"I didn't have a contract set up yet for this third album," he said. "I'm sorry."
I sighed. "You have to do what you have to do," I said.
"Thanks for understanding. Just let me know when you want to come get the stuff from my house."
We said goodbye and hung up. I couldn't believe Joel was quitting the band just like that, and taking our awesome studio space with him. To think he was going with Capital Saint, an up-and-comer on the very same label … He was like a rat, bailing from a sinking ship. He didn't think I was a sinking ship, did he?
But the bad news didn't stop coming. That same evening, we got an update on Tony's mother. "She's stable," he said, still sounding prickly, even over the phone, "and she's going to make a full recovery-eventually. There's just some bad news."
I sighed for what seemed like the tenth time that day. "I'm not going to be able to go on to record the album," continued Tony. "She has to move in with me and I'm going to have to care for her full time."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes," he said, somewhat testily. "Her leg was broken pretty badly, and she's banged up overall. She had a concussion from being hit with the broom. And she's an older woman, so it's going to take her time to recover. The injuries don't magically go away when she transforms back, because of her age. The broken leg and concussion transferred over."
"I'm so sorry, Tony," I said.
"It's not your fault," he said. "You didn't hit her. And she's glad she was able to help. But now I'm not going to be able to commit to the album."
"That's okay, Tony. We wouldn't have gotten Zoey back if it weren't for your help. It's perfectly okay."
"Thanks for understanding," he said.
And that was that. I was now minus a bassist and a drummer-both essential parts of my band. I had to find replacements for them, and quick, and I'd have to hope they were half-decent. Joel and Tony had been extraordinarily talented, and it was going to be hard to find people who were good enough to take their place.
I couldn't imagine having to deal with this if Zoey was still missing, though. It was clear that Joel had held off on telling me, though I was still pissed at him. It was shitty of him to not only desert me during this crucial stage, but also tell me that he was going to go play with what I considered a rival band.
Well, I couldn't linger on what I had lost. I had to plow forward and get Embers shoved out the door. And in order to do that, I had to call Michael and ask him to hold auditions as soon as possible.
10
Xander
"I'm sorry, Kade, I'm trying my best. Is there any way you and Jareo could record demos anyway? So we'd have something to show them?"
Michael was sympathetic, but the label was also pressuring him. They had their own schedule of releases, and in order for Ignis Lupus to be on track for the planned release date, they needed to hear the demos.
I wished I could do something to help Kade. I had put out the word to all my contacts and friends and former employers, asking if there was a bassist and drummer who wanted the opportunity of a lifetime. But I wasn't allowed to name the band, which made it a hard sell. There were always bands looking for members, and musicians could sometimes be wary, trying to discern which ones were worth their time.
In the meantime, we were enjoying having Zoey back. She seemed to be happy after seeing us, but we had taken her to a child psychologist, at Kade's suggestion. He wanted to make sure she wasn't traumatized from her experience.
We also managed to have the kidnappers arrested. While the human police officers would never have believed that a bunch of animals had gone to rescue a child, the shifter division did. Our testimony was all the proof they needed for a warrant, and they ended up finding evidence of Zoey's presence in that house. That evidence led to an arrest warrant, and a trial would follow.
The thing that sucked was that it was going to be a heavily publicized trial, simply because Kade was involved. I knew they were going to work as hard as possible to keep us away from the spotlight, but there was only so much they could do.
Oh well. We'd deal with it when it came.
I was currently realizing that I did want to marry Kade. He was such a devoted father and partner. And after all we'd been through, I felt like I could truly trust him, more than I had trusted anyone ever in my life.
That's why I went out on my own one day and bought a ring. It was difficult to find one that went with his look. He was a rock star, after all, so he needed something just as quirky as he was. After visiting what seemed like a half dozen stores, I found the right one.
Now I just had to figure out the right way to present it.
Zoey was starting to talk and understand more of what we were saying, so I figured I could get her involved; she'd love the idea of being in on a secret surprise for her father. With her help, I put together a plan.
"Hey Kade," I said. "You ever been ice skating?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Wanna go?"
"Sure." He smiled. "Now?"
"Maybe in fifteen? I'll get Zoey ready."
I was glad I had done lots of ice skating and rollerblading in my youth. I had no intention of looking like a fool during this proposal simply because I wasn't good at ice skating.
Kade returned with a silvery puffy jacket and sunglasses whose frames were made of wood. It was remarkable how he managed to look like a rocker all the time, all because of his carefully put together wardrobe. He'd have to give me some pointers some time. I still struggled to avoid clashing colors.
The rink wasn't too crowded because it still was early in the season. People in Lake City typically went ice skating when it was really cold, but we were up north enough that this was still a good time to go. Zoey was jumping up and down, holding my hand, excited to experience this for the first time.
I was antsy with anticipation. The ring was in my jeans pocket.
We got our skates and set out onto the rink, with Zoey in between us. Her blonde sheet of hair fluttered behind her as we held her by the hands and took her with us. She was quite agile for her age, being a shifter, so she didn't have too much trouble staying upright, but she held on tight anyway. We didn't want any harm to come to her.
We had a lot of fun, going around the rink as a family. It felt good to be doing something as a team, even if it was as simple as ice skating. But the ring, despite its small size, was practically burning a hole in my pocket. I had to pick out a right time to pop the question. Zoey kept throwing me glances, as if she was trying to ask when I was going to get on with it already. I was glad that she was old enough to keep a secret.
"Are we gonna get ice cream soon?" she asked. "I wanna get ice cream."
"It's so cold!" said Kade. "Why do you want ice cream? You're gonna get frozen solid. You'll be turned into a block of ice!" He waggled his eyebrows at her.
She giggled. "Am not! I wanna get ice cream."
"I think we have to give the lady what she wants," I said to Kade, shrugging as if we didn't have a choice.
"Looks like it." He laughed. "Let's do a few more laps and then we'll head out, okay, honey?"
After looping around a couple more times, I realized I had my chance. "Kade? Let's go to the center of the rink."
"Why?" He stared at me, dumbfounded.
Instead of answering, I steered our trio there, where there was a blank space in the center of the ring of skaters, all going counterclockwise.
"Daddy gonna ask you a thing," said Zoey solemnly.
"What? What thing?" Kade's interest was piqued.
I got down on one knee, which was challenging on the ice, and took the ring from my pocket, holding it out. "Kade, will you marry me?"
People had stopped to look at us, since it was clear what was happening. I looked into his eyes, which were widening. "Yes! Of course! Oh my gosh, Xander!"
He knelt down carefully and the three of us hugged each other while the people surrounding us clapped, sharing in our joy. Then, he slipped the ring on his finger. It had a matte black band and a single diamond set into it-masculine but still classic.
"Now we're going to be fiancé and fiancé," I said.
"And then we're going to be husband and husband," he said.
"Daddy and daddy," added Zoey, nodding.
We squeezed her tightly to us again. "Daddy and daddy," I said, agreeing.
After this, we went to get ice cream. The people who owned the ice rink had anticipated this, and had built a snack stand next to it.
"Watch out for brain freeze," said Kade to Zoey.
"Brain fees? What brain fees?" she asked.
"Brain freeze," he said. "It's when your brain gets frozen into a block of ice when you eat something too cold."