Dean, who was squished in the middle of the back seat between them, gestured for Mike to get out. “I say we see if this band even has a future first. Or maybe talk about it when we’re inside. They might have air conditioning.”
“No, Dean,” Zane answered, his tone somber. “What if Mr. White only likes one of us?” They all knew he was referring to Rusty. “Or he wants everyoneexceptone of us? What would we do?”
“Oh man, I never even thought of that,” Steven said.
“We say no,” Mike answered firmly. “He either takes all of us or none of us. And no matter what he offers, we don’t say yes until we’ve had a chance to discuss it.”
“Agreed,” Rusty said. “We’re all equals and we make decisions together, Dean and Kitty included.”
Steven wrinkled up his nose at the idea. “I don’t think my sister should have a say. She’s not even in the business. She sells makeup, for God’s sake.”
Kitty rolled her eyes at him while Rusty gave him a hard look. “Kitty’s my wife. I’m not going to say yes to anything unless it’s good for her too.”
“I can agree to that,” Mike said. “Kitty’s been a rock for us this past year. She deserves to have some say.”
“Fine,” Steven muttered. “But if anyoneelsegets married, the new wives just have to fit into what we’re doing.”
“Okay, that’s fair,” Zane said. “We make decisions as a team. No one person is more important than the rest. Everyone writes songs to the best of his ability, and you get credit for what you contribute.”
“Agreed,” said Mike. “We’ve got no room for big egos either, okay? We promise to keep our feet on the ground.”
“You know what?” Steven said, “I honestly don’t think any of this is going to be a problem for us. We’re best friends. We’re all starting out with nothing, and none of us are the type to forget where we came from.”
The guys offered murmurs of how ‘it wouldn’t happen to them, no matter what.’
“Oh, and Dean isn’t our employee and he’s not our boss,” Rusty said. “He’s our partner, just like Kitty is my partner.”
Steven pulled a face. “Oh brother, she already married you, you don’t have to keep trying to impress her.”
Rusty leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the lips. “Sure, I do.”
Dean wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Okay, you’ve said your vows. Let’s get the hell out of this stupid wagon before I lose my last marble.”
They all clambered out and unloaded the equipment from the back. “That’s a good name for a band—My Last Marble,” Steven said.
Rusty and Dean chuckled, but Mike stood perfectly still on the sidewalk, his eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, I think I’ve got it.” His forehead smoothed out as he smiled at his friends. It was the smile of a young man with all the answers to life’s biggest problems. “The Vows.”
SEPTEMBER 1993
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
ZANE
The Vows. Zane had broken nearly all of them over the years. He’d taken credit for work that wasn’t his, he’d let his ego take over, and now he was coveting the woman Mike loved.
Regret replaced every ounce of anger Zane had when they were on stage a few minutes earlier. He grabbed a box of tissues and brought it over to Mike, pulling three out for him. “I’m sorry, man,” he said, his voice breaking. “Fucking hell, look at your face. You know I’d never want to…”
“I swung first.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been such a dick.”
“You have.”
“I’ll do better.”
Mike took the tissues and dabbed at his lip. Zane rubbed the back of his neck, his stomach in knots at what he’d done. “I would never try to take Claud. I know how much she means to you.”
Mike offered him a hint of a smile. “Don’t worry about it. So, I got in a little tussle with a grizzly bear. No big deal.”
