Page 138 of Debts and Desires
I’d been making progress on converting the old outbuilding into a studio for Em.
Ever since she’d had mentioned it, I’d been working on it non-stop. It was definitely a labor of love. Heavy on the labor. I hammered each nail and painted each wall with the anticipation of seeing Emmy’s face light up when it was finished. I’d always admired her passion for music, and I wanted to do everything in my power to support her dreams. I wanted to give her everything she deserved and more.
I had an electrician from Macon scheduled to come out and fix everything up soon. I would’ve preferred to go local, but the only local electrician company was Shoemaker and Son and you can guess how well that would’ve gone over.
It was hard finding time to work on the studio with my other responsibilities, though. Sometimes I’d lie and say I was going to work, just to drive to the side of the house and work on organizing the boxes of my grandfather’s stuff. Or I’d say I had a difficult tow and have her stay to watch the shop. She never noticed that I turned the open sign to closed.
But every moment spent working on it was worth it just to see her smile.
It wasn’t the only surprise I had up my sleeve for her. Ty and I had been working on something special, too.
When I returned home for lunch, everything seemed normal. Had Em discovered the work on the outbuilding I’d done, I doubted she’d stay quiet. But I could tell she was definitely up to something with how she rushed me back to work. However, I noticed that the supplies we had gotten for BJ were moved around, and I assumed Em was organizing the now-shared animal cabinet and wanted to surprise me with it later.
Bandit Junior was making out like, well, a bandit. The damn spoiled cat. And she and Mac were thick as thieves.
I was glad Emmy had wanted her too, because I fell in love with the little furball the moment Mac dropped her into ourlives. Em wanting BJ gave me a good excuse to bring her home. I even did some research on how to properly care for cats to ensure BJ had a happy life with us. I wasn’t allowed to have any pets growing up, especially cats, because they were “a sign of the devil” according to my sperm donor. Not to mention ablackcat. He’d flip his shit.
I’d told Emmy about that, too. Actually, I’d been opening up and telling her a lot more about my past and upbringing. Unfortunately for me, I made the mistake of mentioning that I also used to write songs. She lit up when I told her there was this old notebook I hadn’t seen in ages filled with lyrics. She had me promise to sing her a song if I ever came across the notebook again.
Come to think of it, after that conversation, Emmy went missing for a bit around the house. It dawned on me then what she’d more than likely been up to, and I hoped she never found that damn thing.
I’d learn I wasn’t so lucky.
After dinner, we went outside for some fresh air. Emmy suddenly got up, claiming she needed to grab something. When she came back out, she had both our guitars in hand.
“What’s that for?” I asked, nodding to my guitar as she sat it down beside me.
“I believe you promised me a song you wrote?” she teased. I rolled my eyes. When I saw she wasn’t budging, I swallowed.
“Wait, you’re serious?” As if I didn’t already know she was. Em took musicveryseriously. She nodded at my question. “Was hopin’ you forgot about that.” She shook her head.
“Not something important like that,” she chuckled.
“Rain check?” I asked, grimacing.
“Absolutely not.”
“I don’t remember any of them. I told you that.”
“Maybe this will help?” And then the sneaky little brat pulled out my notebook I hadn’t seen in years.Shit!Had she seen the studio? I mean, it didn’t look like one yet, but nothing got by Em.
“Where—”
“Doesn’t matter,” she giggled. “I want to hear a Leviticus Carter exclusive.” I cut her a glare. She wasdefinitelygetting a spanking tonight. “Please?” She gave me puppy eyes as she handed the notebook and guitar to me. Reluctantly, I took both.
With a heavy sigh, I settled the guitar strap around me, feeling a mix of nerves and nostalgia as I thumbed through the worn pages of my old songbook.
It was a different time, a different me. Each lyric brought back memories of a younger, broken version of myself, a version that seemed so distant yet still so familiar.
A version that’d I’d done my damndest to keep locked away.
Finally, I picked one. As I strummed the first chord, the melody flowed effortlessly from my fingertips, like riding a bike. Emmy listened intently, her eyes locked on mine, her presence grounding me like it always did. With each verse, I felt myself opening up in ways I hadn’t dared to in years. The music became a conduit for younger Carter, a means of expressing the depths of his soul without reservation.
The final chord faded and a sense of catharsis washed over me, leaving me feeling lighter and more alive than I had in years.
Emmy was silent, eyes shining with unshed tears. The thought crossed my mind that Little Carter would have loved her just as much. With that realization, I set down my guitar and pulled her onto my lap, showering her with kisses.
We sat there for a long while before she spoke.
