Rock Country Read online

  “Mornin’, June,” Mr. Acer chirped from the kitchen table.

  I smiled over at him when I realized he was working a crossword puzzle from the book I bought him. “A great day for a run, Sutton.” I could feel Bobby burning a hole through me with his gaze as he cooked breakfast. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower? Looks like Bobby has a handle on things in there.” I didn’t look in his direction.

  “Of course, sweetheart. See you in a bit.”

  A few minutes later, I was undressed and washing away the grime from my run. Bobby and I would have to talk about what happened last night, but I was too mad at the moment. I understood that he had clearly been messed up, but he needed to know that I didn’t like it a bit.

  After I emerged from the shower, I dressed in a simple sundress and flip-flops. I put on a little makeup to cover the bruises that still painted my face and put some mousse in my hair. Eventually, I made my way back to the kitchen.

  Mr. Acer had eaten and was still working on his book when I came in. Bobby was nowhere to be seen.

  “He put your plate in the microwave so it would stay warm.” I frowned at his thoughtfulness because it interfered with me being mad at him.

  “Thank you.”

  Breakfast was comfortably quiet. After I cleaned up the kitchen, Mr. Acer spoke.

  “June, you have to forgive him. I can tell he’s done somethin’ to upset you and that he feels terrible about it.” Tears filled my eyes as he continued. “That boy’s waited a long time for you. He’s trying to juggle his current life with the past life that we come from. Considering I’m dyin’ as well, I am sure that his emotions are a mess. All I’m askin’ is that you talk to him about it.”

  Guilt consumed me and I broke down sobbing, trying to hide my tears in the dishtowel. Heavy footsteps, too strong to be Mr. Acer’s, approached me from behind and enveloped me in a hug. He must have showered in his dad’s bathroom because now he smelled like soap and it was doing crazy things to my hormones.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered into my hair. I nodded as I let him turn me to him. My arms snaked around him and held him tightly. “Dad, excuse us. I need to apologize to my girl.”

  Bobby pulled away from me and linked his fingers through each of my hands, walking backwards as he led me toward the room. Mr. Acer smiled without looking up from his book.

  Once we made it back to the room, shutting the door behind us, he motioned for me to sit on the bed. I sat, expecting him to sit with me, but he knelt on the floor in front of me instead. Gripping both thighs with his large hands, he kissed my kneecaps in an oddly intimate gesture.

  Looking up at me, he grimaced before he spoke. “June Bug, occasionally I dabble in things I probably shouldn’t. Last night, playing those songs for you and Dad had me feeling an emotion that I couldn’t deal with sober. I got wasted quickly on whiskey and then a Xanax. It was a mistake, June. And then I treated you like a fucking groupie. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me, baby.”

  His hands scooted my dress up and he kissed the tops of my thighs.

  “I’m sorry too, Bobby. You’re going through an incredibly difficult time. Because of my life with Markwayne, I just saw a path I didn’t want to take again.”

  “Oh, God. I don’t ever want you to see that bastard and me in the same light. Ever. I won’t get fucked up again. June, I’m going to make love to you now.”

  His words were a statement, not a question, and I wanted him to do exactly that. Quickly, he pulled my dress up over my head, tossing it to the floor. The dress had support so it didn’t require a bra, much to his surprise.

  “Dammit, woman, you are fucking hot. I don’t even think I can wait for foreplay.” He slipped my panties off and shed his own clothes rather rapidly.

  “I’m always wet for you, and I can’t wait either, for the record.”

  He was between my legs and inside me in two seconds. I moaned into his mouth as he kissed me hungrily. We both needed this connection like we needed air. He worshipped my body with gentle caresses as he thrust into me. Our kisses became ragged breathing into each other’s mouths as we came within seconds of each other. After the aftershocks of our lovely union subsided, he relaxed on me and kissed my nose.

  “I lo… I love spending ever moment with you. There’s no way I’ll ever get enough of you,” he admitted. His face was so serious, and he regarded me with such tenderness. Bobby was the missing part of me, and for once in my life, I was starting to feel whole again.

