Addy had been rehearsing and recording with The Four Saints for a couple of months, now, and they all had such confidence in her that Matt had asked her to sit in with the band on stage while he and Mel were on their honeymoon. Uncertainty still plagued her, but there was no way she was going to let them down—short of a complete breakdown, of course.
It was Uncle Bart who had taken it upon himself to make certain that wouldn’t happen. He’d spent countless hours with her over the past eight weeks, working with her to help her understand what was happening when she Shifted, how to anticipate it, and how to control it instead of letting it control her. She’d never felt the kind of confidence around other people she now felt, and while she’d been acutely nervous before the wedding, she’d managed to hold it together in the time leading up to “Appalachian Home,” and she and Mark and the others had “nailed it,” as John had claimed. And throughout the reception, she had covered Matt’s guitar parts, adding her voice to the band’s regular songs. Addy couldn’t imagine not being scared to death, when she finally stepped on stage in front of an audience of strangers, but she knew she was going to be just fine, thanks to this entire family of new friends who believed in her.
“There’s my darlin’,” Granny said, when Addy stepped up to the table.
“Have a seat, Addy,” Mark’s Grandma Larkin said, gesturing to another chair at their table.
“Thank you, Mrs. Larkin.”
“Oh, just make it Grandma, dear. Mrs. Larkin is much too formal on such an occasion.”
Addy smiled her thanks and felt Granny squeeze her hand.
“Didn’t I tell you my Addy was doin’ just fine by your boys?” Granny asked, hugging Addy’s arm to her.
“You certainly did, Flora,” Mark’s Gran said. “We especially liked that new song,” she said, turning her attention to Addy. “The one you did durin’ the wedding? Oh, my, but I wept through that one.”
“We all did, Agatha,” Gran said. She sighed. “It was so beautiful.”
“Ladies,” Mark said, as he came up to the table and handed Addy a glass of punch.
“There’s our boy,” Gran said, putting her arm around him.
“You look tired, sweetie,” Grandma Larkin said. “Are you sure about drivin’ all the way back to Nashville tonight?”
“We’ll be fine Grandma. We’ll trade off on the drivin’, if we get too tired, but we’re all feelin’ pretty frisky right now, so it shouldn’t be a problem. And no one’s been drinkin’ alcohol, either, so don’t you worry.”
“Well, of course we’ll worry,” Gran said, reaching across her in-law to take Mark’s hand. “That’s what grandmothers do, you know.”
Mark laughed and leaned in to kiss both their cheeks.
“I need to start packin’ up,” he said, glancing over at the stage and seeing Luke starting to break down his drums.
“I should help,” Addy said.
“You’ve done enough, today, Addy,” he said, resting his hand on her shoulder to keep her seated. “We’ve got this.”
“Okay.”
“Such a nice boy,” Granny said.
Addy nodded, her eyes following Mark as he returned to his brothers.
She took a deep breath and turned back to Granny.
“I’m goin’ back to Nashville with them, Granny,” she said, keeping her voice low so only her own grandmother heard her.
Granny put her arm around her and squeezed. “Of course you are, darlin’.”
Addy saw Granny’s knowing smile and blushed.
“You knew?”
She nodded. “And I’m not even goin’ to say ‘I told you so.’”
Addy laughed and wrapped her arms around her grandmother’s neck.
“You deserve to,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”
“Oh, and I love you, darlin’, so much.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“Of course. But don’t you be worryin’ about me, Addy Ann. I have a lot of new friends, now, and they’ll be stoppin’ by to keep me from gettin’ lonely.”
“You bet we will,” Grandma Larkin said, hearing the last bit. “We had no idea Flora was livin’ so close to us. We’ll visit often, and I’m bettin’ our granddaughters will be lookin’ in on your granny in the future as much as they look in on us now.”
Addy smiled. “Please thank them for me.”
“We will. Now as your granny said, don’t you be worryin’ about a thing.”
Addy hugged and kissed Granny one more time said, goodbye to the others then headed off to pack up her guitar.
Whatever happens now, she decided then and there, I’m gonna do what Granny says and not worry about it anymore.
18
Addy stood in the front widow of Mel’s third-floor apartment, looking down at the street below as traffic continued moving into the night. She’d changed into her nightgown and robe, but couldn’t seem to settle. The night lights and sounds in the city were so different from what she was used to, that even after only a couple of nights back home, they were keeping her awake again.
“You okay?” Mark asked, coming up behind her.
“It’s the city,” she murmured. “I wonder if I’ll ever really get used to it.”
They heard a siren in the distance.