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“Close is not going to be good enough pretty soon.” Charlie sat in the chair Truman had occupied.
When Truman’s phone rang, he hoped it would be some good news. Instead he saw the name Ashley across the screen. He didn’t bother to go somewhere private to take the call. His friends knew the issues he had with his ex-girlfriend. Since she watched his son, he worried that something had happened with Gage.
“Did you get paid?” Ashley hit him as soon as he answered.
Truman sighed in relief. He pressed his free hand on a counter. Had she said something about his son, he would have been out of Virginia, done with touring, and out of his mind.
“I’m fine, Ash. How are you?” He hoped she caught his sarcastic tone.
“Yeah. Like you’d care.” She snorted. “I just want to know if your son gets to eat the rest of the month or not.”
He prickled at the implication that the mother of his child would allow their son to starve because her lazy behind couldn’t, or wouldn’t, go out and get a job.
“I deposited money into your account this morning. Didn’t you get my text?” Truman marched back and forth. “It’s not a lot, but it’s something until—”
Ashley cut him off. “Until what, Tru? Gage needs clothes. He’s growing like a weed. And I need—”
“The money is not for you.” He tightened his jaw.
“If I don’t have money, then I can’t pay rent. If I can’t pay rent, then me and your son will be on the streets.”
He heard Ashley popping gum. His skin crawled.
Why did he make a child with her? Wait. He had made the decision at the time with his head not located above his shoulders. Never again would he be led around by his dick.
“You live with your mother in an apartment. You’re trying to tell me that between the two of you and my money you can’t pay rent?” He kicked his boot against the wall.
The motion and noise startled the magician, an older man with a lot of sweat covering his vast forehead.
Ashley huffed. “Mama’s on disability. You know that. And Gage’s not in school yet and I can’t afford a babysitter.”
Before he could tell Ashley about her mother being able to watch their son, Ashley cut him off by reminding him that her mother, only in her late forties, couldn’t run after their five-year-old handful.
He exhaled loud enough for Ashley to hear it through the phone. “We’re about to go on soon.”
“Oh, you’re playing a show? A paying gig?” Not that Ashley cared that each show they played got them closer to their dream of making it big.
Truman glanced at his friends. “I’ll send more money when I can.”
“I need more than your word, Tru. You need to do better for your son.” Her voice rose to an annoying screech that made Truman pull the phone away from his ear.
“I’m doing the best that I can.” He spotted Charlie shaking his head and dropping his gaze to the floor.
Truman wondered how many times Charlie had had this conversation with his wife.
“Do better.” Ashley damn near growled her request. “Or I’m going to have to move to North Carolina.”
“What?”
Ashley hadn’t pulled this Carolina stunt before. Actually, she’d never threatened to keep Gage away from him.
“My grandmother lives there.” Ashley popped her gum three more times in quick succession like a popgun. “Her place is paid off. She can put us up.”
“Don’t take my son away from my family in Tennessee. I’ll do what I can to get you some money to get you by.” Truman leaned back on the counter. He felt like a ton of bricks had been dumped on his back and shoulders. Even though he couldn’t be there, his parents lived close to Ashley and could check up on his son at any time.
“I know you’ll get me the money. And don’t tell me what to do with my son. I’ll take him wherever I want.” The shrieking returned, and so did Truman’s headache.
He could almost see Ashley with her chin jutted out, her blond hair with its dark roots spiked up like a rooster and smoke swirling around her.
Tired of Ashley’s self-centered nature, Truman decided to let her have it. “You are a piece of work, you know that? It’s always me, me, me. Did you ever think that maybe you need to get in there and earn a living for yourself? What do you have to say?”
Silence.
Truman had never known Ashley to be tight-lipped about anything.
So he continued. “And I’m telling you now. If you ever threaten me with taking my boy to some trailer park in Charlotte, I’ll—”
“Daddy, what’s a trailer park?”
Silence.
This time Truman had to stop himself. Thank God he didn’t forget his manners and call the mother of his son anything but a child of God. The woman always fought dirty like a female version of his lead guitarist, Sully. He should have known that she would use their son as leverage in their argument.
“Hey, big man.” Truman took some deep breaths away from the phone to compose himself. “Aren’t you up late?” He would have to talk to Ashley about keeping Gage on a regular bedtime schedule. “How are you doing?”
“Fine. I drawed you a picture of you and your guitar.” Gage’s voice sounded less babyish than Truman remembered.
Truman hated missing out on these important years in Gage’s life. As his father, he wanted to be by him and teach him how to be a man. He heard rustling through the phone.
“See? Can you see it, Daddy?” Gage’s excited tone pumped up Truman.
He smiled. “I wish I could, big boy. We’re not on Facetime right now. Are you being good to your mama and grandmama?”
“Yes, sir. Just like you told me to.” Truman imagined Gage’s big hazel eyes, a combination of his brown eyes and Ashley’s green ones, sparkling as he talked to him.
Thanks to Ashley’s daily social media posts, Truman noticed how his child’s dirty blond hair had turned brown like his.
He loved hearing his son’s voice. His heart pounded a solid rhythm. His shoulders relaxed. More than anything, he wanted his boy by his side.
“I wish I could be there to tuck you in at night.” Truman saw Charlie wiping his hand under his nose before the big man stood and walked outside.
Truman should have taken the call somewhere else. Charlie missed his kids as much as Truman missed Gage. Yes, something СКАЧАТЬ