“Here!” The kid hands me the marker and I scribble my name across the front of the disc, before handing it to him.
“There’s my number, kid. Text me and I’ll hook you up with tickets next time we perform in the area.”
“Hell yeah! I will. I’ll text you now so you have my number.”
“Give me a few days. I won’t receive your text because my phone is broken. Text me on Tuesday. Think you can remember that?”
He nods overly anxious. “Tuesday it is, Madden. Hell yeah! This is the raddest shit that’s ever happened to me. You’re the man. I’ll never forget this.”
Once the kid walks away and we’re inside my truck, I can feel Natalie staring at me so I look over. “You gave a fan your number. Do you do that often?”
I shake my head and start my truck. “Nah. There was something about him though. Reminded me of myself back when I was sixteen, I guess.”
We both jump when a knock sounds on the window seconds later. I laugh and roll down the window when I look over to see one of the posters that Chance had printed out smashed up against it. “Where did you get that?”
“Can you make it out to Deacon?” He shrugs and holds it out for me to sign. “I don’t know. My mom had it in her bedroom and I took it. It’s been in my backseat for weeks. How lucky is that?”
“Pretty lucky.” I smile and hand the marker back to him. “Take it easy, Deacon.”
“I’ll try, dude.” He barely steps away from my truck before he’s on the phone calling someone.
“Nice poster,” Natalie says with an amused smile. “Needed a reminder of one of the many times you’ve been arrested?”
“Apparently my cousin thought so,” I mutter, pulling out of the parking lot.
In less than thirty minutes we’re pulling into the mile-long driveway and parking next to the other vehicles.
We’ve been sitting here for a good five minutes when Natalie finally breaks the silence. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to break something.”
“Yeah.” I run my hands through my hair, before pulling out a smoke and stepping out of the truck. “I just need a second to gather my thoughts.”
I can see the flames from the bonfire lighting up the night sky from behind the cabin, and the blaring music and familiar voices shouting already have me feeling at home, reminding me of why I refuse to give these trips up.
I pull my eyes away when Natalie leans against my truck beside me. “How many people are here?”
“At least seven of us are always here; unless someone couldn’t make it this year. There could be more. I’m not sure.” I take a long drag and slowly release it, being sure to blow the smoke away from Natalie’s direction. “There are three bedrooms and two couches in the living room for sleeping. We play games, drink and dance, go swimming, and just kick back and relax without the stress of the outside world. It’s one of the things I look forward to the most, minus Alana.”
“You do or used to?”
I grind my jaw and lean my head back, looking up into the night sky. “I don’t know anymore. I still do, but it’s been hard the last few years. Alana and I broke up at this very place three years ago after I confronted her about cheating.” I take one more drag off my cigarette before tossing it and running my shaky hands through my hair. “She told me she wasn’t sure who she cared about more and then walked away from me, ripping my heart straight from my chest as if the last seven years we’d been together meant nothing to her.”
I can feel her looking at me, so I turn to face her and lower my gaze to meet hers. “What happened with the other guy? I mean… she obviously wants you back, so I’m guessing things didn’t work out. But did you know the guy?”
I shake my head. The only thing stopping me from turning around and punching my truck is the fact that I don’t want to scare Natalie. “I never found out who he was. That’s one of the reasons I refused to give her a second chance when she begged me to take her back. She told me I’d hate her if I ever learned the truth and she wasn’t willing to take that chance.”