The Publicity Stunt

13. Chapter Twelve

”Well?” Bri asks, her stomach fluttering with Kace sitting in her hotel room.

He”d said her moan was the sexiest sound she can make, and every part of her wishes he”d be the one to make her moan like that. And not with food. The moment he tells her he”s completely over Sasha, she”s his. Whatever he wants, she”ll do.

”That was... better than Texas BBQ,” Kace says, his hand over his chest like he”d just plunged a knife into it. ”I can”t believe those words came out of my mouth. They”ll never let me back into the state.”

She laughs. ”It”s my favorite place to eat when I come out here, which isn”t very often. I suppose that makes it a little more special. But the owner came from Texas, if that helps any.”

Leaning back on the sofa, he sighs. ”That does, actually. I don”t feel like a total traitor now.”

”Thank you for bringing it. The chicken and veggies I”d planned to eat just didn”t sound appetizing.”

”So, what”s wrong with Tessa?”

”Excuse me?”

He rolls his eyes. ”I”m a dude, but I know when a girl has been crying. That girl was crying tonight.”

Sighing, she folds her legs underneath her. ”Okay, but you can”t say anything.”

”Cross my heart.”

A smile spreads across her face as he marks an X on his chest. ”Trevor dumped her.”

”Why is that such a secret?”

”Because it was the tipping point of her breakdown. She dated a loser named Mark, which came after a string of other losers, and I never liked him. Any of them, really. Except Trevor. He seemed decent. But anyway, she thought she was in love with Mark, and maybe she was. I don”t know. Mark convinced her to help him take out a loan, and she still won”t tell me what it was for. He spent the money on whatever, and then he disappeared, leaving her to pay it all back.”

His eyebrows raise. ”What a douche.”

”I knew about all that, but she never told me how much the loan was. Then she started dating Trevor, and it sounded like a match made in heaven. She banked on a bonus from work, and she took out another loan, this time not from a bank, to get him some extravagant present. Which means there were hefty interest rates.”

”She didn”t get the bonus, did she?”

”She got fired. Then her car got repossessed, followed by getting evicted.”

Blowing air out, he shakes his head. ”That sucks.”

”She”s the one who woke me up when I missed getting up and ready for your game, which I”m really sorry about, by the way. I meant to take a quick nap, but it turned into multiple hours. And when Tessa called, she was sobbing. When she showed up here, I knew it was bad. It”s also the only time she”s ever asked for help financially.”

”Are you helping her?”

Bracing herself for his opinions, she nods. ”I”m covering the debt and taking her on tour with me while she mends her broken heart. We”ll figure out the next steps. Don”t...”

”Don”t what?”

”She wanted to work off as much as she could on the tour as another assistant or gofer or whatever I needed her to do, and then she”d find another job to pay whatever was left back.”

”It”s a lot of money?”

Bri looks at the wall. ”Depends on who you ask. But it”s not a small amount her parents could help her out with.”

”How long have you known her? Ten years?”

”Fifteen.”

”Bri-”

”Look, I know what everyone”s opinion is, but Tessa”s not like everyone else. She fights me whenever I want to pay for things, and she does what she can to spoil me. She”s always there when I need her, and she never wants me to feel like she”s here for anything other than me.”

Kace licks his lips when she looks back at him and nods. ”Okay.”

”Look, it”s not easy being my best friend,” she says, her voice quiet, and she lowers her eyes. ”Most people think it would be glamorous and fun, and sometimes, sure, it is. But most of the time, it”s terrible. Cameras always end up in your face. People try to use you to get dirt on me to publicize. And once people know you”re close to me, all your privacy goes out the window, almost as much as mine does. But she has never once complained. And she”s always there for me. Always.”

”Bri, look at me.”

She does, and he takes her hand. ”If this is what you think you need to do, I”m not going to argue or fight you. It”s your life, and I just wanted to make sure you were sure. You mentioned how you have a hard time trusting people.”

”I trust her with my life. She could have sold me out and made thousands ten times over, but she never has. Not once. And she never asks for help outside of what you”d expect from normal friends. Like listening when a boy breaks her heart and badmouthing his new girlfriend. The things that don”t cost money.”

