Page 63 of Rising Star

My eyes took in the label. “Whiskey and Country? I sense a pattern here,” I teased.

Riley shrugged. “It fits them. You gotta meet Nick one day. He’s a nice man. Reminds me of you. A lot. Minus the grumpiness.”

I gave him a sharp look. “Thanks. I guess.”

Bringing the bottle to my lips, the liquid licked the lining of my throat. I relished the feeling. The burn made me feel alive. I didn’t have a clue when the last time I got drunk was. It could be counted in years, not days.

I chugged the whiskey.

“Hey, leave some for me, would you?”

“I need it more than you do, man. And you were right. It’s pretty good stuff. I had no idea Dahlia and Nick were in the whiskey business. You should sell it at Wild and Country. Exclusively.”

Riley stole the bottle from my grip. “Yeah. Well, for now, it’s just a small production. If they wanna expand, I’ll be more than happy to. Tucker is already on it. The guy is relentless, and Nick is his childhood best friend. We’ll see how it goes. Anyway, I brought it, and it was my gift, so I’m entitled to half of it.”

I shook my head. “Don’t come crying tomorrow when you have a massive hangover.”

“Don’t be a pussy. Just drink. The sooner you get wasted, the sooner I might be able to drill some sense into your stubborn brain.”

I scrunched up my face and took the bottle back, nursing it as if it were a newborn.

“I’ll be too drunk later to tell you this, but thank you, man. Again, thanks for getting me out of my stalled life. I’m thankful for all this,” I said, using the bottle to point around me. “And for always having my back. And caring for my girls.”

“You’re worth it, Stevens. You’re a good man. And a good father. Just a shitty lover,” he added with a wink.

“Yeah. Stop talking. Let’s drink.”

* * *

I woke up to the sound of chatter. Little girls’ chatter. When did they come back here? Who was watching them? Then Devon’s laughter filled the silence. My head thundered. I hid under my pillow, trying to muffle the sound. In vain. Once I regained consciousness, the voices of my little ones warmed my heart.

“Girls, be quiet. Your daddy and Riley had a rough night. They need their beauty sleep. I’m sorry we can’t go and play outside. It’s raining. Let’s hope freshly brewed coffee and bacon, eggs, and grit will wake them up from their slumber.”

“Can we make hot crochcolate too?” Justine asked.

“With marshmallows,” Mikaella chimed in.

Devon chuckled. “Sure. Let’s get to work.”

I alternated between consciousness and sleep for what seemed like ten seconds when Devon’s voice resonated through my skull again. “Girls, it’s time. Let’s go and wake up the beasts.”

Seconds later, prickly fingers pried my lids open. “Daddy.” I pretended to be deep asleep and snored. “Do you think he’s dead?” Justine asked, strands of her hair sweeping my face and tickling my nostrils.

“No,” Mikaella replied. “I think he’s grinchy.”

“Grinchily?”

“Grinch-y. Like in the Christmas movie.”

“His skin isn’t green,” Justine remarked.

“Mm-hmm. It doesn’t matter. He’s still grinchy. It’s because he misses Maddie.”

My heart pinched in my chest.

“You think?”

“Yes. She’s away and hurt, and now he’s not happy. Let’s bring her back,” Mikaella suggested.