Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
~brAX~
“ S o, you weren’t just blowing smoke out of your ass?” Lex says to Ralph.
Ralph tried, again, to talk to us about this so-called tour last night just before the show, but we told him to meet us at Lex’s place today to talk about it formally, rather than in bits when our heads were already on stage.
“This is the contract,” he says and tosses it onto the table between us all. “It basically says that you start in Seattle in January and will be with the tour during all of their North American dates through June. It’s six months, nonstop.”
“Holy shit,” I whisper. “What’s the pay?”
Ralph lifts an eyebrow at me.
“Come on, man, you can’t expect us to work for nothing. Like you said, we’ll be working our asses off for six months. Sure, the exposure is there, and we’ll gain some notoriety for it, but we have to pay the fucking bills.”
Over the next hour, Ralph outlines it all for us and breaks down how much we’ll each make per show, as well as all of the terms of the contract.
“It sounds pretty standard to me,” Steve finally says. He toured with other bands in the past before he joined our group. “It’ll be a hell of a good time.”
“We’re obviously in,” Willy says and then turns to me when I remain quiet. “Come on, Brax, this is what we’ve busted our nuts for all these years. It’s finally happening.”
“I know.” I can feel it in my bones. “I just?—”
“If you’re waffling because of that skirt…” Steve says, his voice hard with anger.
“I’m not waffling. I’m thinking.”
“Same thing,” Willy says.
“I want to do this,” I admit. “Hell, yeah, I want to do it. But I have to talk to Josie about it, too. We’re a team, and I just got her back. I’m not willing to do something that will send her packing again.”
“But you would do something that would send the rest of us packing?” Lex asks. “Because if you make us turn this down, I guarantee that’s what will happen, man. I won’t stay if we’re not all in this for the success it could mean for all of us. It’s not just about you.”
“I didn’t say it was,” I reply, feeling frustrated. I rub my hands over my face in agitation. “Of course , I want this for all of us.”
“Then sign on the fucking dotted line,” Willy says.
“I will. After I talk to Josie. And you can call me a pussy or whatever you want, but damn it, it impacts her, too. Give me a few hours. That’s all I’m asking.”
The guys turn to Ralph, who holds up his hands. “I’m not going to force anyone to do anything. In my professional opinion, you’d be stupid to pass. But, hey, it’s your life.”
“No, it’s our lives,” Steve says. “Remember that when you ask your girlfriend for permission to elevate your career.”
“Don’t be an asshole,” I reply, glaring at Steve. “I’ll be back.”
I stand, grab my leather jacket, and leave Lex’s house. I don’t know if Josie’s home yet. I haven’t heard from her since she and Maddie left Portland a couple of hours ago.
They should pull in anytime, depending on traffic.
So, I drive over to her townhouse to wait for her. But when I arrive, there’s a vehicle in the driveway.
Not Josie’s or Maddie’s car.
When I get out of my SUV and walk to the door, Josie’s mom, Brynna, answers it.
“Brax.”
“Oh, hey. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was hoping Josie was back.”
“Not yet,” she says, shaking her head. “I had to stop by to check on something real quick. Maddie got some flowers, and she didn’t want them to sit on the porch. What’s up, Brax? You don’t look so good.”
I blow out a breath and sit on the front step. “I’m…worried.”
“About Josie?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, tell me about it.” Brynna steps down and stands in front of me, shoving her hands in her pockets. “What’s wrong?”
“You know what happened between us, right? A few years ago?”
“I do,” she confirms. “Sometimes, we make decisions off the cuff rather than really thinking about how it might affect those we love.”
“Yeah, well, I’m trying not to do that again. I can’t lose her twice. I don’t think I would survive it.”
“Ah.” She nods and looks up when it starts to sprinkle. “Damn weather. I love Seattle, but I never did get used to all the stupid rain. Do you think you’re about to make a decision that will cause you to lose my daughter?”
“I fucking hope not.”
Brynna smiles. She’s a beautiful woman. The twins get their looks from her. Caleb is a lucky man.
“I think it speaks volumes that you’re worried and are here to talk to Josie about it, rather than running away like last time.”
“I’m done running or hiding or living in denial. That’s dumb.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Brynna turns as Maddie’s car pulls into the driveway. “And there are my girls now. You have good timing, Brax. It’s good to see you.”
When I stand, Brynna offers me a hug.
“Everything’s going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
I nod and watch as Josie gets out of the car, hugs her mom, then frowns at me.
“You okay?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“I think I’ll help Maddie with the bags and stuff,” Brynna says with a wink. “You two go and talk.”
Josie nods. “Thanks, Mom. Come on.”
Josie takes my hand and leads me into the house, through the living room, and to the kitchen at the rear of the townhouse.
“What’s going on?”
“I need to talk to you because I don’t want to make a really bad decision.”
Josie frowns again and reaches for me. “What is it?”
“The band has been offered a tour.” The words come out fast, as if I have to just spill it all at her feet and let her decide what she’ll do with it from there. “We’d be gone from January until June, with an option to sign on for another six months at that time.”
“Holy shit, Brax.”
“I don’t know if I should go.”
Her face is blank, and then she blinks at me. “What? Why wouldn’t you go?”
“Because I just got this back,” I say, gesturing between us, “and the whole reason I fucked up before was because you were going to be gone for your job, and I threw a fucking fit over it.”
“I’m not throwing a fit.”
“If you don’t want me to go, I need you to say so. Because I’ll always choose you first. Always. ”
“Hey.” She moves forward and frames my face in the way she does that calms me faster than anything else. “This is incredible for you and the guys. It would kill them if you turned it down.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty pissed that I even paused.”
She presses her lips together. “I love that your first instinct was to consider me. Thank you for that. But, babe, we got this. You’re going on freaking tour. ON TOUR!”
She starts to jump up and down in excitement. “Holy shit, you’re going on tour!”
I scoop her up and twirl her around the kitchen, finally feeling excited enough to celebrate with her a bit.
“I don’t think it’s set in yet,” I admit. “You’re okay with me being gone for that long? I feel like a hypocrite.”
“Being away from you won’t be fun, but it’s an excellent opportunity for you. Of course, I’m okay.”
“This is what you needed from me two years ago.” I tip my forehead against hers and feel like such an asshole. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“You can’t keep beating yourself up,” she says softly. “Yeah, this is what I needed, but we were different then. This isn’t exactly the same.”
“It’s pretty much the same.”
“Okay, it’s kind of similar. But it’s okay. We’re moving forward, not dwelling in the past, Brax.”
“You’re incredible, and I don’t deserve you.”
“That could be true, but you have me all the same. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere—even if you are on tour and groupies will try to get in your pants.”
I laugh and hug her close. “You’re the only groupie I’ll allow in my pants.”
“If I find out otherwise, they won’t need to get in your pants anymore. What’s in there will be gone.”
I swallow hard and then kiss her head. “You’re the best thing that’s ever been mine, Josie Montgomery.”
“Isn’t that a Taylor Swift line?”
“It fits,” I say with a laugh. “I guess I’d better go sign that contract before the guys put out a hit on me.”
“Jesus, you didn’t sign it?”
“Not until I talked to you. Because you’re the most important part of my life. And if you weren’t on board, then I wouldn’t have been on board, either.”
“Wow,” I hear Maddie say from the island. I turn and find Maddie and Brynna watching with tears in their eyes. “That’s so romantic.”
“There’s not a lot of privacy in our family,” Brynna says as she wipes away a tear. “You’ll get used to it.”
Josie laughs and cuddles up beside me. “He’d better get used to it. He’s stuck with me.”
“That’s the best problem I’ve ever had.”