have waited all sixteen years of my life for a conversation with my mother. I’m not about to pass this opportunity up. I’m sorry.”
“Guess it’s up to you. But please, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“You two are so presh,” Stephan remarks suddenly, making us aware that he’s watching us. He clearly has no idea what we’re actually talking about, which is good.
“Thanks,” I say. Then I tell Alfonzo, “The movie was excellent, by the way.”
Alfonzo smiles widely. “Grazie!” he says in his smooth, cultured voice. “I hear you caused quite a stir out on the red carpet, Madison.”
“Really?” I wasn’t aware of a stir… People were surprised to see me, yes, but it’s not like I started a riot or anything.
“Honey, you’re the talk of the town!” Stephan tells me, beaming. “You made me look real good out there.”
Gio looks down at me with pride in his eyes. “My girlfriend is going to be LA’s new ‘it girl.’”
“Pfft! Me? No way,” I scoff, shaking my head and making my curls bounce. “There is no way I will ever be an ‘it girl.’”
“I think you could be,” Stephan says with a smile. “Stick with us, and we’ll get you to the top in no time.”
“The top”… I’m starting to think that’s all anyone gives a damn about around here.
Chapter 11
The after-party is being held in a penthouse, and when we arrive, Jacie’s limo is waiting for me outside the apartment building. Alfonzo, Stephan, and Gio pass by it to enter the building, but I stand outside in the cool air for a moment to collect my thoughts. This is it… the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
Jacie pushes her door open for me, and I move over to stand in front of it. “Hop in, darling,” she says, smiling. My heart jumps at little at the nickname, and then I slide in next to her and shut the door. “Driver, circle the city,” Jacie says. “This may take a bit.”
My heart is pounding hard as the car drives away… so hard that I’m afraid she might see the movement of my dress. “So…” I start, not really sure what to say. “You’re my mother.”
“Yes, I am,” Jacie says gently, looking down at her thin white hands and wringing them together. “I’d like to start off by saying that you look absolutely wonderful tonight. I can’t believe you’ve grown into such a lovely young woman.” She flashes me a smile.
“Thank you,” I say, feeling extraordinarily flattered. “You look pretty fantastic yourself.”
“Thanks, dear.” She sighs wearily. “I suppose I might as well go on with the apology… I don’t know how much Mike told you about our past together, but when I was twenty-one, I made a decision that I’ve regretted severely for the past sixteen years of my life. You know about the basket story, I assume.”
“Yes, I know,” I tell her.
“Well, I feel I should explain why I concealed my identity,” Jacie goes on to say. “At the time, I was just starting off in my career, and I was afraid that if people knew I was giving up one of M.A.D.’s babies, I would end up in the tabloids. He was so popular back then… Anything that happened to him had his face plastered all over the news. I wanted to make my decision privately, without any criticism or stigma attached. My reasoning for wanting one child was selfish… It was just an idea I’d had in my head my entire life. I thought I was a one-child woman, and I always would be. But the two months after giving you to your father were pure agony for me. I tried to resist the feelings of regret, thinking they would pass, but they only grew stronger with time. Finally, I spoke with Mike and begged him to let me have you back, but by then he’d grown attached to you and wouldn’t hear of it. He let me visit you then, and I was foolish enough to ruin that, too.”
“I heard that you tried to take me,” I tell her, trying to spare her the aggravation of telling me.
“Yes… I was desperate. I was also not in my right mind because I had grown addicted to a pain medication they gave me at the hospital.” Drug addiction… that would definitely explain a few things. “I pled insanity to Mike, and he graciously did not pursue anything beyond the restraining order, which has long since expired. However, that action, of course, resulted in Mike moving away and me never being able to see you again. I had no idea where he had gone, and I knew he wouldn’t let me see you even if I found out, so I just… I gave up all hope, and tried my best to build a life with Raven.” Jacie takes a long, cleansing breath. “I don’t know if it’s possible that you could ever forgive me… I know what I did to you was awful, and completely inexcusable. But you should know that I would like nothing better now than to have a second chance to get to know my second daughter.”
“I’m a lot more forgiving than I appear,” I tell her, and she chuckles a little. “However… I just found out about all of this recently, and it’s still sinking in. I’ve spent my whole life being a fan of yours, and—“
“You were a fan?” she asks excitedly. “Really?”
