Chapter 11
MEMPHIS
I tapped on the doorframe to catch Cassia’s attention and smiled at her when she looked up from the clothes she was folding. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” She winked before she added, “You want in on this parenting gig, so here’s your first task. Laundry. It’s never ending and comes with one of those unanswerable questions.”
“What’s that?” I asked as I picked up a little shirt and held it in front of me. “Damn, she’s tiny!”
“One of life’s greatest questions is, ‘Where the hell did that sock go?’ It’s something you ask yourself regularly.”
I chuckled before I said, “What’s the point of folding when they’re already so small?”
“I don’t fold them so much as pair them up for an outfit.
” She demonstrated as she said, “This shirt matches these pants, so I put them together with a pair of socks. Then they’re easy to grab when I need them, and I don’t have to sift through a billion little pieces to find something for her to wear. ”
As I watched, Cassia tossed a shirt into the empty bin near her feet. “You don’t like that one or what?”
“It doesn’t fit her anymore. Once I have a full bag, I’ll find a place to donate it.”
“I have a place, and they’d welcome whatever you have.”
“You have a place?” Cassia asked. She laughed before she said, “Because you donate children’s clothes so often.”
“My friends have an apartment complex that’s exclusively for people who have left domestic violence situations. Unfortunately, there are almost always children involved.”
“Wow,” Cassia whispered in shock. She slowly shook her head. “How sad is it that there are so many that they are probably always full and there’s most likely a waiting list?”
“I believe that’s the case. We have a program to help raise money for victims of domestic violence and that’s where the money goes, even though we don’t announce that to the world in general.”
“That makes sense. I wish I’d known that. We had bags full of clothes to donate after we packed up, and we just dropped them off in those bins you see everywhere.”
“Well, now you know, so next time you clean out your closet . . .”
Cassia interrupted with a laugh and said, “Not my closet! It’s mostly Erisa who has the problem.
Shopping gives her a high that has to be witnessed to fully comprehend.
And if it’s on sale, that just bumps up her dopamine hit.
It doesn’t matter if she needs whatever it is, only that it’s on sale.
She feels like she’s getting one over on ‘the man’ or something. ”
“She doesn’t realize that the cost of most items on sale is still enough of a markup for the store to make a profit.”
“Look at the business mind on Memphis!” Cassia teased.
“I’m not just a dumb musician,” I scoffed.
“I never said you were.”
I fought the urge to explain myself and finally lost the battle. “I took online courses and got my bachelor’s in business.”
I didn’t want to analyze how proud of myself I was at the look of surprise on her face when Cassia asked, “While you were on tour?” When I nodded, she looked at me in awe and said, “That’s impressive, Memphis.
Most people do nothing to better themselves once they have some money in the bank.
Considering how much our tickets were to attend the concert a few years ago, plus this gorgeous house, my guess is you’ve got a penny or two. ”
“Or maybe I spent it all on this gorgeous house,” I joked.
“That’s a much wiser investment than hookers and blow.
” I was so shocked that I barked out a laugh that probably shook the windows, but Cassia just grinned and looked back down at the pile of clothes in front of her.
“It’s nice to hear that you’ll be able to help raise Ivy in the lifestyle she’s used to.
She might not know what a hooker is, and she absolutely refuses to blow her nose when she’s stuffy, but her addiction to anything gummy can get expensive if you don’t dole the treats out sparingly.
If left to her own devices, she’ll get completely out of hand and end up doing lines of fruit snacks in the elementary school bathroom by the time she’s in second grade. ”
I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe, but I finally choked out, “Holy shit!”
I was wiping the tears from my face when she said, “Oh, and speaking of fruit snacks, if you’re still up for a trip to the grocery store, I’d like to go with you.
Ivy found the stash in my purse, and now I’m completely out.
I tried to detox her a few months ago and told her we were out of them, but I caved when her eyes got blood-red and she started chanting in Latin.
For a week afterward, I had a crick in my neck that nothing could ease. I’m not willing to risk that again.”
“I was worried about how you’d get along with the women in my family, but now I worry that I should keep you away from them because you’ll make half a dozen besties and I’ll end up having to build a doghouse to sleep in.”
“Your dog doesn’t have a doghouse?” Cassia asked in horror.
