Chapter 21
Twenty-One
DEREK
“Happy fourth of July, Nashville!” I say as I grab a red solo cup from near Tyler’s kit and raise it to my lips. The crowd imitates the move. “Love this city. Thanks for coming out in the heat to celebrate our nation’s birthday.” There’s a roar of excitement. From up here, the endless sea of bodies undulates like one giant colorful wave.
“We used to dream about making it big. I thought we’d hit big time when we played up and down these bars.” I point in the general direction of Broadway and name some of the places who were great to us. “Did you know those bands play for free? Whatever was in the tip bucket was what we could spend on food the next day.”
“Or whiskey,” Charlie cuts in and the crowd laughs.
“There’s some real talented people playing those bars, and if you agree, I hope you tip them. They need it. We fucking did.” I strum the opening chords of a song that’s not ours. “How about we go back to those days, guys?” I look back at Charlie and Tyler. “Not the days of not eating, but heck, we covered everything from Haggard to Dolly to Blake and Luke back then.”
My eyes slide past Tyler to the beautiful woman in a Muddy Boots ribbed tank, cut off shorts, and white boots with fringe. Fuck me. My cock doesn’t care that it’s in front of hundreds of thousands of fans. I growl, and fuck, I hope they didn’t hear it.
“Hey, Tyler,” I say and Tyler answers with a tap tap tap thump on his drums. “Wanna do a cover?”
Charlie plucks a few notes adding to our playful banter.
“Can’t do it alone.” I walk toward Emily and extend my hand. Our fingers find each other and intertwine. “Good thing I brought a friend.”
I let my eyes roam over her sexy little body before I lead us to the front of the stage.
If she’s nervous, she’s not showing it.
The sun finishes its descent, and the yellow, red, blue, and orange lights from the bar signs frame the crowd. Despite the heat, it’s a perfect night. I squeeze Emily’s hand in mine.
I hand Emily a microphone. “This is Emily.” The crowd cheers. I make a big deal of looking between the crowd and Emily.
“I think they know who you are,” I tease proving my point from earlier. I pull Emily toward the edge of the stage, “You’ve heard her sing?”
They’re loud, and they know who she is. Emily waves at everyone.
“I think they want us to sing something. What do you think, Emily?”
She grips the microphone with both hands and turns to me. “Why don’t we let them choose?”
We agreed on this plan earlier. We have a ton of songs we covered back in our days, but it’s fun to get the crowd wondering if we’ll pull this off.
“Wait, wait, wait.” I face Emily. “What if we don’t know the song?”
Emily swings an arm wide, and her hand lands on her cocked hip. “Mr. Country Star, you don’t know allll the songs that have ever graced the country charts? You claimed you could play Dolly, Haggard, Blake, and Luke.”
Tyler answers with a ba-dum-bum-tss .
“Okay, fine, Ms. Emily. Let’s ask the crowd.” Before I finish, song titles are called out, but we can only make out the loudest.
I spot a couple of guys close to the stage and motion for one of the security guys to walk over to them.
“Y’all having fun?” I ask them.
They nod, and high five each other.
“Where you from?”
They yell something out, but we can’t hear anything. The security guard repeats it and Emily says, “Fort Campbell. These are some fine American soldiers, and I’ll sing whatever they want to hear.”
That makes the guys jump with enthusiasm and they start yelling out songs. This time I catch the name of a fun one. It’s not a duet, but we love the Brad Paisley song.
“Can you all cheer for these soldiers and all our service members taking care of us at home and overseas?” I say.
The crowd’s response is thunderous. Emily covers her heart as I peck her cheek. “Words aren’t enough to thank you for your sacrifice.”
The shine in her eyes and unrestrained smile leave me gasping for air.
Tyler and Charlie play the opening notes to “American Saturday Night.” I sing the first stanza, and Emily joins during the chorus. We alternate, singing and strutting to opposite sides of the stage, and come back together for the finish. We sing “Islands in the Stream” next. The audience moves with the song, waving their arms over their heads.
