Jimmy has always been what many would consider a "cool dad," though his one and only child never gave him much to be worried or strict about. He and his wife were quite young when they had their daughter. Both still impressionable with a lot to experience in the world.

They raised Goldie to be her own person. To look at the world as though it was her own personal oyster, with delicate pearlescent strength complicatedly mixed with love, living and lucidity in the very middle.

As he looks into the eyes of his daughter, her five-year-old spirit stares back at him. Big, blue puppy dog eyes asking for forgiveness for the mistakes she's not even sure she made. How can he get mad at a face like hers? How can you not get wrapped up in her sweet energy? Get swept away by the innocent rose in her cheeks and untouched view of the world. Harry, Andrew, and just about every person that's ever come into contact with her had been faced with the same dilemma.

"Let's sit down, sweetie." Jimmy points to a chair across the isolated table at the restaurant. Goldie hesitantly takes her chair and Jimmy continues. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Her eyes burn with uncertainty and humility.

"Tell me what's going on, please."

"I don't know what to say... I've been having so much fun on tour. And then you guys showed up. Not that I'm not happy that you guys are here but Andrew seems so different."

"You don't think he could say the same thing about you?" Jimmy's tone is calm. Understanding. The perfect middle man. This had always been his personality. A hippy through-and-through and a true devil's advocate.

Deep lines form on her forehead. White skin wrinkled with worry and confusion. "I wasn't expecting us to both come out on the other side of this exactly the same but he sure has a funny way of showing he's upset with me. I mean this is my job, dad, and he's almost making a mockery of all of this. You should have heard what he told me back upstairs in the room!"

"I'm sure it wasn't something you wanted to hear. But how do you think Andrew feels right now? Fifteen years you two have spent your birthdays together and you didn't even bother to call him back when he wished you a happy birthday?" Jimmy's mustache twitches with slight disappointment in his daughter, though he tries his hardest to hide that emotion from her. He's proud of her when all is said and done. But he worries that the remnants of what once was his daughter will soon disappear.

"What?" Goldie looks down at her clasped, polite hands. A sign of her reversion back to the quiet, polite person she was before she joined the tour with The Orphans. She cracks her knuckles and shakes her tight joints loose when the memory of what Andrew said to her in the room flashes back before her eyes. "I... I really didn't know he called. I swear. I honestly forgot it was even my birthday until the band threw me a party. Apparently Harry picked up when Andrew called and-"

"Ah, yes. Harry. Tell me about this boy." Jimmy leans back, a small gesture showing that he's there to take in all her information.

"I don't know," she hesitates to continue, having never shared such thoughts with her dad before. "I think I really like him? He's just so talented, you know? All the guys are. We've been having so much fun on tour together. I've been experiencing so many things I've never experienced before and I feel like I'm really living for the first time in my life. My heart is racing all the time and I love it. I feel like I'm always bordering on the point of having a panic attack in the best way possible. I'm being pushed to my absolute limits but I know if I were to ever fall, there's going to be someone there to catch me. I'm lost at sea but I see the lighthouse in the distance and I feel... I feel... secure but alive. My thoughts are racing and with every corner I turn, I feel inspired to write something new and real and raw. Harry... The Orphans... their music... they're my muses. Does that make sense? I know I rambled."

The flexes of light blue and gray in her eyes resemble her mother's. He remembers his life on the road. How he likely would have done the same as Harry had an old friend threatened his connection with her mom.

"Aw, darlin'." Jimmy stands and changes to the seat next to her. He brings his daughter in for a hug. Michelle playing in the snow for the first time. Michelle skinning her knee after falling off her first two-wheeled bike. Michelle playing on his drum kit, ten times too big for her small 7-year-old self. Michelle in her faded red corduroy jacket, begging to iron on band patches to the sleeves and finally rebelling and sewing on her own. She always was the best daughter any man could ask for. He understands that she's worth fighting tooth and nail for. "You do what feels right to you, okay? Just don't lose sight of who you are."

"This is all so much though, dad." She pauses. She thinks. She's scared. She's awake. She's dreaming. "It's so fast paced. I feel like I've had hardly any time to catch my breath. And... I..."

"What? What is it?"

