Billy Jeffers: Rockers of Steel (30 page)

“What made you fall in love with music and want to become a musician?” Taelyn asks. “Alec, you first.”

“I grew up hard.” He shrugs. “Music was my escape, still is. I know that sounds so cliché, but it’s the only truth I can give, because there is only one truth for me. I saw my old man playing some cheap-ass guitar, and what little boy doesn’t wanna be like their daddy? So I kind of picked it up. When he left, he left it, too. I guess that’s why I became a musician.” He laughs nervously and leans into the mic. “And let me be honest, a tall, lanky kid from the Midwest wants the fuck out. I’m good at it, so why not let it be good to me? Oh, and the chicks.”

The crowd goes crazy, and Xavier has a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Penelope, same question,” Taelyn instructs.

She forces a smile and leans in. “Well, it’s not for the chicks.”

The crowd and the rest of the panel laugh, and she looks at Alec and shrugs.

The cocky little bastard leans into the mic and says, “Good to know.”

Everyone erupts in laughter, and I watch her turn red.

“Dude, he’s in.” Memphis claps and rubs his hands together.

Penelope continues, “I had a really great life. Very supportive parents, a nice home, and everything a girl could wish for. Music always put a smile on my face.” She pauses and blows her hair up and away from her face. “One event changed a lot of that. My parents died in a car accident when I was little.”

The crowd starts the “aws,” and she holds her hand up to stop them.

“Please, don’t do that; I may cry.” She then gives a big smile. “I was seven, and at their funeral service, there was a boy who helped me fix this big, floppy bow I insisted on wearing because it was my mom’s favorite. That boy was a pianist, and I was intrigued by him.” She swallows hard and my heart sinks. “He went to my school, attended similar social functions, and much later, I found out he is my half-brother. He’s the reason I started playing, and it was …” She stops talking and starts crying. “I am so sorry.”

Alec throws his arm around her and hugs her.

I stand up, not even thinking.

She pulls away from him and looks at me. “I really am not ready for this. I just really wanted to meet him, and I thought, maybe, if I impressed him, he’d wanna meet me, too.”

I don’t even remember walking to the stage or walking up the stairs or grabbing and hugging her.

But I do.

“You are so gifted, Penelope,” I manage to choke out. Her body shakes as she cries. “Come with me?”

She nods, and we walk off stage.

I see Madison crying as she watches us. She says something to Tales then walks toward us.

“I’m sorry I did this—”

“No, don’t be sorry,” I cut Penelope off. “None of this is your fault.” I swallow hard.

“Let’s get you two somewhere you can talk alone.” Madison smiles as she wipes away her tears.

Two hours later, Penelope, Madison, and I are sitting and talking in my apartment.

Madison asked if it was okay that she answers the calls she was fielding from the band. I said yes. I had nothing to hide.

When Penelope asks about our mother, I hold it together, not telling her everything going on legally right now. Then she asks me if she thinks our mother would like to meet her, and Madison squeezes my hand.

“I’m sure she would love to,” Madison tells her.

“My mother didn’t know,” she whispers. “She didn’t know about the affair. She only knew that your parents were struggling and that she couldn’t get pregnant. My grandmother knew everything and pushed my parents to adopt me. Before she got sick a year ago, she told me everything.”

I can’t explain it away, and I can’t defend it, so I say the only thing I can. “I’m so sorry.”

“There is no changing the past. I had a good childhood, and I hope you did, as well.”

She continues on to tell us her grandmother is her only living relative. They sold the house to my parents, and she has been using the money to pay for her grandmother’s around-the-clock nursing staff.

“If they hadn’t bought the house, I don’t know what I would have done. I wouldn’t have been able to finish high school; I know that for sure. I want to thank them for that. Do you think, maybe, um …?” She looks down at her hands that are fidgeting.

“I know you don’t know each other well, Penelope, but your brother is an amazing man, and I can assure you that you can trust him.”

“Will you ask them if they’d like to meet me?”

I nod, because I will do what I can, but legally, this is a horrible idea.

“And will you go with me?”

Before I am forced to answer, Madison puts her hand on my knee. “He will do whatever he can to help.”

I put my hand over Madison’s, and she looks up at me and smiles. I am so grateful she is here.

Penelope yawns and covers her mouth. “Sorry, this week has been hell. I finished finals and then drove myself mad over trying to figure out how this would end up. I thought you would tell me to pound salt.”

“Would you like us to take you back to your hote—” I stop when I feel Madison pinching my leg, fucking hard, too. I look at her and smile then look back at Penelope. “Hotel or would you like to stay here?”

“I don’t want to intrude,” she says, and Madison laughs. Then Penelope does, and I am lost.

“Intrude away.” Madison says. “I’ll get the guest room set up for you.”

“Key’s in the nightstand,” I tell her.

When Madison walks away, Penelope looks at me and shakes her head. “I hope you don’t feel like you have to do this.”

“I do have to do this,” I say, and her lips turn down. Dammit. “Penelope, we may not have been raised together, but we are blood. I’ve lived a life of trying to be perfect—”

“Do the right thing,” she says, looking down. “It didn’t matter how angry I got at my grandmother. I never wanted to disappoint them, because—”

“They chose you.”

“Exactly.”

“I completely understand. I was five when she was pregnant, and then when she came home, she wasn’t anymore. This is going to sound very unlike a man, but I felt like they took something away from me.”

“Me,” she whispers.

