Chapter 12 Cross Hideaway
CROSS HIDEAWAY
Phoenix
Phoenix subconsciously pushed his motorcycle faster the closer he and Addie got to his parents’ place.
Redbrick homes, abutted by large, weathered sidewalks, lined both sides of the street, and oversized trees created vast pockets of cool shade.
Dogs barked in backyards and children played tag, running from one front yard to the next while their parents shouted warnings for them to be careful.
The second his parents’ house came into view, Phoenix slowed.
Home sweet home—and birthplace of the Stone Talons.
Color burst from his mom’s overstuffed flower boxes, and a massive WELCOME sign hung prominently on the bright red door.
Every holiday, the manicured yard would be lit with lights and blow-up figures, but in the summer months, the only thing decorating the front of the house were lots of cars.
Phoenix counted them as he pulled the bike to the curb and cursed.
“Do all of these cars belong to your parents?” Addie climbed off the bike with a hesitant glance toward the house.
“Not exactly.” He grimaced. “It looks like when I told Mom that we’d be stopping by to grab the wedding journal, she took it upon herself to turn the visit into a family gathering.”
Addie turned around, pure panic all over her face as she headed back to the bike. “I should stay out here while you go look for the journal.”
He caught her elbow and veered her right back into his arms, smirking knowingly. “Are you afraid of a little domesticity, Adalyn Whitlock?”
“No.” She played off his obvious dare with a soft scoff. “But manners. And dropping in unannounced is societal faux pas number one.”
“I told her you’d be with me.”
“Okay, but … I didn’t get an invitation. And societal faux pas number two—”
“Doesn’t apply either because I’m ninety-percent sure she threw this little shindig because you were coming.”
Addie’s jewellike eyes narrowed on him. “And why would she do that?”
“Because you’re the person saving her daughter’s special day.” The admission took a little of the annoyance out of Addie’s sails.
Her shoulders sank with a deep exhale as she glanced toward the very full house and accepted her fate. “Okay.”
He tugged her gently toward the house, not disguising his laughter. “It’s not like you’re about to step into the wolves’ den. No one will take a bite out of you. Well, except little Jordie. He’s teething and has been gumming up everything.”
Less than four feet from the house, two familiar little boys and a smaller girl who fought hard to keep up, tore around the corner.
“I’m going to get you,” Samantha bellowed.
“Not unless you drink a speed potion,” Blake, the oldest boy at eight years old, taunted.
All three kids came to a screeching halt when they saw them standing there, but it was Sam who squealed and launched herself toward Phoenix first. “Nixxy!”
“Hey there, Tails.” Phoenix effortlessly whipped her around in a spin that had her giggling. Once she was sufficiently giddy, he set her on her feet and performed complicated handshakes with the two boys.
“Who are you?” Samantha—aka Tails—studied Addie as if she were a bug under a microscope.
“Hi.” Addie waved awkwardly. “I’m Addie. I’m—”
“Addie’s a good friend of mine.” Phoenix casually draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her a little closer. “Addie, these three are the youngest Cross cousins: Blake, River, and Samantha—aka, Tails.”
“Only Phoenix can call me Tails,” Samantha warned.
Addie pushed a nervous smile onto her face. “Got it.”
Phoenix cleared his throat, barely stifling a chuckle. “Well, we’ll leave you three to whatever it was you were doing.”
“Can we have a game tournament tonight?” Blake asked eagerly.
“Oh. Uh…” Phoenix glanced down at his little cousin. “Actually, I’m not sure how long Addie and I are staying.”
Samantha’s lower lip trembled, obviously not liking the answer.
“Hey now.” Phoenix dropped into a crouch. “None of that.”
“But you haven’t come to a game night in so long, and I’ve been practicing all the games. I’m so good now, you wouldn’t even believe it!”
“Why don’t you stay for game night, grab the journal while you’re here, and then just drop it by the office? I can catch a bus home,” Addie offered.
“You could always play, too,” River offered. “But tonight’s Mario Kart racing night, and this family is cutthroat. It’s basically the Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding.”
Addie blinked, obviously not knowing what to do with that information.
“Do you even know what the Red Wedding or Game of Thrones is, big man?” Phoenix laughed and ruffled River’s already messy curls.
The kid smirked, shrugging. “No, but I heard my mom and dad talking about it. Is what I said not true though?”
