Legacy by M.A. Foster

June

_____________________________

Three years and two months ago

Dylan

The California sun blazed through the bedroom window. I rolled over and grabbed my phone off the nightstand to find a good morning text from my mom, one from my dad, and another from Elaina.

Mom: You’ve been gone a month and I miss you terribly. Love you. Please call me later.

There was a saying, “No love is greater than that of a mother,” and Jessica Mackenzie gave it in spades. She was the definition of a good mother. She was kind and loving, but when it came to her family—her boys—she was fierce.

Me: Just woke up. I miss and love you, too. I promise to call later.

I closed that thread and opened the message from my father.

Dad: Just checking in. Hope you’re having a good time. Please call your mother later. She misses you. I miss you, too.

I copied the reply to my mom’s text and pasted it into a text to my dad, then switched to Elaina’s text.

Elaina: I’m back home. You around?

Me: In Cali for the summer. We’ll catch up when I get back.

Setting my phone down, I dragged my hands over my face before tossing the covers back and heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I quickly changed into a pair of swim shorts and a T-shirt, then made my way downstairs. The smell of bacon and syrup lingered in the air, and my stomach growled. Grace cooked breakfast, and sometimes lunch and dinner, almost every day. I started running on the beach with Bass and occasionally Jay in the mornings to keep the pancakes from sticking to my gut.

Emerson was sitting at the counter with a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other, and Grace was at the stove as usual. Emerson lifted her head as I entered the kitchen and greeted me with a smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” I pulled out the stool beside her and sat down. A moment later, Grace set a plate of food and a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of me. “Thank you, Grace.” Cutting into the stack of pancakes, I asked, “Where is everyone?”

“Studio,” Emerson replied, setting her phone down before taking a sip of her coffee, eyeing me over the rim. Putting the cup down again, she folded her arms on the counter. “Are you homesick yet?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Not really. I miss my parents and brothers, but this place is like vacationing in paradise.”

She grinned. “I know what you mean. The first time I walked into this house and saw that view, I never wanted to leave.”

“You didn’t.” Grace laughed.

Emerson raised her brows and nodded, indicating Grace’s statement was true. Emerson moved to California shortly after she graduated high school. That was twenty years ago, and she’s never been back.

“Did you ever get homesick?” I asked.

“I didn’t miss home, but I did miss my family. I missed watching you boys grow up and being a part of your everyday lives.” She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry for that.”

“You’ve been present enough,” I told her.

Emerson and I had always been close, even when we were thousands of miles apart. I didn’t need to see her every day to feel important. She had a way of making up for it within the first five minutes after walking through her door.

“What’s happening in the studio? I thought Marcus was taking a break.” I reached for my coffee.

Emerson snorted. “The band is taking a break. Marcus never takes a break.” She looked over her shoulder, then back to me, lowering her voice. “A couple months ago, Jay approached Marcus with a notebook filled with songs she’d written and asked if they could do an album together. I swear, Marcus was so proud, he almost cried.” She raised her brows. “She’s good, Dylan, but she doesn’t want to sit in a studio for hours, and she doesn’t like when Marcus criticizes her.”

“I’m sure he means well,” I said.

“Of course he does. We all know how talented she is. Hell, she knows she’s talented. She just doesn’t like to be pushed.” A thoughtful grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Marcus made a deal with her this morning. If she gave him three songs, he would fly her to St. Thomas early so she could spend more time with Mimi and Mac.”

Every summer, my grandparents would take all the grandkids on vacation for a couple weeks. They usually took us to a theme park or a beach resort. My brothers and I didn’t always go, but Jay vacationed with them every year unless Royal Mayhem was on tour. I forgot Marcus and Emerson had a villa in St. Thomas. I’d only been there once a few years ago for Marcus’s fortieth birthday.

“Three songs sounds simple enough,” I said, prompting Emerson and Grace to laugh.

* * *

Iquietly opened the door and slipped inside Marcus’s home recording studio. He sat behind the control console, his attention focused on Jay, who was on the other side of the glass, perched on a stool and strumming an acoustic guitar. Her eyes were closed and headphones covered her ears as she crooned into the microphone.

A long plush sofa was against the wall. Bass sat at the far end with an arm draped across the back, his legs stretched out in front of him, his feet crossed at the ankles. I sat down on the end closest to the door and listened as Jay’s smooth voice poured from the speakers situated in the corners of the room. I won’t lie, her voice gave me goose bumps.

Marcus shot me an amused grin over his shoulder and said, “Watch how mad she gets.” Pressing a button on the control panel, he leaned in to the microphone. “That was a little flat, Jaybird,” he interrupted. “Start from the top.”

Her head jerked toward the glass, eyes narrowed into slits and mouth pinched in annoyance. “Daddy, are you kidding me?” she spat, gritting her teeth.

“It was almost perfect. I really think next time you’ll nail it.” Releasing the button, he held her stare until she blew out a sigh mixed with a growl, then closed her eyes and began strumming again.

Bass’s body shook with silent laughter. “Bro, I thought she was gonna hurl that guitar through the glass.”

Marcus lowered his head and laughed his ass off. “I told her if she recorded three songs today, I’d fly her down to St. Thomas early.”

“How many songs have you recorded so far?” I asked, amused.

“None.” He chuckled. “I’m still gonna let her go, but I like giving her a hard time. She’s so cute when she’s mad.”

“Cole and Zach are training this summer for football tryouts.” A smirk tugged at my lips. “Does she know they’re not going this year?”

