I hear Cass through the door. “Mike… do you remember all the parties we had here?”
“There were some ragers,” Dad says, chuckling. “It’s a miracle we came out without any overdoses.”
“Especially Carl,” Cass says, and they laugh. “He never knew when to quit.”
“You had your share of close calls, too, so don’t play innocent,” Dad teases. “You were the wildest girl at any party I went to, both while we lived in this apartment and afterwards.”
“I like to have fun, what can I say?” Cass says, and they laugh again.
They fall silent for a second, and then Dad says, “Hey Cass, I had another reason for bringing you here today, besides reminiscing.” “Reminiscing” is my code word. I open the door and step inside with Dad’s guitar and start unpacking it. “I first saw you over at that door, and I didn’t know it then, but now I know that was the moment I fell in love with you. I think both of us were too wild to settle down for a while—me longer than you—and we just waited until it was too late to express our feelings. Now we’ve come full circle,” I hand Dad the guitar and a pick, and he puts the strap on, “and Mads and I thought it was fitting that I bring you back here and do what I should have done the moment we met.” He starts singing a song that we both wrote together for Cass, called Too Long Apart. It’s one of those heart-wrenching love songs that could get a motorcyclist bawling. Cass didn’t stand a chance… After the first verse, tears are streaming down her face, and she’s covering her mouth with her hands. It’s pretty obvious that she knows what’s coming, and she’s trying to contain her joy and excitement, but it’s just not happening.
After the song, Dad hands me the guitar and gets down on one knee in front of her. He pulls a small black box from his pocket and opens it, revealing one of the biggest, most impeccably-cut diamonds I’ve ever seen. “Cassidy Meriwether, you are the love of my life, and I never want to be apart from you again. Will you marry m—“
“YES!” she exclaims, sobbing. Then she remembers to extend her left hand so Dad can put the ring on her finger. “Yes, I will marry you!” Dad slips the ring onto her finger easily—a perfect fit, since he and I had conferred on the topic of her ring size earlier—and then he stands up, grabs her in his arms, and kisses her with all the love they’ve missed out on for half of their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 22, 2015 11:29 PM
I know a lot of people aren’t too fond of their stepparents, but I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting Cass as a stepmom. Cass has always been like family, and now it feels like we’re just making that official. She’s going to be a great mom, and the best part is… Drumroll, please…
We are now, officially, STAYING IN LA.
My evil plan worked! Well… mostly. Dad is still determined to stay off the stage, although I think it’s possible that he might want to return after I’ve turned eighteen. I guess we’ll see, but either way, my life is about to get a lot more interesting.
Starting September 7th, I will be a Wilcox High School student. I’m pretty nervous about it… Raven goes there, and so do Gio, Dalton, Zuri, and the others. There’s going to be a lot of awkwardness and possibly some drama… and I don’t do drama. Seriously. The insanity I’ve experienced in my life over the past few months has been way, way over my limit. I think Zuri is still my friend… I hope so, anyway. I know she’s loyal to Gio, but I never did anything to her, and I hope she remembers that. She’s the only person I would feel comfortable around at Wilcox, and I have a feeling that I’m going to need all the alliances I can get.
Speaking of alliances… I guess I’m going to have to give Raven an answer when I see her in a week. That’s when we have the interview to trump all interviews: the big reveal of the Basket Baby’s mother. The show we’re going on has already advertised the reveal like crazy, but they haven’t given any clues about who my mother actually is. People everywhere are putting their theories out there again and trying to assemble the puzzle for themselves before watching the interview. It’s kind of comical to watch… Do they really think those theories are going to have any effect on the truth whatsoever? I guess some people must just be really, really bored.
Anyway, guess it’s time to go to bed and try to keep the images of Gio out of my mind’s eye as I fall asleep…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s a week after the proposal, and I’m waiting behind the scenes of the daytime TV show that is announcing my mother’s identity to the world. Raven sits down next to me, and Dad and Jacie sit on opposite ends of the waiting area behind the set. My pulse quickened as soon as Raven walked in the room, and now that she’s sitting beside me, I know exactly what she’s about to ask.
“So,” she whispers after about two minutes, “have you considered my offer?”
“I have,” I say.
“What’s your answer?”
I take a deep breath. “Our alliance would have to honor certain conditions,” I tell her, and Raven once again seems intrigued.
“Go on.”
“I will not participate in any scheme that inflicts physical, emotional, or psychological harm,” I say.
Raven smirks. “But where’s the fun in that?” My eyebrows go up sternly, and she sighs and says, “Go on.”
“If you involve me without my knowledge in a scheme that inflicts harm, my immunity stays intact, even if I refuse to participate in any more schemes.”
“Alright,” she says, seemingly hesitant about that one. “Is that all?”
“Just one more,” I say. “There will be no speaking on my behalf, overshadowing me, or impersonating me. I might be a protégé, but I’m still an individual who has a voice.”
“Well, I suppose I will have to work with what I can get,” Raven says, smiling. “When the show starts, just play along. I’ve already got a plan in motion.”
“Alright,” I say, feeling a little tense.
Dad and I are called on the set to talk to the pretty brunette host. She gives the audience a little introduction to us, and then, once a sufficient amount of suspense has been built up, she announces, “Would Madison Daley’s mother please come on out?”
Jacie and Raven step out, and the audience pauses in shock for a moment before erupting into cheers. The Redingers wave in appreciation and then take their seats next to Dad and me. Jacie tells the story in a condensed version, and at the end, she turns to me. “I cannot begin to make up for the years I’ve lost with this girl, but I’m so glad she has seen fit to welcome me into her life now.” The audience claps for us, and Jacie gives me a little side hug. It’s the first physical affection I ever remember receiving from my mother, so I end up shedding a few tears.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” the host asks me, handing me a tissue, and I know better than to tell her the real reason why I’m crying.
“It’s just an emotional time for me, that’s all,” I say, forcing a smile.
“Well, it must be! Not only have you finally met your mother, but you’ve gained a sister, as well. Same for you, Raven. Can you tell me a little bit about your end of this reunion?” She’s addressing Raven now, who is as poised and confident as usual.
“I couldn’t be happier to be reunited with the other half of my family,” Raven says, glancing over at Dad, who smiles at her. The audience claps for her. “My father is terrific, and my twin sister and I have already formed a bond.” “Bond”… that’s an interesting way of putting it. “In fact, I have a feeling we’re going to be the best of friends, right, Sis?”
“Play along.” “Of course,” I say, smiling. Raven reaches over Jacie for my hand, and when we join hands, the audience bursts into enthusiastic applause. She raises her eyebrows a little at me, and I can almost hear her words in my head. “Play it up.” “It’s… like being reunited with my other half,” I say, eliciting another cheer, and Raven nods and smiles as if to say, “Good.”
So this is her plan. The sisterly-bond angle.
I guess it could be worse.
Diary of a Rocker's Kid (D.O.R.K. Book 1) Page 17