Phoenix threw Addie a devilish smirk. “Actually, he’s not too far off the mark. Game nights are known to be a little cutthroat. If you don’t think you can take the heat, I can always take you home before things get serious and swing back here afterward.”
Addie narrowed a glare on him. “I know what you’re doing.”
His smirk twitched. “And what’s that?”
“You’re preying on my competitive nature … issuing a challenge you don’t think I’ll be able to resist.”
“Is it working?” he asked wickedly.
“Yes.” Addie tossed him a challenging look. “Looks like we’re both staying for Mario Kart.”
“Yay!” the kids cheered in unison, tearing into the house and leaving the door wide open.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I crash family game night?” Addie asked.
“One thing you should know about the Cross family is that we love surprises.” Phoenix wrapped his hand around hers and headed to the side gate that would take them around back.
The chaos of a Stone Talons concert had nothing on a Cross-hosted barbeque. Children raced around the yard playing a make-your-own-rules version of tag while the adults laughed, and the smell of his father’s grill permeated the air.
It didn’t take long to find the man himself.
Commanding his pride and joy, a slow-cooker smoker and old-school charcoal grill, Judd Cross stood just off the end of the brick patio, his favorite Kiss the Cook apron tied around his waist and his favorite Mets baseball cap on backward, covering his balding head.
A pair of tongs in each hand, his father bounced his attention from grill to smoker, an image of profound concentration.
The sight pulled Phoenix’s lips into a smile. “You’ve done this enough times to know that staring at the meat won’t make it cook any faster, old man.”
“Who the hell are you calling old, kid?” His father pulled him into a hug. “Although you’re not wrong … just don’t tell your mother in case it gives her an idea to leave me for a younger model.”
Phoenix snorted. The idea of his parents—ridiculously in love since middle school—splitting was hilarious. He’d heard the story so often growing up. New boy on the block meets quiet girl on her bike. Quiet girl literally runs her bike into new boy.
It was love at first collision, and before they’d finished grade seven, his mother, Lani, had told her parents that she would “marry that Cross boy one day.”
That day happened almost forty years ago.
Phoenix clapped his father on the back and chuckled. “We both know if Mom leaves you for any reason, it’s because you lit another grill on fire and she had to bake another half-dozen lasagna casseroles for the fire department as a thank-you.”
“Grills are meant to be fired up,” his father teased back.
“Yeah. Not the way you do it. So did you give the station a heads-up that you were having a barbeque today?”
“He didn’t, but I did.” Phoenix’s mother came out the back door holding a tray of corn on the cob. She leaned in, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “How are you doing, baby? Everything going okay with you? We listened to that new song of yours on the radio yesterday. I like it.”
The hidden meaning beneath her tone was unmistakable. “It’s the sound that the record label wants to hear from us, Mom.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is, and it was definitely memorable. Guess I was hoping that we’d hear some of your songs.”
“They are my songs, Mom.” But he knew what she meant and he couldn’t fault her for it because he felt the same way.
He longed to write songs that spoke of love and loss.
Songs that elicited feelings and stirred emotion.
The only stirring lyrics the label wanted described loins.
Did he like it? No. But most people’s childhood dreams didn’t come true.
His did. And he couldn’t toss the opportunity away because he didn’t like damn photo ops and the long studio hours that came with it.
Phoenix’s mom looked past him to where Addie did her best to hide behind his back. “Hello there. Since my oldest has forgotten all the manners that my husband and I tried to ingrain in him, I’m Lani. And this is my husband, Judd.”
“Nice to meet you…?” Judd coaxed.
“Addie.” Addie stepped hesitantly next to Phoenix. “It’s nice to meet the both of you, too.”
“Addie. Oh!” Lani’s eyes widened. “You’re the one that’s—”
“Helping Nai and East with their ceremony. Yep. That’s Addie.
” Phoenix drilled his mother with a silent plea to behave.
He’d regretfully told her his suspicion about Addie being his Muse and she hadn’t stopped gushing since.
“I told you that we’d stop by to pick up Nai’s wedding book.
Hopefully Little Naiomi will give us some ideas. ”
“That’s right. And it’s a wonderful idea, but I’ve already searched this place from top to bottom and I couldn’t find it. I swear that girl can create pocket dimensions and squirrel things away never to be seen again.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure I know exactly where it is. It’s not a pocket dimension, but it’s pretty damn close. We’ll be back in a second.” Phoenix took Addie’s hand and headed toward the back corner of the yard where there were nothing but trees.
“You think she buried it?” Addie asked curiously.