Page 38 of Goode to Be Bad
“I was with Crow when he finished it. I know literally nothing about it because that man is the most tight-lipped human being I’ve ever met in my fucking life, but I know musical instruments and I know that was one hell of a special piece, and I’ve been dying to hear what it sounds like.” Canaan shook his head. “It was a masterpiece, and I mean that. Like getting a Stradivarius, but directly from the maker himself.”
Myles didn’t answer right away. “Yeah, that’s a fair comparison. River Dog was a true master artisan.”
“Wait, River Dog was a person? I thought the name was just, like, some sort of cool reference to a myth or some shit.”
Myles laughed. “Yeah, Crow’s not real forthcoming with information, is he? River Dog is Crow’s grandfather, deceased now, God rest him. That guitar was the last thing River Dog ever made, and he died before he could actually finish it. He taught Crow everything he knew, but when he died Crow sort of…turtled a bit, I guess, refused to touch it. Until he moved here.” He scanned the bar. “Where is the sonofabitch, anyway?” Myles then glanced around his knees. “Shoot, anymore kids around for me to owe a dollar to?”
Canaan laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, Lucas, the one who had to poop, is with Corin, Liam is over there being fed cheese sticks by Eva, Harlow has Lena, and that’s all my kids. Brock and Claire have Nina with them over by the stage, Mara’s two boys are playing the Switch with Eva and Bax’s son over there in the back booth, and Dru and Bast’s daughter is…actually it looks like she’s trying to braid Ink’s beard. And that’s the lot, I think.”
Myles frowned. “That is a lot of kids.”
Canaan laughed again. “We’re a lot of people and we all really like having sex, I guess.”
Myles cackled. “Okay, well I’m gonna try to watch my language regardless. Good to meet you. I’ll meet up with you about the jam session.” He tugged my hand. “Come on, let’s go say hi to your mom and sisters. And where the…heck…is Crow?”
Ink, a six-foot-seven giant covered head to toe with tattoos, currently having his beard clumsily braided by a little girl heard the question and gestured. “Kitchen. Him and Claire are fixin’ up some snacks.”
Cassie was sitting beside Ink and she leaned over and showed the girl how to merge the braids. “You’re gonna be a braiding expert soon, Delia.”
“I always want to braid Daddy’s hair, but it’s too short. And Mommy says I’m too rough to braid hers, but she still lets me. Uncle Ink’s beard is the funnest to braid. It’s soft and scratchy at the same time, and sticks together. Mommy’s hair is all slippery and hard to braid.”
Seeing Cassie, tough and hard-nosed and independent and as fiery as me, being all sweet and Auntie-like to this little girl was weird. Cassie saw me, kissed the little girl on the head and helped tie a rubber band around the very tip of Ink’s braided beard, and then hopped down from the stool and rushed over to hug me. “Lexie! God, it’s so good to see you.”
I hadn’t seen her for a while but the first thing I noticed was that she was…different. All my life she’d been all muscle and bone and athletic, toned female physique. Now she was…softer. I wanted to say bigger, but that would sound judgmental. And softer wasn’t right either. Stronger. Not as hyper-lean and shredded as she’d always been. More muscular, and so yes, physically larger. But because of it, her diminutive size was offset by muscularity and just…feminine softness.
“You look so good, Cass!” I said.
She smiled, pushing back from the hug but not letting go. “You think so? I’m heavier than I’ve ever been in my life, but…I feelgood, Lex. I’m teaching fitness and dance classes now, you know.”
“Mom told me in her latest epic novel of an email,” I said, looking my sister over. “Honestly, in my personal opinion, you lookwayhealthier and more feminine now. Not that you were masculine before, but…whatever you’re doing suits you.”
She snorted. “What I’m doing is eating actual food and living an actual life. I lift weights and dance and teach, and I go for runs with the other girls sometimes, but I’m not obsessed with my weight anymore. I realized I had been. My whole life, I had to stay under a certain number or I’d lose my spot in the troupe.” She looks around at the room. “I’m so,somuch happier.”
I grinned at her. “I think it’s the happiness as much as anything. You’re like, glowing.” I frowned. “It’s not a pregnancy glow, is it?”
Cassie’s eyes widened and she jokingly made the sign of the cross. “Heaven forbid. No. I’m not anywhere near ready to be a mom yet.”
“Well now you did it,” Ink rumbled. “Now we’re gonna get you pregnant.”
“And there goes sex for you, big guy,” she teased.
“What’s sex?” the little girl piped up. “Mommy says I’m too young to know.”
“Crap,” Cassie breathed. “I, um…”
“Your mom is right, little one,” Ink answered. “Auntie Cass should watch what she says around little ears.”
“Mommy says I have the biggest ears in the world,” the girl said. “But I checked and they’re not big at all. So I don’t know what that means.”
“It means you hear things you shouldn’t,” Cass said. “And then repeat them and ask questions adults have trouble answering.”
“Auntie Cass, huh?” I mused.
Cassie laughed. “If you’re part of the clan, you’re an aunt or uncle to the little ones. You don’t have a choice. You’re inducted, and thus expected to spoil, corrupt, and snuggle all the various children.”
I looked around—it seemed very few of the children were with their parents, and seemed to think nothing of climbing up the leg of the nearest adult, regardless of who it was, and that adult would pick the child up without missing a beat and incorporate him or her into the conversation. It was odd, supremely, to see these men with the tiny children, the ones like the triplets and Bax especially, who resembled WWE stars in terms of raw athletic bulk, with the gorgeous, alpha-male sex factor of the kind of men who played superheroes on the big screen. None of them were dads yet, I didn’t think, but they were clearly each growing comfortable with kids, since I saw one of the huge triplets tossing up and catching a little black girl with tight ringlets and bright eyes and a squealing laugh.
I watched. “Who’s that?” I asked.