I nodded. "Got it."
11
Kade
Altador thought the demos were fine and gave me the green light to go through with the rest of the album. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had crossed that hurdle, at least. Now, I just had to produce an album's worth of material that they thought they could sell.
Michael had managed to find me a drummer. I had been checking in with Tony, and while Mrs. Blain was recovering well, he still had to stick around to help her out. I had visited her once to thank her, and she had simply smiled at me and asked me if I could bring Zoey next time. She was just as quiet as Tony, but with an inner calm that was striking.
"So are we good for recording?" Xander asked.
"We're good for recording. We're going to have to start going to the Altador studios on the other side of town, though."
"No problem. We can bring Zoey, can't we? Or we can set her up on a playdate." Xander picked our little girl up and swung her around, causing her to squeal and burst into giggles.
"Yeah, whatever works. If we set her up with some coloring books, she'll be fine. She's such a good kid." I sighed and watched her. I was so in love with my baby, it was astounding. I had no idea being a parent would be like this. It was like she was my heart, and she was running around outside of me.
She was growing up well and so was the album. I was going to be glad to get it out the door. It felt like the project had been such a hassle, only because of everything that had happened in my life at the same time. I had had a kid, lost the kid, rescued the kid, gotten engaged, lost two band members … It had been a ridiculously busy year.
I was ready to leave it behind and move on with my life. It didn't matter to me, anymore, whether Embers did well. If it sold enough copies, I'd make a fourth album. If it didn't, I'd move on to a solo project. It was as simple as that.
Now, we also had to face the huge project of planning our wedding. We wanted to do a traditional shifter wedding, partially because it would afford me more privacy. We'd pick out a mountain on one of our pack's lands and have everyone walk up it in wolf form under the full moon. When we arrived at the peak, we'd do the sacred howls that would bind us together for life, then spend the rest of the night frolicking around the mountain until dawn.
Shifter weddings were always a blast.
And we'd definitely have a reception too, for all our human friends. I was already looking up wedding planners to hire for that part; dealing with the details of a large event was not my forte, and anyway, I needed to focus on the album. It was going to be released soon; I knew they were already looking for someone to design the cover.
We didn't have any time to head to the pack lands and look for a mountain ourselves, so we put our parents up to the task, and they were overjoyed. Each set of parents had managed to visit us in Lake City just once, to see Zoey, but we didn't get to spend much time with them. It was too bad; I liked my parents, and Xander's had turned out to be cool as well.
Over the next few weeks, Jareo, Xander, and I worked hard with Tobias, our new drummer, to put the album together. We worked long days and long weeks, spending a lot of time getting the sounds just right. I felt like a jerk making them go over and over certain passages, but if this was going to be my last album with this band, then I was going to go out with a bang.
Eventually, we had everything we needed to get it sent off to Altador. After that, I could wash my hands of it, at least until it was time for the inevitable Embers tour. But now that this was done, it was time to move on to the wedding.
The wedding planner turned out to be more than competent; she didn't know we were shifters, but we told her we wanted a nature-themed reception and she delivered. She found a wonderful spot in the big city park where we could set up a pavilion. It was also private, which was important. I was wary of wedding crashers showing up just because I was famous.
We decided to do it before the actual wedding on the mountaintop because we wanted to spend some time out in my hometown, instead of having to rush back to the city for the reception. We found Zoey a beautiful dress and picked out matching tuxes for me and Xander.
And then the day arrived.
We had a pretty big guest list; I wanted to invite all the people who had worked closely with me at the label and in the band, as well as the people from Tony's clan who had helped us. His mother was doing a lot better now, and was able to attend, for which I was glad.
It was a simple event; a lot of people said they were surprised, thinking I'd go for something flashier. I told them they didn't actually know me, then. I wasn't actually a flashy kind of guy. Just because I was a rock star, I didn't want a gaudy wedding. My keyword was simple. The food was hearty shifter food-meat and grilled vegetables-and the DJ played perfectly normal Top 40 hits.
It was the kind of wedding I would have had if I wasn't famous. And the odd thing was, it put me in mind of what my life could have been like if I had never been in Ignis Lupus.
I wondered about that. Did I really want to continue on the same trajectory with the band? Everything pointed toward me being happier being a private person, doing my own thing and being celebrated for what truly made me passionate. I was happy with the music on Embers, but it wasn't what I would have chosen to make, if I could have made anything.
I just had to wait until the album came out. Part of me almost didn't want to read the reviews. Nothing they said was going to affect what I did. I hadn't changed anything in Embers based on the bad reviews of Cinders. My greatest motivation was to be true to myself.
"It's so lovely to see you again," said Xander's mother, approaching me. She looked resplendent in a navy blue dress with silver embroidery.
"Same to you, Mrs. Sorrel," I said. "I'm glad I'm finally getting a chance to talk to you. I've been so busy with all these guests."
She patted my arm. "I know. Don't you worry about it. I know I'll see you at the wedding." She winked. "I just wanted to thank you for getting Xander back into music."
"Oh? Well, I'm thankful to him for being my replacement bassist. He was a lifesaver, honestly." I meant it.
"And so were you. Music was one of Xander's passions when he was younger. He loved going to concerts and record stores and practiced with his band all the time. I was a little sad when he gave it up." She shook her head. "But now, thanks to you, music will always be a part of his life. Maybe your next project will be something with the two of you."
"That's not a bad idea," I said. She was on to something.
She stood on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Think about it. I think it would go over very well."
My own mother found me soon after that. She was an effusive sort of woman, which was unusual for shifters. "I'm so proud of you, darling," she said, squeezing me close to her chest.
"Thanks, Mom," I said.
"I know this third album is going to be amazing."
I blushed. "I'm pretty happy with it."
"Have you thought about what you want to do afterward?" she asked.
Why was this the topic that was on everyone's minds today, I wondered. "Mrs. Sorrel just suggested that Xander and I get together and collaborate on something. I thought it was a good idea."
My mother squealed. "That's just such a lovely idea. I'm going to go talk to her; she's a kindred spirit, for sure … "
She wandered off. I was sure the two moms were going to get up to mischief together; they had warmed up to each other quickly and were going to become fast friends, I could tell.
Xander found me soon afterward. "So, successful reception?" he asked.
"Yep, husband."
"Almost husband," he corrected.
"Husband!" I countered, throwing my arms around him and squeezing tight. Zoey, who had been standing with her grandfather, saw us hugging and ran across the grass, jumping into our arms.
"Hey, honey," I said, picking her up and squeezing her.
I looked around at all the people enjoying the festivities. I had everything I ever wanted, I thought. It wasn't the fame that made me a lucky man, it was this. A handsome, devoted husband, a beautiful child, loving family and friends … What more could a man want?
Epilogue
Xander
"On Ignis Lupus's third album, Embers, frontman Kade's angelic voice soars high above throbbing bass lines and crunching guitars. While it lacks the naiveté that characterized the exuberant innocence of Flames, it marks a significant return from the departure in sound that marred Cinders' release."
- Music Minute Blog
"Ignis Lupus kills it with their third album, Embers. Bouncing back from a critically panned sophomore release, the band brings back the intelligent compositions and vigor that made their debut album such a hit. If you love loud guitars and strong, emotional vocals, you need to pick up a copy of Embers today."