“Yeah, he does,” I said, motioning to the room around us. “He’s got three doggie doors, a bed in almost every room, and a machine that gives him chilled, filtered water when he pushes a button with his paw.”
“That’s a little overboard, but okay.”
“I got him a plain old water dish, but my sister saw an ad on TikTok and bought him one for the house, one for the tour bus, and one for the garage.”
“Those ads will suck you in every time. They always get me when I’m doomscrolling before I go to sleep.”
“Well, since Ivy’s already settled for the night, instead of doomscrolling, you can come with me to spend way too much money on shit we don’t need only to get home and realize we forgot half of the things we went for.”
“I have a list to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Cassia laughed as she closed the dresser drawer, then added, “I’ll still buy a bunch of stuff I don’t need, but at least I’ll make it home with what I planned to buy.”
“You’re much better at adulting than I am.”
“Well, someone’s gotta do it, so I guess it’s gonna be me.”
Once Cassia had given Erisa the tablet linked to the video monitor in Ivy’s bedroom, it only took a few minutes for us to get on the road. I pointed out a few landmarks on the drive, but since it was already dark outside, there really wasn’t much for Cassia to see.
As we rode across town the silence was comfortable.
When we did talk, it was like chatting with an old friend who’d come to visit.
I had plenty of women in my life whom I could be myself around, but after years in the spotlight, I’d learned to maintain a certain distance.
I’d been burned a few times by people–especially women–who had given way too many details to the wrong people, whether it was for notoriety or money, so I’d learned to keep myself closed off with strangers.
But if Cassia and I were going to raise Ivy together, I couldn’t keep myself aloof with her. I decided to talk to her about it now, while we didn’t have Dobby, Ivy, or one of our siblings around to interrupt.
“I’m not sure how to approach this, but I need to talk to you about privacy.”
“So I shouldn’t tell the world that you keep your toenail clippings in a jar beside your bed?”
It took everything in me to suppress the gag that image caused. Once I was sure I could control myself, I looked at her in horror. “Why would you say something so . . .”
“Vile. That’s the word you’re looking for, but your brain went offline for a few seconds, so it’s understandable that you can’t talk in full sentences yet.”
“But the . . . who does that?”
“I’m going to assume there are people out there who do, and no shade on them, but . . .”
“Oh, I’ve got shade. And disgust. And . . .” I couldn’t control it anymore and gagged loudly, which caused Cassia to cackle.
“I’m not going to tell anyone anything about you or your family, Memphis–not that anyone would ask me questions anyway.”
“Someone will. It might just be a woman in the grocery store who saw you walking around town with me, or it could be someone who wants some dirt to post online, but either way, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t give them any information–and especially if you wouldn’t lie about .
. .” I gagged again, and Cassia giggled.
I shot her a glare before saying, “Or anything like that.”
“You’ve got a bit of a weak stomach, Mr. Forrester. That does not bode well for your future in the parenthood trials.”
“Trials?”
“I’ve come to understand that parenthood is like the Hunger Games of bodily fluids. Midnight vomit that ends up in your mouth, puke in your hair when you’re sprinting with Ivy in your arms toward the bathroom, snot on your neck when she’s sniffly and snuggles up . . .”
I gagged again, and Cassia couldn’t control herself. She laughed so hard she snorted, then ended up clutching her stomach as tears streamed down her face. Through her laughter, she choked out, “Wait until she farts and there’s diarrhea all over the car seat and it drips down through the . . .”
I jerked the wheel and pulled over just in time to throw my door open and jump out before I lost what was left of my dinner. I was still dry-heaving when a car stopped behind my truck and flipped on the spotlight, blinding me as I tried to catch my breath.
I looked back down at the ground before I kicked some dirt and gravel over the mess I’d made. By the time I stood up straight, my friend Gray was walking toward me from his patrol car.
“What’s up, Chuck?” Gray asked with a childlike giggle.
“Fuck off, Vance,” I grumbled as I turned to grab my water bottle so I could rinse my mouth out.
Cassia was already holding it out toward me, along with some fast-food napkins I had stored in the glove box.
I took them from her, then took a swig and swished it around before spitting it out and doing it again.
When my mouth felt clean and my face was dry, I asked, “What do you want, Gray?”
“Just checking to see how drunk a driver must be to jump a curb and then hop out to puke up a lung.”
