Finally, they were going into the studio. Dan had found a producer he trusted to produce Reckless Disregard’s first album which they wanted to entitle, “Civil Disobedience”. They spent months trying to agree on a symbol that represented them. Their father’s had “The Guy”, they needed a symbol or a mascot. They decided on something simple. It was a “Do Not” symbol with horns. It just seemed to fit.
Over the three month wait to get into the studio, Lauren had booked them several gigs. They felt like they were starting to get somewhere. They spent the mini tour spreading the word to their fans that their first album would be coming out shortly and to keep their eyes peeled and their ears to the ground.
During an after party, Jordan met the young woman that would change her life forever. The girl’s name was Sasha and she was everything that Jordan had ever thought she wanted. She had long flowing black hair, light blue eyes, and flawless skin that looked carved of porcelain. They started talking at the party and ended up in one of the back rooms at the Lauren’s little house where the party was being held. Jordan told her that it was her first time, and Sasha took good care of her. Jordan went home with a monster smile on her face and Sasha’s number.
The day before they went into the studio, Malachai took Amanda to the doctor. She was now almost eight months pregnant. Dr. Jefferies ordered bed rest, stating that she was pushing herself far too hard. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to end up in the hospital in preterm labor. You need to take it slow.”
When they got home, Amanda spoke to her mother in law about the doctor’s orders. “I can’t sit still all day, Mom”, she complained.
“Sweetie, I know. I was the same way with all of my pregnancies. Malachai, Maddie, and Jacob and Jordan. I hated to sit down all day. My midwife when I was pregnant with the twins was always on my ass to stay in bed and not to move around too much. David joined her in the ass chewing. Finally, when I was seven months pregnant, I almost went into labor and that’s when it sank in that I needed to slow the fuck down and I did. I went two months sitting on my ass in my bedroom, David rarely leaving my side except to get me something to eat and drink and to check to see if Malachai was listening to his Aunties and Uncles. Well, the day I went into labor with Jake and Jordan I was getting a much needed shower when I started contracting. As I was stepping out, my water broke. I screamed as loud as I could to get David’s attention and he of course came running.”
“What did he do when it was time to deliver?”
“I had a water birth with them so he was right there in the tub with me. He got into the tub and sat down, then I was carefully lowered into the tub by Mike and the midwife.”
“So he was right there the entire time?”
“Yeah. He wouldn’t have left me if I told him to. He had it in his head that he was going to be there with me while I gave his children life and that was final.”
“Do you think that Malachai will be the same way?”
“If he’s anything like his Dad he will be.”
“I know he’s going into the studio tomorrow. What am I supposed to do?”
“Why don’t you two stay in here tonight so that there will be someone with you while he’s out of the house?”
“You’d let us do that? I thought that the whole idea behind giving us the guest house out back was to get us out of the house but keep us nearby.”
“Um, no. The point was to give you two your own space to call your own and enough room to start your family in. Of course we want you nearby because those are our grandchildren. Did we want you out of the house? Not really. Did we want you to have space of your own where the kids can learn to crawl and shit like that? Yes.”
Tears flooded Amanda’s eyes as she reached out and hugged her mother in law. “Thank you, Mom. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Brie smiled. “Honey, I bet you I can guess.”
--------------
Things between Jordan and Sasha were serious. They spent a lot of time on the phone talking to each other. Brie and David were happy to see their daughter happy. “It’s good that she’s found a girlfriend”, Brie said.
“I agree, but how long is it going to last?” David said. Jordan was his little girl, no matter how old she got. Of course he was skeptical.
Brie laughed. “Would you be like this if it were a boy named Scott she were seeing instead of a girl named Sasha?”
“Yes, by God. I would be.”
“And what about when Jacob decided that he wants to start seeing a girl?”
He shrugged. “I can’t be sure. How was I when Malachai started dating?”
“Relaxed as hell.”
“Oh yeah. Oops.”
“So, you’re going to carry the double standard that every father carries? It’s ok for your sons to date but it’s not okay for your daughters to without waving around a firearm?”
He laughed. “I supposed I am. I hadn’t really put any thought behind it. It’s just instinct, you know?”
Brie laughed loudly. “If I can let my boys date, you can let your girls date and not wave around the shot gun.”
“I don’t see that happening.”
“And I’m not surprised.”
--------------
The day they went into the studio, the first stage of production went smoothly. They got all of the music laid down without any problems. All of the guitar parts, the bass parts, the drum parts, even the piano parts for the songs that had them were all laid down within that first week.
Week two rolled around and it was vocal time. The first day of tracking vocals was nothing. Jordan was in rare form, nailing the vocals with little effort.
