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My stomach clenched, but I forced myself to ignore it. Mickey had promised. Had made the connection with his daughter. Had told me he loved me. Had made love to me on Darci’s bedroom floor. He’d even met with Daryl and promised to go over for dinner one night as a family. “He’s probably exhausted. But he can’t spend the night in the recliner. I’ll wake him up after dinner and put him in one of the other guest rooms.”
Scotty poured wine into his own glass, then took a couple deep gulps. “No. You don’t understand. Mickey left. He told me he needs to clear his head.”
I jumped up and ran out of the room when I saw the headlights from his pickup hit the window. I hurried outside, thinking I could stop him, but when I stepped out on the front porch, and caught his gaze through the windshield, I knew no one could stop him. He was leaving, and where or not he returned was something none of us could predict.
Not even Mickey.
We stared at each other for a bit, then he put the truck in reverse, turned it around and drove away, breaking my heart into a million little pieces.
Mickey 17
I thought I could sneak out before anyone would see me, but there she stood, the one person I did not want to catch my departure, CindyLou. The more I was around her, the more I knew I not only didn’t deserve her, but I certainly couldn’t be Darci’s father… at least not her everyday father. What kind of a fucking role model could I ever be with a dad in prison and me not caring where my next gig came from?
Yet, there she stood, catching my departure, catching my gaze, and causing me to have to break her heart.
Better now than later when I made an even bigger mess of everything.
We stared at each other for a few moments, and in those moments, I briefly thought about turning the engine off, and going back inside. She looked so good. I loved her, and I loved our little girl, but I wasn’t the right man for her. I’d bring her nothing but pain and sorrow.
So, I drove away.
Where the hell was I going? I didn’t know, but I knew I couldn’t stay in Sweet Whiskey, not while CindyLou and Darci were here.
I drove over to my cabin. Tossed a few of my things into a bag, grabbed my other guitar, slipped it into its case, and left, leaving the door unlocked behind me. I had enough money in the bank to get me all the way across this country, but for now, I headed over to Cricket for the night. I’d make solid plans in the morning.
While I drove, my phone kept dinging with text messages from Colt and Scotty.
I didn’t answer.
They would just try to convince me to turn around and stay. To man up. Grow a pair.
All bullshit.
If they really knew me… if they were my brothers like we always said we were, they’d know I was a fuck up, and I’d always be a fuck up, kid or no kid.
No, I didn’t sign that contract with the Jess Davis Band. Why would I? I would just disappoint them as well, only by signing on the dotted line, it would cost me a lot of effort and money to break that stupid contract. This way, I saved everybody a lot of hassle.
The road to Cricket was wide open, so it didn’t take me any time at all to get there. Cricket was home to my other favorite bar, Last Call. A tavern where nobody knew my name. A tavern I could get wasted in, then lock myself in my truck and sleep it off before I took off for… somewhere else… in the morning.
As soon as I walked inside, I knew I’d made the right decision to stop here for the night. There were some familiar faces, folks I’d gone to school with, shopkeepers I’d dealt with, and general townsfolks I recognized, but most of them ignored me or just gave me a nod of recognition, then went on their merry way.
Exactly what I was looking for tonight.
“Hey, Mickey,” Emma Holt, part owner of Last Call said as she approached me, slipping a white cocktail napkin in front of me on the long, antique bar. “It’s been a while.”
Emma was a dark-haired beauty in her mid to late twenties. She’d arrived here in Cricket a few years ago from San Francisco, if I remembered it right. She and I flirted for a while, until she met the new owners.
“Yeah,” I told her, trying to remember more about her. “Been busy over at Dirty Coyote.”
“I heard,” she said, grinning. “I also heard congratulations are in order.”
What the hell… “Yeah, well, not really. As it turns out, I’m heading up the road. Didn’t sign with Jess Davis after all.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Sorry to hear it, but that’s not what I’m congratulating you for. I hear you’re a daddy! That’s huge! A baby girl named Darci. Love the name, by the way. Always been a big fan of Jane Austin’s books. Your first drink is on the house, Mickey. What’ll it be?”
My heart literally stopped. “Long neck beer and a flight of tequila, full shots.”
“Wait! What? You didn’t sign?” Jade Whitaker asked. I hadn’t noticed her sitting to my right, after the empty stool between us. Jade was the biggest lawyer around. Not only did she understand entertainment law, but just about everything and anything else folks had going on in either Cricket or Sweet Water. “What the hell got in your way? They’re the hottest up-and-coming band in Country right now. What could possibly be your reason?”