”You know, I don”t think being your friend is as terrible as you think it is. Not when people get to see the real side of you. The side who will get a manager fired for being a shit person while also paying for a little girl”s birthday after taking pictures and signing autographs. After making her entire year probably, you noticed her father looking distressed, and you wanted to help.”

The way he sees her makes her feel like she”s on top of the world. Aside from Tessa and her team, the only person to do that is Mr. Hanks, her choir teacher. ”I have a soft spot for parents trying to do the best for their children.”

”You”ve mentioned your family before. I”m guessing things with your parents aren”t great?”

It”s been so long since Bri”s had anyone to share the story with because she hates opening up and risking herself, but Bri really wants to tell him. Kace makes her want to open up and let him in. ”My childhood was normal until about the age of fourteen. My parents were normal, but part of me wonders how much I can trust my memories.”

”Can I ask what happened?”

”We discovered I was musically inclined. They got me into a studio to make a demo, and I got signed with a record company at fifteen. And from that moment on, they did everything they could to exploit me.”

His brows furrow, and he juts his chin out. ”Excuse me?”

”I was a cash cow. That”s all I was to them once I got signed. I was the third child with two older brothers and one younger one, so I was also the only girl. I brought in the money to pay for everything, and just before I turned eighteen, they started working towards putting me into a conservatorship. I was touring with Cooper Scott at that time, and he helped me find a lawyer to work with to fix it. In order to do so, I had to end all working relationships with my parents, and he made it so all contracts they signed on my behalf were also severed. Which meant I needed to find a new management team and record deal.”

”They didn”t take it well, did they?”

Shaking her head, she looks at the ground. ”When the working relationship ended, which meant the open bank closed, they cut me off. Same with my brothers. They take the chance to try and smear my name every few years when a fresh reporter thinks they”ve uncovered gold by finding my long-lost parents, but they”ve toned it down after the gag orders and civil suits my team filed over the years.”

”I”m sorry, Bri.”

”They”ve tried twice to get back into my life, but it”s all about money. I fired my last manager because he let them trick him into arranging a meeting. He knew where I stood with everything, and I walked out of that restaurant both parentless and newly agent-less.”

Reaching out, Kace pulls Bri against his side and hugs her. ”That sucks. I don”t know what else to say.”

”Mr. Hanks is the only father-figure I have in my life. He supports me and does what he can to show up for me. He”s been to two concerts so far this tour, and I always make sure he”s moved up to VIP when I know he”s there. He helped save me a few times when I thought I might drown and wanted to throw in the towel. He”s also the reason I want to keep the arts in schools. Music heals my soul more than anything else I”ve ever found.”

”That”s how I feel about hockey,” Kace says and rests his cheek on the top of her head. ”My mom died when I was seven, and it”s just been me and Dad ever since. Dad poured himself into me after Mom passed, and he”s never thought once about moving on with anyone else. He”s only focused on me and supporting my dream. He also won”t let me pay him back for it.”

She sighs and tightens her arms around his waist. ”Does he come to a lot of your games?”

”Usually the ones in Texas. He refuses to let me pay for his flights to Moose Jaw, so he only comes to one or two home games a season when he can save enough to pay for it.”

”It must be nice to have him there and wanting only to support you and nothing else. You must be close with him.”

”I am. And my extended family. He has six brothers and sisters, and they all have kids who started having kids. Holidays are crazy and so much fun. I love when we all get together in one place.”

”Do you plan to have a family one day?” she asks, unsure where the question came from.

He hums and runs his large hand on her arm as he thinks. ”Yeah, I think so. I never really think too much about it, but yeah, I want one. With at least two kids, but I”d take a houseful if the woman I marry decides to let me. I also only plan to ever marry once. The love my parents had for each other sets the bar as high as it can possibly go.”

”That”s a nice plan. I”d like a family one day, too, but I”d have to find the right man. One who doesn”t see having kids as an opportunity to secure money from me. Someone who treats me the way I”m always told I should be treated. And when that happens, I think I might step back from the spotlight.”

”Really?”