Day two of recording was hell. The night before, David’s worst fear came true. Sasha was only in the relationship because of Jordan’s rising fame. She was a groupie and nothing else. Jordan was heartbroken. She spent the entire night crying to her parents about how much it sucked to, “have a bitch leave you because you’re only a local celebrity.” Jordan spent the entire night crying on her father’s shoulder. “Why do break ups have to hurt so fucking bad, Daddy?” she sobbed.
“I wish I could tell you, honey. I guess that’s why it’s called heart break. When someone you care about leaves you, it feels like they’re taking a piece of your heart with them.”
“Well, it sucks.” She sniffled. “Dad, can I ask you a question?”
“Other than the one you just asked me?”
“Yeah, smart ass.”
He laughed. “Go on ahead, Jordan. You should know by now that you can talk me about anything.”
“How have you and Mom survived all this time? I mean, you’re been together for almost sixteen years. How have you done it?”
“We love each other, honey. You know how you complain when Mom and I start kissing and stuff like that with you in the room?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s doing stuff like that and picking on each other- things like that- that keeps things interesting.”
“How did you know that Mom was the one?”
“I knew…” he paused. “You know the REAL story of how your mother and I got together, right?”
“Yes, Dad. I know about the assassination attempt on Mom and the subsequent papers that made her your wife.”
He laughed. “I forget how much of the truth you kids actually know.” He sighed. “Ok, so, I knew the moment she was in my arms asleep and she had a dream about something happening to me and she told me she loved me in the dream. When she woke up she told me that in the dream she meant it.”
“And her professing her love for you in a dream told you that she was IT for you. The last woman you’d ever want?”
“No, actually, years of screwing countless groupies and watching countless women who I was honest to GOD committed to walk out on me told me what I was looking for and helped me decipher that. You mother just fit that description. I need someone who’s just as strong willed as I am and isn’t afraid to tell me that I’m being a jack ass. I need someone who inspires me and keeps me grounded. You mother is the definition of all of that.”
“What made you want to have children with her?”
“Honestly, Jordan, you and Jacob were a bit of a shock to both of us. We weren’t planning on either of you let alone both of you. You Mom had been sick off and on, getting dizzy during the day and shit like that. She’d gone to the grocery store and decided to buy a pregnancy test and took it at the store. It came back positive. When she told me, I was stunned at first. But, after I could stand again I told her that I loved her so how could I not love that we were having a child together.”
“I never knew that.”
“The things you learn when you talk to your parents, huh?” he laughed.
“Yeah, that’s true. Was Maddie as big a surprise?”
“Yes and no. We’d been trying to get pregnant again when your Mom got pregnant with Maddie, but you mom swore she was having a boy. I knew that Maddie was a girl and not a Matthew.”
“You were going to name a boy after Uncle Matt, weren’t you?”
“And we did. We just reversed his name for James.”
“Really? James is Uncle Matt reversed?”
“Yeah. Your brother is James Matthew and your Uncle was Matthew James.”
“Cool.” She took a moment to think. “So, Daddy, what should I do?”
“What do you mean?”
“About relationships?”
He laughed. “You know, sweetie, I’m going to suggest something I’ve done myself, but I wasn’t aware that I was doing it.”
“What’s that?”
“You know how Sasha was just a groupie?”
“Yeah.”
He took in a deep breath, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “Well, instead of trying to put yourself out there and have relationships, why don’t you try just screwing the groupies for a while until you figure out what it is that you’re looking for in a girlfriend?”
She sat up and looked at her father. “Are you serious?”
“Jordan, I know you’re not a virgin anymore and that your first was Sasha. I’m not stupid. And, as long as you take the proper precautions then you should be fine. Just don’t put your heart out there until you’re sure you’re ready to have it broken a few times.”
“How many times have you had YOUR heart broken, Dad?”
“More times than I care to count.”
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Spending his days away from his fiancée was taking its toll on Malachai. He missed her more and more every day. He wished he could get her out of the house and bring her to the studio with him but he couldn’t. The doctor put her on bed rest and that’s where he wanted her to stay. He knew that she was being taken care of because his parents were there to keep their eyes on her. They didn’t want any ill to befall their grandchildren.
Mandy was having trouble keeping the doctor’s orders. She hated sitting on her ass all day and not being able to get up and help her mother and father in law clean and tend to the younger children when they were home from school. This sitting around on my ass is going to be the death of me, I swear, she thought to herself as she sat and watched a movie on the 72” LCD flat screen in her in law’s living room. She was going crazy. She was more than ready to have these babies.
She and Malachai had agreed that they would name their children Isaiah David and Miranda Jayde. When Maddie heard this, she threw a fit. “I don’t want to share my middle name with anyone”, she said.
“Get over it, Madison”, her mother said. “I’m sure that you’ll live sharing your middle name and your initials with your niece. It won’t kill you.”
“But, Mama…”
“Keep that ‘But, Mama’ mess to yourself, Maddie. I don’t want to hear it. You’re eleven years old. Act it.”
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