Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“I don’t think so,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
I hadn’t yet divulged everything about the new album. “I’m a little worried that you might take issue with one of the songs I wrote. It was a new addition that I completed back in Shady Hills. It’s actually my favorite song out of all of the ones we recorded.”
“Why would I take issue with it?”
I grabbed my phone and pulled up the album cover, which we’d just gotten the final version of.
Her mouth dropped open. The album title? Horny, Gap-Toothed Little Minx
EPILOGUE
EMILY
Tristan sat next to me as we opened a large manila envelope containing an early copy of the magazine.
On the cover was my beautiful boyfriend, looking deliciously sexy, tousled hair framing his chiseled face in that signature way. Tats peeked out from beneath his sleeves. His fingers, adorned as usual with chunky rings, held the neck of a shiny, electric guitar slung over his shoulder. Neon lights cast a seductive glow behind him. Tristan’s eyes smoldered, sure to hold the attention of anyone who happened upon this cover.
“If you weren’t my boyfriend, I swear I’d pleasure myself to this cover tonight. I still might.”
“I might have to watch while you do.” He winked.
Tristan was this month’s cover story in one of the biggest music publications in the world. They’d done a feature article on him in honor of Delirious Jones’s new album. It had been two years now since the release of Horny, Gap-Toothed Little Minx, which had topped the charts.
While the cover of this magazine was stunning, the headline took my breath away. “Oh my God. I just got chills,” I said, looking down at the words.
The Rocker’s Muse: How the Son Tristan Daltrey Never Knew Inspired Delirious Jones’s New Album
Someone in L.A. had overnighted an early copy of the magazine to our house in Shady Hills. Tristan had purchased a home here about a year ago. It was a place for us to stay when we came back and visited my mother and the Mahoneys, but also when we wanted to escape the city. We’d actually driven out here this time, as we planned to stay for several weeks and had brought our new dog and Bertha the rabbit with us. We’d recently adopted an Otterhound named Rusty.
“Let’s take this out back,” Tristan suggested.
We brought the magazine to our backyard swing, where we sat in the morning sunshine and read the article together.
The piece started out by briefly explaining how Tristan had found out about Jacob—or at least the way he’d led the reporter to believe it happened. The press had not yet gotten wind of the fact that I’d dated Tristan’s son. We’d managed to dodge that bullet. They only knew me as Tristan’s girlfriend and the inspiration for “Horny, Gap-Toothed Little Minx.” The article explained that his son’s diaries were found posthumously, and that through them the adoptive family discovered Jacob had found out who his father was.
I looked up at him. “It’s pretty amazing that no one’s outed my history with Jacob. Not even Nazarene nor Ethan. There are lots of people he and I went to high school with who must’ve figured out the connection, too.”
Tristan shrugged. “If they figure it out, I’ll deal with it. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done in this life, least of all loving you. I have nothing to hide.”
“You’re right. Let them find out. We’re strong enough to handle it.”
“The only opinion I give a shit about is Jacob’s,” he said. “And I’ll never get that, so…”
I curled into his chest as we continued reading. In the article, Tristan described how Jacob inspired and even contributed to his latest album, with Tristan giving him songwriting credits.
I’ve spent the past couple of years trying to figure out how best to honor my son’s memory. I came to the conclusion that there was no better way than to make his dream of becoming a songwriter come true. His dream became my dream. I’ve focused all my energy on turning his lyrics into songs. The passion within me has been unprecedented. Jacob has truly been my muse; thus, the title of the album.
The piece went on to point out that critics were calling Delirious Jones’s latest album their best work yet.
The Rocker’s Muse showcases the band’s evolution while staying true to their modern grunge roots. From beginning to end, the album is a masterpiece of hard-hitting riffs, introspective lyrics, and Tristan Daltrey’s signature vocals. The opening track, “Interrupted,” draws you in with its bone-chilling melody. Each song is expertly crafted, with standout tracks like “Shady Hills” and “Come Back to Me” demonstrating the band’s knack for combining catchy hooks with the deeper, emotional themes undoubtedly driven by Daltrey’s own loss. The Rocker’s Muse is a powerful reminder of why the band remains a formidable force in modern rock music.