“Nope.” He leaned back in his chair and locked his hands behind his head. “Tell me about Zach. What is so special about this kid that he has my daughter writing love songs about him?”

I didn’t know why, but for some reason Zach’s bathroom story flashed through my mind, and it took everything I had not to laugh. Man, that was fucking funny.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stretched out my legs. “You ask me the same question every year. He’s a good kid. Quiet, a little shy, never gets in trouble, and he’s one hell of a football player. You have nothing to worry about.”

He raised his brows. “She’s been writing songs about the kid since she was six years old. I have everything to worry about.”

* * *

Propping my forearms on the deck railing, I stared out at the dark ocean, watching the waves crash against the shore. The back door slid open behind me, and a moment later, Liam appeared at my side and passed me a beer.

I hadn’t seen him or Cam much because they were in the middle of baseball season and traveling a lot.

I also hadn’t spoken to Jade since that last FaceTime call. She was giving me space, and I didn’t realize how much I needed it.

Liam leaned against the railing beside me. “What’s on your mind?”

I drew in a deep breath through my nose as I considered my next words. I knew what I’d be opening myself up to by telling him about Jade, because while Marcus gave the best advice, Liam had no filter when giving his opinion. “Was Vanessa your first love?”

Liam and Vanessa were together for over two years before she left him. Her father, Coach Abbott, was Liam’s college baseball coach and mine for the two years I played at UH.

“First and only,” he replied.

“How do you do it? Move on, I mean.”

“Who says I have?” He took a sip of his beer. “When she left me, I felt like I was going to fucking die. My head was a mess, and I just couldn’t find a single fuck to give about anyone or anything, including my career. I drank a lot and fucked random women because I just wanted to dull the pain. Even if it was only for a night. I hated her for leaving me, but I hated myself more for letting her go. Then my parents showed up out of the blue, and I was sure it was Emerson who called them, but their timing couldn’t have been more perfect because I’d definitely hit rock bottom. The devastation and disappointment on their faces….” He shook his head. “I was so heartbroken, I’d forgotten about my other love—baseball. I had a job. I had a team relying on me, and I was letting them down. It’s hard to accept that there are just some things you can’t control. No matter how many times you wish you could go back and do things differently. But there was something or someone I could control—me. I had to find a way to shift the hurt to another place so I could focus on myself, save my career and my reputation.”

“Do you think you’ll ever move on?”

“I tried.” He huffed out a laugh. “It didn’t work out. To be honest, I’m not ready.”

“It’s been two years,” I reminded him.

“Two years, ten years. Doesn’t matter.” He swiped a hand over his face. “Vanessa is the love of my life. I’ve spent time with other women since our split, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who makes me feel the way I feel about Vanessa.” He looked over at me. “Have you seen her around?”

I shook my head. “No.”

He nodded, lowering his head. “So why the questions about Vanessa? Or is this not really about her? Did you meet someone?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Yeah. It’s complicated though.”

“Is she married?” He grinned.

“Not that I know of.” I wish. It would be so much easier to let her go. “She’s pregnant.”

His grin fell, and he stood up straight. “You knocked her up?”

“No.” I blew out a breath and turned my attention back to the ocean. “She hooked up with someone before we started technically dating.”

“What does that mean?”

I told him everything that transpired between us from that party—including the part about the mystery girl—up till our last FaceTime call.

Liam whistled through his teeth. “That’s some heavy shit. You love this girl?”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “I wish I didn’t.”

“I feel you on that. What do your parents think?” I heard the humor in his tone because he knew my parents were crazy protective over their kids. Maybe not as crazy as Marcus was with Jay, but close enough.

“They don’t know about her.”

He choked on his beer and coughed. “How?”

I shrugged. “We didn’t spend much time together outside the fraternity house. She was in nursing school, and I had classes. There wasn’t a lot of free time, and what time we did have, we spent it other ways.” I smirked.

“She sounds shady.” He pointed his beer at me. “You were in a relationship with the girl for two months and she never met your family.” He pursed his lips and gave me a look that said, “Give me a break.”

“I talked to Marcus about it. I asked him not to say anything to Emerson, because she’ll tell my parents. I’m an adult, and I need to figure this out on my own.”

“Marcus won’t say anything. He knows how our family is, and how much Emerson loves you.” He nudged me with his elbow and grinned. “You know you’re her favorite, right? No one messes with her ‘sweet boy,’” he teased, and I laughed. “But seriously,” he continued, “I’m glad you talked to me about this. Clearly I’m no expert on love. The heart wants what it wants.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not gonna pretend I’m not concerned because I am. You’re twenty-two years old. Are you ready to settle down with a young woman—who obviously has secrets—and a baby who’s not even yours? A child who was conceived out of deceit?”

“Liam,” I warned.

“I’m sorry, Dylan, but that’s exactly what happened and you know it.”

“And I broke up with her because of it,” I argued. “She’s not a bad person. She made a mistake.”

He heaved a sigh of frustration. “She sounds like a hot mess, and I don’t want to see you get dragged into a situation you can’t handle, but you’re right. You’re an adult, and you need to figure it out on your own. You’re my family, and I’ll always have your back.”

“Thanks.” I dropped my gaze to the beer bottle still in my hand.

Liam hums and swallows the last of his beer. “Has Marcus talked to you about Alex yet?”

I frowned. “No. Who’s Alex?”

He shakes his head and mumbles something about this family and secrets as he moves over to the recycle bin and tosses his bottle inside. Then he turns to me. “You’ll find out soon enough.”