”I want a happy, quiet life. I”ll probably never leave music because I”d go absolutely crazy without it, but I think I could be content writing songs for other artists. And it brings in decent money, too.”

The way Kace caresses her arm makes Bri smile. ”You need to find someone who just wants to see you happy.”

”I sometimes wonder what happy even looks like anymore. God, listen to me. I”m so privileged in so many ways, and I”m talking about how terrible my life is. I know what I have is special, but my family tainted it. It used to be fun and thrilling and what I loved. I hate how they turned something I loved into something so ugly.”

”I think you have a right to feel any way you want about what you want. But maybe part of it is because you have yet to slow down.”

Pulling back, she looks up at him. ”I”ve been thinking about that lately, and I think the reason I stay so busy and gone all the time is because I don”t have anywhere to call home. I have nowhere to go home to. Not anymore.”

”Home is wherever your heart is. If that”s a little cabin in the middle of nowhere on a lake with three kids running around while you write music, that”s home.”

Bri sighs. ”I think I have to really decide what I want in life and start making the necessary changes to make it happen.”

”Bri?”

”Yeah?”

”Can I say here tonight?”

Her stomach flutters, and her chest tightens. ”You want to spend the night?”

”Nothing has to happen,” he says quickly. ”I just... I just want to spend time with you. We don”t get a lot of time together, and it”s a new feeling for me.”

”You don”t want to have sex with me?” she jokes, trying to lighten the mood because his words have the possibility of wearing her down before he tells her he doesn”t love Sasha any longer.

To her relief, he chuckles. ”Of course, I”d love to have sex with you. But you”re not ready for that yet, and that”s okay. You have to trust me first.”

Bri looks into his eyes. ”I trust you, Kace. I don”t share anything I”ve told you with anyone. Some of my team only knows half of what you do. As much as I”d like to have you show me what you were talking about making love, it”s how you feel about Sasha that holds me back. I don”t want to take a chance to taint something that I think could be so special if we decided to step over the line of the friendship we”ve built.”

”You trust me?”

”Well, besides the fact you”re larger than anyone on my security team, yes, I trust you. In many different facets. Starting with grizzly bear attacks.”

Kace tilts his head back and laughs, and she likes the deep vibrations that come from it. ”Grizzly bear attacks?”

”Have you ever seen one? They”re huge, and I”m fairly confident you could take one on without much issue. Plus, you play hockey. I”ve quickly learned that”s an immediate intimidation factor.”

”I don”t think grizzly bears watch hockey, and it may be intimidating to some, but not all. It certainly doesn”t intimidate Bobby.”

Leaning back to rest her back on the armrest of the sofa, she narrows her eyes. ”What did Bobby say to you?”

”Just that he”d end my career by pulling a Tonya Harding on me if I hurt you. But he won”t stop with just one knee.”

Bobby said that? The man barely speaks. ”Big Bobby? And you all know Tonya Harding wasn”t the one to actually take out Nancy Kerrigan, right? It was her ex-husband who orchestrated the whole thing.”

”Do you have another Bobby on your team? And I don”t think it matters whether she did or didn”t. The threat”s still the same.”

”No, I only have one Bobby, but he never says much.”

”He”s fond of you. Says you”re the best boss he”s ever worked for, and he”s protective of you. Your entire team is based on the death glares I got when I showed up here. But it kind of kills me you don”t see just how special you are, Bri.”

”You make me feel special,” she admits and looks at her hands. The moment she says it, she wishes she hadn”t.

Kace reaches out and pulls her into his lap, holding her only inches from his face. ”This is going to sound so cheesy, but you make me want to be a better person.”

The closeness becomes too much, and she can”t take it. Her lips crash onto his, and he tangles his hands in her hair. Their tongues dance, and she wants to get drunk on his kiss. Lost in the lust she feels, but Sasha pops into her mind just as she reaches for the hem of his shirt. ”Wait.”

His hands immediately release her, and she feels cold. Misses his touch, and she hates not knowing how he feels.

”Did I go too fast?”

”Are you over Sasha?”

He searches her eyes and sighs. ”We should cool down.”

Kace still loves Sasha. Bri”s heart breaks a little, but she appreciates his honesty. ”I think that might be best right now.”