  I’d almost told her I loved her. Shit, I did love her, but I didn’t know that she’s ready to hear that confession. She was still married for fuck’s sake. Her eyes told me that she loved me too, but it didn’t feel right to put the thoughts to words at the moment.

  “Your dad must think terrible things about me,” she sighed and frowned.

  I laughed as I climbed off the bed and headed toward the shower. “Nah, he adores you, June Bug. He wants us to be happy.”

  She followed me into the bathroom and crossed her arms as I started the water. “What’s going to happen to us?” Her question was one I’d been mulling around in my mind the moment we had reconnected. “You know, like when you have to go back to work.”

  While the water heated up, I stepped over to her and pulled her into my arms. “Babe, we’ll figure it out. I lost you for fifteen years. I’m not losing you again.”

  She nodded under my chin, and I kissed the top of her head.

  “Now, get in that shower so I can ravish your wet, soapy body.” Popping her on the ass, I turned and dragged a giggling June into the shower with me.

  “What’s up, man?” Chaz asked when he answered the phone. He sounded irritated. Neve got under his skin all of the time, but for some reason, he stayed with her. I would never understand their relationship.

  “Just checking in. How is everyone? How’s Neve?”

  “She’s got her panties in a wad right now because some chick asked me to sign her tit earlier at the mall. I was all like, ‘Shit, woman. I can’t help it if these bitches can’t stay off my sac,’ and of course she got all bitchy. Currently, she’s giving me one of her ‘silent treatments,’ during which I’m happy to pretend to be sad while I play Call of Duty in peace.”

  “Chaz, you’re such a dick,” I teased, laughing at him.

  “Join the ‘Chaz is a dick’ club. Neve will get you your own card. She’s the head bitch.”

  “Damn, dude. Why do you guys even stay together?”

  He sighed, and I heard the game pause in the background. “Because I love her, man. Even when she’s being a mega-bitch, she’s my mega-bitch. In fact, I’m getting all horny talking about her bitchiness and I think I need to go show her just how sorry I am. Catch you later, dude.”

  I rolled my eyes when he hung up on me. Chaz was an ass, but I loved him all the same.

  June had gone down to her momma’s to look over some documents the lawyer had emailed. I’d told her I would go with her, but she’d seemed to want to do it in private. Considering I’d gotten nowhere with Chaz, I called Manny.

  “Hello?” he answered, his voice thick with sleep.

  “Damn, I’m striking out. I’ll call you back later, man, since you’re sleeping.” He grumbled out a reply and hung up. Finally, I called Donnie.

  “Hey, Bobby! How’s everything going in Redneck Country?” he chirped into the phone. That guy had more energy than several people combined. It must be a drummer thing.

  “It’s okay. Dad has good days and bad. I wrote a new song for him, and I’m working on one for my girl. You guys are going to—” I informed but was interrupted.

  “Hold up. Your girl? Since when does Asshole Acey have a girl? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He was laughing hysterically into the phone, annoying the shit out of me.

  “Fuck off, Donnie Dickhead. We wouldn’t be a band without the songs I wrote about her. She’s beautiful and perfect. Once she gets rid of her husband, I’ll make her mine.”

  Now he was
roaring with laughter. Shit, he might even be crying because he was laughing so hysterically right now. Calmly, I waited for his inconsiderate ass to shut up.

  “Are you through?” I asked finally.

  “Hell no,” he chuckled. “You went out to Redneck Country and found some chick with a husband. Are you listening to yourself, man? Next thing you’re going to tell me is that you made love to her and that she’s really your cousin.” He burst into another fit, and I refrained from hanging up on him.

  “Well, now that you’ve made me feel like a big douchebag hick, let me finish my story. I’m here with my fucking muse and the song ideas won’t stop. I’ll work on some, and in a couple of months, before we go on tour again, we’ll hit the studio to record this shit. Oh, I also hired her to help me with Dad. She’s staying with us and things are great with my girl-who’s-not-my-cousin who I made love to many, many times.”

