They entered cautiously, reminding me of when they were little and had done something they knew I wouldn’t be happy about.
“Mom? You okay?”
I gave them a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I am. I get it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do. Hard to believe, I know, but I was young once.” For a little while anyway, I thought ruefully.
The chime of the doorbell suspended any further conversation. I’d completely forgotten I’d invited Jace and Kurt!
At first, I was annoyed with myself for not remembering, thinking that it would have been better if I’d called and changed the plans for the evening. As it turned out, having Jace and Kurt around was a blessing. It kept us from thinking too much about what the next day would bring. Oh, the knowledge was there, lurking in the background, but Jace and Kurt’s presence kept the mood upbeat.
Thankfully, I’d made more than enough food. The boys were thrilled with their meals, and Jace and Kurt complimented me once again on my cooking as well. It was nice to hear.
I could feel Jace stealing occasional glances at me as the boys talked about the tour, and that helped me keep it together. Knowing someone was watching made me try harder to hide the pain. Breaking down in front of my boys was one thing, but I refused to do so in front of Jace and Kurt.
After dinner, despite my objections, everyone pitched in to clear the table and load the dishwasher. They briefly debated on possible post-meal activities, eventually agreeing to head down into the finished basement studio. I was content to watch and listen, but they weren’t having it.
“Do you know ‘Fallen Angel’?” Jace asked me.
“Does she!” Brian exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “It’s only her favorite song in the world.”
I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. It was one of my favorites, written by the man now trying to coax me into a duet.
“An oldie but a goodie,” Jace said, shooting one of his sexy half-smiles my way. “Sing it with me?”
I declined repeatedly, but my protests fell on deaf ears. Under much pressure, I finally relented. The music started, the iconic intro an irresistible pull on my soul. I gripped the wireless mic and closed my eyes, transporting back into another time and place, into the young woman I’d once been.
It came back to me so easily. Soon, my voice joined Jace’s, and together, we created a perfect harmony. His deep, rich tones complemented my higher, clearer notes so well, even better than Ian’s had. It was as if the song had been written with us in mind.
The last notes faded away into silence. I opened my eyes to find Jace and Kurt grinning broadly, and both of my sons gaping at me.
“What?” I asked, setting the mic on the side table, suddenly feeling foolish.
“Jesus, Mom,” Tommy said, shaking his head.
“You never told us you could sing like that!” Brian added.
“You’ve heard me sing lots of times,” I muttered.
“Not like that,” Tommy said while Brian nodded emphatically in agreement.
~ * ~
Jace
“You never told them?” I asked Eva.
“Fallen Angel” was the first ballad I’d ever written, and I’d written it with her in mind. Of course, she had no way of knowing that. No one did, except my bandmates.
Her eyes met mine, surprised and ... scared?
“Told us what?” Brian asked, pouncing on the promise of a good story.
I hesitated. Eva was looking uncomfortable, her arms protectively wrapped around her.
Shit. I’d assumed they knew that their mother had once been the lead singer of Black Raven.
“Told us what, Mom?” Brian prodded.
Eva ignored her son and bit her lip and turned her pointed gaze my way. “How do you know?” she demanded.
“Because I was there.”
“Where?” Tommy was now standing beside his brother, looking every bit as interested and just as tenacious.
Kurt, for his part, hung back in the shadows and watched me crash and burn with undisguised amusement.
“The Allentown Fairgrounds, twenty years ago,” I answered, offering Eva a silent apology.
Her eyes opened wide, and her hand came up to cover her mouth.
“Tell us,” Tommy and Brian begged, sensing a great story.
I looked at Eva, who seemed at a loss for words. I thought briefly of refusing and letting Eva handle it, but something told me she needed to be reminded of the story as much as they needed to hear it.
“When I was your age, my dad wanted me to go into the family business. He ran a small architectural engineering firm.”
“But you wanted the rock-and-roll life,” Tommy guessed, nodding his head as if he understood perfectly.
“Not at first. I liked designing houses, and I was good at it. I’d already been granted a scholarship to the state university. My dad was thrilled, and I was content. Everything was right on track, according to the grand plan.”
“Then, I went to this music festival with a couple of my buddies. It was a bunch of backyard bands vying for a shot to win a recording contract. We had our own garage band and thought it would be a good time. Two full days of nonstop music, partying, drinking, girls.” I grinned. “A teenage boy’s dream, right?”
Both boys nodded emphatically and answered together. “Right.”
“But then I saw this girl onstage, and in that one moment, everything changed.”
I glanced at Eva, but she was looking down at her hands.
“Changed how?” Tommy asked.
“She was a tiny thing,” I said, smiling at the memory. “More hair than girl, I think. She was on this miniscule little excuse for a stage, surrounded by guys with equally long hair, wearing more makeup than she did and tight spandex.”
Tommy looked appalled, but Brian grinned.
“She looked scared to death. The music started, and she just stood there, frozen, until the crowd started getting nasty and throwing shit up on the stage. Then, the lead guitarist shot them all the finger and went over to her. He spoke to her, and when he walked away, she put the mic up to her mouth and blew out the clearest, most perfect note I’d ever heard and held it for more than a minute.
“The place went silent. Then, the drums kicked in and the bass, and a wicked, insane guitar riff followed. The crowd went completely batshit. That was it. They rocked the place for more than two hours and ended up winning the contract. Nobody else even came close.
“No lie, that woman had the most incredible voice I’d ever heard. It wrapped around my very soul in a way nothing else ever had—or has since. Not until tonight anyway.
“I knew then that while I liked engineering, it would never make me feel like that. Music was already in my soul, but it took her to wake it up. Shortly after, we started Dark Wing, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Eva raised her eyes to look at me.
“Holy shit, Mom,” Tommy murmured, looking from me to Eva, earning himself a harsh look and a reprimand from his mother, which he dutifully ignored. “You? You were in Black Raven?”
Eva didn’t answer him, but I nodded.
“Yes. It was your mother I saw that night.”
“You never told us you were part of Dad’s band,” Tommy scolded. “How come?”
Dad’s band? Ian Flynn was Brian and Tommy’s father? I was beginning to understand why Eva had a poor opinion of people in our profession. The guy was hardcore.