I nod eagerly. “My friend Ana and I worshipped you all our lives. But, of course, that made it all the more painful when I found out that you were the one who gave me up.”
“Oh, Madison… I’m so sorry,” she says sadly. I know people call her crazy and conniving, but she sure as hell seems sincere right now. “Well, let me tell you what my hope for us is. I would love to be able to let the world know that you are my daughter. In turn, I would allow Mike to get to know Raven and claim her as well. It would mean the world to me for all of us to come out with the truth, and stop this silly separation business. I would never dream of taking you again… well, not any further than circling the city limits, of course,” she says, grinning a little. “Is that something you would be open to?”
“I think so,” I tell her, secretly rejoicing on the inside. “It’s going to take a lot of convincing for Dad to agree, though.”
“You might be surprised,” Jacie tells me. “After all, he’s gone sixteen years without even meeting his second daughter.”
That was… a really good point. “Well, alright then,” I say. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
“Wonderful,” she says again, and we both smile at each other. “By the way, you may call me Jess or Jacie, whichever you prefer.”
“Call me Mads,” I tell her. “Or not. The way you say Madison is pretty cool.”
Jacie laughs a little bit. “And here I was afraid you wouldn’t like me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Jess talked to you? And took you around the city in a limo? Madison Daley, are you out of your mind?!” Dad is raging at me, which I fully expected to happen. It’s morning, and I pulled him aside into the office after breakfast.
“I just wanted to have a chance to talk to my mother, Dad,” I say. “I came home, didn’t I?”
“That could have turned out to be a huge mistake!” Dad says. “What if she had tried to take you again?”
“She’s not going to do that, okay?” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Please listen to me? I’m trying to tell you something that I think you’re going to want to hear.”
I watch as Dad grips his hair and tries to calm his nerves. It’s really a miracle that he hasn’t gone bald yet. “What did she want?”
“She wants us to come out with the truth,” I tell him. “She wants to get to know me, and she wants to let you get to know Raven.”
Dad’s eyes widen and he drops his hand to his side. All his agitation faded away as soon as I said her name. “Wait… really?”
I nod. “She apologized to me, Dad… I mean, really apologized. She explained everything and told me she’s regretted it this whole time. I really think she meant it.”
Dad’s voice is broken and wobbly. “She really said I can meet Raven? You’re sure?”
“Yes,” I say. “I think it’s time to come out with all of this, don’t you? You need to meet your daughter, and I need to know my mom.”
Dad covers his mouth w
ith both hands and comes one breath away from losing it. He closes his eyes tightly and nods. “You’re right,” he concedes, and I inwardly fist-pump. “What do we need to do?”
“Well, Jacie suggested that we should arrange a meeting with both of them,” I say. “All four of us need to meet face-to-face in order for this to work out.”
Dad raises both eyebrows at me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’ve heard a little about Raven… And let me remind you, you’re dating her ex.”
I roll my eyes and sigh. “I’m going to have to face the music sometime. Besides, I saw her at the premiere, and it didn’t look like she hated me for it.”
Dad shrugs a little. “Fine, but I won’t be held responsible for your untimely demise.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dad, Jacie, Raven, and I arrange a meeting at a fine dining restaurant downtown the next week. They rented it out, so it’s only going to be the four of us and no witnesses other than waiters and other restaurant staff. As I’m walking in the front door with Dad, my palms are swimming in sweat and my twitch returns. This is another case where things could either go really well, or they could end in catastrophe.
Dad and I arrive first, and we’re seated at a table in a far corner with fine upholstered white chairs and an immaculately-set table. I look down at the white plates with napkin-wrapped silverware on top in front of me, and Dad notices my nerves. He’s sitting next to me, and he reaches over for my hand, looking every bit as anxious as I am, but trying not to let it show. He flashes me a smile, and I weakly return it.
Finally, Jacie and Raven walk into the restaurant arm-in-arm. Jacie smiles when she sees me, though her smile is also tempered with anxiety when she glances over at Dad. “Darling,” she says, looking at me again, “so wonderful to see you again.”
“Likewise, Jacie,” I say, smiling. Dad and I stand to greet them.
“Michael,” she says, nodding in his direction.
“Jessica,” Dad replies shortly. His eyes are glued to Raven’s, and vice versa.
Diary of a Rocker's Kid (D.O.R.K. Book 1) Page 15