  He finally calmed down, and his tone grew serious.

  “Are you okay, Bobby? How are you holding up with your dad’s health? I know you texted us and told us he wasn’t doing chemo. Do they know how long he has?”

  His sudden solemnity made me nauseated. My mind instantly thought about the bottle of Xanax in my bag. But the thought of possibly disrespecting June again overshadowed my need.

  “I’m okay. Last night, playing that song for him… It really hit me. I got fucked up and said some terrible things to June. She forgave me, but I still feel like shit. It’s just that I know that he’s only got a couple of months at the very most. Since my mother deprived me of seeing him my entire teenage and adult life, I feel sickened that I’m going to lose him so soon after—” I choked out a sob, dropping the phone on the bed.

  Burying my face in my hands, I thought really hard this time about the pills. The door opened and someone approached, picking up my phone with one hand and putting an arm around my shoulder with the other.

  “Hi, I’m June. I’m sorry, but Bobby can’t talk right now. Can I have him call you back?” She was silent a moment while Donnie said some things to her. “Donnie, you are a naughty man, ain’t ya? I bet Bobby might want to tan your hide for tryin’ to move in on his girl,” she teased in her adorable accent.

  I wiped my eyes with the palms of my hands and took the phone back from her. “Donnie, you’re such a fucking asshole. What did you say to her?”

  He was laughing so hard that I could barely contain my laughter and joined him. “I told her, Bobby, that a sweet Southern girl like her could use a little bad boy education from yours truly because clearly you’ve lost your edge.”

  Mr. Sinclair, my attorney, informed me the divorce should be a quick and painless one since we didn’t own any property together or have any children. It was long overdue and I was more than ready for it to be over with. When I came back from Momma’s and walked in on Bobby’s conversation, I was heartbroken. It was devastating to see how hard he was taking his dad’s dying. After he hung up with Donnie, who was actually quite hilarious, his spirits had lifted.

  “Hey, June Bug.” He was smiling up at me, his eyes still red from crying.

  “Hey, Bobby.” I leaned over since I was still standing and kissed his lips.

  He took it as invitation and pulled me down into his lap. “What do you say we try to get Dad out of the house today? He’s been in good spirits today. I thought maybe he might like to go somewhere.”

  “Sounds great, Bobby. We can go to the diner for dinner. He loves that place. I know he’d probably like to see his friends.”

  After getting out of his lap, I walked into the hallway to go tell Mr. Acer our plans. When I heard retching, I hurried into his bathroom. He was on his knees, emptying his stomach into the toilet.

  “Sutton, are you okay?” I stroked his back as he continued to vomit, shaking his head no. “I’m going to run and get you some ginger ale. I’ll be right back.” Hurrying from the bathroom, I slammed right into Bobby’s chest. I would have fallen on my ass had he not steadied me by grabbing my elbows.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked me, alarmed.

  “His stomach seems to be upset. Grab him a cold washcloth and put it on his neck while I get him something to settle his stomach.” He obeyed my order, hurrying to the cabinet below the sink.

  When I came back with the soda and a handful of saltines, I found him sitting on the tub, rubbing his dad’s back.

  “Sutton, please sip on this and try to get some crackers in you. You’ll feel better if you can do that.”

  He nodded and shakily reached for the soda. His skin was a pale shade of grey, and I hid a shudder. Right now, he looked like death warmed over.

  “Bobby, stay with him. I’m going to go get a bucket from the garage and put it by the bed. He should be lying down and resting. If he can stand to move, try to get him back to the bed.”

  Blinking back tears, he snapped into action as he helped Mr. Acer stand up. I hurried to the garage and found a bucket, returning quickly. Bobby had Mr. Acer tucked into the bed by the time I got back. He had crawled into the bed next to his dad, and my heart shattered at how sad they both looked.

  “Hey, Bobby, I’m going to go put some laundry in the wash and pick up a bit. I’ll start some chicken noodle soup for supper. Why don’t you stay in here and keep him company?”

  He nodded without looking up at me.

