RIXSTAR
Good Riddance - Green Day
HENDRIX
“Hello, hello. I’m late, I know.” Talia drops her bag to the floor and snatches up the gin waiting for her. She sniffs at the liquid, sighs happily, then drains the glass in one go. “Just what I needed.”
Riley shakes her head with a chuckle as she picks at a chicken wing.
I scoot over in the booth so Talia can slide in. “You look…”
“Frazzled,” Riley says. “You look frazzled, Talia.”
Talia rolls her eyes. “Blunt as always, babe.”
“You wouldn’t have me any other way.” Her lips arc gently.
“You’re right about that one.” Talia reaches over me and tugs the end of Riley’s short ponytail. “But you are right, I am frazzled. Turns out, running a music studio on your own is freaking taxing.” She looks at me then. “You sure you don’t fancy coming home and working with me again?”
“Absolutely not. I’m very happy where I am, thank you.”
“Figured.”
“You should hire a business manager,” Riley tells her, dabbing her fingers with a napkin before rolling the blue sparkly NeeDoh over her palm. “Charlie has managerial experience, right?”
“She does, yes. But while I love my wife, I think we’d kill each other within a week. Working with a spouse should be illegal.”
A snort escapes me. “Can’t relate.”
“Because you’re sickening when you’re in love,” Talia quips.
“Stop it. She’s cute.”
“Thank you, Riles.” I smirk at Talia who sticks her tongue out at me. “But I do agree about the business manager thing. Might do some good, having someone take the load off so you’ve got more time to work with artists. Plus, you’d have a lot more free time to come visit us and we miss you.”
“I miss you too. Did you really have to move a thousand miles away from me?”
I side-eye her. “Hardly a thousand miles, Tal.”
“It’s one hundred and sixty-seven,” Riley offers. “Not even close to a thousand.”
Talia chuckles. “It feels like a thousand when we only see each other once a month.”
“I dunno.” I shrug. “I reckon we see each other more than so many other adult friendships.”
Every four weeks to be exact. Doesn’t matter where we are, we make it work. As long as there are good wings and good drinks, who cares where we hang out? Sometimes one of the guys or Theo will tag along. Others it becomes a whole group outing.
And there are days like today.
Just the three of us, the way it used to be.
I can’t lie and say there aren’t days where I miss this dynamic, but I wouldn’t trade what I have now for the world. My family grew in ways I never dreamed possible after the mistakes I made.
And I get to share it all with the love of my life at my side.
Can’t see how it can ever get better than this.
COLE
A creak spills through the speaker, followed by the ominous pitter-patter of footsteps before a raucous slam.
Popcorn flies into the air when Axel jolts upright, slams a hand over his eyes, and curses Hendrix for her choice of movie.
A tinkling giggle comes from beside him.
He pauses the film before turning to Riley. “Not funny, Riot.”
Her nose wrinkles at the newest nickname he’s testing out.
I can’t tell you how many words starting with R he’s pulled from the dictionary to trial with her. I can tell you that not a single one has garnered him the reaction he’s clearly hoping for.
Hendrix plucks a Malteser from the bucket on my lap while giving me a look we've shared a hundred times over the last few months. The one that says, when are these idiots going to figure it out?
“It’s not real, Axel,” Riley says, eyes trained on her Kindle.
“Neither is the book you’re reading,” he quips with a smirk. “Still didn’t stop you from crying when the dragon died, did it?”
Carter scoffs from his perch on the armchair. “That death was brutal. You’d cry too.”
Riley nods. Somehow she coerced our stoic drummer into a two-person book club. God only knows how. The man has never shown interest in reading as a hobby, but every week they read a new book together and discuss it.
The corner of Carter’s mouth twitches when he looks at Axel. “If only you could read.”
“That’s why he keeps messing up his vocals on the new tracks,” Saint says, as he twists Theo’s hair into a loose plait. “Damn, why didn’t you tell us, dude? The girls' English tutor comes on Tuesday. Carter can see if they’ll squeeze another child into the mix.”
Axel drags a hand down his face with a groan. “I hate you all.”
“What did we do?” I ask.
Hendrix leans back into her cushion, and I use the movement to sink my fingers into her hair. She hums a happy tune.
“You let your Rix pick the movie.” Axel huffs, dropping back to his arse before stealing half of the blanket covering Riley’s leg. “And obviously the little horror creep had to pick something that would give us all nightmares. Again.”
“As if I have any say in what Rixie does,” I say, tugging on her hair at her chuckle. “She wears the trousers in our relationship.”
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Saint sighs dramatically. “Cole Hayes. Lost to the whims of his woman.”
Theo snorts. “He’s just taking a page out of your book, baby.”
“I wear the trousers, love.”
“Sure.” A sweet smile curves Theo’s lips. His eyes soften when they meet hers. He opens his mouth to say something, but she beats him to it. “After I pick them out.”
With a grunt, he flicks her nose. “Stay out of this, woman.”
“Can we all stay out of this and go back to the actual purpose of movie night,” Carter says, snatching a beer off the table. “Watching a movie.”
“Okay, daddy,” Axel says.
“Not your dad.”
Hendrix snags the remote from Axel’s lap and the movie starts up again.
The sweetest little smile takes over her face as she lies back, her head nestled on my lap, her legs draped over Axel’s thighs.
I lean down and steal a kiss from her.
One peck becomes two, then a third, and a fourth.
She peers up at me, green eyes soft, gold flecks shimmering under the dull lamplight.
“Thank you, Rixie,” I say.
“For what?”
I glance around the room, taking in my family.
Axel continues griping about the movie. Riley reads at his side, gaze occasionally drifting to the movie, but never engaging long enough to stay away from her book.
Theo and Saint stay wrapped around each other, talking quietly through the scenes. Carter leans back in his chair, content in his own space, texting his girls while he watches the movie.
I give her a final caress of my lips. “For choosing this.”
“Always and forever, Rock star.” She nestles deeper into my lap and laces our fingers together as she turns back to the screen. “And even after that.”