One Song Away Read Free Page A

perfume surrounds me. She’s squeezing me as tight as she can, but I can’t bear to pull away from her. My big brother is away at school, so she hasn’t been able to do enough mothering.
    “Hi Mama.” Her expression is adorable, but I shake my head at the sight of the tears in her blue eyes. “Don’t start.” I blink rapidly to keep my own tears at bay. “You’ll have me crying, too.”
    “I’m sorry, Sophie,” she says. She lets out the hiccup-snuffle thing she does when she’s trying not to cry and then laughs. “They’re good tears, though! I’m just so happy you’re home, I haven’t been able to sit still all day, and—”
    “I can tell,” I say, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Take a breath, Mama. I’m happy to be home, too. Now that I’m here, we’ll have loads of time to catch up and talk.”
    She nods, her face coloring slightly, and then takes a long look at me. It’s as if she’s seeing me for the first time. I wonder what she thinks of the nose ring—it’s new since she saw me last. She examines everything, but I don’t feel judged. My parents have always been supportive, even though I know I’m not exactly who they thought I’d be. Each of us Wright siblings has a different role.
    Wesley is the solid, steady-as-an-oak-tree one. Cassidy is the good girl. Without trying, I became the rebellious middle child. I’ve never pushed the limits too far, but it’s always gone unsaid that I’m going to make my own path. It’s why they encouraged my move to Nash, even though they wanted me to go to college like Wesley did.
    I never minded the looks I got growing up when I did something outrageous, which was as often as I thought I could get away with it. I was a big fish in a small pond. In Nashville, it was the other way around, and ironically, I learned about real bravery while I lived there. Not just bravado to hide behind, like I did as a teen. Now that I’m home, I feel like I need to wrap all my newfound courage around myself to find my place here.
    “Well?”
    Her dimples appear. “My wild child.” She says the words in a way that makes them feel like a hug. I know she isn’t as okay with my life as she tries to be. She doesn’t like my tattoos, and she continually fretted over the crime rates in Nashville. She’s never held me back, but her biggest dream is for me to make a life here.
    While there’s nothing wrong with her hopes, I’ve always dreamed a lot bigger than she does. I never wanted to get married just because it felt like the only option. I’ve always longed for adventure, but I also want my parents to approve of me. I pushed their limits growing up, and now that I’m an adult, I want their respect, but I can’t stop being me.
    Impulsively, I twirl in a circle. My mom laughs, a sound that conjures family dinners around the table, Christmases with my extended family, hide-and-seek outside until the porch light flashed, and a half dozen other firefly-bright memories.
    “Come on. Let’s get a few of your things inside.” She starts toward my car. I cringe because I’m legitimately worried my mountain of boxes might collapse if she tugs the wrong one out of it, so I hurry over to help her. Just as I spot one I deem safe to remove, a roar fills my ears. Mama lets out a shriek. I follow her gaze and gape at the red Mustang pulling into the driveway. It’s a 1972 model, and I think my brother might actually love it more than he does any of us.
    The engine goes silent as I take a step toward the car, but I’m barely halfway there before my brother covers the space between us. He sweeps me off my feet and into a hug; I leave the ground but I feel safe with him. He spins me without any effort at all, which is comforting considering I’m a good twenty pounds heavier than I was the last time we saw each other. Damn break-up. Damn Ben & Jerry’s.
    “Wes,” I say, laughing, “put me down!”
    He obliges, setting me down carefully. His green eyes meet my blue