The next afternoon, Keys sat on his red sofa, engaged in a stare-down with Mia’s cat.
With unblinking yellow-green eyes, Max stared back at Keys from his perch on the back of the sofa.
A mug of strong, black coffee sat on Keys’ denim-clad thigh, held in place by his bruised right hand. He lifted the mug to his lips and took a swallow, cringing at the discomfort in his fat-fingers and swollen knuckles. Then, he reached out and placed the mug on the still cracked coffee table. “Ground rules, kitty. No pissing or pooping anywhere but your litter-box. Absolutely no entrance into my music studio, got it?”
Max blinked and slowly turned his head to the side, either ignoring his request or agreeing with him, Keys couldn’t tell.
His doorbell rang, accompanied by the hammering of fists.
“Let us in,” Gia called.
Now what? Keys rose, scooped up the cat, and sauntered to the door.
The cat purred against his chest.
“Hey,” Keys said.
“Aw,” Gia cooed. “It’s Maxie. Is Keys being a good cat-daddy to you?” she said, kissing the feline’s nose. “What? He actually is? I thought you were going to say you’re being neglected. That’s good to hear.” She lifted her gaze to Keys. “You look like roadkill.”
“Thank you,” Keys said, staring at his bandmates and Zander, who hovered outside his door. “I feel like dog’s balls, that’s for certain. But, Mia’s alive. That’s all that matters.”
“Can we come in?” Dante said.
“Depends. I’m not in the mood for another confrontation. Not after the hell of the last twenty-four hours.” Keys stroked the cat’s furry head.
“Understood,” Dante said, pushing through the door.
Trevor and Zander followed him.
“We’re here to make amends,” Dante said, settling on the arm of Keys’ sofa.
“Are you?” Keys said, lowering the cat to the ground. He made his way to sit on the opposite arm to Dante.
Trevor and Zander settled on the other sofa.
Max trotted to the sofa, leaped on the back, and sniffed Dante.
“Where’s Mia?” Gia said, plopping on the sofa next to Dante.
“I had to give her something to help her get to sleep a few hours ago. She’s mentally wasted. She had nightmares and woke up at five, kicking and screaming.
“Aw, that’s awful,” Gia said. “Poor thing.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Dante said, his expression pinched.
“Yeah, me, too,” said Trevor.
Keys eyed both men, searching for signs of insincerity. Satisfied that they seemed sincere, he said, “She watched her ex blow his brains out after he terrorized her. It’s going to take a bit to get herself sorted. This shrink she met with last night at the hospital said she’s got all the signs of PTSD.”
“Damn,” Dante said.
“That’s harsh,” Trevor said.
An uneasy silence smothered the room. The only point of contentment came from Max, who sat purring next to Dante.
“I think he likes your hair,” Keys finally said, smirking.
Dante scoffed while scratching the cat’s chin. “Right. All dem kitties loves me.” He turned to Keys and locked eyes with him. “I want to apologize to you for being a dick. I’ve been uptight lately. Kennedy…” He dragged his hand through his long, Hollywood-style locks. “She was pregnant, but she miscarried.”
“What? You never told us,” Gia said, punching him in the arm.
“I didn’t. We wanted to wait until we were certain everything would be all right, but fate had other plans for us. The miscarriage happened after Cancun.” Dante’s lips turned down in a frown.
Keys frowned, unsure of what to say. He never imagined Dante would want to pursue fatherhood.
“That sucks, man,” Trevor said.
“Yeah, I’m so sorry,” Gia said. “So, that’s why she didn’t drink any alcohol in Mexico. Are you going to try for another?”
“Well, maybe. This was a surprise. But, Kennedy and I have talked about it, and it might be cool to bring another musician into the world. I’m sure he’ll be talented.” Dante smiled.
“She might prefer to hang out with her mama’s tigers,” Gia said.
“True that,” Dante said. “Anyway…” He directed a pointed gaze at Keys. “Miscarriage or no miscarriage I shouldn’t have been such an asshole to you. Your ideas—some of them, at least—were solid. Maybe we can consider them down the road.”
Keys recoiled. Do they think, after all this, I intend to stay in the band? “I still intend on releasing a solo album,” he stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
Dante put his palms out. “I know, I know. We all talked about it. We support you. We don’t want to replace you. You can still play with us…if you want to, that is. We’re still a family.”
“Losing your friendship isn’t worth the drama,” Gia said, looking up at Keys with soft eyes.
“Yeah. We’ve all missed you, Keys,” Trevor added.
Keys considered for a moment. “I’m not sure. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the apology and the invite to remain in the band. But, I don’t know which end is up at the moment. All I know is, Mia’s alive, I’m alive, and I’ve got to move forward with her.”
Zander finally spoke. “Keys, I need to say something, too. I was really disappointed with Mia when she told me about your relationship and her desire to be your music manager. But, I was selfish. She’s a top-notch manager, and I honestly don’t think I could have risen to the top of my game without her. But who am I to judge who someone loves?”
Keys nodded.
Zander continued, dark stains ringing his eyes. “But, when I saw her last, she was crying. I made her cry by not being happy for her and wishing her well. The song you two created blew my mind. I think you’re going to be an amazing team. So, instead of acting like this douchebag friend, boss, or whatever I am, who’s disappointed in her, I’ll be kickstarting her agency with some funds.”
Keys drew his head back. A giant brick of emotion lodged in his throat. He cleared it a few times before he could speak. “That’s kind of you, Zander. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. I offered to pay for her therapy. She’ll need a lot to get back on her feet. But, she’s a fighter. She’s lived with the memories of her prick of an ex for years now. She’s been living in fear for far too long.”
“Count me in on support, too,” Dante said.
“Me, too,” Gia said.
“I’m in, too,” Trevor said.
Everyone regarded him with the most sincere expressions he’d ever seen. The brick returned to jam up his windpipe. “I, uh…” He worked to dislodge it. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you.”
“Whatever you need, man,” Dante said. He rose, stepped toward Keys, and stuck out his hand.
Keys eyed Dante’s hand and then Dante’s face. Can I simply forgive, let go and move on? His eyes narrowed as he regarded Dante. Finally, the answer became obvious. He stood, took Dante’s hand, and pulled him in for a hug.
Gia whooped and cheered. “Yay, the family has made it through the latest drama.” She leaped to her feet and put her arms around both Keys and Dante.
Trevor joined in as well, then, Zander got in on the action.
Keys knew he and Mia had their work cut out for them. Starting a relationship on the riptide of trauma might be rough. But then, he’d never done anything halfway. Together, with their friends’ support, they might just make it to the other side. And that was a commitment he was willing to make.