My eyes follow Emily as she walks off stage to the crowd chanting her name. I fight the urge to run after her. To beg her to finish the set with me. She belongs on stage like peanut butter belongs with bread and jam. Like peas and carrots. And like a dog in a house. Like we belong on the stage, and as a family. The certainty stays with me until I end the show with this year’s hits.
The energized crowd roars their support when Charlie, Tyler, and I leave the stage .
“I knew you were the right choice,” Bailey says and yanks Charlie into an open-mouth kiss.
Whoa. Yeah, it’s not my business.
“You boys were fabulous,” Bailey says after she finishes mauling Charlie’s mouth. “She’s adorable. You should convince her to take my offer.”
I ain’t fretting about her accepting Bailey’s offer. She’s stubborn enough to not take mine. I stand a little closer to Bailey, and if Aiden were around, he’d remind me she’s a bigger influence in this town than me, and he’d send me for a long walk on a short pier for saying, “If she chooses this life, it’s with us.”
Before deciding, I should ask Charlie and Tyler for their opinion. But fuck it. I want Emily.
I walk past the two lovers, not waiting for a response and search for my baby mama with a voice that surpasses half the singers in this business, wearing a curve-hugging tank top, daisy dukes, and fringed boots that would look better upside down.
Tyler catches up to me. “Do you think Emily wants this?”
“Did you hear them? Did you see the smile?” It’s not the one on her lips I recall, but the shine in her eyes I picture. I’m smart enough to let Emily decide on her own, but if she craves this life, I’ll have her at my side at every damn show.
“Is it the best decision for your family?” Tyler’s jaw ticks.
I halt and face him. “Say your piece about her and be done.”
Tyler steps back with his open palms in the air, and his sticks twined between his fingers. “I don’t know if things will be different for you two this time, but it’s a family and life on the road I’m asking about. Is that what you want? Can you have both?”
I shut my eyes, inhale deeply, and open them. “I don’t know. But it’s worth trying.”
Tyler purses his lips. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”
Breakfast? He stalks off and I call after him. “What breakfast?”
“Hey.” Emily wraps her arms around my waist and rests her chin on my chest. “That looked intense.”
I grip her hips and draw the rest of her body up against mine. I peck her soft lips. “You were incredible.”
A blush appears on the tops of her cheeks. “It reminded me of the fairs we used to play. This is rowdier.”
“Hey, pretty lady. You rocked it. I think we need to fire this guy.” Charlie appears and points his thumb at me.
“Where’s Bailey?” I ask.
He grins. “Gettin’ ready.”
“I’m not gonna say it.” My best friend is legendary for ignoring the rule of think before you act.
“Oh, but you did,” Charlie says with zero resentment in his voice. “She’s a lot to handle. And I got it.”
I nod.
“I saw that kiss,” Emily teases.
“I see this.” Charlie wiggles his brows. “I have to ask you to make me the best man and not Tyler.”
I choke and Emily rolls her eyes. “You can be my maid of honor.”
Charlie hooks his thumbs in his pockets and gallops. “I’d be honored.”
A piercing screech makes my heart stutter. Did one of Bailey’s guys turn on a mic in front of a speaker? Wait, that was in my head. Is Emily thinking about marriage?
Pushing aside the topic, I ask Charlie, “What’s with breakfast?”
“Mandatory. About the tour or some shit.”
My plan to ask Emily to stay at my place tonight does not involve me waking up early for a meeting with the guys. It’s not like we’re heading to bed early tonight. Fireworks aren’t until the end of Bailey’s set. I’m responsible for Emily’s five-star tour of the city. I have a list and schedule including touring the Opry, lunch at the hot chicken sandwich spot with a rockin’ cocktail, and crashing a bachelorette party on a pedal tavern. It also includes driving through some very livable neighborhoods and visiting schools. We have to finish all that before we fly back the morning of the sixth. I’ll tell Aiden I can give him thirty minutes, and if he doesn’t end it by then, I’m gone.
