The Making of Matt (Souls of the Knight 3)

“You know what? I’m gonna fucking do it. I’m gonna buy a bar and turn it into the biggest and best goddamn bar this country has ever seen!”

Smiling, I felt pride swell in my chest. I quickly searched my memories before deciding this was the first time I’d ever seen such a look of pure excitement on his face. I just hoped the enthusiasm remained after the alcohol had passed, and that he’d even remember this conversation in the morning.

“To the biggest and best goddamn bar this country has ever seen!” I stretched out my arm, holding my bottle of beer out to clink against his. “Cheers.”

Jerking his neck back and appearing almost bewildered by his decision, Matt grinned. Like really fucking grinned. The most captivating smile I’d ever seen. Then he flopped backwards onto the couch, his glass bottle dropping to the floor as he passed out cold.

“G’night, buddy,” I whispered, before reclining my seat and following him into sleep.

Chapter Three

~Matt~

A CLATTER STARTLED me awake the next morning. I was certain it was the sound of a gigantic truck crashing into my house, but upon jumping into a sitting position I was surprised to see it was just my mom emptying the dishwasher.

“Morning, boys,” she said after hearing me grumble.

“What time is it?” Alex piped up, rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles.

“Almost two,” my mom replied. “At one point I held my compact over your mouths just to check you were breathing.”

“I need coffee.” My whole body creaked in protest as I stretched my arms above my head. When my mom’s gaze landed on mine I flashed her my best puppy eyes, smiling when she reached into a cupboard and picked out two cups. “Love you, Mom.”

Alex narrowed his eyes, silently chastising me. “Let me help you with that, Mrs. Carter.”

Noticing I still had my shoes on, I kicked them off and flexed my toes. Even they hurt. How much did I actually drink last night? The daylight hitting my pupils felt like someone gouging my eyes out with a rusty spoon, so I closed them while I waited for my coffee fix. Every so often I would smile at the conversation occurring in the kitchen area. I couldn’t hear most of it, and what I did was just random shit about the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy, but I just loved how well my mom and Alex got along. He made her laugh, whereas I tended to piss her off most of the time.

“He tell you I’m buying a bar?” I asked my mom as she perched the tray of coffees on the glass table in front of me.

“A bar of what?”

“An actual bar, Mom. You know, one that serves alcohol.”

“I’m just teasing you, honey. Yes, Alex told me all about it just now. It will be good for you. Give you something to focus on apart from vodka and hussies.”

I thought about objecting but soon realized she was absolutely right. He didn’t say as much, but I think Alex was quite impressed that I remembered our conversation, and that I was still on board. He had to work early today and said he was going to talk to his boss, who was apparently some kind of legend in the club and entertainment industry, about upcoming opportunities. He headed upstairs to get ready for the day after downing his coffee in record time. That’s when my mom told me my cousin Ashley was moving back to LA.

As kids, Ashley and I were inseparable. We went to the same school, hung out with the same friends, and she was also responsible for turning me from geek to god when I hit puberty. If it weren’t for Ashley, I’d probably still be wearing beige slacks and striped polos. But then we grew up. I went on to tour the world with Souls of the Knight and she went on to marry a fucktard called Adam who stopped her wearing skirts above the ankle and managed to fit a quote from the Bible into nearly every freakin’ sentence.

“I’ll never understand why she married him.” He was a moron. “She’s worth so much more.”

“She loves him,” my mom said, shrugging. My Aunt Carol, Ashley’s mom, died when we were fourteen and her dad disappeared before she was born, and so my mom had always been very protective of her. “And I’m sure he loves her too. He has his beliefs and it’s not for us to judge, Matthew.”

“He’s still a jackass,” I muttered under my breath.

“I need to head off,” she said, pretending she hadn’t heard me. I knew she had, however, because of the disapproving scowl on her face. Once it’d softened into a smile, she took both of my hands in hers, like she used to do when I was a boy. “It’s good to see you finally moving on from the band,” she said, her voice sweet and motherly as she squeezed my hands a little tighter. “To see you settling down. Maybe love will follow next, huh? Grandbabies?”