“Not drunk, just grossed out.”
Gray leaned around me and looked into the truck, then smiled when he saw Cassia. “He’s a big, strong man, isn’t he?”
“A strong man with a weak constitution,” Cassia retorted.
“One time my brother did something innocent, and Memphis puked so hard he busted a vessel in his eye,” Gray tattled.
“How much time will I get for assaulting an officer?” I asked.
“What did he do?” Cassia asked, as she and Gray both ignored me.
“He kept complaining of this huge zit on the back of his neck and . . .” Gray and Cassia both laughed when I gagged, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his story. “He wiped his finger on the back of Memphis’s hand and told him it was from the . . .”
I bent forward and heaved again, but I could still hear Cassia and Gray cackling. I wished like hell I had something left in my stomach so I could aim it at them.
I was still trying to catch my breath when I heard my friend introduce himself. “I’m Gray Vance, and you must be the newest addition to the Forrester circus. From the looks of things, you’ve already chosen which ring you want to perform in, and I can tell you’re gonna be a crowd favorite.”
“Cassia Belushi.” I turned in time to see Cassia halfway over the console with her hand in Gray’s as she said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ivy’s mom.”
“I saw pictures of her in our private Facebook group, and she’s adorable. She looks like Scarlet did when we were kids.”
Cassia glanced over at me and then back at Gray before she hesitantly asked, “How did Memphis announce Ivy’s sudden appearance?”
Gray grinned before he tattled, “His post had a picture of her smiling at the camera, and it said, ‘It’s a girl! Welcome Ivy to the family, ladies and gentlemen.’”
“That’s it?” Cassia asked.
I could tell she didn’t believe him, and so could Gray, so he added, “Of course, there were the usual questions and comments, but he fielded them perfectly.”
“What sort of comments?”
“Someone reminded him that kidnapping was a felony and that prison really sucks.”
“That was Uncle Kale,” I announced. I thought about it for a second before I said, “Or maybe it was Tucker. I’m not sure.”
Cassia was smiling when she asked, “And what was Memphis’s response?”
“He said he didn’t steal her. He claimed he cracked open the gas tank of a 1957 Ford Fairlane and she popped out and asked him for a gummy snack–which fits, considering who his parents are and that I’ve rarely ever seen the guy without grease on him somewhere.
The crowd went wild, and everyone wanted all her stats.
Memphis gave them a few details, which just fed the flames, and then they started asking what she needed so they could buy her gifts, but Memphis shut them up by telling them she was perfect and if she needed anything, he’d buy it himself. ”
The look of adoration on Cassia’s face made my heart turn over, but when tears filled her eyes, I was done for.
Or at least I thought I was, until she sniffed and said, “I think that’s the cutest birth announcement I’ve ever heard.
It makes me realize that maybe this was the right thing to do after all. ”
“Our family doesn’t give a shit where a kid comes from; they just immediately start showering them with love,” Gray assured her.
When I nodded in agreement, Cassia wiped away more tears. “Thank you for making this easier on all of us, Memphis.”
“I don’t think I did much, but I’ll take the thanks on one condition,” I said, leaning into the truck and reaching across the console to wipe a stray tear from her face.
“Don’t cry anymore, Cassia. My hope is that your family can become part of mine.
You’ll still cry sometimes for the ones you lost, but then you’ll start laughing again because we’re so awesome you can’t help yourself. ”
“You have a way with words, Mr. Forrester.” Cassia shook her head and jerked back as if she were uncomfortable with my touch. Before I could say anything, she was back to her sarcastic teasing. “Are we still going to the store, or do you need to go home and rest your delicate constitution?”
“I don’t have a delicate constitution,” I argued, leaning back to tell my friend goodbye.
Cassia smiled at me before she loudly wretched. I felt my gorge start to rise as Gray cackled again. When she did it again, I gagged, which caused her to hoot with laughter.
As I caught my breath, Gray slapped me on the back and said, “Cassia, it was great to meet you, and I’ll see you again soon. Memphis, my pal, you have fun with that.”
“I don’t like you at all, Gray Vance!” I yelled at his retreating back.
He didn’t respond, other than to make a horrible noise that made my mouth water and gave me an almost irresistible urge to throat-punch him. Apparently, it was my lot in life to be surrounded by assholes.