I’m supposed to sell Emily the city, and introduce her to her favorite artists. Earlier, Aiden shared the guest list with me of who will be at the rooftop party, and there are a few she can’t miss. But my mind contemplates slipping away with Emily to watch the fireworks in a quieter place.
While we ride to the top, I check my phone and read Aiden’s message of where to meet tomorrow. I ask Charlie where Tyler went, since we didn’t see him on the way here. Charlie shrugs his shoulder.
When the elevator doors open at the roof, the volume of hundreds of voices mixes with the throb of Big and Rich’s “Save a Horse ” and bodies crammed within a whisper of each other. Anyone who moves is bound to knock a drink out of someone’s hand or get cursed at or both. As soon as we step out, Charlie disappears into the crowd.
Emily starts to follow Charlie, but I catch her hand. She turns around with a slight curve of her lips and tilts her head. It must be the heat, the people, and the loud as fuck country coming through the sound system, because my head spins, and I’m out of air.
“Are you okay?” Emily asks.
“Ya, want to get out of here?” I pull her into an empty alcove.
Emily smirks like she knows what I’m thinking.
I shake my head, letting reason take over. “I have to say hello to a few people and then we can go.”
“Can we go back to your place and do more of what we did this morning?” The little vixen blinks a few times .
I tuck her into me and tilt my head until our noses almost touch. Her warm puffs of air and berry scent fog my mind. She rises on her toes and loops her arms around my neck. I grip her chin, opening her pretty mouth, and slide my tongue against hers in a sensual caress. My body shivers at the contact with her wet velvet heat. I growl into her, and she vibrates with a moan I swallow. I cup her ass and grind her hips into me. Her breasts flatten against my hard chest. Our movements turn frantic, as if both of us have flipped a switch. We invade each other’s space. She curls her fingers into my hair and tugs on the short strands. The combination of pain and pleasure shoots straight to my dick. My eager hands run down her back, over her ass and thighs, and back up.
I break us off with a pop. “Anything you want, angel.”
We return to the party, and I spot Aiden. Lucky for me, he’s talking to two label directors who I have to greet and a guy I don’t recognize.
“Hey, Derek.” I barely hear Aiden as he waves me over.
I greet the suits and Aiden and introduce Emily. They compliment her on her performance. My chest puffs up. I squeeze her into me.
“Easy,” Aiden chuckles. “I want to introduce you to Rip Frazier.” The man on Aiden’s left, about my age, definitely not a suit, extends his hand. “We’ve been watching Rip for a while, and he’s the next Tommy Lee. But with a country twist. I’ll send you some footage.”
Since we’ve hit number ones consistently, we’re approached by folks, like us, who are thirsty for a deal or a sign their talent is worth the struggle. It happens at shows, during meals, at random places, but it’s never happened through Aiden.
“Congratulations. You sign a deal?” I ask.
“Not yet.” He glances at Aiden who gives a curt nod. “I play and can add vocals. The guys I played with headed home and got jobs.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t ready to give up. Been filling in. Got lucky someone heard me.”
“You’ll like what you hear,” Aiden tells me. Then he looks at Emily. “The crowd out there loved you. Have you thought about Bailey or Jax's offer?”
“Thank you,” Emily says, and I bury my fingers into her hip. “This life isn’t for me. I have a job waiting for me when I get home.”
She gives Rip a cheeky smile.
“No offense,” Rip says.
“Hope you find the right band soon,” Emily says.
Rip and Aiden exchange a look. I have Emily in my arms and don’t have time to figure out my manager’s plans.
“Anyone else you want me to meet or greet? We want to get out of here,” I ask Aiden. And maybe I’m an ass, but I’m no longer looking for Emily to meet other artists.
“And miss the fireworks?” Aiden says with a smirk.
I could say something stupid about fireworks happening at my place, but I’d rather spend the energy finding us a way home.
Tonight, I’ll get to have Emily again. And I’ll make sure she knows this is our last first time together.