Free CupidRocks by Francesca Hawley Page B

Al-Anon. Don’t
you remember?”
    “Um…it’s been hard to keep up with all the traveling,” Carly
muttered.
    Mandy sighed. “So you haven’t been working a program, have
you?” Carly shook her head. “Has Eddie?”
    “He’s sober. He hasn’t taken a drink in twenty-five years.”
    “There’s a difference between sober and dry. Threatening us
with going to get drunk isn’t the action of a sober male. Mom, we can
offer support but we can’t let him control us.”
    “He isn’t trying to control us.” Carly shrugged, sniffing.
    “That’s a load of crap and I’m going to go tell him so right
now.” Mandy stood, taking a deep breath. Joe came into the kitchen and she met
his concerned gaze. She smiled and his face softened.
    If you need me, angel, just call. I’ll be there in a
heartbeat.
    I know, Joe, but I have to deal with him.
    Joe nodded and Mandy walked out the back onto the porch. She
stuffed her feet into her going-to-the-mailbox boots and went out the door to
talk to her father. Tom talked to Eddie in calming tones while her father
paced, but Eddie refused to listen.
    “It’s bullshit, man. He used her. We’ve both seen him go
from chick to chick for the entire two years he’s been with the band.”
    “Year and a half, actually.”
    “Whatever. He’s not capable of commitment. He’ll hurt her.
Fuck around on her. Go out partying. Make her cry. Damn it, I know .”
    “None of that is true, Eddie,” Mandy argued quietly. He
whipped around, pushing his long golden hair out of his eyes.
    “Rockers are notorious. I’ve been one for forty freaking
years, honey. I know what we’re like.”
    “Tom isn’t like that and he’s a rocker.”
    “The exception that proves the rule.”
    “You aren’t that way.”
    Eddie barked a sarcastic laugh. “ Now . I’m not like
that now .”
    “I remember.”
    He shuddered. “Yeah, I didn’t dry out ‘til you were ten, did
I?”
    “Nope.”
    With a groan he resumed pacing. “This sucks. I can’t believe
you.”
    “What?”
    “My old man left you this place because he knew you wanted
to settle down. Have a roof over your head and a place to call home. Mate with
Joe and you won’t be settled ever again.”
    “Why not?”
    “He’s a nomad, honey. He blows from gig to gig. What’s
worse, you’ll never be able to count on him for anything. When you’re a
small-time rocker money goes out as fast as you make it.”
    Mandy couldn’t believe the trash talk dribbling out of her
father’s mouth.
    But he’s right. Stay with me and we’ll move around…a lot.
We won’t be rich—I’ve had months where I could barely make the rent.
    Do you think I care about that? We’ll have each other and
that will be enough.
    Tell me that when I can’t clothe our pups.
    Now you sound like him and it’s crap. He sounds like…oh,
my. Mandy gasped as she realized where the garbage Eddie spewed was coming
from.
    What?
    I’ll explain later.
    “What’s really upsetting you, Eddie?”
    He stalked over to her and got in her face. “Joe’s not good
enough for you. You deserve someone with prospects. A wolf who can take care of
you and any pups you have. Someone with character , damn it.”
    “Do you hear yourself?”
    Eddie scowled. “What do you mean?”
    “Do you know who you sound like?”
    “I sound like me.”
    “Nope. Not even close.”
    “Then who?”
    “Grandfather.”
    “My father never had to raise any bitch pups. Daughters are
different.”
    “No, I don’t mean Gramps. I mean Grandfather Redwolf.”
    “Carly’s old man?”
    “Yep. Just like him. Same arguments.”
    “I’ll admit he hated me, but he didn’t talk about me around
you.”
    Mandy laughed. “How quickly you forget. We visited a lot
before I was ten and only a few times after you quit drinking. He set you off
and you went on binges when we went to Atlanta. I was eight when he spouted all
this same garbage to Carly.”
    “Were you hiding somewhere?”
    “Daddy, it was at