Jonny's Redemption (Gemini Group Book 7) by Riley Edwards (audio ebook reader TXT) 📕

his arms and kissed me silly. The make-out session in his living room I didn’t mind, the thought of him using the make-out session to avoid talking was what worried me. However, he eased those fears when he admitted the whole fucked-up scene with his mother had gutted him and he needed time to process what had happened. He also told me he needed to get back to work but promised we’d talk later. That also meant I was back at his house tonight. I ignored how happy I was that he wanted me to spend the night and concentrated on making sure Jonny was okay to go back to work.

Once I’d remembered the heartbreaking truth, that drunken, horrible scene wasn’t the first time Jonny had been put through that nightmare and I did have to give him time to get his thoughts in order, we went our separate ways. Jonny back to Gemini Group and I went back to the farm. But instead of going straight to the studio, I went to Evie and Chasin’s house.

Now I was sitting in one corner of Evie’s couch, Evie was in the other corner, and we both had our feet tucked under our rear ends facing each other. And my very best friend in the entire world was crying.

The tears that were stroking her cheeks were for me. I’d told her everything. Or almost everything. I didn’t think she needed to hear about all the times Elmer had beaten on me. But then she was my best friend in the whole world so I didn’t need to tell her, she knew.

“I wanna be so mad at you for not telling me.” Evie sniffed. “But I can’t. I understand why you didn’t want to relive that. I’m choosing to ignore the part about how you were too embarrassed to tell me because that actually, truly, deeply, enormously pisses me off that you’d be embarrassed about anything with me. You have seen me at my worst, Bobby. You stood by me when my parents sued me. You held me up when I crumbled under the pressure of an industry I’d worked my ass off to break into. But more importantly, you were there at my side when I let one dream die and started a new one. I’d have nothing if it weren’t for you.”

“That’s not true—”

“Yes, it is,” Evie proclaimed and leaned in my direction. Which was to say, she didn’t get very far because of her big baby belly but she tried. “All I ever wanted to do was make music. I didn’t have the first clue about the business nor was I smart enough to learn. But you were. You learned all of that, you got my music in the hands of the right people, you made the right contacts, you got me into bars and festivals. You, Bobby, all I have is because of you. Then you gave me more, the peace I’d craved my whole life. You put yourself between me and the world and let me make music. Everything I’ve been blessed to accomplish is yours. That studio is yours. The platinum records, the statues, the awards—all of it yours.”

Evie paused long enough to swipe the last of her tears off her cheeks and pierce me with an irate stare. “I want you to listen up, sis. The next time you think to be embarrassed, to feel ashamed, to run, you think about this. The girl who came from nothing, the girl from the holler, the girl that went to bed hungry, cold, and sometimes in pain—made it. She succeeded. She earned her place in the world and she did spectacularly. That girl is a success story and should be celebrated. That story should be told because you should be goddamn proud of it. All of it, Roberta. You did not beat yourself. You didn’t lie and cheat. You didn’t leave your children. You didn’t fuck your sister over. That was them. You, my sister, are something special.”

One could say there were a million reasons why I loved Evie. Why I’d stuck by her. Why I’d followed her all over the world. It wasn’t because I cared about her fame and money. It wasn’t because I’d had some burning desire to see Italy or Greece or even California. I didn’t ever aspire to live in a mansion. Something worth pointing out that Evie hated, and the moment she could free herself of the monstrosity and gates, she did. I hadn’t put up with record execs and creepy promoters for my own benefit.

I’d done it because I couldn’t survive without my friend. She hadn’t known a thing about my past and at the time I hadn’t fully understood but now I did. Day by day, Evie had unconsciously given me what I needed to heal. She’d trusted me when I hadn’t trusted myself. She’d believed in me when I had no confidence in myself. She’d loved me when I hated everything about myself.

From the moment we met, Evie had given me the gift of friendship. Then she gave me more, the opportunity to prove to myself I could be good at something. Not only good at it but I was smart, I had good instincts, I could be trusted, I had value, I was worth something even though I’d been told my whole life I was worthless.

“I should’ve told you.” I put my hand up to quell her argument. “I appreciate you letting me off the hook but I should’ve. I wasn’t being a good friend to you by not opening up. Now, since you know how much I love admitting when I’m wrong and you probably won’t hear it again for a long time, I’ll repeat: I was wrong. I’m sorry. And I promise I won’t hold back again.”

Evie relaxed back into her corner of the couch and smiled.

“All right. So now that’s done, tell me all about the beach and don’t leave any of the good parts