It is exactly how I felt, but I could not say it without sounding like a pussy.

“Well, the piece is back in place, and I want you in my life.”

“I want all of you in mine.” She smiles. “You the most.”

I hear a snort from the spare bedroom and then muffled laughter.

Well, fuck.

Penelope looks at me curiously.

“I’m sure she finds my collection humorous.” I stand up and prepare to face her.

When I walk in, she is standing next to my prized possession.

“Help me, Billy-wan-Kenobi; you’re my only hope.” She starts laughing as she stands next to my life-sized R2-D2.

“Do you have any idea how much those are all worth?” I defend my
Star Wars
collection in the only way she could possibly find it cool: its value.

She keeps laughing and looking around.

Penelope walks up beside me and looks in.

This is not happening.

Madison has the Vader helmet, holding it in front of her. “Billy, I am your father.”

Penelope laughs and brushes past me. “This is totally...
awesome
! I love
Star Wars
.”

“No DNA test needed now.” Madison laughs as she walks over and picks up the one thing I wish she had not seen. “What have we here?”

“Oh, that’s Leia’s slave girl costume. It’s so cool,” Penelope exclaims.

Madison’s eyebrow arches, and I am honestly afraid of what is going to come out of her mouth.

Her phone buzzes for the millionth time, and she looks at it. “Why does Tales keep messaging me? She knows I’m busy.”

Shit! How the hell could I have forgotten?

“Madison, go and call her.”

“It’s probably not even her. It’s probably my annoying brother. Gag.” She looks at Penelope. “You’ll probably feel the same way one day.”

“Madison, go.”

“Fine, bossy pants. Don’t have too much fun with all the...toys.”

“She’s pretty awesome,” Penelope says, and I laugh.

“She is. And wait about two minutes; she’s going to flip out.”

I am so fucking stupid. This is her big moment, and I nearly let it slip away.

“You shut your fucking face!” she screams.

I look at Penelope, who looks shocked.

“She has a colorful vocabulary … sometimes, not always,” I defend her.

“How did this happen?! How and … Oh, I should be so pissed off at you, bitches!” she says in her I’m-trying-to-be-angry voice.

There is a long pause and then, “You shut your face!
Billy
!”

“Come on.” I laugh and grab Penelope’s hand. I almost drop it, but I look first to see if I have offended her.

I haven’t.

She’s smiling, and I feel like an idiot.

Billy walks out, holding his sister’s hand, and I feel like my world is spinning so beautifully out of control.

“You rang?” He smiles, and I know immediately.

“You knew about this, too!”

“Yeah, I did.” He laughs.

“You kept it from me!”

He smiles. “Yeah, I did that, too.”

“You are in so much trouble.”

There is a knock on the door, and Billy walks over to open it.

The gang’s all here.

“I am so pissed at you,” I say on the phone to Tallia who is standing fifteen feet away from me, holding her phone to her ear.

“Don’t be pissed at me. It was your brother’s idea. He wanted you to shine.”

“Tell him I’m pissed at him, too,” I say as I wipe away tears of joy for all that this day has brought.

“Would you two hang up the damn phones?” Memphis laughs. “And someone get a damn computer out. Let’s make sure this bitch goes viral like an STD.”

“I can’t look,” I say as they all sit around the table, looking at the stats. I am pacing like an expectant parent who’s waiting to see what the sex of the baby is.

“Is everything okay?” Penelope asks, still standing in the spare bedroom slash office slash my sexy geek man’s toy room.

I walk over and hug her. “Yes.” Then I take her hand. “Pace with me.”

As Penelope and I are pacing, Billy officially introduces her to everyone as his sister then explains to her that I unknowingly launched a business today called Sweet Things. Memphis’s devious mind, combined with Sonya’s computer and social media genius, blasted it from a possibly illegal black box that sent a text to everyone within a mile radius of
The Shores Talent Scores
. It was launched and has already gone viral.

“You see what you’re in for?” Billy laughs. “I was an upstanding member of society until these guys got their hands on me.”

“Yeah, about that.” Memphis smiles. “You all left before the verdict came in.”

“Alec will be with us, but we want you to be the first opening act,” Finn adds, pointing at Penelope. “If you want.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I mean, I have someone who needs me,” she says shyly.

“You’ll have plenty of someones, little Billy.” River chuckles.

“Watch it, River!” Billy snaps at him.

“Oh, hell no,” Memphis adds. “I think she and Alec would make one hell of a couple. I mean, he’s older, but his experience may be appreciated. What do you say, Penelope?”

“Memphis,” Billy sneers.

“I’m talking about my grandmother. I want to stick around here for her. She’s um...sick.”

“I’m sure the offer will stand. When she gets better, you should definitely tour with us,” Memphis says, smiling his fool head off at Billy. “And Alec.”

“Um, Madison...” Keanna laughs. “You should come check this out.”

“Holy fuck!” River laughs as he looks at the screen.

“No, I can’t. I just can’t,” I say, unable to move and probably strangling poor Penelope’s hand. “Billy?”

“Of course.” He walks over and looks at the screen. His face drops. He looks shocked.

“What? Is the server down? Bad reviews, even though nothing has been shipped? What, dammit? Tell me.” I panic.

“Yeah, tell her, dammit!” Penelope squeezes my hand now. Everyone looks at her. “Sorry, just caught up in the moment. Sorry.”

“Oh, I love you already.” I hug her like a five-year-old hugs their favorite stuffed toy.