“Hmm. You’ve had a good summer together?” He continued to look at me intensely.
Still not sure the reason for our talk, I figured that as a father figure to Ty, he needed me to reassure him of my feelings for Ty. “The best. He’s so special, I’m so lucky to have found him. And the band? They are great and so is everyone in it. I’m so excited for them, they really deserve to have the world hear them.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” Carter turned around and pointed out one of his band’s gold records on the wall. “Did Ty ever tell you about Zane’s mom?”
“Um, a little, at your house that night.” Now I was really confused. This was the most Carter had ever spoken to me.
“She and I were a lot like the two of you. Passionately in love, unable to keep our hands off each other.”
I laughed nervously, unsure about where the conversation was going but beginning to worry.
“We were together from the time we were eighteen and then Zane was born a couple of years later. Limelight had its first gold record when he was just about two years old and she wanted—no—demanded that I quit the band, marry her, and get a ‘real’ job. I didn’t, obviously.”
Apparently, he was a bit of a talker.
“The ultimatum never sat well with me, and even though we technically stayed together, I was checked out. I cheated on her. A lot.” Carter’s eyes were almost out of focus, he was so lost in his tale about Zane’s mom. “She was devastated. When Zane was about six, Lianne took him out of state, and I had to fight in court to see him. I lost that battle because of my addictions, which meant I missed out on most of Zane’s childhood. Moral of the story, Zoey? We were just too young. You are too young.”
Carter’s impassioned tone made it clear that that somehow his situation applied to me and Ty. “I’m sorry, Carter. That’s terrible. You have to understand that I’m not Lianne. I’d never do that to Ty.”
“Zoey, I know that. I also know that you guys think that you’re in love, and the way you guys carry on, I guess you are. But I’ve brought in all my connections to set these guys up. It still doesn’t mean squat if they don’t commit and focus on all of the things that they need to do to earn a living as musicians. Sure, they have a better chance than I had because they are going to retain full ownership over their music. But in this day and age? If they don’t make an impact out of the gate, their opportunity will be blown.” Carter leveled a gaze at me.
“Okay, I get all that, but I still don’t understand what you are trying to say to me, Carter.”
“Every one of those guys has worked hard and has a real opportunity to control their own destiny, keep their royalties, achieve a level of success that is really hard to come by in the digital age.”
“I know, Ty has told me all this.”
“I think you’re a great girl.” Carter moved over to where I was sitting and took the chair next to me. “I’ve never seen him happier, which is why this is such a shitty conversation to have. But I’m begging you. He needs to be free and clear. You guys are too young to be tied down.”
“I’ll never stand in his way, Carter.” My lungs felt like they’d turned to ice, I could barely catch my breath. “I love him and will support him in whatever he decides to do, just like he’ll support me while I’m in school.”
“Sweetie, I know you think that. And part of me wishes I didn’t have to spell this out for you. You are strong and smart, and you—pardon me for saying this—are a baby. Ty is your first love, but you’ll have many. Go to school. He’ll go on tour. Give it some space. Then when you reconnect if there is still something between you, I’ll eat my words.” Carter was not asking, he was telling me what I had to do. My confusion and irritation morphed into full panic.
“A few years? We don’t want to be with anyone else, Carter. Sometimes you meet your person when you’re young. Why would you say this?” Tears pooled in my eyes then rolled uncontrollably down my cheeks.
“Ah, darlin,’ I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m trying to give you some sage advice from someone who has been there and lost my first love because of the life I led touring and playing music. The road is hard, it’s lonely, and temptations are too great, you’re apart for so many months, doubt creeps in and you both are so young.”
“So you’re saying that Ty is going to cheat on me just because we happen to be young?” I raged. “That’s not who he is, I don’t believe you.”
“What I’m trying to tell you is that staying with him will hurt him. I know him, he’s not interested in fame or being a rock star, but he loves playing music and LTZ is all he has. The band is playing at your school in a few weeks, it’s all he can talk about.”
“So what? It’s all that I think about too because we’re going to miss each other, Carter.”
“You’re making my point, sweetheart. Young love feels like you’ll die without each other. For a dude like Ty, you and the band are all he has.” Carter gently touched my arm.
“Stop calling me sweetheart, Carter. And stop saying I’m young. I will never do anything to hurt him. To let him down,” I sobbed, yanking my arm away.
“Zoey, by the time we arrive in Bellingham and