  For the next hour, I wiped down every surface in that house. I tried not to go all OCD, but it was hard not to because I didn’t know what to do with myself. The soup was simmering on the stove, so I decided to go check in on them. When I opened the door, tears filled my eyes. Both men had fallen asleep and Bobby’s arm was slung across his dad’s chest. Mr. Acer’s hand had a grip around Bobby’s wrist.

  After spying the camera on the table, I picked it up, turned off the flash as not to wake them, and took several snapshots. I took some close-ups of their hands and faces. Zooming out, I took several photos of them lying there curled up together. Bobby looked very much like the twelve-year-old boy I remembered.

  Once I’d set the camera back down, I snuck back into the kitchen to check on the soup. Just when I was about to go wake Bobby, he dragged himself into the kitchen and sat down at the table. His hair was disheveled and he looked haggard. For the first time, I noticed bags forming underneath his eyes.

  I placed the lid back on the soup, walked over to him, and put my arms around his neck, kissing his head. Silent sobs racked his body as I held him. I whispered quiet assurances into his hair as he cried.

  I couldn’t believe I had another breakdown in front of June. She was amazingly supportive and I couldn’t imagine doing this without her. When I finally stopped crying, she kissed my head once more and went back over to the dinner she was cooking.

  “Need any help?” My voice sounded cracked and gravelly.

  She just turned and smiled brightly at me. “Nope, I’ve got it. Would you like me to make you a drink?” My heart squeezed at her words. She knew I handled my sadness last night with a “drink,” and it was her way of telling me that she would understand if I needed one right now.

  Trying to be strong for her, I shook my head. “Nah, babe. I think I’ll just grab a Pepsi from the refrigerator.”

  She grinned, once again lighting up the room. That smile poured life into my heart, and I stood, stalking over to her. I took her cheeks into my hands and crashed my lips to hers, tasting her roughly. Her arms snaked around my neck as she let me lead how far this was going.

  After a couple of minutes of heated kissing, I broke away. “If I don’t stop now, June, we’ll be having cold soup for dinner.” I pulled away from her and my dick practically whined in protest. Down, boy. Her pouty lip did nothing to help the current situation and I chuckled. “Woman, I’ll take care of you later. Don’t you worry.”

  Dad was feeling much better after soup in bed and was joking like he hadn’t been sick all day.

  “Tell me, son. How did you get into music?” His eyes twinkled, and I wanted nothing more t
han to feed him this little morsel of my past he’d missed.

  “Well, it’s kind of funny. Mom made me join the band in ninth grade. I was a little quiet, and not many of my friends from middle school were in any of my classes. It seemed that hiding out in the back of the class would be a good way to pass the time. There were a lot of geeky kids in the class, and I was angry with Mom for forcing me to join.

  “Some guy with shaggy hair and sagging pants sauntered in and plopped down in the chair beside me. His mouth was full of metal, but he was wearing a Pearl Jam T-shirt, so I deemed him as cool. He asked me what I played, and I flinched when I told him the tuba. After laughing his ass off and royally pissing me off, he admitted that he also played the tuba. Bastard.

  “We got to talking about bands that we liked in common and I learned he was in a garage band. He said they were looking for a guitarist. I lied and told him I knew how to play. After he told me his name was Chaz, he asked me to come over after school and jam with them. I agreed and begged Mom to buy me a guitar once I got home. It took some convincing and promising to do every chore under the sun, but she took me to a pawn shop where we purchased my first guitar, an old Fender.

  “I show up at Chaz’s house and met Manny and Donnie. They set up and started jamming. Not wanting to look like an idiot, I strummed and picked like I knew what was going on. After the song, Donnie laughed his ass off, telling me that I was ‘the worst fucking guitar player’ and asking when could I start. I guess it was more about our dynamic than skill at the time.

  “Donnie actually taught me how to play, and pretty quickly I was able to duplicate any guitar solo from our favorite bands. The band was originally named CMD Boys, but when they added me, we changed it to The Aces, playing off my last name and the fact that we lived in Vegas. The guys and I have been tight ever since.”