Page 28 of Sweet Music (Sugarville Grove #7)
BELLA
B ella held Cody in her arms as she wept with relief.
I’m sorry, Harper, she told her cousin inwardly. I’m so sorry I almost lost him.
She drank in the musky, teenage scent of him. He might be almost as big as a man, but inside he was still very much a little boy—one who needed reassurance and love in the face of all he had lost.
She had clearly fallen down on the job, but she was determined to do better.
“Cody,” Cash said softly.
Cody had been hugging her back, hard. But his grip loosened at the sound of Cash’s voice.
She forced herself to release the boy, though all she wanted was to cling to him like a vine for the rest of both their natural lives.
When Cody pulled away, she saw that Cash was facing the boy with the most intense expression she’d ever seen from him .
She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she called Cash. Honestly, she had assumed he had already left town with the band, and that at best he would send Cody a message asking him to get in touch with her.
And given what she had disclosed to him about his relationship to Cody, she wasn’t even sure he would do that. She had known it wasn’t right to keep the truth from him, but a small part of her hadn’t wanted to share it because she had so badly wanted his help.
But despite the news, he was here, looking at Cody like he was still the most important person in his world.
“Did she tell you?” Cody whispered.
“About that stupid piece of paper?” Cash asked. “Yeah. But it doesn’t matter.”
“What are you talking about?” Cody whispered. “I took a DNA test .”
“I don’t care about biology,” Cash said, shrugging. “You’re my kid.”
Bella’s jaw dropped and she looked over at Cody, who seemed to be having the same reaction she was.
“Listen,” Cash said, crawling closer to them. “The minute I saw you playing, I knew you were mine. You felt the same way when we met, didn’t you?”
Cody nodded slowly after a moment.
“And we really do just click, don’t we?” Cash asked him.
“We dig the same music, we have the same sense of humor, we even like the same flavor of creemee. The first time we jammed, I could tell that you feel the music the same way I do, like it just wants to come bursting out of you and if you don’t get an instrument in front of you right away, you might just explode.
And you fit in at the big Lawrence dinners like you’ve been there all your life.
You can’t tell me we’re not family. Plus, you have my roguish good looks and heartbreaker smile. ”
One corner of Cody’s mouth ticked up slightly.
“See?” Cash said with a grin. “But more importantly, when Bella told me you were missing tonight, it felt like someone tore out a piece of my heart. I know for a fact that I’d do anything to make your life better, or to keep you from hurting, and I think that’s what makes someone a parent, not DNA.
I might not have been around for you before, and I’ll always regret that, but I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.
And if it’s still what you want, I’d be honored to be your dad. ”
“Really?” Cody asked softly.
“Of course,” Cash assured him. “You and me, kid. That’s all that matters. I couldn’t care less about some stupid test. And it ticks me off that the kids at school gave you such a hard time that you thought you needed a piece of paper to prove something to them.”
“It wasn’t the kids at school,” Cody said softly. “They’ve actually been really cool.”
“People online,” Cash realized out loud.
The ferocity on his face made Bella’s heart pound with gratitude.
Cody nodded.
“Those people don’t matter,” Cash told him. “They’re not real. It’s the first thing I should have told you the night we met, and I’m really sorry I didn’t. They say things they would never say in person, and they’ re all just looking for a reaction. Best thing you can ever do is not give them one.”
“You really don’t care,” Cody murmured, his voice soft with wonder.
“Not even a little bit,” Cash said. “Now can we just forget about it and get on with the important stuff? We have plans to make for your school vacation.”
“But you’re leaving,” Cody said.
“Why would you think that?” Cash asked him.
“Your band is here,” Bella put in. “It’s all anyone in town is talking about.”
“Yeah,” Cash said, understanding dawning on his face.
“And in case you didn’t notice, I’ve been blowing up your phone, Cody, because they all want to meet you.
In fact, we were hoping you might want to make some music with us.
They were never here to take me away. They headed out tonight, but they’ll be back.
At least now I know why you’ve been ignoring my messages.
I guess you had a pretty big distraction. ”
His eyes went to the papers that Bella only now realized were still clutched in her hand.
“You know, I never did get a chance to look at that,” Cash said, holding out his hand. “Can I just…?”
Bella looked to Cody, who nodded.
She handed off the papers and she and Cody watched in surprise as Cash ripped them to shreds and shoved the scraps in the pocket of his leather jacket without ever looking at what was written on them.
“That’s better,” he said with satisfaction when he was finished. “Now, I have a little surprise for you back at the house. Any chance you two are free right now? ”
Cody turned to Bella.
“Of course,” she said right away. “We’re definitely free.”
And for the first time in a long time, Bella’s heart felt light as a feather. No matter what else happened, Cody was going to be just fine.