Another Cold State Line

Julianna stared at each man like they were her horse. Already, I could see how much love my little girl had for these men that she had never met. Her eyes were lit up as she hugged each of her uncles. And it was like she had a magical touch. Those men instantly relaxed from her touch, and I could tell they all fell in love with her right then and there too.

“I want to know about each of you,” she said and raised her arms so her father could hold her.

Those hazel eyes connected with the ones that matched his. So much love radiated between the two of them. They were so happy to be with each other, and it was obvious in the way that they interacted. I never regretted not telling Matt about Julianna, not until now. Seeing those two together meant the entire world to me. Did that make me a bad mother?

The four men followed behind their singer as he took them to my back porch. My house wasn’t huge, as Julianna and I didn’t need much space. But we both loved the outdoors. So when I had bought this house, all I thought about was the space for my cattle and space for her to play. The porch was one of her favorite places to read. She was already such a smart little girl.

Matt sat down in the rocking chair and placed his baby girl on his lap. The other guys all sat around the big, round table that Julianna had insisted I buy. I stood in the doorway and watched. This wasn’t something I needed to jump into. This was about my little one learning about the important people in her life.

“What do you want to know Julianna?” Matt asked her as he smoothed down some of her hair.

“I want to know about my uncles and how you all met.” She smiled at them and I saw each of them gasp a little as they saw her dimples. Just as I had been five years ago, they were mesmerized by how much she looked like her father. She only had my hair and my face. Everything else was Matt. She was smart as a whip too, just like him.

Johnny smiled and was the first to speak. That surprised me a little bit. Johnny was the guy who always goofed off and pranked people, at least he had been years ago. It made me happy to see that he had found his place in the band and wasn’t just the baby anymore.

“Well, I met these guys years and years ago. They’re four years older than me, so they were already in high school by the time I started following them around.” He laughed and brushed a hand over his mohawk. “They were creating a band and already had a bassist, but I would stop by Matt’s garage and just listen to them.

“When I was about sixteen, they left the Huntington Beach area to go on some tours. Their bassist left and they picked me up because I had skills they didn’t believe. We’ve been friends ever since. I dropped out of high school to play with them… but don’t do that, Jay. You go through and get your degree and decide what to do from them.”

I smiled that Johnny had nicknamed her already. Jay was fitting for those two. My little one smiled and turned to the next uncle in her path. I knew Brian was already in my court. He understood, to an extent, what I had gone through. I’m sure his wife had a lot to play into that.

“We all met in high school. My best friend was your Uncle Jimmy. He was a crazy dude who introduced me to Zach and Matt and the friendship just grew from there. We did a lot of stupid stuff in high school, but the one thing that really bonded our stupidity was our music.

“I came in a little after their first album. They need a new guitarist, and I always shied away because Jimmy and I had our own thing going on. But that crazy guy convinced me to join this budding band, and I am so thankful he did.” He smiled at her, and my little girl flashed him her dimples.

Zacky stared at her for a bit. Out of all of the guys, I had expected him to be the most loving, but it seemed like he hated me right now. I could understand that. I had abandoned his best friend, and I hadn’t told any of them about this beautiful girl. It made sense that he hated me a little bit.

“Same as the others, little one. We all met in high school. Your father and I started a punk band called Successful Failure and it was that. We kept playing and together, we birthed Avenged Sevenfold. You cannot listen to our music until you are older.” He laughed and those green eyes flashed, and I knew she had won him over.

“But I don’t want to talk about me. Brian mentioned Uncle Jimmy, and I think that’s who we need to talk about. Uncle Jimmy was the glue that kept this band together for quite a few years. He was our crazy, funny, out there guy. If you needed a hug or a laugh, he was the one you wanted on your side.

“We all loved him, and I knew he would have loved you. Jimmy was our drummer, and the best man to everyone. He died a few years ago, and we still miss him dearly. Julianna, what’s your middle name?”
She looked at me, and I nodded to encourage her. Not even Matt knew what her middle name was, but I wanted them all to know. Jimmy had been on my mind when I thought of my baby girl.

“Mommy named me Julianna James.” She looked back at her father who had tears in his eyes. “I didn’t know it was after Uncle Jimmy though.”

Matt turned to me and mouthed a thank you. I think that little gift helped put me back in their good graces.

Notes

Hey guys. I know I have been away for way too long. I wish I had better reasons than what they are. The last few months have been awful to me. I was in and out of the ER with a kidney infection that had been misdiagnosed as a UTI. My nana passed (we expected it) but it's still weird to think I have no grandparents left. I have had to file 2 police reports this past weekend because men are awful sometimes. But, I am back... tentatively, and I will be updating much more frequently.