Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Nor would I give up the time with my grandma.” I look at my daughter. “I honored her the best way possible when my wife and I welcomed our daughter, Betty Paige, into the world. She knows her great grandma, thanks to everything that was left to me, and to my mother. The three of them are spitting images of each other, and there’s a rebellious streak inside my daughter. I see it. My mom had it. And so did my grandma.”
Paige wipes at her face. I smile at her and clear my throat. “I don’t know why I told you about Betty, but I’m glad I did. She deserves all the recognition for me becoming Liam Page. Look her movies up, watch them, laugh. Listen to Charlie’s music, fall asleep to the slow jazz and the sound of his trumpet. Most of all, just remember kindness.”
My line goes quiet. I sit there for a minute until Paige tells me the live feed is closed. “Daddy . . .” she comes over to me and launches herself into my arms. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too my sweet girl.”
We stay like that until the overhead lights come on. I know Bex is shutting her station down and giving us the space and time we need.
“I wish I had known her.”
I nod because I do as well and I wish I had more time with her. “You get the next best thing in your grandma.” Paige and Noah, along with the triplets are damn lucky they get this version of Bianca because mine sucked ass.
Paige goes to her phone and mutters, “Holy shit.”
“What is it?”
“You’re trending. Locally, but still. Number two in the whole metro right now. Dad. This is WORKING!” she throws her hands in the air. “Every night.”
“No.”
“Daddy . . .”
I groan. “Thirty minutes. Not the entire night.”
“I’ll take it! You won’t regret it.” She rushes from the studio and through the door. I’m assuming to show Bex, but something already tells me she knows.
My phone vibrates. It’s a text from my mother.
Mother
Thank you for talking about my mom tonight. I followed your advice. I’m with my grandbabies while their parents are out having dinner. Miss Junie and I are listening to my dad while mom’s movie is playing. Thank you, son.
SIXTEEN
In the morning, Paige asks if I’ll take her to school. I don’t bother asking why she doesn’t want to drive her car or why Mack isn’t picking her up, even though I do want the gossip, I want to spend quality time with her. Our days are numbered with her leaving for college soon and I’d give anything to have my little girl back—the one that used to crawl onto my lap for naptime while we were on tour—instead of sleeping in her own bunk.
On our way to the café for breakfast, Paige sits there, with her thumbs moving rapidly over her screen. She’s a wiz with that thing where I can barely text. She reads off numbers that I’m supposed to understand. The live video from last night, is still playing in the algorithm even though it ended. I nod and pretend I get it.
I don’t.
“There are hundreds of thousands of comments,” she says and I wonder how she and Bex will answer all of them. “Bex will pick a few to answer or feature. I’ll do the same, but mine are focused on band stuff.”
“Band stuff?”
Out of my peripheral, I see her nod. “We got a good number of questions about the band. Like whether you’re breaking up, when the next album is coming out or when the next tour is. Those I can answer easily, and it gives me an opportunity to push them toward the band’s website and socials.”
“Make sure you check with Mira if you’re unsure about anything.”
“I know. By the way, the replay has over a million views on YouTube.”
“Is that good?”
“I posted it at six this morning when I woke up.”
“Wow.”
“That’s an understatement.”
I sigh heavily and signal to turn onto Main Street. “The numbers don’t mean much,” I tell her.
“Let me put it into music perspective,” she says as she pockets her phone. “You released a song a little over an hour ago and a million plus people already downloaded it.”
“That’s good!”
She smiles and I feel like she’s patronizing me. “The video I uploaded is thirty minutes, raw and unedited footage of their favorite singer talking. It’s more than good, Dad. It’s phenomenal.”
Her phone chimes and she takes it from her bag. “Well, now it’s up to four states according to Ben. He’s working with Bex and the contractor on expanding FMG Records.”
I stare out the windshield and wonder what I’m going to do without her when she goes to college. “Are you planning to go to college?”
She looks at me with the most vacant look ever. “Yes. I’m not staying here.”