"H- h- how do you know when you're in love?" She keeps her eyes locked on the graffitied table, afraid of Jimmy's reaction. But as she expected, he gives the most perfect response.

"On our second date, I told your mom I loved her. It was so soon. None of my other friends had reached that point in their relationships. Shit, I don't even think any of them were in relationships." Jimmy scoffs and takes a sip of his beer to collect his thoughts. "I asked her if it was too soon. Before she even had a chance to answer, I asked her to come on tour with me. Do you know what she said back?"

Goldie smiles. This is a story she never heard. A new look into her parents' lives before her. Jimmy loves her mom, his wife - Lucy - with his entire heart, soul and body. She was his reason for waking up every morning and he's never found anyone like her since the day she left the earth. And he didn't expect to. And he was perfectly okay with that.

"She said 'Love is a friendship set to music.' She smiled and giggled and turned crimson red. Then she said she loved me too." Jimmy wipes away a tear and brings out his wallet, retrieving a photo he's kept with him for always. "We took this picture that night, on the tour bus. You know, so many people go through their lives never experiencing any semblance of a good relationship. I found my true love and experienced so many magical things with her, both on tour and after. The most magical thing being you." He bucks her chin lightly with his fist and cups her jaw, wiping away the small tear that managed to escape her brave eye.

"You never told me that before." Goldie sniffles and attempts to catch her breath.

"You never needed to hear it until now." The corners of Jimmy's mustache turn up to form an adorable smile underneath. "I think you know what's right for you. And I'm not saying you know what was right for you yesterday or what will be right for you tomorrow. You know what's right for you right now. Today. And you gotta face it, with all it's messiness and ugliness and beauty. Because whatever is truly good for you will be a healthy mix of all the negatives and positives. So go for it."

Her dad's arms wrap around her and she feels as though her mom is there too, letting her know she's there for her. Standing by her side through all her ups, her mistakes, her trials, her tribulations.

Jimmy hears the jingling of Goldie's anklet as she disappears into the crowd. All the charms are her reminders of home. Each piece a reminder that she isn't alone and will never be alone.

She charges through droves of people. Middle-aged men sipping on expensive bourbon trying to flirt with young girls. New couples on their first dates. Each person with their own story while Goldie continues her mission to make the best of her own. Call her Ishmael, on her quest to finally conquer Moby Dick. Her insecurities. Her fears.

"Hey, you." She taps on Harry's shoulder. His hot skin presses against his cold, white button down shirt.

Harry turns toward her and before he has a chance to ask her what happened with Jimmy, her lips crash into his for all the world to see. She no longer wants to hide what they have. No longer does she want to feel ashamed of their connection. Her toes are placed at the very edge of the cliff and she finally jumps. The wind blows in her hair. "Paperback Writer" loops in her head as she plummets. The sensation of being stoned rushes through her blood once again, having smoked absolutely nothing. The feeling of cold mud brushes against her face. The taste of an ice cold cherry popsicle fills her mouth. And at the very end of her journey is Harry's arms, ready to catch her.

His fingertips crinkle the bottom of her shirt, laying softly atop the small of her back. He feels the indentation of her spine and the smoothness of her skin. What he would give to rip the thin fabric off her right then and there, yet the small bit of gentleman that she brought out restrains his lustful grasp.

"What was that for?" Harry keeps her close, bringing her in for a small peck before looking at her again.

"Call it a sudden burst of inspiration." Goldie smiles at him. She adores him, with all his complicated behavior and damaged history.

She brushes the back of his long hair, scratching her fingernails against his scalp. She presses her forehead against his as they breathe each other in. All their nuances transfer from one another. All their faults. All their idiosyncrasies. They accept one another for who they are. He is hers now. And she is his.

"Can we do that again?" Harry asks, smiling against her rosied cheek.

* * *

Authors note: We hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Goldie! And of course, happy holidays and a very happy new year to all of you beautiful people! We've had a hard time writing since we were traveling during the holidays, but now that we're in the same timezone again, we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the new year than to sit down and write together.

We also wanted to share the shirts we made as a Christmas gift to ourselves. They got delivered last week and they turned out so well. We couldn't be more excited!