I ended the call just as the wheels of the plane hit the ground and came to a skidding stop. My life looked glamorous on paper.
Private planes. Traveling the world. Performing for sold-out crowds.
But none of it mattered anymore. I was just going through the motions.
I hadn’t been able to write music lately. I was exhausted and the creative juices had dried up.
Lucy thought it had a lot to do with my past. The lack of closure that I had with my father and with… Ivy.
“You good?” the flight attendant purred when she approached.
“Yep. Thank you.” I waited for the pilot to say we could exit the plane.
“Hey, Harold, you have my mom’s number to fly her and Craig and the rest of the family out next week, right?” I asked, as they’d all be coming to Willow Springs for Talia’s big day.
My sister had come home to mend things with my father, and she’d found her forever with Jake Adams. I didn’t know why the fuck she wanted to have the wedding here nor did I know why she wanted to live here again.
This town was a reminder of all that had gone wrong in my life.
I’d refused to play in any shows within a hundred-mile radius of Willow Springs. And being here now made me feel all kinds of ways. But Lucy thought the timing was perfect. It was time to close these doors for good.
And the one thing I was looking forward to, aside from seeing my sister get married, was seeing the girl who still haunted my dreams.
Ivy Baron.
My first love.
My last love.
The girl who inspired every song I ever wrote. Maybe seeing her again would jostle things up. She’d always been too good for me. I’d known it then, and I knew it now. I hadn’t seen her in five years, but I knew who Ivy was. She was most definitely the best person I’d ever known. Gorgeous. Smart. Honest. Loyal as shit. And I’d walked away from her. For her own good.
I looked down at my phone and tried to text her again, only to see that I was still blocked.
I’d be taking care of that when we met today. I wanted to know how she was doing. I’d tried to reach out over the years, but she’d blocked me. And for good reason. I’d given no explanation when I left. And the girl was stubborn as shit. I’d hurt her. I deserved to be exiled. I’d kept in touch with Jett, and he’d kept me up to date on what was happening with her, but he’d sworn me to secrecy because Addy would have his ass for telling me anything about Ivy. They were best friends, and they’d always have one another’s backs. Nor did I want him telling her I was asking. She was better off without me. No doubt about it.
But that didn’t mean I didn’t miss the shit out of her.
That didn’t mean that her auburn hair and her green eyes weren’t my favorite thing in the world. That girl was the best thing that had ever happened to me. But she was a part of my past that I’d so desperately tried to put behind me. Back then I’d just needed to escape. I’d needed a fresh start. And she was better off without me.
There was a car waiting for me on the runway. Gerard extended a hand and introduced himself, as he’d be my driver for the next two weeks. I gave him the address for my sister’s house before I climbed inside. I needed to catch up with her as she’d planned a lunch with me and my father today, and a dinner with his wife and son tonight.
Some of the anger I used to feel had diminished. But I still didn’t have much to say to him. A man who disgraces his family the way he did. Knocking up a girl who was a year older than his daughter. Leaving my mother broken. Our family name ruined.
We’d spoken two times a year. He’d call on my birthday and on Christmas. Our talks were very much on the surface. How’s the weather? How’s the tour going? How’s your mother?
He never got an answer for the last question. He didn’t deserve it. He’d nearly broken her, and she’d put herself back together. All while he started playing house with his new family.
I was dreading coming face-to-face with him. Hoping I could tamper down my disdain. I wasn’t ready to see his new wife Shayla, but I did want to meet Sebastian. Talia said he was an adorable kid. It wasn’t his fault his father was an asshole.
When I arrived at Talia’s home, I asked Gerard to take my bags over to the hotel and leave them in my room. I was going to be here for two weeks and I was used to living in hotels, so that didn’t bother me.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Talia shouted as the door flew open. “Welcome home, country star.”
I rolled my eyes before pulling her into my arms. “This is not home. But I’m happy to be here for you.”
“I can’t wait for Mama and the rest of the family to arrive,” she said, pulling back to look at me. “You look tired. Come on in.”
Her house was exactly what I’d expect it to be. Warm and charming just like my sister. She had moved in with Jake a few months ago, and this was his place. “Where’s your other half?”
“He’s at work. We’ll have dinner tonight. I’m hoping after you meet with Dad today that dinner with Shayla and Sebastian will be a piece of cake.”
“I’ll do whatever you need me to do while I’m here. This is your wedding. So, if that means having dinner with the dickhead, count me in.”
She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “He’s not that bad, Ty. But I will warn you, he just got frosted tips on his hair. I think he’s trying to look younger, you know, because his wife is younger than him.”
“What the fuck are frosted tips? And his wife is not just younger, she’s almost three fucking decades younger than him. Do you know she was a senior at Willow Springs High when I was a freshman? Only a grade above you. We all went to fucking high school together.”
She nodded and guided me to the couch, where there were two glasses of sweet tea on the table. My favorite.
“Listen, you need to try, Ty. Sebastian is a great kid. Dad seems happy. He regrets what he did. It haunts him. But he can’t take it back, so he’s just trying to make the best of a bad situation.”
“Why are you so forgiving?” I asked as I reached for the tea and took a long sip before setting it back down.
“Because life is short. People make mistakes. Hating him only hurts you. Look at all you lost in your anger.”
“What did I lose, T? A dad who was never really around anyway. Our perfect little family was a fucking sham. I moved and started a new life. I haven’t done too badly for myself.” I shrugged and leaned back on the couch.
“Ty,” she said, reaching for my hand and looking right at me. “You’ve done amazing. And the way you’ve taken care of Mama, it’s admirable. And me. Paying for my college, making sure we never wanted for anything. And now you’re covering the cost of my wedding. I don’t know how to thank you.”