Marrying Ember by Andrea Randall Read Free Book Online Page A

Six caravan did, allowing us to pull our bags from the back of the car and walk to the “shed” that looked like a medium-sized cabin, which sat behind the stage.
    When Ember saw the RVs pull in, she walked dutifully to the lead one, which held most of our equipment. And the Shaw family. I watched from a distance as she worked silently to pull mic stands and speakers from below the vehicle and move them to the side of the stage. After a minute, or so, Regan spotted me and jogged over to the shed.
    “How was the ride? Is she okay? I texted both of you and no one answered.” He fiddled with his hands as he spoke.
    “I ended up driving, so I wasn’t looking at my phone. She was texting, but if it wasn’t to you it must have been to Monica, or someone.” I started walking to the second RV, which held the instruments, and he followed.
    “So … what’d she say?” He asked, sounding nervous.
    I shrugged. “You were driving with Ash and Raven, did they say anything?”
    Regan shook his head. “Silence has never been so loud, dude.”
    “Tell me about it. All I know is that they’re half sisters and,” I lowered my voice to a whisper, “Ashby is their biological dad.”
    “Daaaamn. Is she okay? Ember.”
    “No. We kind of had a fight during the beginning of the drive. She wasn’t really telling me anything that made sense, then she freaked out like I was going to cheat on her, or something. We’ll talk about it more later, okay?” I nodded behind Regan, where I saw the rest of the band approaching. Including Willow.
    While the band shifted awkwardly around each other, I made eye contact with Ashby, silently begging him for guidance in this situation. He seemed to understand, and nodded toward the shed, asking me to follow him. Ember had her head down as she worked to unravel cord and do sound checks, so she didn’t seem to notice my departure.
    I shut the door to the shed behind me while Ashby paced the floor for a moment. Finally, he sat in a chair against the wall, motioning for me to take the one next to him.
    “How is she?” He spoke with the same heartbreaking vulnerability Ember did. The similarities between the two made this even harder somehow.
    I sighed as I sat, rubbing my forehead with my sweaty palm. “Jesus, Ash … not good. Can you tell me what the hell happened?”
    “She didn’t tell you?”
    “It came out in pieces. You’re Willow’s biological father. You and Raven aren’t married. Apparently those two go together equal Ember’s assertion that we have to get married immediately.” I looked to Ashby, who frowned as he sat back.
    “We just weren’t careful, Bo. It’s not like we were swingers, in the traditional sense, but the four of us—me and Raven, and Solstice and Michael—had a very open relationship for years. Years . This conversation could just as easily be happening the other way, with Michael at the helm.”
    I scoffed. It was meant to be silent. It wasn’t, and I could tell it hurt Ashby’s feelings.
    “You can’t judge us, Bo. It was a lifestyle we all chose. We never meant for anyone to get hurt.”
    I stood, pacing the short length of the room with my hands in my back pockets. “Someone did get hurt, though. Two someones, and it was none of the four of you who made that original decision, Ash. Those girls didn’t get to decide this. Now Ember is in full panic mode, and I don’t know how to help her. She’s pulling away, though I’m sure me losing my temper didn’t help. Why didn’t you guys tell them when they were growing up? Did all four of you know?”
    Ashby nodded. “We all knew, but not until the girls were two. That’s when Michael found out he couldn’t have children. He and Solstice had been trying for a sibling for Willow, and it wasn’t working. They went to a doctor, and …”
    “So Willow could be anyone’s child, then?” I stopped and turned on my heels to face him again.
    He shook his head. “It was just the four of us, no one